The future of search is going to be fragmented, but you’ll set yourself up for short- and long-term success immediately by using these four strategies. The more things change, the more they stay an equivalent. We are experiencing a period of unprecedented flux within the search industry. Go deeper, and there are some elements that hold stubbornly true.
Historically, search has been about Google and it’s been about text. There has been a shift during this relationship, as voice-based digital assistants like Amazon’s Alexa take hold, and search results become far more varied.
The way we approach search has also changed. Search is now central to most marketing teams and it encompasses a good sort of skillsets. Every person from the Chief Marketing Officer to the creative team to the info analysis specialists features a vital role to play.
This provides tons of food for thought for contemporary marketers. Enough for an all-you-can-eat thought buffet.
Just some of the large trends in our industry in 2017 are:
- Voice search
2) Hyperlocal targeting
3) Personalized content
4) Visual search
5) Mobile-first indexing
6) Multimedia results
7) Personalized SERPs
8) Keyword-less search
The act of searching has not changed; it depends on an accurate answer to full fill its function. Search engines are becoming better at judging which answer is that the most relevant and for that, we should always be grateful. The industry features a great distance to travel, but the trail we are on may be a constructive one.
Actually, having a look with one eye on this and therefore the other on upcoming trends, we will set ourselves up for short- and long-term search success.
Below are four tips we should always all bear in mind as we steel oneself against the longer term of search.
1. Use Psychology & Technology to Sharper Strategy
People don’t change as quickly as technology. Marketers should understand the psychology behind their audience’s actions.
These eternal marketing principles will take canter stage another time as search grows in sophistication. it’s in understanding the complete breadth of potential interactions our customers can have with our brands that we will thrive during this new ecosystem.
The hardware wants to find this information may change, alongside the program want to power it. However, the user behind the query will have an equivalent impulses and requirements they always had.
Sure, the shape these queries take will advance in lock-step with technology. we’ve seen this with longer queries via voice search, for instance. we’ll see this more and more as users tap icons instead of typing queries.
That the reason why we shouldn’t chase shadows by targeting specific search queries.
Knowing which keywords led visitors to your site is beneficial to understand. It always is going to be. But from a strategic standpoint, gaining insight into the intent behind that keyword are going to be far more valuable.
Both quantitative and qualitative resources are required to succeed in this level of comprehension into consumers.
This is where we will use technology to our advantage.
Your company’s CRM data are often a goldmine. Even the standard survey still features a role to play.
If you would like to understand what people are thinking, ask them. Combine this with what you see in your analytics and CRO software to urge a thought of what truly leads a customer either to interact or disengage together with your brand.
Psychology is that the foundation of an excellent search campaign. Technology enables us to make a stronger foundation than ever before.
2. Structure your Site Around Topics
As we to research then we will have to provide you with a rounded view of your customers’ preferences and requirements. This then becomes an incredible resource once you consider the structure of your website, as you’ll build topical hubs for semantically related content.
We have been talking about this manner of structuring sites for quite a while now. The logic is sound: Map different sections of your website to different products and services and, within each, cover every point of the buyer journey with different landing pages. This lends itself to a URL structure that’s great for search engines and users alike.
3. Think Beyond Google
Searching implies the need for a solution. The transmission of these answers may differ by channel or program or by media format, but search is simply a vehicle for the knowledge.
In fact, search engines only have access to our information once we elect to place it in their hands. they’re not the creators of the content, but they form an important link between demand and provide.
4. Device a versatile Measurement Strategy
We need to live all of the above during a more nuanced way, bearing in mind that personalization remains an untapped opportunity.
Much has been made from personalization in look for a couple of years now, but true personalization remains on the horizon. this may be great for marketers, no doubt.
However, present us with new measurement challenges.
Search results will never be static. So how can we measure our ranking performance?