Web Presence Optimization: The New SEO?

SEO, as a field in which webmasters strive to boost the traffic of a page by making it appear higher on Google searches, has long been an important form of Internet marketing. Recently, however, the broader field of web presence optimization or WPO has become the most attractive and interesting way to bring more traffic to a site. 

The basic concern is that SEO itself may be too narrow, and WPO does a better job at tapping into multiple methods and media to increase traffic. In this post, we will talk about contemporary WPO strategy, and how important it has become for e-commerce.

WPO: The Evolution of SEO

The underlying difference is that SEO is centered on the site itself. It might include all kinds of content on the website, tweaking different design elements and testing out different strategies to determine the best configuration. In contrast, web presence optimization expands the focus to all elements of a brand's presence on the Internet. That includes content like social media posts, posts on offsite blogs, and advertisements. More and more frequently, the idea of content marketing has become central to online marketing. Content marketing involves using strong, organic, and original content to attract visitors and traffic. 

So, a business that is focused primarily on selling skincare products might, for example, create a detailed article centered around providing tips for better skincare for men. This will open the door for the business’ target market to naturally find their way to the site, without having to get hassled by annoying advertisements. Normally, content marketing uses onsite content to draw in eyeballs, but the idea of WPO opens up the possibility of deploying content that will send traffic to the brand's site from offsite locations.

SEO has always been an important part of the overall marketing strategy for brands with online presence, but it doesn't say much about any off-site content. WPO is a more useful way to characterize online marketing, because it encompasses the ability of a brand to deploy content anywhere on the Web. This has already been an important element in content marketing. The main showcase of content marketing is usually the on-site blog, but building an audience for that blog requires venturing off-site and making guest posts in more prominent blogs in the field. That is just one example of a link between offsite and onsite marketing that leads to increased traffic.

Integrating Social Media & Content Marketing

Social media provides another simple example. There are many ways to use social media for marketing purposes, but one of the most important aspects of successful social media usage is applying the media channels to direct readers or viewers to the brand's website. This might be done by using social media to announce sales and deals, to link to new content, create a personal connection to the brand, or any other method. The key, however, is that the social media accounts belonging to a brand always provide redirecting links to the brand's primary web presence. Each post is an opportunity to forge a connection to the reader and bring them closer to the brand.

Social media isn't the only way to direct people to the site. Content such as videos and ads can appear offsite and still attract traffic. It's fairly clear how advertising works—properly designed and placed ads induce clickthroughs to the main site. Content in aggregators like Youtube provide an alternative method. The goal is still to produce content that attracts traffic, but it isn't the same as advertising. Ads need to fit fairly specific constraints: video ads cannot exceed a certain length, and the same goes for the size of text or image ads. Youtube content can be freeform, offering new ranges of opportunities to reach people with the brand's message.

SEO itself fits in well with the idea of mixing onsite and offsite content. SEO excels at bringing people to the site via search engine results. The more people use external content to reach the site, the higher it will rank on Google searches, so there is a large degree of synergy between SEO and offsite marketing methods. Far from being a binary choice between two different methods, offsite work and SEO are actually two kinds of marketing that work best when used together.

The general umbrella of web presence optimization unitesSEO, offsite content, and other brand-focused forms of online marketing. Investing in all forms of marketing within WPO presents strong synergistic benefits that mean it is much more beneficial to put some time and effort into many areas than to focus on just one. Balancing and timing investment in campaigns of various types can massively boost traffic for any brand.