Is it time to put a fork in the poor old SEO (Search Engine Optimization) bird that’s been maligned all these years by  posers, wannabees, hucksters who wanted to make a fast buck.

Lets face it, telling people you were in the SEO biz was a short cut to either dumbfounded looks (“what’s that?”)  or instant turn off, as they equated your skill set with Kurt Russel’s famous role in Used Cars.

We think the worm has turned and today’s unsung SEO hero or heroine is now morphing to a Search and Social Media Marketing geek.

In today’s Web 3.0 (dare we use the term) world the days of yore where SEO geeks razzled and dazzled the clients with talk of massive “Google Juice” traffic are just gone. The traffic is still there but getting it requires a different blend of marketing skills.

Google’s Caffeine is Game Changer

Google’s Caffeine Update is putting much more reliance on sites that are updated quickly and frequently - we are simplifying a bit for brevity.  Your site can be as pretty as  James Cameron’s Avatar but it still isn’t going to generate much traffic unless you update to a more holistic marketing  plan.

The important number is the caching dates; i.e. how frequently Google finds and indexes or lists your site’s pages. Rapid updates means your site is fresh and should be ranked higher than stale sites - Blogs are rapidly emerging as an essential marketing tool that compliments this new Web 3.0 world.

We are already seeing Keyword optimized Blog posts pop up in Google’s Search Results (SERPs in SEO geek lingo) within 24 hours after the Blog post has been made and augmented with another page of the client’s site right below the Blog post.

And, thank you Google folks (not so sound like sycophants), the pages are even now getting listed above Local Business Listings. This tells us Google has embraced Real Time Search and “likes” new and fresh content.

Social Media Reshaping SEO

So, what are the implications for Search Engine Optimization in this emerging Web 3.0 world? We think it’s incumbent for businesses or anyone that wants traffic to embrace Social Media Marketing.

Meaning, create fresh optimized content and push it out onto the web via any/all Social Sites and Processes - we couldn’t underscore how important Blogging is in this equation. And understand “Real Time Search” caveats - Twitter’s 19B searches per month is something any good marketer wants to latch onto!

Is Search Engine Optimization Dead?

We think traditional SEO as it was once done is dead - call the dogs and pour water on the fire and saddle up the buckaroos…….  What’s replacing SEO is SEO that is Social Media Optimized.

Meaning, you need a holistic marketing plan that recognizes the importance of a web site constructed with SEO Best Practices that also blends Social Media Marketing for Presence, Engagement, Conversation, Real Time Search Ranking, etc.

No brickbats from you SEO geeks please - we still believe in SEO services but are now embracing a broader call to arms……….. Questions:  Tweet or Contact Us - we welcome an opportunity to help you.