The year 2008 is coming to an end to pave way for a new beginning. It is time of the year when most of us look back in retrospect and come up with a list of some sort. Most websites are already adorned with “Best of 2008”, “Top 10/20/50/100…” lists. It truly has been the year of lists, and I did not want to miss the boat; though I have to admit that I have never put together a list like this before.
This argument could pass as a plausible explanation for me writing this post now when it is not the case. I am putting together this list because I am in no mood (tired/out of ideas/homesick/lazy, can’t figure out what) to write a fresh post. So here I am penning down a list which is not the “Best of” or “Top something” list, but a collection of posts which I feel are worth mentioning again.
“Is Content Still the King” was written with the intention of sharing the importance of content in search engines marketing. Our idea of content and I quote, “According to me anything written in black and white, videos, graphical representations, or for that matter anything that conveys an idea should be deemed as content.” There is growing evidence that content is becoming more important than what it already is and we cannot see it losing ground any soon.
Search engine rankings, as debated in the post “Search Engine Rankings: Worthless or Worthwhile”, has lost much of its sheen. And with personalized/intent/behavioral based search results on the anvil, we can clearly see it losing its place as a credible KPI for any search engine marketing campaign. People have to start seeing beyond SERPs and embrace search engine marketing in more holistic terms.
The use of behavioral data in search engine ranking algorithm has been a long debated topic. Bounce rate as a ranking factor has been making headlines lately. We wrote a post back in October titled “What if Human Behavior Drove Search Results” which discussed the implications (read benefits) of use of behavioral data. We however, on purpose, did not discuss whether or not it already is being used by search engines, especially Google (lack of concrete evidence and I hate speculations).
The last quarter of this year saw multiple evidences of the world economy slipping into recession. Predictions forecasted slow online retail but it proved otherwise. “Online Retail Mocks Recession” dealt with reasons that kept online retail afloat during this recessionary phase.
A lot of our prospective customers did not do business with us because they thought we are overpriced. They quoted proposals they received from ‘other’ internet marketing companies that were ready to do it for half the cost. We wished them luck and they went away happily only to come back, having burnt their fingers badly. I decided to use our blog as a platform to address this issue and put together a post christened “Why Pay More”. (And now that I read it again, it kind off sounds greedy)
SearchWiki sparked off the ‘use of behavioral data’ debate all over again. Google clarified that the comment made by Marissa Myers was blown out of proportion. We candidly published a post discussing the possible misuse of SearchWiki with the intention to game the system. “Black Hats to have a Field Day with SearchWiki” raised concerns about how SearchWiki is susceptible to open misuse and why use of behavioral data is still questionable.
I finally have a list (sighs) that I can take credit for, and since it is my first time please excuse me if it doesn’t look like one.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our readers for their continued support and patronage. We will do our best to provide you with the latest in the search engine marketing arena. Enjoy your holidays and take good care of yourself.
