SEO 2.0

SEO 2.0 (abbreviation for Search Engine Optimization 2.0) refers to more recent search engine optimization strategies in the era of Web 2.0. While a more traditional search engine optimization objective is to achieve first-page or even top-result for a single web page or domain in search engine results pages (SERPs), the newer SEO 2.0 strategy includes saturating the first page of SERPs with related targeted content from various Web 2.0 venues like video sites (for example YouTube), social networks (for example MySpace), blogs, and image hosting sites (such as Flickr). It also entails exploiting the nature of Web 2.0 networks to gain more user-generated backlinks and traffic to a target site or brand.

History

While the prevalence of adding "2.0" to a common term to form a new moniker is widespread, the phrase SEO 2.0 dates to 2006 and is credited to C. Cimring, a co-founder of Search Engine Partner. When SEO 2.0 was first described in New Media Age in May 2006, SEO specialists were "expanding out of their silos and moving into PR and broader marketing communications". The article explained that "the explosion of blogs, podcasts and community sites is giving customers the power to make or break reputations, so they can’t be ignored."

Later in 2006, Media Post's R. Garner associated SEO 2.0 with "new difficulties" presented to webmasters and search optimizers by rich Internet applications such as Flash, JavaScript, and XML (including AJAX) that don't produce indexed pages with a unique URL address.

In May 2007, Google introduced its "Universal search" program, making even more important the implications of search optimization across news, images, video, and groups.

By December 2007, SEO 2.0 had become a topic of expertise and debate at a professional trade conference.

Techniques

SEO 2.0 techniques may include a wide range of practices, ranging from white hat to black hat tactics. One described technique involved a commercial wedding stationer that set up a deliberately humorous gallery of wedding photos that they hoped other sites would make fun of. In only two days, thanks to posts at social bookmarking sites like Digg and Del.icio.us, the album had spawned 1,440 backlinks to the stationer’s site.

Criticism

Some have questioned whether SEO 2.0 is a completely new function, or whether it is merely a change of names intended only for promotion to attract new customers, similar to how businesses might try to build their environmental image by labeling themselves "green", without really making any substantive changes in practice. Breathless press releases that claim SEO 2.0 will "pull the U.S. out of recession" do not add to the legitimacy of the strategy.