Wichita, KS -- (SBWIRE) -- 06/10/2014 -- Managing Director of Enliven Group, Sean Burrows spoke this morning to a lively group at a search engine optimization workshop hosted by RSA Marketing and Hydraulic Online in Wichita.

At the workshop Burrows spoke about how Google’s latest algorithm updates favor social media over backlinks and how SEO has significantly changed over the years.

“Companies that are not up-to-date on latest SEO practices might actually be penalized by Google,” Burrows said. “You’re hoping for the best, but getting dinged instead.”

Burrows also emphasized the importance of online video in SEO today and how optimizing content might be preferred to trying to get a web site ranking optimized. He explained that because Google owns Google+ and YouTube, content placed through these platforms get preference.

“Do a Google Hangout and see what happens over the next 10 seconds,” he says. “If you do it right for the search term you’re targeting, you might be the first return on the page.”

RSA, Hydraulic and Enliven partner on client work to expand and optimize clients’ total digital presence online. While the old rules of SEO favored trying to get web sites ranked, Google prefers serving up the most recent and relevant content in searches. Companies and organizations that create a wealth of relevant content online dramatically increase their changes of being found and even preferred. Content can take the form of Hangouts, press releases, blogs, videos, social pages, photos – any material that has been optimized and searchable by the engines, which includes the second largest search engine behind Google: YouTube, not Yahoo or Bing.

“Raw, real and relevant,” said Bruce Rowley, president of RSA. “These are the new rules for SEO and the online experience itself. Get onboard or get left behind.”

RSA Marketing is the first Google Partner Agency in Wichita and Hydraulic Online is one of the region’s leading digital marketing boutiques. Enliven Group specializes in SEO consulting for clients nationwide.

More on these companies are available at rsaconnect.com, hydrauliconline.com and enlivengroup.com.