22 Dec 2009

Next year will see online marketing professionals approach search engine optimisation (SEO) in new ways, according to one expert.

David Hollands-Hurst, SEO consultant for Pixl8 Interactive, said that the rise of real-time and local search will have a major bearing on how businesses shape their web marketing strategies in the new year.

This means that search engines will serve more local results depending on the location of the user while also displaying more content from websites such as Twitter.

"In terms of real-time search, businesses must continue to use Twitter and blogs so that you have real-time links coming back in, because Google will consider that more relevant," Mr Hollands-Hurst stated.

Earlier this month, the latest BT Business Pulse report showed that 73 per cent of UK small businesses see their websites as important to their operations, with 40 per cent stating the same about e-commerce.

Up to two-thirds of small firms now sell at least some of their products on the web.

Direct News