A recent report has revealed what a large sample of consultants believe to have been the main trends affecting search marketing in the first part of 2012. Almost 900 people participated in the survey, from 36 nations. Two thirds of them, however, were based in the United States. Although one expert has stressed the amount of change which the consultants remarked upon, other analysis has emphasised that the findings underlined the stability of the sector. A proper appreciation of the facts is useful for those planning or tweaking winning SEO campaigns, going forward.
Signs of seeming continuity
The consultants said that online marketing had not changed so much in terms of goals. Getting plenty of traffic was still a big priority for those doing conventional optimisation. In addition to this stable pattern, the survey respondents suggested that large quantities of money were still being spent by clients to achieve similar goals to those pursued in the past. In fact, it seemed that most people expected the investments being made to grow, although not necessarily at quite the same rate of expansion as sometimes has happened in previous phases of the development of the search world.
Signs of continuing changes
The consultants highlighted three things as having large implications for the work they do. Firstly, many of them mentioned the impact of changing algorithms. Secondly, the continuing rise of mobile search attracted a lot of attention. Thirdly, a considerable number of references to local search were made. The algorithm changes were commented on a lot, but the survey was held during a period when both Panda and Penguin updates were particularly influential. Algorithms will continue to alter, but working ethically should minimise any potential disruption. The two other trends are arguably more interesting because they are where new opportunities will be accessible in the future.
Figures to put flesh on the bones
It is worthwhile looking at the evidence more closely to get an even better idea of what consultants were actually thinking. It was found that 55 per cent of consultants said that the mobile revolution was highly significant to their activities, while a further 37 per cent suggested it was significant. Only 45 per cent of the consultants said that local search was highly significant to what they were up to, but a further 42 per cent reported that it was significant. This shows that mobile search was having a more immediate impact than local search, but lots of users search for local services on mobile devices. Of the consultants asked, 44 per cent classed algorithm updates as highly significant, while 42 per cent acknowledged they were significant.
Minor trends worth mentioning
Things like behavioural targeting and even the merger of Yahoo and Bing were mentioned by respondents to the survey, but they were not seen as major challenges facing consultancies. For example, the merger of Yahoo and Bing was seen as insignificant by 55 per cent of respondents. This was probably the result of many people being unimpressed with Yahoo’s performance during the first part of the year.
For more information please visit – www.clickconsult.com
