Couldn’t make it out to San Jose for SMX West 2013? Don’t despair — we’ve braved the congested airports, treacherous taxi rides, and questionable conference food to bring you FSC’s top ten takeaways for search marketing strategy from the industry conference.
10. (Not provided) is a reporting problem that isn’t going away
The latest browser updates are defaulting to secured search, reducing the volume of keyword data available . Secured search is already permeating the landscape, with Google’s family of sites defaulting to secured search as of March 2012. Firefox 14 adopted Google secured search as default in July 2012 (accounting for 29.6% of desktop internet browser usage). Google Chrome 25 defaults to secured search in the address bar (accounting for 50% of desktop internet browser usage). With these changes, (not provided) searches and (not set) geographic locations will trend towards a growing percentage of search volume. Marketers will have to shift their focus away from keywords and SERP rankings, and toward metrics that are more meaningful for businesses: click-through rates, landing page performance, conversions, and revenue.
Google Search Algorithm Change Timeline for 2012, courtesy of SearchMetrics
9. The Google Dance is back, but in a smoother way
With the numerous Google search algorithm changes in 2012, webmasters often found themselves dancing with the swing of changes brought by Panda, Penguin, Venice, Exact Match Domain, 7-Pack Search Results, and countless minor adjustments to the Google search algorithm. Sites sometimes took a noticeable hit in traffic as the search algorithm changed their SERP position. Going forward, these Google algorithm updates will be more nuanced and integrated as Googlebot updates the index, a concept called “everflux.” Google has also indicated that they are less likely to announce when these changes are implemented going forward.
Whether your site has experienced a manual penalty or weathered an algorithmic update, the message is clear: Avoid the shady tactics. If you affiliate with shady SEO methods, search engines will dub you “guilty by association,” and you’ll take a hit. Avoid keyword-stuffed domains, ads above the fold, scraping and duplicate content, and low-quality link building schemes to stay in Google’s good graces. For examples of sites Google doesn’t like, check out the live spam screenshots of sites Google recently removed from the search results.
8. Keep your eyes on the big picture
The components of a website with strong SEO don’t operate in a vacuum. Quality content, strong social presence, user experience, link building, and SEO all work together as a long-term strategy for solid web presence. Be sure to regularly supply the content your target audience is demanding, and on the platform they’re using to interact with your business. It might not be on your own site — it might be on community discussion boards like Reddit, social media channels like Facebook or YouTube, or review sites like Yelp or TripAdvisor. The key is capturing the relationship on the channel where the conversation is happening now.
7. Stop chasing algorithm changes and daily fluctuations in SERP rankings
With the shift toward everflux algorithm updates, localization, and personalized search results, SERP position went from a metric that could be easily scraped and tracked, to a more nebulous concept. Micro-testing makes chasing algorithm updates and daily fluctuations in rank an exercise in futility. Ultimately, the search experience belongs to the search engines. Both Google and Bing will continue to tweak their SERP ranking algorithms, ad display, and supplemental search tools as their perception of the best user search experience evolves.
Google’s Knowledge Graph has made significant changes to search results in select categories. In this example, a search for “top movies of all time” produces a carousel of results at the top. Clicking “The Dark Knight” displays the Knowledge Graph about the film on the right side of the page.
6. Knowledge Graph is coming, and it could directly impact your site traffic
Google’s Knowledge Graph is a great user experience for searchers. With carousels, enlarged image results, and immediate summaries from closed sources like Wikipedia, searchers are spending more time on Google sites and less time clicking through to links in the search results. Want to take on Knowledge Graph head-on? Get ahead of the game by implementing Schema structured markup consistently throughout your site. Search engines will then be able to directly extract information from your website and create an enhanced SERP display for your site. Choose not to implement structured markup, and you run the risk of getting filtered out of search results as users apply more advanced search filters now available.
5. Content isn’t just king, it’s queen and ace
Content that inherently offers clickiness (good ad copy backed with strong branding) and stickiness (relevant, worthwhile, actionable, shareable) will foster organic traffic growth and user engagement long-term. Remember, content does not convert on its own — it must include a strong call-to-action that directs potential customers to the conversion path. Develop content that targets your customers as a long-term search session and not an individual query, so you can interact with them at all stages of the conversion cycle.
4. Responsive design isn’t a luxury anymore, it’s the new standard
Only 4% of sites have implemented responsive design for mobile devices. How is your target audience consuming your content? Make sure your site delivers the right content at the right time, in the right way. Adjust your sites according to device and consumer behavior, and more customers will find you when they’re ready to convert.
3. Prepare for mobile, it’s already here
By 2021, 25 billion handset devices will be out in the wild. Mobile device usage will soon eclipse desktop screen time; by the end of 2013, 1/3 of all searches will be from mobile devices. To stay ahead of the game, online marketers must evolve their approach as search evolves. Companies that will excel at mobile will target customers not just by device, but by the search behavior itself. Searches are already moving away from typed text phrases, and mobile devices are utilizing voice and gesture-based interfaces to deliver the information searchers need when and where they need it.
2. Establish your identity or get left behind
The landscape of search is shifting toward delivering relevant information from entities with established identities as authorities in their subject. Google+ is the vehicle for establishing authorship and publisher identity. The concept of authorship mimics how individuals find authoritative individuals and businesses, entities that are trusted to be experts in their field. Engagement around quality content creates authority, and structured markup signals who is behind the content and the information.
1. At the end of the day, we’re still all a bunch of dorks
As authoritative as these internet luminaries might be, leave it to Matt Cutts (@mattcutts, Google), Duane Forrester (@duaneforrester, Bing) and Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan, Search Engine Land) to frame their discussion on search engine best practices around the cult classic film “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” Despite the fierce competition for search traffic between Google and Bing, Matt Cutts and Duane Forrester definitely know how to work well together and, as Bill so eloquently put it, “be excellent to each other.” Because, ultimately, the goals of Google and Bing are the same — delivering the best search experience possible, aggregating the most accurate information possible about the world we live in, and making it easier overall for people to use the Internet in their daily lives. An excellent adventure, indeed.