The Best SEO 2.0 Definitions

While the term SEO 2.0 has been used before I started this blog, those who already used it define it in various differing ways. There is no real consensus on the meaning.

Instead of just adding my own definition of SEO 2.0 I want to create an overview of what others say. Here are some notable SEO 2.0 definitions. Indeed these are the best I could find.

1. Todd Malicoat (Stuntdubl): Rebranding and meta discipline
http://www.stuntdubl.com/2006/04/10/being-an-seo-can-we-start-seo-20/
This was one of the definitions that inspired me most. Todd Malicoat wants to rebrand SEO and basically make it a meta discipline dealing with anything that impacts the success of a website.

2. Kid Mercury (Kid Mercury Blog): Attention, Community, Trust
http://kidmercuryblog.com/showthread.php?t=1670
For Kid Mercury SEO 2.0 stands on three basis pillars: attention, community and trust. Those who get attention, create a community and maintain trust will rank as a side effect.

3. Lee Odden (TopRank Blog): Holistic approach, “Digital Asset Optimization”
http://www.toprankblog.com/2007/06/digital-asset-optimization/
Lee Odden claims that in the future only a holistic approach that encompasses all digital media and the ability to make it crawlable and thus findable will allow to be noticed in a personalized search world.

Lee calls his approach therefore “Digital Asset Optimization” as the value of text alone and conventional SEO wisdom is diminishing his opinion.

4. Kevin Newcomb (SEW): Multiple media SEO
http://forums.searchenginewatch.com/showthread.php?t=17794
As new kinds of search opportunities will arise Kevin Newcomb sounds very optimistic in this Search Engine Watch thread.

Video, books, maps are all open to optimization from now on and allow to rank high. So SEO 2.0 is search engine optimization for multiple media.

5. Jordan Behan (telltenfriends): SEO 2.0 is Social Media Optimization
http://www.telltenfriends.com/blog/2006/12/12/seo-20-or-social-media-optimization/
As Jordan Behan explains SEO 2.0 is all about reaching out to potential clients and embracing markets through all social media channels that like blogging, social networking or image sharing.

He explains that his static website does not perform well compared to all the social media out there.

6. Mike Levin (HitTail): Long Tail and answering questions
http://www.hittail.com/blog/2006/06/what-is-seo-20.html
Web analytics specialist Mike Levin tells us how asking the right questions paves the way to SEO 2.0. It is not the same “ranking factors” SEO but takes into account usability and what users really want. It will be about the “long tail” so that you know what users want in the first place.

7. Jody Nimetz (enquiro): Content creation and optimization
http://ask.enquiro.com/2007/seo-20-will-content-still-be-king/
Jody Nimetz convinces us that content will still be the key in SEO 2.0. He goes on to explain how and which content.

Jody differentiates between fresh and existing content and urges us to update existing content while blogging is of course a must. Moreover he states that with various media you reach a larger audience.

8. Rob Garner (Search Insider): Pageless Web and apps
http://blogs.mediapost.com/search_insider/?p=427
While Rob Garner does not really define SEO 2.0 in the manner the other definitions did, he outlines what SEO 2.0 has to do so that search engine optimization still maintains it’s relevance. It has to deal with the pageless Web and Web apps.

9. Ryan Holmes (Invoke Media): Blogging, one way links, virals
http://www.invokemedia.com/seo-20-blogging-one-way-linking-virals/
Ryan Holmes explained the term SEO 2.0 already in 2005. Back then he stressed mainly three factors: Blogging or content creation, one way links through viral content e.g. He is also referring to what is called guerrilla marketing.

While I complied this list I also chose to order the definitions according to how much I agree with them. The ones on top are close to what I consider to be SEO 2.0!

Also the sheer quality of a definition influenced the order. Nonetheless my definition does not reflect any particular one of those. It encompasses many of them and still differs though.