Companies that use paid search links as their primary source of traffic could be in for a nasty shock if the search landscape shifts under them, according to Mark Jackson, writing at Search Engine Watch.
Jackson says that natural links are far more important to the long-term viability of a website than any paid results, and adds that Google’s terms of service expressly forbid the use of the latter. Any listings that the company deems to have been unfairly boosted will be swiftly removed from the company’s results. Search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns, while more complex, offer stronger natural results.
Social media networks, says Jackson are "far and away" the most important tools for developing the kind of natural website links that can help put search engine optimization (SEO) campaigns over the top. Jackson warns, however, that the content to be optimized must be sufficiently compelling to draw interest in and of itself.
Search engine optimization (SEO) professionals, however, must approach social networks with care, as recent malware attacks and unscrupulous message spammers have made user bases more cautious.
