SEO ‘crucial for marketing companies’

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a key part of marketing efforts for many companies, a new survey reveals.

Findings compiled by Practical E-Commerce suggest that 94 per cent of merchants are using the technique to promote their business, while 62.4 per cent say their SEO attempts make up half of their site traffic.

However, a number of those questioned claim not to know the difference between ethical and unethical SEO practices, which includes “keyword stuffing”.

“Years into the development of the SEO industry, there are still snake oil salesmen promising number one rankings through shady techniques like purchasing links and keyword stuffing,” comments Virginia Nussey of Bruce Clay.

The statistics highlight the need for good SEO training, he adds, which need to be found from “white hat programs”.

Earlier this month, Devon-based Panter & Sons revealed it had seen its sales rise after implementing SEO strategies to rank highly on Google.