Internet Marketing

Are Search Engines Dead?

Posted on by Andrew Lehrfeld
Happy Thanksgiving
19
Nov

Six months ago, I wrote a blog article titled “The Death of SEO” — it was based on my observation that Millennials and other young people were turning away from Google and search engines, instead using social media to find information and make buying decisions…

This observation was recently corroborated by a discussion I had with a former employee of a company that makes lead generation and marketing automation software.

Here’s what he had to say with regard to search engines, Google, and SEO:

“SEO – this industry is in shambles. Google has destroyed it. Anyone still in it solely, is a scam. The powers that be want people to find you organically, because you have invested the time … and deserve people’s attention. So you have to be showing up constantly.

“Google has moved to picking up the social activity in their organic algorithms. So if you are not social – this hurts you. If you are it helps. You are dinged for link and backlink practices; this is frowned upon. Any tricks trying to fake the process … dings you. So anyone promising that is a scam.”

It is imperative that business owners recognize the Laws of Marketing:

  1. Marketing is the influencing of people such that, when they are ready to buy, they will think of you above your competitors;
  2. Marketing is an investment, not an expense;
  3. Marketing is something you do constantly.

Are search engines dead? I don’t know the answer to that; I only know that they play less of a role in online marketing today than they did 10 years ago.

Andrew Lehrfeld

Andrew (Andy) Lehrfeld is a classically-trained direct-marketer whose first job after college was with the New York City advertising agency, David Deutsch Associates. Andy works with mid-size businesses and professional firms that want to improve their online presence, get found, look good, and get results from their Internet marketing. He lives by the mantra, "Above all else, help others". Andy is a proud business owner, friend, colleague, husband, father, and grand-father. He can be reached at (203) 548-0070 or via email at andrew@internetpresencellc.com.