Adapting to Changing Algorithms Tops List of Today’s SEO Challenges

While it’s no secret that search engines (Google, Bing, etc.) drive significant traffic to websites, today’s marketers are faced with a number of challenges when it comes to SEO, with changing algorithms topping the list. This is according to Ascend2’s recent “Search Engine Optimization Survey” results.

In addition to adapting to these changing algorithms, about 38 percent cite budget constraints and 34 percent say managing keywords is their biggest obstacle.

However, marketers have narrowed down effective SEO tactics to address these challenges. Seventy-two percent say relevant content creation is most effective, while 48 percent put keyword research at the top of the list. Frequent website updating, relevant link building and social media integration also appear to be helpful when it comes to SEO initiatives.

Improving search rankings (66 percent) is the top objective for marketers with an SEO strategy, according to the survey. However, increasing website traffic (58 percent) and lead generation (55 percent) are also priorities.

Monitoring SEO Success

In order to track success, marketers need metrics to gauge their ROI. The “2015 State of B2B Marketing Metrics and Analytics” report published by Regalix has found that 84 percent track click-through rate. Seventy-four percent monitor keyword clicks, while the same number of marketers track the percentage of total traffic from organic search.

About 81 percent of B2B marketers say that their organization uses and analyzes SEO. Eighty-six percent claim that they use and analyze content marketing, while 100 percent said they do the same with email marketing.

“Email marketing was chosen by one and all as the most universally used marketing tactic in the B2B space,” wrote the authors of the report.