SEO is dead: discuss

By Lancashire Business View

25 Jun 2014

Search marketing has undergone a transformation with the much publicised Google updates including Panda, Penguin and Hummingbird. Has this killed SEO altogether?

By Paul Airey, director of Piranha.

That depends on what you understand by SEO. If you’re picturing a series of shortcuts to help skew ranking results - such as overstuffing of key words, purchasing poor quality links or having listings on thousands of pointless directories - then I am glad to report that SEO is dead.

But more accurately, SEO has just grown up. Google has around 91% of the UK search market with approximately 85% of website interaction coming from the first page, so the economic pressure to have a website ranked highly on Google is enormous. Site owners and SEO companies have spotted the huge financial gains available and exploited the weaknesses in the search engine algorithms.

Google has started to catch up with those who identified shortcuts. The result, search engines hope, is that search results will continually improve, delivering websites that are technically better, provide a better user experience, better content and will interact with social platforms. Whether the ultimate goal is to push more companies to the necessity of ‘paid for’ advertising platforms is not for me to say, but the facts are clear: the loopholes and shortcuts are closing.

However, search engines are still the number one source of new business for many industry sectors. The game is still the same, but the rules have changed. SEO specialists now have to adhere to the rules to avoid penalties. They have to be more creative in their link building, ensuring the site is technically perfect on all platforms, ensuring the optimum performance of the server and focusing on on-site content supported by off-site marketing and PR. Whilst the changes implemented by the major search engines have badly affected many sites and SEO companies, in the long term it can only be a good thing as it continues to increase the professionalism of the online marketing community and as users, we should all see more accurate results.

Latest news

1

Barnfield Construction transitions to an Employee-Owned Business Staff Cheer Photo.jpg.jpg

Barnfield Construction transitions to an Employee-Owned Business

24 Jan 2025

2

Wallsauce looks to grow B2B customer base with increased trade focus Martin Emmott Rosebud and Andy Gerraty Wallsauce

Wallsauce looks to grow B2B customer base with increased trade focus

24 Jan 2025

3

CBP goes into administration Community and Business Partners in Blackburn with doors shut

CBP goes into administration

23 Jan 2025

4

Plan moves forward for new £13.2m Innovation Hub Councillor Phillippa Williamson and Coun Aidy Riggott

Plan moves forward for new £13.2m Innovation Hub

22 Jan 2025

5

Record turnover as Napthens continues to grow Stephen Faulkner

Record turnover as Napthens continues to grow

22 Jan 2025

Background image for hub sign up block

LBV Hub

Leverage Lancashire Business View platforms

Post your news
Post your events
Post your offers
Build your network
Improve your SEO
Gain coverage in the magazine
Sign-up
Events
The Lancashire Festival of Business
FOB 315
Exhibitions
30 Jan 2025

The Lancashire Festival of Business

Impact Conferencing, Burnley, BB12 6QP

09:30 - 16:00

Skills Bootcamp in Procurement - Cohort 3
Blue-Modern-Land-Travel-Youtube-Thumbnail-2-1024x576.png.png
LBV Hub Awards
14 Jan 2025 - 18 Mar 2025

Skills Bootcamp in Procurement - Cohort 3

Community & Business Partners CIC, Blackburn, BB2 3UA

09:30 - 13:00

North West Holiday Home Show
PLG - NWHHS - Social - Jan 2024.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Exhibitions
18 Jan 2025 - 26 Jan 2025

North West Holiday Home Show

South Lakeland House Showground, Yealand Redmayne, LA5 9RN

09:00 - 14:58

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire
LBV Hub Event Image.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
30 Jan 2025 - 30 Jan 2025

The Marketing Meetup IRL: Lancashire

Strawberry Fields Digital Hub, Chorley, PR7 1PS

18:00 - 20:00

Police Apprenticeship event
Student Centre Autumn 2022.jpg.jpg
LBV Hub Social
12 Feb 2025 - 12 Jan 2025

Police Apprenticeship event

University of Central Lancashire, Foster Social Space , Preston , PR1 2HE

16:00 - 19:00

February Preston Tech Connection Meet-Up: Tech & Our Planet
PRESTON TECH CONNECTION jan.ai.png.png
LBV Hub Networking
12 Feb 2025 - 12 Feb 2025

February Preston Tech Connection Meet-Up: Tech & Our Planet

Society1 Coworking Space, Preston, PR1 3LT

18:00 - 19:30

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire
LBV Hub Networking
13 Feb 2025 - 13 Feb 2025

The Business Network Central & East Lancashire

Mytton Fold, Langho, BB6 8AB

11:30 - 14:15

Sub36 Networking - Behind the beans
Sub36 Social1200Atkinsons New
Networking
14 Feb 2025

Sub36 Networking - Behind the beans

Atkinsons Speciality Coffee, Lancaster, LA1 1 EX

09:00 - 11:30

Red Rose Awards 2025
Red Rose Awards 2025
Awards
13 Mar 2025

Red Rose Awards 2025

Winter Gardens Blackpool

18:00 - 11:59

Lancashire Business Day 2025
241122lbvlancashiredaylhp0647web
Networking
27 Nov 2025

Lancashire Business Day 2025

12:00 - 17:00

Advertise with us

Reaching 50,000 members, our print, digital and event platforms offer a fantastic way to raise your business profile and help you grow.

Find out more LBV120 Online Graphic 1
Subscribe now

Weekly news bulletin