SEO: A Growth Business and a Relevance Killer in One Go
April 6, 2018
Beyond Search believes that SEO is more appropriately characterized as “the relevance destroyer.” For companies unwilling to pay for traffic, search engine optimization “experts” have worked to make sure that irrelevant results are the norm. The goal is putting their clients’ Web links in a results list. Nice and annoying to us here in Harrod’s Creek.
In our opinion, SEO is not what we would call reliable. It’s a great way to dispose of extra cash for those with money to waste. Still, as Search Insider reminds us, the profession persists; they ponder, “Are Search Professionals Optimistic About 2018?” Writer Laurie Sullivan cites the recent Local Search Industry Survey from research firm BrightLocal, and one glance at the graph she shares shows most SEO pros expect a rosy year ahead, undeterred by certain challenges. Sullivan specifies:
“Despite the continual search algorithm changes by Google and Bing, 92% of search-engine-optimization professionals feel optimistic that 2018 will be a good year for SEO professionals. But 73% think delivering client results will become more difficult. A study conducted by BrightLocal that benchmarks business practices, pricing, services, attitudes and growth expectations during the past year reveals the average search professional does 7.7 different SEO and business-related tasks weekly. For that, they earn on average $61,711 annually. Overall, the local SEO industry has a positive outlook for 2018, with 92% admitting they feel optimistic about what’s to come for search next year. About 34% are very optimistic and 92% of SEO professionals think 2018 will be a positive year for the search industry. Just 9% said they feel pessimistic or very pessimistic.”
An interesting addition to this year’s annual study is discussion of SEO pricing; they found that the average hourly rate to be $110 per hour. Most respondents say they work about 40 hours a week, and report an increase in clientele in 2017. Their favorite jobs, most report, involve wrangling large amounts of data, like performing optimization and analysis tasks. See the write-up for more statistics from the survey.
Cynthia Murrell, April 6, 2018
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