May 12th, 2010 by Susie

It is occasionally instructive to look at search engine optimization from theoretical perspectives to get a different understanding of the topic. By situating knowledge in historical context, for example, it is possible to get useful overviews and hints about possible future directions of progress. It is then sometimes possible to integrate the practical knowledge gained from experience of SEO with theoretical findings to get a better appreciation of both. In other words, it can be productive to explore both the abstract and concrete.

Change is something which can be harder to understand than it superficially appears. Sudden change is often described as revolutionary, which can easily be contrasted with gradual evolutionary change. However, some change falls between the two and the two terms have somewhat different connotations. Revolutionary change is often linked with politics, while evolution has its biological meaning. However, German Social Democrat Edouard Bernstein did concoct a theory of evolutionary socialism, for example, so the division can be unclear.

What causes change can also be a complex matter for analysts. In the sphere of search, a lot of change is caused by search engines adjusting their algorithms in response to what they perceive as the needs of their consumers. However, some of the changes in search engine behaviour can be attributed to their efforts to react to the tactics of SEO services. If the search engines believe that excessive manipulation is affecting the search engine results pages, they are prepared to act. This action is intended to be in the interests of the users, but the level of complexity is growing as more parties are involved. In addition, some changes may be introduced merely to make a search engine look better than its rivals. Not only should it be accepted that disentangling causes can be tricky, but it should be recognised that change is typically the consequence of several interacting causes.

The concept of the paradigm shift may be a helpful one. Thomas Kuhn developed this concept in relation to the history of science. The argument basically goes that physicists following Isaac Newton worked away in a certain territory of knowledge, but that their progress was circumscribed by the limitations of his theories. With the arrival of Albert Einstein on the scene, the Newtonian ‘certainties’ were challenged and a new paradigm of scientific inquiry was established. This paradigm in turn will be overturned by further scientific progress.

If social media marketing could be seen in a similar way (notwithstanding the differences between physics and technology), it could be suggested that the arrival and development of social networking media has thrown up new paradigm-like zones for marketing to occur within. The emergence of something like Twitter can open up new possibilities for exploitation in relevant sectors and it takes time for experts to work out how best to achieve their goals. However, Twitter is eventually quite likely to be superseded by new innovatory forms of social media and experts will then have to wrestle with new realities. Obviously, the ‘prediction’ in the last sentence should be treated with caution because how things play out in practice is very uncertain.

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