Moz just came out with an interesting look at The Incredible Shrinking SERP — 2015 Edition. In the post, Dr. Peter J. Meyers walks us through his research on the changing Google results pages and explains his reasoning before concluding with this statement:
If we’re stuck in the mindset of only one “true” organic, then our opportunities are going to keep shrinking every day.
He’s right — those algorithm changes and the variations in Google strategies are the result of the search engine giant attempting to stay on top of their industry. There’s always someone looking to push you off your place in the rankings so they can be there instead.
The Lines Are Getting Blurry
Organic is a good word for describing the way search is headed because organic is messy. It uses stuff like compost, and compost is actually the result of breaking down the old unusable material into a form that can nourish new growth. The process is smelly and dirty, but the results are generally considered to be worth the trouble.
Organic also is not compartmentalized. Ecology works like the infamous cube where one change affects everything else. There has to be a big-picture view of what’s happening in order to make positive changes, and sometimes the positive requires some breaking down of old, unusable material. How does this fit the marketing big picture?
There Is No Single Marketing Strategy
All of the techniques used in an online marketing strategy are like the different techniques used in any organic garden. The gardener must keep an eye on what is happening and respond with the technique appropriate for maintaining growth. Things that are no longer productive are tossed into the compost pile to be broken down into basic components that will be used to fertilize new growth. There is no single organic gardening strategy — it all works together like that infamous cube, and every change affects other things.
Marketing has always had an “organic” aspect because it involves real life — the people, their culture, and individual response. The technology and technique that we use to reach people and track their response to our message will probably change, but the responsive nature of our task will not. We have to be like organic gardeners in our marketing and pay attention to what is productive today.
