Mediarun Search Marketing News

Microsoft predicts the end of search engine marketing as we know it

May 31st 2010

Search Engine Optimisation News

The technology industry is never one to shy away from sweeping predictions about its own future and that of mankind as a whole. So it is unsurprising that Microsoft has claimed that search engine optimisation in its current form is soon to be a thing of the past.

Microsoft's search engine marketing prediction is just one in a long line relating to the future of the internet, but what did they actually say? Did they just mean Bing won't exist in 2020?

Well, speaking at a Microsoft event in Amsterdam, Microsoft Business Division President Stephen Elop said that of course search engines will exist in the future. Elop was reported by Tech Radar as saying: "The search engines will be searching forever, it's how we interact with [the results] that will change.

He claimed that Microsoft spends "a lot of time thinking about the new ways of working. The world really is changing".

Mr Elop believes that new ways of interacting with data, such as gesture-driven control, as well as new display technologies like flexible screens will mark a major shift in how technology is used on a daily basis. He also thinks that social networking will become a norm for people as many people have are growing up with the likes of Facebook and Twitter - something else that could change the face of search marketing.

If Mr Elop's predictions come true, website promotion, search engine optimisation and pay per click advertising will change forever.

One of the key changes for search engine marketing is the advent of the smartphone and other ultra-portable internet-ready devices. According to the founder of Rank-Mobile, Cindy Crum, the search engine algorithms at all the leading service providers - Yahoo, Microsoft and Google - take account of how successful websites are rendered on mobile devices.

Writing for Search Engine Land, Krum claimed that firms with an existing web presence should consider contacting a professional SEO company about the benefits of making the sites mobile-ready. She said that legacy sites that do not render properly on phones and tablets could potentially be damaging firms' search engine marketing strategies.

To find out about the performance solution we can offer you and your business, speak to one of our consultants on 0207 843 2265 or contact us.