It is “undeniable” that social networking has had an increasing influence on companies’ search engine optimization (SEO) strategies in recent times, according to one expert.
Marc Engelsman, vice-president of client programs and services at Digital Brand Expressions, explains that while it is difficult to predict what role social media will play in SEO in the future, it is clear that the medium has already had a significant effect on web marketing campaigns.
He noted that a survey recently conducted by his company revealed that 72 percent of firms are already using social media marketing.
This is compared with 90 percent for SEO and 81 percent for paid search, a finding that Mr. Engelsman called “telling”.
The comments follow a recent report from the Internet Advertising Bureau indicating that businesses could do more to combine search with their other offline and online marketing activities.
It said that while 75 percent of brands say they understand how SEO works, not as many firms are aware of how to deploy tools like universal and social search.