• Conversation Marketing, Tuesday, August 12, 2008 1 PM

"I just realized we're in an SEO bubble," says Ian Lurie. "There's been an explosion of SEO consultants, companies, books, conferences, etc. Everyone's cashing in." While Lurie acknowledges that he's not the first blogger/pundit to make this argument, he does try to move the discussion forward by forecasting the possible ways that the search bubble might pop.

First, there's the idea of a "slow meltdown" in which more companies move SEO in-house and search tactics and techniques become common knowledge. "The bigger agencies will either adapt and learn to work with many smaller accounts or die," Lurie says.

There's also the "sudden extinction," or the demise of the entire SEO market brought on by an economic crisis so severe that corporate marketing budgets all but disappear. Lurie also suggests that the bubble will shake out as the industry comes of age--bankrupting the bandwagon-jumpers and unethical firms, but allowing honest, value-producing search agencies and consultants to flourish.

"I'm not wrong on this one," Lurie says, of the last prediction. "In spite of some spectacular examples of ripoff artists making it big, they're getting caught, too. The industry is slowly, painfully coming of age."

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