Tuesday, 06, Jan 2009 11:54
More businesses may place greater importance on search engine optimisation (SEO) this year as the downturn means marketers will look for strategies with high return on investment (ROI).
This is according to William Flaiz, vice-president of SEO and web analytics at Razorfish, who wrote in a Search Engine Watch article that while traffic generated through SEO is not technically free, it tends to offer a greater ROI than paid search.
"Organic search marketing just might become the bread winner as cash-strapped clients become wary of increased media costs in traditional space and an upturn in bid competition in paid search," he explained.
The expert went on to predict that local search will also gain in importance over the course of 2009, particularly as mobile search continues to rise in popularity among consumers.
According to eMarketer, spending on all forms of search engine marketing is likely to stay strong over the next five years as it is increasingly being seen as a vital advertising tactic.