Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines have an endless task of always keeping ahead of the SEO community so that search engine optimisation tactics cannot “corner” the search engine in a black hat manner. For the 2018 calendar year, here are some of the trends to look out for.
Cross-channel marketing
“Cross-channel” marketing means your marketing strategy consists of several digital and conventional channels to promote your brand in an integrated way. This may include print, TV, radio, billboard/signs, direct calling, sponsorships, as well as digital marketing such as social media, SEO, CPC and affiliate. The goal of an integrated cross-channel approach is to create a consistent brand presence so that users can move seamlessly between devices and platforms to make a purchase. Using multiple channels creates synergy – a snowballing energy of brand recognition that results in more value than the sum of its individual marketing parts.
An example of this is if you are browsing a mobile app but decide not to buy there and then, a re-marketing ad or traditional media ad that you see within the following days serves to extend the “top of mind” awareness, increasing the likelihood of a purchase. Read more about digital marketing here.
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User intent rather than keyword focus
Brands must focus their digital strategies on optimising content based on user intent rather than the classic keyword approach. What does that mean? Well, take for example a user who visits your website. The classic method of SEO would be to choose a variety of phrases and keywords that the user searches for and to improve the website’s ranking for those phrases. The challenge of this method is a) it is difficult to achieve for competitive keywords and b) users may search such a wide variety of phrases that is impossible to rank highly for all possible variations.
On the other hand, if we understand the intent of the users (i.e. what is the end goal of the type of information they are looking for? What do they search for that brings them to your website? What information are they searching for?) we can focus on topics of discussion, rather than specific keywords. Doing so will highlight opportunities for online communities and places that can help gain your website online exposure.
Don’t just talk the talk. Walk the walk
The content we add to our websites must deliver on the promises we make in our headlines and meta tags. If a headline promises for a “great deal”, the page must deliver on that promise. Otherwise, the website’s bounce rate will increase and Google will in turn punish the ranking of that page.
Become a topical authority with a following
Becoming a topical authority with a following of users will help potential clientele find your website, as more and more users online link to your website. As we all know, users love quick access to useful information and Google likes to display answers that make it easier for users to find what they are looking for. Consider implementing “rich snippet” schema mark-up for your website in 2018. This will help you to become a topical authority.
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