The current state of SEO may be a matter of concern for more than a few small and medium sized businesses. In a recent survey, done annually by Zazzle Media, they went out and posed several dozen specific questions concerning the state of SEO. They asked hundreds of small businesses and marketing professionals their opinions and the results just may cause you some concern.
- On the immediate bright side was that nearly all considered content to be a main priority and one of the best ways to drive traffic, gain ranking, and make conversions. Take the time to evaluate your content. Be sure that it is educating and engaging. Also coordinate with your sales and marketing teams to ensure your content is telling your brand’s story.
- Link gathering looks like it may have run its course. Many companies are not giving it the priority they once did. The major reason for this may be that it is next to impossible to measure just how effective all of these links have been.
- Even though Google has been stumbling somewhat regarding its mobile first priority, there are still some companies that have not made their jump yet. Most have and those that have are showing significant gains in traffic and conversions. Many companies and marketing professionals still have many problems it would like to see Google fix but Google tends to not listen to anyone and they oftentimes tend to fix things that aren’t really broken.
- One of the most surprising results is that Zazzle found that half of the people and companies they spoke with don’t have a clue about what their rivals are up to. This seems so impossible to imagine but most companies are simply not paying attention. You must know what the competition is up to. You must know where they are both strong and weak. Learn from their mistakes and see where you can gain a strict advantage. Market share is everything.
-Written by Kevin Sawyer
