Search engine optimization and social media in 2010
By
Sheila Koefkorn, President of KEO Marketing
At the recent #SMAZ conference in Phoenix, I had the pleasure of moderating a panel of experts that included Sheila Kloefkorn. She is president of KEO Marketing, a firm in Phoenix, Arizona that provides online marketing strategy and execution, including SEO, search engine marketing and social media. Her clients are in the U.S. and more than 100 countries around the world.
I asked her for some SEO tips for this coming year. Above all, she says, focus first on the content and the message, and don’t get so wrapped around the axle thinking about the social media vehicle.
“You’ve probably heard it said that there is nothing certain but change. Well that is certainly true of Search Engine Optimization and Social Media in 2010. Google is launching a new architecture for the back end of its search engine, code named Google Caffeine, in early Q1. While the details are kept private by Google, we do know that the algorithm, or mathematical formula, of how Google determines first page ranking for search queries, will favor ‘new, fresh, relevant content.’
This is great news if you have a content strategy that is focused on frequently updated useful information and if you are leveraging social media to get that word out and develop community.
Facebook news feeds on public company and fan pages, twitter streams and LinkedIn status updates are indexed by Google, Bing and some other engines in what is nearing real time. Blog posts are frequently showing up in search results within minutes and hours of being posted. Product reviews and comments on local search listings and sites like Yelp and Merchant Circle are also showing up quickly.
Today, effective search engine optimization and social media means having a content and engagement strategy that includes not only your website but all of the sites where your customers and prospects hang out online.
If you listen, you are authentic and helpful, and make your content compelling and easy to consume, you will reap dividends in both B2C and B2B marketing in 2010.”
