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12.06.05
The State Of Search Engine Marketing
 By
Chris Richardson
Search engine expert Danny Sullivan gave a glowing account of the search engine
marketing world today in his keynote address at SES Chicago.
The state of the search engine marketing industry is alive, strong, and growing
at an accelerated rate. Just ask Danny Sullivan. This particularly glowing endorsement
came during Danny's keynote speech for the 2005 Chicago SES conference.
To be sure, these positives were not just the result of some excessive smoke-blowing.
In order to justify his position, Sullivan pointed a number of positive examples
during his keynote, which focused on the state and perception of search engine
marketing and those who conduct such services.
For instance, the state of talent recruitment throughout the search industry,
not just with Google and Yahoo, is extremely competitive. This indicates companies
are, in a sense, scrambling to acquire these talented individuals before the next
one does.
Normally, the computer industry operates in an opposite method: the hiring process
for qualified individuals is still quite competitive. However, with the search
industry, it's the other way around. Companies are scouring the globe in an effort
to hire a talented staff.
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From Sullivan's perspective, the reason for the search marketing industry rapid
evolution is because search has become a legitimate, stand alone advertising medium.
With search being available (or soon to be) on practically every media-playing
device (cellphones, iPods, computers), the search industry has the potential to
replace, or at least render redundant, traditional methods of advertising.
And as Internet search continues to grow, one of the most
popular Internet activities as it is, so does the SEM/SEO segment.
Another area of emphasis during the keynote was how the search marketing community
has grown, mirroring the growth of the industry itself. To reinforce this point,
Sullivan pointed out the large number of search-related forums and blogs (WebProWorld,
SearchEngineWatch, SitePoint, SearchEngineRoundtable).
Organizations such as SEMPO and the SES conferences were referenced as well. All
of these examples further the point that Sullivan was illustrating: the state
of SEM/SEO industry is thriving and from the looks of things, it will continue
to do so. It's not as if the act of searching is going away anytime soon, if ever.
Reading into Danny's comments, it certainly seems as if the search engine industry
is not facing the specter of an Internet bubble pop.
To continue his point about the state of SEM, Sullivan also discussed the Ian
Turner episode. If you aren't familiar, Ian
Turner was a noted SEM who came up missing after one of the WebmasterWorld
conference sessions. Ian was subsequently located and issued a heartfelt thank
you for the various efforts.
When word of Ian's disappearance surfaced, almost the entire SEM community rallied
around a grassroots effort, launched by Nick Wilson at Threadwatch.org, to find
Turner. This includes the likes of the Yahoo and Google's respective search blogs,
who posted entries about Ian's disappearance.
To further substantiate his position, Sullivan also mentioned the Barry Schwartz
(seroundtable.com) marriage proposal with the help of Ask.com. In one of the more
unique "will you marry me" moves, Barry used Ask's Smart Answer service to assist
with his proposal to his soon-to-be wife.
Again, these examples reinforce the growth and position of the SEM/SEO industry.
I don't recall seeing any Google Blog entries about some random missing person,
do you?
Sullivan also mentioned the benefits SEM/SEO providers have reaped since the acceptance
of these services into the mainstream. For instance, search engines, especially
Google and Yahoo, give frequent "weather reports" on the status of their search
index and potential upcoming algorithm alterations.
This allows SEO/SEM types to effect necessary changes before these updates take
hold. When you consider the work and constant tweaking necessary to be successful
in search, having notification beforehand allows preventive/preliminary measures
to be taken instead of having a group of SEOs running around like headless chickens
trying to implement reactive alterations.
This can make a huge difference when Jagger-like updates occur.
The introduction of Google Sitemaps, Yahoo Site Explorer, the "nofollow" tag,
and Google Base are other examples of these benefits. Danny also mentioned various
publications and prime time television shows that have either focused or made
mention of this growing industry.
Read
the rest of the article.
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