As the search engine environment changes rapidly, many webmasters are feeling left out, not up to speed, sort of behind the times. Built on interactive technologies and incredible innovations, hip hucksters are hailing a rebirth of the web, rebranding its evolution as Web2.0. As with the body-image myth generated by super-thin supermodels, there is a certain “keeping up with the Jones” mentality among webmasters who want to keep themselves on the cutting edge.

This is a common issue for SEOs and other online marketers, all constantly immersed in the Internet environment. In the search marketing, the cutting edge has a remarkable way of quickly becoming a common standard. Given dozens of emerging options, each of which could be highly beneficial to clients, what is the best way to map out a forward looking marketing plan?

There are a number of considerations. In the absence of specific answers to the highly subjective questions introduced by any site redevelopment, simplicity is a good starting point. The idea and intention of simplicity is basic enough but the simplest things can get quite complex. Understandably, focus, vision and will power are needed to keep things simple in an industry where virtually everything is possible.

There are so many advertising channels available, or becoming available, making rational recommendations for site redevelopments can get complicated quickly. While many business websites are clearly in need of an overhaul, a Pandora’s box of issues can open with every suggested alteration or addition.

The first place to look when thinking about meeting a client’s online marketing needs is at what their previous experience has been. This doesn’t have to be an exhaustive study but it helps avoid reinventing square shaped wheels. It also helps to show what parts of the current marketing plan are working and what parts are not.

The most basic analytic tools can offer a fair understanding of client-site traffic and conversions but to do a proper study, more robust statistics are often in order. This is one task where analytic tools like Enquisite prove their value time and time again.

If you know you have a client whose site requires a re-do, two or three months of site-traffic data can provide a strong sense of several aspects of their web marketing experience.

Analytics need to be combined with common sense and search marketing common sense says organic search engine listings continue to achieve the strongest results. Any redevelopment planning has to take SEO into consideration. For experienced SEOs, mixing site design needs and SEO planning is a daily work task.

SEO common sense says a simple front end is the best foundation upon which to build a more complex back end. In my experience, most clients want to have an online presence as quickly as possible. Building and promoting a basic HTML or PHP inspired site is the fastest and simplest way to deliver staged and well managed results to the client. Once the basic site is designed or modified, other communication tools can be added on to the site or taken advantage of.

There are a lot of ways to direct one’s energies once the basic site is built or remodeled. The simplest and most effective communications tool to add to a site is still a blog. Easy to set up and beneficial to search and social marketing, blogs are among the best ways to showcase expertise and to communicate with customers, supporters and suppliers. On the downside, blogs require upkeep and maintenance, a workload that increases as the blog becomes more popular.

Another element one would want to introduce to all clients is an increased focus on local-search. The addition of geo-mapping features offered by each of the major search engines on an index or contact page is helpful for site-users and for generating local search results.

A last basic element that should be included with all site redo’s is the introduction of data-feeds to the major search engines through sitemapping, RSS and API-developed tools. Google Base should be of particular note for retail sites as Google today announced it would be emphasizing listings from Google Base and slowly phasing out shopping search tool Froogle.

In search marketing, it is often hard to see the forest for the trees and there are any number of directions one can recommend to clients. We are nowhere near the end of this rapid change cycle so long-term definitive changes are not recommended. Never the less, business and retail sites need to tailor their online marketing efforts to attract attention in an increasing number of venues. It shouldn’t be so complicated. Using simple tools to inform searchers and search spiders such as blogs, direct data feeds, and local-search focused geo-mapping, recommendations for redo’s are far easier to make.