Is the death of SEO coming soon?

[Torrey Russell]

I think that the recent article in Wired sums it up

Web searches are dead!

Look at this graph from their article:
http://www.wired.com/magazine/wp-content/images/1...

Web searches have dropped to under 23% of all "Internet" usage. So what is happening?
(from Wired Article)
"You wake up and check your email on your bedside iPad — that’s one app. During breakfast you browse Facebook, Twitter, and The New York Times — three more apps. On the way to the office, you listen to a podcast on your smartphone. Another app. At work, you scroll through RSS feeds in a reader and have Skype and IM conversations. More apps. At the end of the day, you come home, make dinner while listening to Pandora, play some games on Xbox Live, and watch a movie on Netflix’s streaming service.

You’ve spent the day on the Internet — but not on the Web. And you are not alone."

This is our future... the Internet is coming to your cay buyers in the form of an app or service... the consumer is not going to it.
Read this article in depth. (Push Technology all over again - but this time it is taking hold.)
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/ff_webrip/

(Chris Anderson- the author is the inventor of the term "Long Tail")

Auto Dealers need to understand that the consumer is totally changing the way they do things and searching the web is now only 23% of that activity....

These walled gardens are like the CompuServe and AOLs of the past.... and now they are taking control of our customers time...

Got an App for that?

 

[Clay Toporski (blog)]

In response to Torrey, what percentage of cars that you sold last manth came from facebook, twitter, myspace, youtube, digg, etc, etc.?

There are fun things to do on the internet more than ever before. And it is free. People can connect from all over the world. It is sharing and communication. But, how does that relate to selling cars?

How many people are searching for cars on facebook or youtube? As far as I can tell, not many.

Now, let me ask you, do you remember the last time a long time customer came in for service with a car you didn't sell them - only to find out they bought it elsewhere for some other reason? Yes, I think we all know that person... In fact we all know those people.

There is no loyalty in the car business. I can have every customer be my friend on twitter and facebook - and yes, they will take advantage of my service coupons - but how do I make them trust me enough to buy from me without shopping online and at competitors. I can't.

Now, where do those people go. They type in google "Honda Civic Best Deal" or they go to edmunds and request a quote, or they type in google "2004 red Camry Le NJ". Why? Because search engines still do what they were meant to do, search the internet. They consistently do it better than social media. How many people ask their facebook friends where to find a 2004 red camry le? And why don't they? Because it isn't the right forum for the question.

SEO and search engines aren't dying, but people are finding places where they like to "hang out" - which is completely different from where they like to do their research.

I apologize for the long, stream of conscious comment here, but I don't have time to proof read right now...

 

[Eric Miltsch]

Alex,

Nice attention grabber, love it.

Here's my thought as to why searches are dropping - the lack of the need to search.

Why? Apps are replacing the need.

I just bought my movie tickets for tonight on Fandango before I opened this page - via their app.

Customized, personal niche specific apps will eventually take over your own personal dashboard. Who knows - maybe we'll have personal tablet devices that can...er, wait - we already do...lol.

Search will still be around for a while though - just in more targeted, real-time modes. Look at the recent patent Google was awarded for their link strategies technology. All point to bigger and better things for those looking to rank higher.

Oh, and Joe, I'd be long on Facebook for a while still

 

[JD Rucker (blog)]

Alex and All Commenters:

This is perhaps one of the best overall articles/threads I've read regarding automotive in a while. Great job, all.

With that said, I would like to sum up some of the points made as well as add some others.

Search numbers are down because:

1) Social media and apps eliminate/replace the need for many, many searches. Things that we once searched for are now presented to us through other means. I ate sushi last night in Santa Monica that we found on Yelp. On my Droid X, I get movie listings and reviews, directions/GPS, local information, etc.

2) It is the search engines' goal to make us search LESS. The whole reason for having an algorithm is to present the most relevant data possible on the first try. This is why they use quality score or a variation to help rank PPC advertising. Otherwise, they would go with the higher bidder. For organic listings, to optimize a site is to make it as relevant to particular searches as possible. Is it being corrupted? Of course! All data is corrupted at some level. Even in social media, entire companies are built around making clients more attractive on Web 2.0. More on this later...

3) I would not underestimate the experience of the searcher. The more we search, the better we get at it, and the last 2 years have been a real tipping point for improved "search skills" by those using the search engines.

None of these things, however, point to any change in the need for solid Automotive SEO and SEM. Social media is a luxury (this coming from the guy who preaches social media every day). Automotive SEO is a necessity and is showing now signs of dying.

Let's look at the above reasons for a decline in searches through the lens of how it affects car dealers.

1) Social Media/Apps - The influence of social media on car-buying decisions is there, but not even close to the influence it has on other reduced searches such as restaurants or entertainment. There are no popular "Where do I buy my next car" apps out there. Where social media DOES influence searches is at the brand level. People are more likely to have their decision influenced by social media when deciding which brands to consider. Once they make that determination, they hit the search engines to find the right dealer.

2) As Pasch, Miltsch, and others indicated, most of the old school factors that once manipulated the search engines have been reduced in strength. Content and authoritative links are still greatly trusted by the search engines because they yield results that normally make search listings more relevant. One important factor that search engines look at is bounce back. If enough people click on the #1 listing, click back, then click on the #2 listing and stay on the site without going back to further searches, #2 will eventually be #1. This is the "corruption-beater" that search engines use. They know there is corruption. They know how to fight that corruption - by watching how searchers respond to results.

3) For car dealers, keyword selection is HUGE. I often get yelled at (not literally) for the number of hours we spend with dealers simply getting the right keyword lists going and maintaining those lists over time. People are better searchers than they've ever been and that is going to be more pronounced in coming years as the tech-savvy kids of today become the car buyers of tomorrow.

Alex, this was a wonderful, thought provoking discussion. I cannot wait for a followup!

 

[Eric Miltsch]

@JD - To your point about more sophisticated searchers, I read recently where Google said that every 30 days, up to 19% of the searches conducted contain 4 & 5 word phrases THEY HAVE NEVER SEEN BEFORE.

Knowing that makes a very strong case for even greater focus on your SEM/SEO KW lists.

 

[Richard Valenta (blog)]

There are posts dating back to 2002 that have the same title as this one. It's actually funny to see this on DR as I have seen it so many times outside the auto industry. SEO is dying... SEO is dead...

JD is right on the money in that things are evolving but SEO is alive and well. There is no death to SEO coming soon. As long as there are algorithms, there will be optimization. By the way, the sky is not falling either.

 

[Alex Snyder (blog)]

Richard - seems like I offended you in some way with this article. You are taking it too literally. Read my other comment.

I want people to start talking more about content than the old SEO tricks. The right approach, that wins every time, is smart content mixed with the proper keywords. With the right content, it shouldn't matter whether Google is in the lead or facebook.

 

[Richard Valenta (blog)]

Not in the least bit Alex. Just trying to make a point that people have been saying this for years. I do agree that smart content is a winning approach. However, without a good link building strategy, you will not rank for highly competitive keywords.

 

[Timothy Martell (blog)]

Great article! Certainly a thought provoker and has done well to generate a lot of response. I recently brought up another thought provoker following in parallel to this line of thinking which you can see on http://www.wikimotive.net/3-ways-facebook-is-kill... .

I think that one of most common... "themes" (I won't call it a mistake) that effect our paradigm when we discuss these topics is that many of us tend to look at these issues from a microscopic vs macroscopic level.

After all what is so special about SEO? How is a dealer that is proficient with SEO any different from the first dealers who adopted a 4 square selling process? (Not talking about the geo location social network - never thought I would have to qualify that!)

All of these "tools" are just that - tools we use to gain an edge over the competition. I've been in the business for 19 years and I've learned more acronyms and buzzwords in the last five years than I ever heard in the first fourteen.

While I appreciate the eye catching appeal of the title, even if it is true (which I am not conceding) it just means the beginning of what's next.

Wether its SEO or PPC or Social Media or whatever is next, there will always be someone out there gaming the system. This is simply the natural order of things. Wether its breaking the sound barrier or breaking the google algorithm - there will always be people pushing the envelope. THAT is the "True long-term ruler".

So bring on the death of SEO! I am batting 1,000 in being first to the party when it regards the latest greatest marketing technique. I'll be at the front of the line for the next great wave...

 

[Oscar Vanderkooij]

I know I am getting in on this conversation a little late, but are we forgetting that we are still in a down market? Do you think the economy could be part of the cause of the 16% decline in searches? I do think that the search engines and companies in general are teaching the consumer how to search better (e.g. Microsoft Bing commercials are the best example), which has made a difference and so has social media probably, but certainly the influence of a down economy could be part of it too.

Search engines will keep leading the way as Google and the other search engines are adapting their algorithms to put an emphasis on newer content (e.g. twitter), multimedia content and maybe even links from social media sites.

Joe's question about how you find information, I would answer in all cases with search, because it is simply easier to search quickly. Are you going to link and talk about every business you buy from on your Facebook page. I would think the answer is a resounding Hell No! I think it is more likely that social media is peaking than that search engines are peaking, because of concerns with privacy matters. Joe's example of the facebook photo being attached to a person's name is technology that is already available and being used by Apple (it recognizes faces after you teach it a little).