SEO trends: At 212 Creative, we are proud of the results we get for our SEO (Search Engine Optimization) clients. One of the reasons we are successful is that we constantly stay on top of trends. Google is always changing their algorithms, and technological advances are changing the way society interacts with technology, and how they search for products and services.
In this article, we will briefly discuss 5 emerging trends in SEO that you may want to keep an eye out for, and tweak your SEO campaign to align with these trends. Specifically, we will talk about the growing importance of advertising on podcasts, social commerce, voice search, and the ever-growing segment of the population who use their phone for searching, and the end of third-party cookies.
SEO Trends: Podcast Advertising
There are about 3 million active podcasts in the United States currently. Last year alone, there were almost 30 million podcast episodes created, available in over 100 languages. As the number of podcasts and the podcast audience continues to grow, podcast advertising will continue to grow with it, as more businesses recognize the value of reaching highly engaged, niche audiences through this medium. Some of the podcasts with a large audience are charging large sums for advertising on an episode of their podcasts. To take advantage of this trend, a wise business owner may want to find out which podcasts are the most popular in their niche, then reach out to them for information and pricing. You may even be able to be a guest on one of their episodes. New content is king on the internet and in the podcast world. If you have a unique experience or viewpoint on some aspect of your niche, you may be surprised to find yourself in front of a podcast microphone sooner than you think!
SEO trends: Mobile Search
Mobile optimization will remain critical, as mobile devices continue to dominate internet usage. An average of 60% of searches for a product or service are done on a mobile device. Searches that are for a product or service “Near Me” are almost all done on a mobile device. As a business owner, it is critical to make sure your website is optimized completely for mobile. Is it easy to use on mobile devices of all sizes? If you’re not sure, check on an Android, an IPhone, or any other device you have access to. How is the UX (User Experience)? How is the UI (User Interface)? Is the text too small to read? Is the spacing off on images? Is navigation easy? If you aren’t happy, give us a call at 212 Creative, LLC and we can optimize your website for you! It is so very important these days. Through a mobile device is how most searches are done. It is essential that you put your best foot forward and have a website that looks and performs perfectly on any mobile device.
SEO Trends: Social Commerce
Social commerce will become a major driver of online sales, as social media platforms continue to integrate shopping features and tools. Social commerce takes place on every media platform, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and more.
One way this is happening is an increase in what is known as unboxing videos. Consumers increasingly rely on social media and video platforms to research products and make purchasing decisions. It may be a good move to consider if you have an actual product is to seek out social media influencers who do this type of content and send them some samples of your best stuff with the invitation for them to unbox it on their channel and give their review. This is a great way to reach a large audience of like-minded potential new customers.
SEO trends: Voice Search
Voice search optimization will continue to be important, as more and more people use voice assistants like Siri and Alexa to search for information online.
Long-tail and conversational-based keywords will become more important, as search engines become better at understanding natural language and user intent. As a business owner, you have to tune in to how someone would actually ask Siri or Alexa for your service. Would they just ask for tennis shoes? Or would they say something more like “Hey Siri, I need some tennis shoes for my son who is playing middle school basketball in the fall”. The more conversational and natural, the better the result.
SEO Trends: The End of Third Party Cookies
Google will be ending their third party cookies on Chrome next year in 2024. Without cookies, businesses will need to use other methods of tracking user behavior and gathering data, such as first-party cookies, device fingerprinting and contextual targeting.
Most websites use cookies to track user behavior and gather data on consumers. A great amount of data is harvested from third party cookies, including search and browser history and private information about the users health, family, political leanings, and much more. This information is used to build detailed profiles on users with thousands of pieces of data, like Google serarchs, credit cared transactions, etc. Predictions are made about the user that are sold to advertisers that can create individualized, target ads to the consumer. WE’ve all experienced that phenomenon. You search “Best Kayak for White Water Rafting” on Google and the next time you’re browsing Facebook, there are ads from White Water Rafting companies and Kayak manufacturers.
The problem with third-party cookies is not only the amount of personal data they collect, or the sensitive nature of that data – it’s also that all of the data that 3rd-party cookies collect can be put together to create extensive profiles on users consisting of thousands upon thousands of data points (your Google searches in the last five years, your credit card transactions, your profile on dating apps and so on).
Inferences are made about the user’s personality and life from these profiles, predictions about way of life and life situations that can be sold to advertisers, who in turn will target their ads on a micro, individual level.
Podcast advertising, mobile search, voice search, social commerce and the eventual end of third party cookies are some important trends in SEO that are so popular they cannot be ignored. Business owners may want to immediately start thinking about some action steps to take advantage of these critical trends. For example, make sure your website is optimized for mobile. Make sure your SEO campaign includes long tailed keywords that are optimized for natural language and speech. Check out the pricing on advertising on the most popular podcasts in your niche. And do a search for social media influencers who do live shopping, unpacking and using your product live and giving it a review.
These action steps are all ones you should consider. Some of them may not be possible with your product or service, but since these trends are so important, it is useful to think them all through.
If you need any assistance with fitting your business to any of these trends, or to start your SEO campaign today, give us a call at 212 Creative, LLC. Let’s begin!
