Australian SEO Company Oracle Digital are no strangers to the online world, and have now explained how savvy businesses have been fighting back at the lack of consumer retail spending, and taking their marketing to the Internet.

With largely flat sales across many retail sectors throughout 2011, it is no secret that online sales greatly increased, especially in the lead up to Christmas.

Many small and large businesses have begun to invest in SEO (search engine optimisation) as a new marketing tool that traditional advertising just can’t seem to compare with.

SEO is optimising a web page in a certain way that is favourable to the search engines, including Google, although as Oracle Digital’s James Corby states, all SEO is not equal. “To get great rankings on Google, then you have to give it content that is actually valuable to humans. Google does not want to see material spread out across the Web or on a website just to appease it.”

According to Corby, there are many ways to create valuable and quality content that the search engines will reward a website for, including the use of unique written articles, videos, white-papers, and downloadable PDF documents.

Aside from creating content that is valuable to people that will drive them to your website, SEO also involves a practice called back linking. This involves getting credible any authoritarian links from similar websites pointing back to the website that is trying to see an increase in search rankings.

In December 2011 the media made much reference to the increase online sales figures here in Australia, and it has not gone unnoticed by many other businesses crying to get a piece of the action. Corby explains, “Online sales and pre purchase research have gone through the roof during the last year, and we’re noticing a huge increase in the uptake of products and services related to assisting these businesses get their products out there. It’s quite phenomenal to be honest.”

Marketing in its traditional form for many small and larger businesses has normally included print media such as newspaper and magazine advertising, radio airtime, exhibition presence, and of course Yellow Pages placement.

Many retailers and other business to business companies have noticed a sharp decline in the effectiveness of these traditional marketing strategies, and in order to survive it seems they will have to head in to the online space or be at the risk of being left behind.

Oracle Digital are an Australian SEO and Web Marketing Company, based in Perth and with offices Australia wide. To find out more about their products and services, please contact them on 1300 899 851.