Just recently, SES London 2010 hosted a keynote panel titled, “SEO: Where to Next?” While there are some individuals who believe that search engine optimization is dead, Lisa Myers, one of the speakers at the panel, held an extensive discussion about Google Local.
Google is constantly looking for ways to improve their search. Their official blog is frequently updated with information about their new features and services. Although Google has recently debuted their local keyword search, Myers explains that this recent update may be a bit risky due to its lack of support for their Google Local Business search. The lack of support can result in the spamming of their ranking algorithm as well as the ‘hijacking’ business listings. The increased attention towards local search engine optimization may hinder, or even kill off, organic search results, since the local results are posted within the organic section.
Myers also explains that off-page optimization has been the biggest change recently. The potential it has reached has made it mandatory for her to include social media sites like Facebook and Twitter into her workflow. However, she further elaborates that these social media marketing tools are simply just that, tools. They require time and dedication to build up a campaign. These networks can help improve and create buzz for your site. According to Myers,
“The concept of ‘linkerati,’ the people you need to target to get links for SEO, has evolved to the ‘socialrati,’ who are the people who are the most active within a social media network. Those people do have blogs and their own websites and if you can target them through Twitter you will get links. You just have to make sure you are getting the right content and are niche enough for those people.”
