There comes a time in any specialist field when a commentator writes a piece predicting the end of a particular strategy. It was only a matter of time before a search marketing specialist decided to ask the wider community whether search engine optimisation was finishing. From the reactions to that recent item, it appears to be a question asked and dismissed frequently. As with many other skills in computing that have apparently been unwanted for years but are still in use, search engine optimisation continues to be a worthwhile strategy.

There is an argument that says that trying to raise your natural search engine positioning is a pointless process, because the social networks such as Facebook and Twitter are becoming the dominant networks in most user’s lives and the traditional search facilities are redundant. This is overstating the relevance of the social networks and does not fully take into consideration how the social networks are used.

As long as there have been search facilities there have been dedicated search optimization consultants creating ways of elevating the natural search engine positioning of a website. As the algorithms of the search facilities have developed and become more clever, then the search optimization strategieshave also developed. The application of some on-page processes such as keyword overloading no longer have the effect on a page’s positioning that they did, so other ideas come in to use. This could include making more effort in developing a better reputation of the website through acquisition of backlinks from reputable websites.

It has been suggested that social service search will become more significant, but it is difficult to see a business purpose for this. It would be possible to ask other users for an opinion on a particular product, but how long would it take to gather those opinions, and how many would a searcher trust? Surely a traditional search platform would supply a broad spread of information for a particular search term than hunting for social comment?

The social networks are now at a stage where they need to generate income, but without upsetting their supporters. The way to do this has to be some form of bought advertising, probably personalised based on a user’s profile, and this is raising concerns about privacy. There is also a feeling that if a network such as Facebook becomes more business-like, it will lose customers. When it comes to trade, those users will go back to the traditional search facilities, where a website that is well optimized can always be found.

If you choose to publicise your organisation through pay-per-click methods, there are several considerations. There is the choice of placing of the advertisement. The specifics of the advert need to be thought about – what impression are you trying to send? By using search optimization to raise the natural search engine positioning, you can publicise many products on your website for a long time at the same time and for a lower cost than other forms of marketing.

The social networks may becoming more popular in many users’ lives, but the traditional search facilities carry on. search engine optimisation still has a major part to play as a cost effective promotional tool, evolving as the search facilities also change.