Boosting search engine optimisation (SEO) and organic presence will be the main focus for marketers this year, a new survey has found.

According to research by online marketing and SEO specialist Reboot, 61 per cent of marketers consider this a priority for 2018.

Blog content creation is also a key area of interest, with 53 per cent citing this as a focus for the year ahead, while 47 per cent are prioritising content distribution and amplification.

Marketing automation could also be a growth area this year, as 40 per cent said this was high on their agenda, and 38 per cent will look at interactive content creation over the coming months.

However, marketers are conscious of a number of difficulties they may face in 2018.

For instance, 63 per cent said they believe generating traffic and leads is their main challenge, while 40 per cent are worried about proving return on investment.

Securing budget for marketing campaigns was flagged up as another potential obstacle, with 28 per cent citing this as a challenge.

Meanwhile, 26 per cent believe it may be hard to identify the “right technologies” to use in a campaign this year, and 26 per cent predict that managing their company website will be difficult this year.

The survey also found that only 61 per cent of marketers consider their current marketing strategy to be effective.

61% of companies’ name “growing SEO” as their biggest priority in 2018 NetImperative