SEO News from Just Search
SEO News from Just Search
3 Feb 2010, Getupdated: Having last year sold Just Search in a multi-million pound deal to Getupdated, entrepreneur Paul Yates has accepted the role as Managing Director and CEO of the Swedish parent company and its UK subsidiary, which still trades under the Just Search brand. This year, Yates will make a number of announcements that illustrate his strategy for aggressive growth on the European stage - and is heading up an industry call to action for the market to get its house in order if the UK is retain its dominance in SEO driven activity.
“Young dynamic businesses have reacted to the User Generated Content nature of the internet and left older more outdated business models wondering how to play catch up and manage their reputation in this environment”, says Yates. “As the cornerstone of internet marketing, SEO companies are better able to predict and analyse the trends of user behaviour in order to develop business strategies from the ground up. But we now have to consolidate the lessons we’ve learnt if the UK is to retain its foothold as market leaders in this space. I believe we need to stop being afraid of the control the internet gives end users and customers, and commit to some big changes that are proactive rather than reactive”, Yates continues.
Yates has devised his own acronym, COMMIT, which he and his team are using to drive market activity across Europe and firm up its position as one of the leaders in the SEO field.
C- Consolidate the business into a focused offering that drives marketing led activity rather than merely reacting to user behaviour. Anticipate the trends and build business strategies from the ground up and manage them.
O- Operations need to be strategic. European growth needs to be aggressive and committed to local markets, using local programmers and marketing experts, with a centralised resource to drive global and pan European activity.
M- Multi-disciplined activity such as online marketing is resulting in a fight for leadership. SEO, marketers and other specialist communication agencies, digital and even design companies are fighting for a piece of the pie. It’s time to consolidate and come out fighting with a clear market strategy.
M- Management styles need a shake up. Traditionally, during times of economic distress process driven organizers have headed up organisations and are replaced by entrepreneurial management styles in times of prosperity. SEO is a nascent market taking off during a recession, which creates an anomaly. Successful CEOs will possess the leadership skills to straddle both management styles and navigate the business to success.
I- Investment backing is crucial. New techniques, new ideas, new people; they all need investment. And you’ll pay now, or pay later…
T- Tailgating is already happening. As businesses grow, their ability to be flexible and react to market changes reduces and they will be constantly challenged by the new kids on the block who haven’t been burnt by failure or compromised by success. Existing SEO businesses need to be flexible enough to refine their offerings, whilst establishing networks and processes that allow them to grow. A new breed of business needs to be born.
Yates says, “If the UK SEO market does not take stock soon, established businesses could disappear as soon as they’ve made it.” In 2006, whilst he was still the only owner of Just Search, Yates made a promise to establish the company as leaders in SEO across Europe. Now as a board member and co-owner of its parent company, Getupdated, and in his new position of CEO, he has a number of strategic announcements to follow that will show just how serious he is about taking a leadership position on a pan-European stage.
“Paul Yates is an entrepreneur and businessman who has proven he is capable of capitalizing on the business opportunities presenting themselves in the fields of internet marketing and search optimization. His skills and commitment as a principal share holder make him well suited to undertake the task to continue the transformation of Getupdated into a customer oriented company that devises growth “, comments Åke Eriksson, Chairman of the Board of Getupdated.
ENDS
For more Information:
Tel: 0161 830 4720
justsearch@ascentpr.co.uk
About Just Search
Just Search helps companies eliminate wasted Internet spend to get the maximum possible return on search engine optimisation and paid search campaigns. With a dedicated Research and Development team constantly investigating new Internet marketing trends, Just Search provides simple solutions for better web placements. With its headquarters in Manchester, Just Search is one of the UK’s fastest growing web marketing companies.