In the vast expanse of Internet acronyms, SEO is king. Many companies have a dedicated SEO specialist, have hired SEO consultants or are at least doing their part to boost their rankings. After all, it’s Google’s world – we’re just living in it!
Unfortunately, there’s no shortcut to SEO domination, which retailer JCPenney learned the hard way in 2011. According to a press release from Kenneth C. Wisnefski of SEO company WebiMax, Google flagged JCPenney in February 2011 for violating Google’s search algorithms by using a paid-link strategy that helped their search engine rankings. This, however, was identified by Google and JCPenney’s links were booted to the last page of search results for their respective keywords.
Ouch.
To help repair some of the damage done in 2011, JCPenney executives have announced plans to roll out a new marketing plan next month. No specifics have been shared other than JCPenney plans to overhaul the product lines it sells and introduce new pricing.
In its December 2011 search engine market share report, Reston, Va., research company comScore Inc. noted that over 12 billion searches were conducted in November alone. Although November represents the onset for the holiday shopping season, these numbers stay +/- 5 percent throughout the year. Last year, Google released data indicating 90 percent of consumers conduct online research when buying goods and services.
Given these circumstances, is it possible that Google can control a company’s future online? Does SEO dictate the course of a marketing campaign? Should it? Are marketers compromising brand and creative integrity to toe the Google line? Is it worth it? How will SEO impact marketing research? Could researchers help find a balance using all the necessary keywords while still communicating a meaningful marketing message?