It’s curious to find articles that claim that SEO is dead, with some who believe that SEO is a thing of the past. With all paid search at the forefront of many marketers’ strategies, it can be hard to really understand how to best optimize your site for organic search.
2017 is the perfect year to revitalize your SEO strategy in order to make your content marketing more efficient. Here are some SEO trends to keep in mind that will have a direct influence on your content marketing.
Search Will Take Different Formats
It’s obvious that technology evolves with time. That means that your search marketing tactics need to change as well. Sure, people still directly inquire through search engines about a particular question or concern they’d like insight on, but more are on-the-go now than ever. This means that people will search for things instead through a voice app that will tell them the nearest or best options for a particular term. Whether someone speaks into Alexa or Google home, it provides convenience for those on the road, or out and about.
Back in 2016, Google CEO Sundar Pichai stated during a Google keynote speech that 20% of search queries on its mobile app and Android devices were voice-based. This number continues to grow as more people use voice search to find different services and products.
This is a use case that many companies haven’t capitalized on yet. With Google adopting a mobile-first index, you want to get in on the trend before you miss out on associated traffic and sales. When you start breaking down what your audience is searching for and how to optimize for how they’re speaking into a voice app, then you’ll stay ahead of the game when it comes to the rising popularity of voice search.
Personal Branding Will Become More Relevant
It’s not enough these days to have a logo and some words behind your brand. Even if you were to hire a Chicago digital marketing company for advice, people need a face and a personality to go with it. Take a YouTube personality like Jenna Marbles, who built millions of subscribers and a business by simply being herself. These personalities don’t need to sell a physical product to make money, as they’ve effectively monetized traffic and views of their content.
Why is personal branding so important? It comes down to understand what you have to offer (compared to everyone else) and being authentic about it.
Building thought leadership is an excellent tactic for building authority, trust, and of course—your personal brand. To build your personal brand through thought leadership, consider creating content in the form of speaking events, podcasts, interviews, or even a YouTube vlog with valuable information to give your audience.
People want to get to know the real you. You aren’t just some words behind a screen. You have to stand for what you say.
Even on a corporate level, you want your public ratings and reviews to be positive. In fact, 87% of all executives, “Rate reputation risk as more important or much more important than other strategic risks their companies are facing.”
Playing the Long Game for Organic Results
Of course, paid search is still powerful, but organic ultimately has more staying power. The important question to answer is, “Will my search strategy stand the test of time?” When it comes to SEO, it’s important to understand that it may not hit right away. Many online brands focus on what’s trendy to gain quick sales. The thing is, trends die out—evergreen content is what will help you to continuously make sales well after article publication.
You don’t always have to win big when it comes to incorporating various marketing tactics. Celebrate the small victories, like finding out what people like and the type of terms they search. Don’t focus on a quick fix—your objective should revolve around creating something that lasts. So focus on creating truly great content that wins your brand more web real estate and domain authority for SEO purposes.
SEO Trends That Will Influence Your Content Marketing
SEO is about so much more than finding the most high volume keywords and stuffing content with them. It’s about being the best and most comprehensive answer to relevant search queries, taking into mind all of the different ways people search for information (like voice search). By consistently delivering great results on the search engine results page, you’ll be top of mind when those people are ready to buy.
Do you need help with your content or related SEO campaigns? Get in touch with marketing agency Chicago Mabbly to get the process started.
