Many businesses feel they need to choose one specific online marketing strategy to help increase their online visibility, but at least one expert says it’s not about search engine optimization (SEO) or paid search – but a more "holistic" approach.
In a column for Marketing Pilgrim, Al Scillitani of Marketing Don compares an online marketing approach to the old food pyramid used by the USDA to help promote healthy eating.
Just in the way that people were told to eat certain portions of grains, meats and vegetables, Scillitani says marketers that use different online marketing techniques – like search engine optimization (SEO), social media, paid search, etc. – need to have them work together to meet one goal.
"I see a lot of articles on improving paid search, SEO, email, or social media, but not many on how these channels must all work together to improve overall conversions of a promotion," he writes. "Everyone needs to understand that online promotions should work in sync with each other, not independently."
Although Scillitani suggests a holistic approach to online marketing, figures seem to indicate that businesses are increasingly using search engine optimization (SEO) at the detriment of paid search. A recent study from comScore found that the total number of search engine queries increased 68 percent since 2004, but over that same period the clicks to paid search ads only increased 18 percent.
