Evolution from SEO to Inbound Marketing
We are working in an industry which is always evolving. Every year, we see updates and amendments on Google as well as other search engines and social networking sites. These changes can lead to many products and services to fall by the wayside. This is why, I believe “change” is the key word in internet marketing.
Search engine optimisation is an evolving process that rarely remains static. One of the most talked about topics with regards to internet marketing, is the evolution of SEO to inbound marketing.
What is Inbound Marketing?
Inbound Marketing is the practice of bringing warm, qualified leads into your sales funnel rather than reaching outward to cold, questionable targets. The idea of inbound marketing is very similar to the idea of permission marketing; a term popularised by Seth Godin.
Permission marketing is the process whereby marketers are given permission by consumers before taking the next step of the selling process.
Inbound marketing is a combination of a variety of techniques that allow the customers to find you rather than the other way around. It is the opposite of outbound marketing which involves you promoting your message/service through meetings, conferences, cold calls and other activities.
Evolution of SEO to Inbound Marketing:
SEO is a rapidly evolving process; in order to stay up to date with the latest information, it is essential to remain on your toes. Google and other online marketing channels regularly update their systems leading to a change in how the SEO process is applied. This is true for search engines as well as for other online marketing avenues such as paid ads, social media, blogging and others.
With growing opportunities and ongoing changes, the duties of SEO employees are also evolving. Most companies in the UK are now hiring inbound marketers instead of search engine optimisation executives. Some of the major duties of an inbound marketer are:
- Search Engine Optimisation and Positioning
- Social Media Marketing
- White Papers
- Type in Traffic
- Q n A websites
- Document Sharing
- Online Videos
- Forums
Marketing is a creative industry. In order to achieve success, you must keep abreast of all the changes and continue to evolve your marketing techniques. For example if you want to sell ‘baby cots’ the standard SEO plan will be to start with keyword research and then move on to optimisation of targeted pages, building of links and getting the pages to the top of Google’s rankings.
On the other hand, an inbound marketer will research targeted key phrases, build content for pages, write guest posts on related forums and blogs, update presentations featuring targeted products/services etc. This will not only help you increase your search engine visibility but also open more doors for traffic to come in. This, in turn, will lead to an increase in sales thus helping the business to grow.
Inbound marketing is not only the future of internet marketing, but also the present. Without implementing an effective inbound marketing strategy, you will be allowing your competitors to outrank you and have the competitive edge.
