What's new in the world of Search Marketing?

June 22, 2011 7:58 AM

What's new in the world of Search Marketing?

I used to consider myself an expert, but I've been out of the game for 3 years. I need to scrub up for a meeting tomorrow, so what's new?

PPC - I've looked through the Adwords learning centre, and apart from a new interface, improvements in the content network and embedded match it doesn't look like much has changed at all....

SEO - In terms of organic results, bits and bobs like site speed, but essentially nothing new here?

I hear there is this social media thing.....

posted by choppyes to Work & Money (10 answers total)

Yeah. You don't pay attention for 3 months and all is lost. Read up on some of the expert's/leaders in the industry's blogs and sites. I really like Sitepoint and Webmasterworld. Also update yourself on Matt Cutts' blog. That will be a way to clue you in to the new changes. Adwords won't do you any good.
posted by Vaike at 9:19 AM on June 22, 2011

Make sure to browse through searchengineland too. In terms of tactics, a lot of search marketers are expanding their expertise into facebook marketplace ads as well as twitter ads as the bid strategies are fairly similar.
posted by jourman2 at 9:32 AM on June 22, 2011

Google is overwhelmed by content farms, some people are pointing to "social search" as the next thing — things your friends "like" are more likely to be relevant to you. Facebook is partnering with Bing to invest in this concept.
posted by Tom-B at 9:37 AM on June 22, 2011 [1 favorite]

Also, make sure to familiarize yourself with what google and bing are doing with integrating signals into search results. For example, google is using connected accounts (twitter, facebook, quora, etc...) to move search results around for logged in searchers, as well as using +1 button data. Bing is using Facebook 'likes' to influence search results (as seen in this ad).
posted by jourman2 at 9:41 AM on June 22, 2011

Response by poster: Great, thanks people.

So far we have

- Facebook and Twitter have entered the paid placement market
- Natural results are polluted by content farms
- Google is tailoring search according to user's activity in the wider web

Anything else spring to mind?
posted by choppyes at 10:35 AM on June 22, 2011

Response by poster: - Bing is incorporating Facebook 'likes' into natural results
posted by choppyes at 10:38 AM on June 22, 2011

The semantic web - most especially HTML5 Microdata - will have an increasing impact on search results. See schema.org for some examples.
posted by Bora Horza Gobuchul at 11:26 AM on June 22, 2011

What hasn't changed is good content. It's easier to have high-quality content than trying to outmaneuver.

Here's a good article supporting Tom-B's and jourman2's points http://blog.performics.com/search/2011/06/catapult-seo-with-your-customers-help-participatory-seo-on-the-social-serp.html.
posted by tenaciousd at 8:49 PM on June 22, 2011

Should've said "....trying to outmaneuver Google."
posted by tenaciousd at 8:50 PM on June 22, 2011

Response by poster: - sitelinks in PPC ads are new also...
posted by choppyes at 9:06 AM on June 24, 2011