The shift from SEO to Inbound Marketing

We’ve been living in a world where SEO dominates the marketing scene. It’s all about picking the right keywords to get the search engine to rank a company as high as possible in search results, making it look like the authority on a particular topic. But lately there’s been a need to shift away from SEO and toward inbound marketing. From using multiple devices to changing the way we phrase things in our search, search engines are becoming increasingly intelligent so they can keep up. Google, for instance, pulls information on the searcher’s location, preferences, and search history to get the best search result possible. But these personalized search results inhibit accurate SEO reports. Not to mention that SEO can’t tap into mobile apps and select content based on the user.  Google took it one step further when it rolled out its Hummingbird update last year. This algorithm makes it easier for Google to interpret conversational language, helping the search engine understand the intent of a given search rather than interpreting just a series of words.

Typing a simple question into Google’s search bar will tell you just how far the search platform has come. Translating words, giving facts and answering questions directly in the results page eliminates the user from having to click on the link for a website. If one searches a specific question, such as the best restaurant in his area, will Google will answer his question by ranking results based on the highest ratings and reviews. In addition to changes in the way we search eliminating the use of SEO, pay to play is dominating the web now, making SEO a less productive strategy.

Search engines like Google and social media sites such as Facebook benefit from showing ads, and companies benefit from getting clicks on these ads.

When you have high relevancy and great targeting with this valuable content, you please both ends.

So what does this mean for the future of marketing? Simply put, your business should adopt inbound marketing techniques and focus less efforts on SEO. There’s no longer a need to select keywords that “trick” a search engine to rank your website higher than the competitor in search results.

Why switch to inbound marketing?

Switching to an Inbound strategy can be highly advantageous to your brand because, first and foremost, it draws people into your brand. Whether people are drawn to your company via social media, a share from a friend or coworker, or through your own site, you’re bringing consumers to your website and social media sites organically, thus driving traffic and producing leads.

Producing rich, quality content on your outlets builds expertise and trust among your consumers. When people find value in your content, it leads to shares. This link building can lead to professionals in your industry sharing your content on their site. By using your knowledge and expertise to write quality content, build a helpful website, and interact on social media, your consumers will find more value in your company than your ability to manipulate a robot to bring your website to the forefront of searches. Leverage your content marketing, PR and social to get your SEO value without relying just on search engine optimization. Ultimately, having a strong Inbound strategy will help to find and convert leads and keep your current customers happy and loyal.

Want to focus more efforts on Inbound Marketing? Check out our Inbound Marketing capabilities and we’ll work together to create a powerful plan to bring in new business.