July 15, 2010

Conventional Search Facilties Can Create More Leads Than Using Social Networks

Earlier this year, Facebook replaced Google as the world’s most popular website, with Facebook receiving more traffic in America than Google. Yet search marketing agencies that place paid adverts around the internet are spending almost none of their budget on adverts placed on Facebook. There are many factors as to why not. Is deploying search engine optimisation still going to be more successful for the near future?

The traditional search facilities may be generating less traffic than the social networks but naturally how those sites are used is very different. By the nature in which they are used, the typical customer will spend a lot less time in a search platform but with a particular aim. The speed of achieving an outcome is more important. The traditional search facilities are still a vital sales tool, and search optimization is still a vital aid. A lot of new trade can still be generated with an improved search engine positioning.

On a social networking site, most of that new traffic must be using the site for its given purpose – being social. There will be very little business activity. It is difficult to contemplate how a customer searching for an organisation to supply goods would use a social network. If possible consumers are spending so much time in a network that is apparently very popular then that advertising must cost more than advertising elsewhere.

It could be argued that Facebook groups are more focused by their nature, with groups that are collections of similar people with similar needs – but it is proving difficult to target adverts at users in a way that using tools that apply to specific keywords on search facilities through search optimization or even pay-per-click advertising can. With increasing concerns about privacy inside Facebook, any promotion activity could be misdirected anyway.

It appears that there is also a problem with Facebook in applying a daily limit to advertising expenditure. This can be a worryto anyone using pay-per-click publicising, but should not be a worry to an organisation restricting itself to using search engine optimisation tools as the search optimization consultancy should have a clear charging regime based on the results of their work. Using the tools provided by the search engines, the impact of search optimization is also easy to assess – tools that Facebook currently lacks. It is also easy for a website’s owner to assess the influence of optimization just by examining the resulting natural search engine positioning.

The social networking sites such as Facebook may be getting busier but there are still many possible consumers for whom the social networking sites are a complete irrelevance. Those possible consumers will still originate from a good search engine positioning on a conventional search engine. search engine optimisation can improve your business’s website and help provide the information the possible customer really wants. Conventional searches are very open, with no need to be a member of anything at all. While the search marketing agencies are still cautious about Facebook and the other social networks, Google and the other conventional search facilities will still be a valuable source of business for your organization. search optimization will still make a great difference.

Filed under Internet Marketing by pfauthor

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