Organic search has evolved and, as digital marketers, we need to move with it. Here’s what you need to know about the new SEO.
In the digital marketing space, very little is set-and-forget. Trends come and go, user behaviour changes, competing businesses invest in different tactics, moving the goal posts for the rest of the field.
Yet set-and-forget is still the approach too many businesses take with Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). These are the SEO rules, they think. We’ll just tick them off one by one, and voila, our SEO is done. And like so much of digital marketing, SEO has evolved. Search and social media algorithms shift, customers change, and what once worked is no longer effective.
SEO has now moved away from being Search Engine Optimisation, to ‘Search Everywhere Optimisation’, and if your business wants to be seen on the internet, you need to know what this means.
Search Everywhere Optimisation has become the new SEO, essentially because people are no longer relying on just Google to search for the information or entertainment they’re looking for – they’re also turning to social media platforms.
Increasingly, consumers are finding Google a little hit or miss. The search engine is so heavily relied on by so many brands that its results have become fractured and weaker as companies vie for top position.
Of course, we’re not announcing that Google is dead – it’s still an essential part of effective SEO – but search has evolved and, as digital marketers, we need to move with it.
Rethink SEO on social media platforms
The need for marketers to broaden their definition of search comes straight from the horse’s mouth. A recent Google report found that 40 per cent of young people are searching apps like TikTok and Instagram for information, and older users are doing the same on Facebook.
It’s a two-way street, with search results on social media yielding stronger results for brands. The same Google report found that after watching Instagram stories, 58 per cent of users felt more connected to the brand.
TikTok, especially, is showing high rates of customer conversion, with TikTok SEO elevating brand visibility, engaging a broader audience, and boosting content reach.
Like Google, social media algorithms are designed to give people what they want. By placing commonly searched phrases used in video captions or video names, brands can literally watch their reach spike.
Again, we’re not saying social media is dancing on Google’s grave. In fact, the two work hand in hand for SEO, with Google showing TikTok videos in their search results. So TikTok SEO actually improves your Google SEO.
How to improve your ‘search everywhere optimisation’
Do these things to embrace your new SEO strategy:
Understand your audience better
Knowing what your audience’s interests are, what problems they have, and what words and phrases they use to search will help you to refine your SEO strategy.
Diversify your traffic sources
Include multiple search and social media platforms in your SEO strategy, adapting messaging to their unique demographics. It’s important to promote your content across multiple platforms too – don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
Get on board with trending topics
Embracing trending topics will make you appear relevant and deepen engagement – but remember to be authentic. If a trend isn’t aligned with your brand, sit that one out.
Create high-quality content
Provide information and resources that are original and offer the consumer a real benefit. What value can you offer your audience?
Speech, text, caption and hashtag
They are all the things you’re probably doing now with your search engine optimisation and they apply just as much to social media. Write clear, concise captions that grab attention, use hashtags, and remember to use natural, conversational language to capture those using voice search.
Collaborate with influencers
Collaborations with social media influencers with engaged followings can significantly boost your brand awareness and sales. Just make sure the influencer is aligned with your product or service, and that it makes sense to collaborate with them.
Speak to the marketing experts
The most effective SEO is based on strong marketing strategies. They are evidence-based and contain elements that support each other across all search avenues, including search engines and social media.
Assemblo is a full-service marketing agency based in Melbourne, and we deliver marketing strategies based on a solid understanding of search.
To find out how we can help your business, give us a call on (03) 9079 2555 or send us a note via the contact form below.