Social Search: Changing the Game on Search Engine Rankings

Since its inception in the mid-1990s, search engine optimization has been a necessary marketing practice for winning brands. Although the process is technical, and often affected by IT decisions relating to Web site development, the intent of search engine optimization always has been about marketing. The benefits of a company’s Web site appearing near the top of search results might still be unclear to some marketing practitioners, but most that rely on the Web for leads or sales — or, as in the case of nonprofit organizations, for potential donors and supporters — immediately understand the value of ongoing SEO evaluation and refinement.