Web Academy

Search in 2012

New year, new energy, new focus. As usual in the beginning of the year there are lots of survey results in various areas of marketing are being published. There are common themes among them – while everyone is optimistic about SEO efforts and is looking to see what the major search engines will do as the next step, there is an astounding increase in SEM activity. Most agree that 2012 will be the year of SEM expansion as early adopters reap more rewards and the rest of the market tries to play the catch up game. There are new strategies that are being put forward especially in the areas of branding and brand recognition. Social media is playing an increasing role in branding and with so many outlets and options available, SEM strategies are becoming to look like complex labyrinths with plenty of dead ends and twists and turns – time will show which of the bold new approaches are viable and which will go down in history as online mega flops. One of the fastest movers in the SEM space will be SMO. We are still exploring and learning how social media works with brand association and product placement but this year we will push for distribution of many marketing ideas into this area to capitalize on the increased popularity of this medium.

SEO will maintain its importance this year, but is not expected to boom as it did in the last couple of years. The whole industry has become dependent on the changes the search engines are bringing to the table and instead of being the driving force on the innovation has retreated into a reactive marketplace. There will be a time when we are back in the driver’s seat on the SEO issue and will make changes that Search engines will take on board, but for now stick to the beaten path and do the same thing over and over again while watching any changes in the Search Engines behaviour. One thing for sure, this year will see an increase in mobile applications but it is just another interface to the so familiar search engines. Basics do not change.

More interesting, 2012 will be the year of the mobile devices. A whole heap of them is coming on the market from what we have already adopted to completely outrageous gizmos but with a common direction – “cloud + mobile computing = power and freedom” this is the area where we will need most of the adjustments done to the way we market and run our business. As we have seen with a lot of these devices we are happy to sacrifice a bit of functionality to gain the mobility and flexibility, this means that there will be more pressure on presentation and delivery of core information as well as  changes to the priority of information delivery.

Lets enjoy this new and very colourful 2012.