The Changing Face of SEO

Search Engine Optimization has evolved into an entire new animal in the ten years SEO has been practiced. SEO is a young field of study with tremendous growth potential as the Internet continues to mature. Piper Jaffrey Investment firm has created a report “The User Revolution: The New Advertising Ecosystem and the Rise of the Internet as a Mass Medium” claiming that spending for SEO services will rise exponentially over the next 5 years. In 2006, $15.6 billion was spent on SEO and in 2011 spending is expected to increase to $44.5 billion. People hoping to make a career in the field of SEO could have a lot to look forward to in the future.

Search Engine Optimization has four drivers that will spur spending on SEM and SEO. Search engines will be used more than ever in next 5 years as bookmark use decreases. Direct marketers are a key step in SEO growth and popularity. The use of SEO and SEM is a strong way for direct marketers to approach mass amounts of people. The third key to the future success of SEO is large brand advertisers are beginning to understand and utilize SEO and SEM. Large companies that harness the search engine power that implementing SEO will give them will offer a large boost to the industry. The final growth spot is the use of local and vertical search engine practices. Companies are able to segment and target their customers using vertical and local search engines.

SEO and SEM will continue to evolve as new algorithms are created, more people crowd the field and as the Internet itself evolves. People who already have a job working with SEO and SEM might consider making it a career choice as the field will stay strong for years to come.