Arm Chair SEO – The Future of Web Via Your TV
As most in the industry know, SEO is a constantly evolving discipline. No one technique works to the same level of effectiveness for any great length of time, and as mediums and platforms evolve, so must those who work to passively or aggressively manipulate them. The rise of smartphones - giving internet access to many millions of people on the move and changing people’s browsing habits at the same time - is one relatively new challenge that SEO’s are still getting to grips with. What about our browsing habits at home though, how are they going to evolve in the next few years?
Many experts believe that IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) will play a large part in the way we use the internet in future. This technology basically involves being able to access the internet via ‘web-enabled’ TV sets or via set-top boxes initially. The BBC has been planning to release their ‘project canvas’ (now called YouView) for a while now, which would open TV viewers up to a whole new world of media and web functionality, without them having to leave the comfort of their armchair. Initially proposed for 2010, the project has been moved back to next year. This very topic was discussed recently by Bill Scott from easelTV, who said that people will be able to receive social network updates on their TV screen, and be able to pause live TV to then Google the meaning of a word, or look up flights to the holiday destination they have just seen, for example.
So how does this affect SEO? Well, it’s highly likely that people will not browse the internet on their TV in exactly the same way as they would on their computer. For a start people may not want to use a keyboard to browse, but might instead just use their TV remote or voice commands to find what they are looking for. Additionally, just as iPhone ‘apps’ have simplified many online tasks for iPhone users, there is likely to be myriad widgets available on your TV for checking tide times, ordering a pizza or downloading music to name but a few. Furthermore, it will become increasingly easy for broadcasters to ‘profile’ IPTV users based on their viewing habits, and then show highly targeted ads to them in real time. This might be a scary prospect, but most new technology is driven by commercial gain, of which advertising plays a massive part these days.
Will good SEO techniques for standing out in sites like Google and YouTube still be important for IPTV…the answer is...probably. But, as internet consumption moves away from the PC in the study or laptop perched on the breakfast bar, and into the more social environment of the family living room, the online world will change. The question is, are SEOs ready for it?
Guest post by: Duncan - an SEO expert who runs his own online price comparison website for surf clothing and items such as board shorts. He believes that good SEOs need to evolve and adapt to changing online landscapes.
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