The web is evolving. The way people search has changed. More than half of search queries are now happening on mobile.
Search is also happening in more diverse places.
Apart from Google, people are now searching on Facebook which is now the second biggest search engine in Australia.
Believe it or not, for many big publishing platforms, Facebook is now more important than Google and drives more site traffic than Google. Having a Facebook strategy for many businesses is of critical importance.
Search is happening on YouTube (which is the 3rd biggest search engine in Australia).
And a little known fact is that search is happening on Apple Search. Slowly Apple is introducing its own search into its own browser and operating system. In a couple of years, Google will not be the only player in search.
Amazon has more e-commerce queries than Google has. In many countries, if its not on Amazon, some people just won’t buy.
Google is slowly becoming less important.
So while many businesses still focus on getting found on Google, the big goal according to Yoast (a prominent SEO professional) is making sure people know you – where they find you is irrelevant.
It’s also not so easy to get a website to rank more. It used to be – but not any more. Google and other search engines are getting better at fighting spam. There is increasing preference for strong brands to rank better in Google.
SEO has gone from being purely technical to becoming a whole lot more than just technique.
It’s as much now about branding, storytelling, value propositions, user experience and content. It’s now more about marketing and integration.
Key elements of good SEO:
- Good design
- Great user experience
- Compelling value proposition
- An understanding of basic keyword research – how would people search for it?
- Good site architecture (preferably done before you build a website)
- Fast to load
- Secure
- Accessible
- Content optimisation
- Telling a good story
- Being where people you want are
SEO has moved from just being technical, to having an increased emphasis on social platforms and content optimisation.
While websites still need technical excellence, your marketing needs your story in platforms where people can reach you. And it needs to be better integrated with other marketing activities including PR, technical, usability, and content.
It’s not just about ranking in Google.
As a result, it’s important not to put all your eggs in one basket. Consider a diverse approach and fish where your customers are or are likely to be.
Not sure where they are, talk to us about reviewing your customer journey and developing a marketing strategy to help you have the right content, at the right place, and at the right time.