Is the death of SEO coming soon?

[Alex Snyder]

We are approaching a fork in the road for organic search.  Search engines are either going to become more powerful, or they're going to shed enough leaves to make us ask whether sustaining our current investment is sound.

Google released Realtime search, Yahoo and Bing are merging, and facebook is jumping into the search game.  Those are big things, but what do they really mean?  Let's take a few steps back for a minute.

Search engines, traditionally, look for a few things when deciding which website to serve-up in the results:



These are things that are technically done and can be quite complex depending on who you speak with.  There is a big problem with this model though:  it is highly corruptible.  Not pointing any fingers, but as an example of the corruption, SEO "experts" and "gurus" make their livings by taking advantage of this model.  For the pure fact that this model is corruptible, it will never be the true long-term ruler.  Corruption is one simple and logical reason why we're approaching this fork.

But let's jump down the rabbit hole a little further and talk about social media.  Yes, I know, we're all sick of hearing about how wonderful social media is and blah, blah, blah.  But I would advise you to not stop reading just yet because I'm not here to praise it.  Social Media is not ruled by a technical system.  There is no algorithm for results.  The content is completely provided based on judgement by the people you have chosen to hear from.

Want to buy something?  Ask your friends on facebook what they think.  That is a lot trustier than some review from a stranger you might find on Yelp after being directed there by Google.

This is technology simply getting to the roots of human nature.  We place more value on the things we hear from people we know.  And we seek that higher-valued system over any other.  The big search engines see this and they're trying to position themselves to have a future by reorganizing and adding new features.

To all our DealerRefresh readers I am sorry to say that we have watched the plight of the newspaper, the radio, we'll see the drop of TV ads as we know them today, and we're starting to find that this other advertising source we are just beginning to really capitalize on could find itself as an advertising "has-been".  We are approaching a fork in the road.

The fork might be closer than I'm letting on....

From the Nielsen Wire on Top U.S. search sites for July 2010:

The number of searches conducted in the U.S. over the last year has decreased by 16% from 10.5 billion in July 2009 to 8.8 billion in July 2010. MSN/Windows Live/Bing was the only one of the top three engines to have experienced an increase in search volume – a 28% increase from 0.9 billion to 1.2 billion.

Why do you think this is?

 

[samepageuniverse]

I spent quite a bit of time last fall learning about Social Media as a real marketing implement and I was waiting for this to "happen". Love your take. In my mind, we're so far past the SEO/SEM question now that if a dealership hasn't gotten it dialed, it might not really matter. Just my opinion of course.

 

[Vicki O'Neill]

Great article, Alex. You bring up great points on the changing landscape of SEO and how this plays out with organic search results. A few thoughts:

1) Do these figures take into account mobile searches, i.e. Safari, etc.? There are more mobile savvy consumers relying more on their mobile devices for research, information, directions and purchases. 72% of US population have phones capable of web browsing. This shift in consumer behavior will continue affect how people search for information.

2) Google randomly changes their algorithms - is there a possibility their formulas will change to accommodate the changing consumer search patterns?

3) As we've seen, social media is here to stay and as you commented, people are more likely to trust feedback from Facebook friends than random reviewer on Yelp, etc. Geo-modifiers and long tail searches are playing an increasingly critical role in consumer searching and displayed results, including local listings which are increasingly "pushing" organic listings below the fold.

What do you see happening with social media, geolocation based apps (i.e. Foursquare), SEO and search results?

 

[Brian Pasch (blog)]

Alex

I love the title! Your future vision for the search and social markets is thought provoking. Consumers have always sought out good information and reliable recommendations and social media is part of that equation now.

Good Automotive SEO strategies have always relied on educating dealers that good content will be rewarded in search and by reader clicks. Today this content needs to be both on websites and on social media sites.

Regardless of how search and social pans out, the heart of good SEO has always been relevant content. Many

dealers are currently not equipped to create and engage consumers with good content. This also applies to content management strategies on Facebook.

Automotive SEO in the future may rely less on things like META descriptions and Page Titles and more on content, number of pages visited, number of likes and time on site. These may be better measures of content that consumers find useful

So, like anything SEO will not die but evolve to provide dealers with a better on-site experience and social media engagement for consumers. This should equate to better traffic and search rankings as well.

As we have discussed before, the #1 search phrase for any car dealer is their own dealership name. Since this is the case, dealers should inspect what appears on Google Page One for a search on their name.

Active dealers will see their social media sites like Twitter and Facebook on Page One which puts the dealers social media strategy right in the bullseye of consumer click paths. It better be brand enhancing!

The other results that appear on Page One often are not brand enhancing and in many case would deter consumers from selecting that dealer to purchase or service a car.

So until major shifts happen, dealers still need an effective SEO strategy at least to ensure that their #1 search phrase for driving traffic to their website is not being diluted by competitors, negative press or lead collectors.

In my estimates, 80% of car dealers have no formal policy for content development or social media engagement. If your prediction comes true in the next 5 years, we'll need to educate dealers on the steps they need to truly engage consumers online.

I'm betting that SEO and Social Media will be part of that formula.

 

[Bruce Novicky]

Call me crazy but I would say there are less searches because everything just works better now.

People are finding what they want on the first try rather than needed 4 different searches.

If I am right, it would actually mean that SEO is becoming even more important.

This was just off the top of my head though, so I could be totally wrong.

 

[Joe Pistell]

I am in Bruce's camp. Search is working better, look at the way they "suggest" phrases for keywords prior to the search.

 

[samepageuniverse]

@Brian P. As always, I so appreciate your opinion on this subject. My earlier comment was really focused on the "old think" regarding SEO, which you much more eloquently described in your response. The Automotive sector is very fortunate to have your group and you "out there" banging the drum regarding and facilitating the generation and proper distribution of relevant content. I like your evaluation - that we're experiencing evolution, not death. Hopefully the dealer body hears and sources you! Thank you!

 

[Joe Pistell]

Can SM replace search? Ten Questions to ask yourself. Take the test!

What platform would give you the best answer?

Social Media -or- Search?

-I want a great Pizza:

-Looking for a great Movie:

-How do I heat my garage?:

-Best Golf Instructor:

-Best Friday Happy Hour:

-HD projector for Home Theater:

-Car Financing:

-Car Buying:

-Car Servicing:

-Info on Tree Illness:

-Need a Arborist (Tree Surgeon):

-Info on Pet Illness:

-Need a New Veterinarian:

Copy n paste & Fill out your answers. What platform did you pick and do you see a pattern???

 

[Joe Pistell]

Social Media (SM) -or- Search?
-I want a great Pizza: SM
-Looking for a great Movie: SM
-How do I heat my garage?: Search
-Best Golf Instructor: SM
-Best Friday Happy Hour: SM
-HD projector for Home Theater: Search
-Car Financing:Search
-Car Buying:Search
-Car Servicing: SM
-Info on Tree Illness:Search
-Need a Arborist (Tree Surgeon):Search
-Info on Pet Illness: Search
-Need a New Veterinarian: SM

Social Media: 6
Search: 7

The score above is less relevant than is the profile of the scores. SM is little more than old school social networking, done via FB. We all have a pet, but few have a HD projector or experience dealing with a sick tree. If my Vet sucks, I'd look for SM referrals for a new vet.

 

[Vicki O'Neill]

Bruce brings up a great point - users are conducting more specific, long tail searches to find what they want. And because more specific keywords results in a faster more relevant delivery, consumers find what they want with fewer searches.

What's important to note, as Joe states with his examples, is that the search source and search words will vary depending on need and person. With the fragmented media choices - traditional and non-traditional - the focus is targeting the most relevant audience, geo- and psycho-graphics for each dealership/ business.

The end result will be the same for the consumer - finding information - however the game (SEO, social media, mobile, etc.) is constantly changing which means how the data is monitored and reported will change as well.