Download the PDF: https://www.demandmetric.com/content/seo-technology-overview SEO is no longer just about search. In fact, SEO, which in its early days focused primarily on keywords (finding, optimizing, ranking), is now a baseline factor of a broader Internet Marketing strategy across the Enterprise. This new SEO-driven market segment that has been called Web Presence Management (WPM) is based on the reality that keywords no longer drive search results, but rather optimized content does. As the SEO market matures, quality measures, such as reputation, trust, content relevance and author authority, are replacing the old quantity metrics, such as keyword rankings and link volume. Advanced SEO solutions now weigh campaign performance metrics (based on brand building, site traffic and conversion) more heavily than keyword rankings. This reality is based on changes in the way customers search, the increasingly integrated omni-channel marketing environment and, most notably, changes to Google’s Search Engine Results Page (SERP) algorithms that favor page content freshness, density and content-rich media over standard keyword search. All of this means that Modern Marketing Organizations (MMOs) must re-evaluate their SEO strategies, processes and campaigns. In this report we will examine the state of the market, share results from the SEO Benchmark Study, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of 15 top SEO solutions in our vendor landscape to help organizations choose the best solution for them, highlight the current trends in SEO that will have an impact on Enterprise SEO initiatives and provide some recommendations for the way forward as SEO is redefined right before our eyes. Demand Metric defines Search Engine Optimization Platforms as those frameworks, tools and technologies that use searchrelated functionally to secure high visibility and web presence for brands, products, services and companies through the use and management of elements, such as keywords, links, content relevance and social signals tracking.

1. SEARCH ENGINE
OPTIMIZATION (SEO)
TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

2. Table of Contents
1 3
2 6
3 8
4 10
Executive Summary
SEO Market Overview
SEO Vendor Landscape
Evolution of the Landscape
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION
Technology Overview
14
13Analyst Bottom Line
Technology Overview Methodology
About Demand Metric 15

3. Executive Summary
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

4. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW 4EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
SEO is no longer just about search.
In fact, SEO, which in its early days focused primarily on keywords
(finding, optimizing, ranking), is now a baseline factor of a broader Internet
Marketing strategy across the Enterprise.
This new SEO-driven market segment that has been called Web
Presence Management (WPM) is based on the reality that keywords no
longer drive search results, but rather optimized content does.
As the SEO market matures, quality measures, such as reputation, trust,
content relevance and author authority, are replacing the old quantity
metrics, such as keyword rankings and link volume.
Advanced SEO solutions now weigh campaign performance metrics
(based on brand building, site traffic and conversion) more heavily than
keyword rankings.
This reality is based on changes in the way customers search, the
increasingly integrated omni-channel marketing environment and,
most notably, changes to Google’s Search Engine Results Page (SERP)
algorithms that favor page content freshness, density and content-rich
media over standard keyword search.
All of this means that Modern Marketing Organizations (MMOs) must
re-evaluate their SEO strategies, processes and campaigns.
In this report we will examine the state of the market, share results from the
SEO Benchmark Study, evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of 15 top
SEO solutions in our vendor landscape to help organizations choose the
best solution for them, highlight the current trends in SEO that will have an
impact on Enterprise SEO initiatives and provide some recommendations
for the way forward as SEO is redefined right before our eyes.
Executive Summary
Demand Metric defines Search Engine Optimization Platforms
as those frameworks, tools and technologies that use search-
related functionally to secure high visibility and web presence
for brands, products, services and companies through the use
and management of elements, such as keywords, links, content
relevance and social signals tracking.

5. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW 5EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Benefits of Enterprise SEO
Be seen – Everywhere! That is the fundamental mantra that drives SEO and
has since the web began 20-plus years ago. Today, as noted previously, our
omni-channel, revenue-driven modern marketing environment demands
that SEO investments provide so much more than placement on the first
page of Google, Bing, Yahoo!, Yandex, Baidu, etc. searches.
That makes the choice of an SEO platform that much more important.
For those who don’t know the inner workings of the latest Google
algorithm, an SEO platform can demystify the process of managing SEO.
For advanced SEO professionals, modern SEO platforms can help
showcase the value of SEO data to senior management, marketing,
sales and operations.
The benefits of Enterprise SEO, which encompasses search, content
marketing, social tracking and third-party channel integration, enable
organizations to
Increase sales through visitor call-to-action conversions.
Acquire new customers and new markets through better web presence.
Reduce advertising expenditures.
Increase brand reputation and trust.
Measure revenue increases from digital channels.
Expand global markets.
Increase competitive position.
Deepen local presence (online and offline).
Forecast and prove ROI from SEO and all Digital Marketing.
Increase value of content creation and management.
Maximize company/brand social presence on the web.
Market to customers earlier in the buyer’s journey.
Increasingly, the quantifiable benefits to search are sales, revenue and
profit, not visitor populations or eyeballs.

6. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
SEO Market Overview
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

7. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW 7
Demand Metric’s SEO Marketing: Benchmarks by Revenue Attainment highlights the impact effective SEO strategies are having on organizations,
especially on revenue generation. Three key conclusions emerged from this report:
SEO Market Overview
SEO MARKET OVERVIEW
SEO objectives remain constant with increasing website traffic,
increasing lead generation and improving natural search rankings
rated as the top objectives for the this year. Ultimately, the top choices
are interrelated since increases in website traffic and leads generated
are often the result of an improvement in natural search rankings.
SEO drives successful outcomes. Overall, 89% of companies attaining
or exceeding revenue goals and 64% of companies not achieving
revenue goals report some level of success with SEO, whether
significantly or only slightly. Companies that achieve or exceed their
revenue goals are seven times more likely to have a “Very Successful”
SEO program than are those not achieving their revenue goals.
Outsourced SEO is more effective for revenue generation.
Companies that are achieving or exceeding revenue goals are almost
two times more likely to outsource all or part of their SEO programs. By
outsourcing, these companies are gaining access to the specialized
expertise required to execute difficult tactics effectively leading to
performance improvements.
Download Demand Metric’s SEO Benchmark Report for a
complete, detailed analysis of the current state of the SEO market.
SEO
MARKETING
Benchmark Report
V I E W R E S O U R C E

8. 8GAMIFICATION SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
Search Engine Optimization
Vendor Landscape
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

9. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW 9
SEO Vendor Landscape
SEO VENDOR LANDSCAPE
We evaluated the vendor solutions in this landscape by first examining
the functions of the current standard SEO solution, listed below, and then
looking at the extended SEO solutions, which include content management,
social signal tracking, Enterprise system integration, third-party channel
integrations and various niche features provided by some vendors.
Standard SEO solutions incorporate the following features:
Site Monitoring
Keyword Research
Link & Backlink Analysis (Acquisition/Removal)
Page Optimization & Management
Globalization and Localization (Languages, Local Geos)
SERP (Search Engine Results Page) Rank Tracking
Search Engine Advertising Monitoring
Web Analytics Integration
Reporting
As noted, the more sophisticated solutions also include content
management, social signal tracking and Enterprise integration
capabilities. Content management focuses on content optimization
for organic search. Social signal tracking involves ranking content by
evaluating social activity such as likes, tweets and shares. Enterprise
integrations include connections to CRM, MA and ERP systems as well as
workflow management functions.
Demand Metric’s SEO Vendors Matrix covers the main offerings, key
featuresanduniquestrengthsof15vendorsolutions,rangingfromsolidbasic
solutions for small business and mid-market companies to sophisticated,
broad platforms for large, mid-market companies and Enterprises.
This matrix also identifies the target industries and current customers of
each vendor to inform readers of the vendor’s target audience. Use this
matrix to save time during the initial vendor researching process, learn
about the key solutions in the SEO space and choose the one that is the
right fit for your organization.
In order to obtain more information from vendors about their products/
services, complete Demand Metric’s SEO System RFP Template. This
template will provide you with a framework to build a customized proposal
request to send to 3-4 potential SEO system providers for more details.
Once you complete your vendor research and proposal period, use
Demand Metric’s SEO Vendor Evaluation to select the right platform and
vendor for your business.
This vendor landscape focuses on the broader SEO market,
which, as noted previously, is rapidly transitioning into Web
Presence Management (WPM) with an integrated, multi-
channel optimization approach.

10. 10GAMIFICATION SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
Evolution of the Landscape
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW

11. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW 11EVOLUTION OF THE LANDSCAPE
The changing SEO vendor landscape, like most of Digital Marketing, is characterized by vendor consolidation, application integration and Enterprise-level
functionality.
Demand Metric sees six key trends impacting the growth and capabilities of the SEO market segment:
Evolution of the Landscape
The Web Presence Management
(WPM) Wave
All-in-One Search – SEO, Content,
Social, Mobile, Digital Channels
WPM, as we define it, refers to the ability of an SEO-based
solution to collect, analyze and report on data from all
digital data channels used across the web, including
social, mobile and advertising (paid media).
The solution integrates and optimizes rich media content
and structured and unstructured data for search. WPM
also has the capability to integrate third-party data feeds
from external as well as internal sources.
First employed by SEO companies such as Conductor
and digital agency Optima, the use of the term Web
Presence Management and the functionality it represents
is becoming increasingly widespread across the SEO
market segment. Demand Metric believes the term
effectively captures the maturing of the market.
WPM could not occur without the expansion of search
into new arenas such as content, social and mobile.
For content management, vendors offer features for
content creation and publishing, unstructured data
search and content marketing campaign analytics tied to
content-level rank data.
For social networks, vendors track social interactions,
rate social activity and use that data to optimize page
rankings. Most SEO vendors offer mobile search results
and discoverability.
For example, gShift’s gMobile offers insight into the
differences in content discoverability and performance
from a mobile device compared to a desktop and across
all devices.

12. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW 12EVOLUTION OF THE LANDSCAPE
Search Advances – From Keywords to
Semantic (Behavior and Sentiment
Analysis) Concepts
Enterprise SEO
Changes to Google’s algorithms and Internet Marketing
have made keyword-based search less effective.
Today, the trend is toward analysis of unstructured data that
provides insights into digital behavior, activity and interests.
This change has been accelerated as Google continues its
process of hiding key word data in organic searches.
According to some estimates, this hidden (Not Provided)
dataisasmuchas84%.ManySEOvendorshavedeveloped
methods to provide this data to Webmasters.
SEO is moving across the organization as companies
expect more measureable performance improvement
from digital channels. Vendors now offer Enterprise-wide
integration support for
System and Third-Party Data
Integration (API)
Depending on the SEO vendor, integration is offered
for CRM, MA, ERP, Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics
(Omniture), IBM Digital Analytics (Coremetrics),
Webtrends, CMS and eCommerce systems.
The goal here is to expand the capability of All-in-One
Search and provide a 360-degree view of the customer’s
digital behavior through all digital campaigns, advertising
and even offline purchasing behavior.
Deep Dive Analysis – ROI and
Predictive Analytics
SEO vendors on the front lines of web visitor behavior are far
from immune to the trend of connecting marketing spend to
sales and revenue growth. As such, SEO vendors now offer
stronger analytics, better dashboards and more detailed
reporting. seoClarity is a leader of this trend by offering
automated alerts for detected issues and KPIs in real-time.
The company claims to have extensive reporting on 55+
data integrations and customizable dashboards with 100+
visualizations.
Daily Alerts, Actionable Insights
Custom Reporting
Workflow Management
A key trend here is toward the integration of workflow
processes with alert functions so that changes in visitor
behaviorcanbeinstantlyrecognized,addressedoroptimized.
The Cloud
Visualization Dashboards
Competitive Intelligence

13. SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW 13ANALYST BOTTOM LINE
Analyst Bottom Line
As this report clearly shows, SEO has changed radically in the last few years. If your organization has not evaluated its SEO strategy and
practices in the last 12-18 months, now is the time. Here are five key recommendations to enhancing your SEO strategy:
The SEO market has matured and will continue to change, driven
by forces only partially under its control. Google, which drives
most SEO implementations, will continue to innovate and change
its approach to SEO as search requirements and web content
evolves.
MMOs should view SEO as a strategic enterprise resource that
must be continually upgraded to stay ahead of the fast-moving
SEO market landscape.
Evaluate your objectives. Are the objectives you have for
SEO in line with your broader sales and marketing strategies
and initiatives? If not, it’s time to align them.
Evaluate the results of your SEO strategy and identify any
gaps between your results and objectives that need to
be addressed. Use this report, especially the SEO Vendor
LandscapeandtheEvolutionoftheLandscapesections,tolook
beyond standard SEO toward Web Presence Management.
Determine how and where SEO fits into your marketing
plan for the upcoming year to create attainable goals.
Develop strategies, initiatives and metrics for meeting
these goals.
Use the SEO Vendor Matrix in this report to choose the best
vendor solution for your ongoing Enterprise SEO needs.

14. 14SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEWTECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW METHODOLOGY
Technology Overview Methodology
The Modern Marketing landscape is an ever-changing, ever-evolving
environment in which new strategies, technologies, vendors and
products appear continually.
Demand Metric Technology Overviews provide marketers with a
focus on a specific technology solution set or focus area so that
they are armed with the knowledge, information and tools they
need to develop effective strategies for their organizations.
Each Technology Overview involves hours of analyst research
(mainly publicly available information), is for a specific technology
solution, and is usually accompanied by several practical tools.
Our Customer Engagement series includes Technology Overviews on
Online Event Marketing
Online Communities
Gamification
Our practical tools are designed to provide marketers with the tools
and templates they need to plan for an initiative in a given focus
area, analyze the vendor landscape and select the best vendor for
their organization.
We provide a comprehensive overview of Customer
Engagement in the companion report – Customer
Engagement Best Practices Report.
V I E W R E S O U R C E

15. 15SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEWABOUT DEMAND METRIC
About Demand Metric
Demand Metric is a marketing research and advisory firm serving
a membership community of over 120,000 marketing profes-
sionals and consultants in 75 countries.
Offering consulting methodologies, advisory services, and
500+ premium marketing tools and templates, Demand Metric
resources and expertise help the marketing community plan
more efficiently and effectively, answer the difficult questions
about their work with authority and conviction, and complete
marketing projects more quickly and with greater confidence,
boosting the respect of the marketing team and making it easier
to justify resources the team needs to succeed.
To learn more about Demand Metric, please visit
www.demandmetric.com

16. 16GAMIFICATION SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION: TECHNOLOGY OVERVIEW
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