Yesterday, we used to measure the success of SEO programs based on rankings. “Did we get on the first page” was our first goal, which quickly gave way to, “Did we get to the top of the first page?”
Granted, that real estate is valuable. And it’s a true battle ground to maintain that position, as companies work aggressively to capture that high ground on their own.
What marketers are evolving to, however, are programs that work to consume as much as possible of the entire first page! With new social media tools and PR programs, it’s possible to not just gain position at the top of the page, but gain ALL the positions, or many of them, on that first page.
Consider this example for “baggage sortation systems,” an important term for a client. In this instance, the company, Accu-Sort, consumes a majority of the 10 spots on the first page for this key phrase. For anyone searching on it, it’s impossible not to see news releases, video on YouTube, images picked up from Flickr, Wikipedia postings, as well as web content on the company’s own site.
Another example that illustrates the point of the new move toward “integrated search,” and how that is changing SEO programs. When searching Google for “electrometer,” the first listing is a Wikipedia post, surrounded with other Flickr images, traditional organic listings, and paid search.
Welcome to the new competition for Search Engine Marketing. Dominant coverage on page 1, from top to bottom.
