SEO has always been about getting high rankings and traffic via the search engines. In the early days SEO tactics like keyword stuffing worked quite well. Not anymore though. The big three search engine’s (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) algorithm’s have all become increasingly sophisticated. So, the tactics an SEO Consultant uses must also become more sophisticated, and change in kind. It’s kinda a cat and mouse game. As Google changes, our strategies and tactics change.

There will always be a need to drive traffic. But, where will the focus be? Will Google still be the primary target?

We’ve all seen the rise in Social Media usage. Some of the more popular Social Networks include, Linkedin, Facebook, Twitter, Stumbleupon, Digg, and Youtube. And, we’ve all seen the explosive growth of Twitter. Not only are these growing and active communities, they also can drive a significant amount of traffic. Here’s the forecast of Social Media usage by emarketer:

Niche communities are popping up everywhere now. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Social Networks like Ning. Anybody can now create a niche social network by using their free platform. To see a great example, here is a ning community that I joined, which was created by Larry Brauner. Niche communities like his have the potential to grow huge, and drive highly relevant traffic.

An SEO Consultant should prepare for the shift to social media by getting active on some of these. This takes a lot of time. Some of it I’ve heard described as “busywork”. But, the investment of time is needed. Even if you just choose one or two networks to become active on, it’s very possible that your traffic needs will be spread out to different networks from those people you’re connected to on a single social community. Think of it as a scaled-down version of viral marketing. Although, it could explode into full-blown viral activity.

Now with all this talk of the importance of social networking, I don’t want you to think that traditional SEO is dead. Cause it ain’t!

The search engines aren’t going away anytime soon. There is no Google killer anywhere in sight. And, search engines still drive an enormous amount of traffic. Search engines are where your customers find you. In the future a good SEO Consultant will get you traffic regardless of where it’s from. It’s all about:

• Right Message
• Right Place
• Right Time
• Right Person
• Right Experience

Photo credit: Saioki Fugiyoshi

I like the symbolism of the photo. A good SEO Consultant (the mouse), can control Google (the cat).

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