We have delved into voice search in the previous blog, but to be an effective marketer, it is important to master all distinct types of search. Consumers, both retail and business, are using a variety of search marketing methods, and you increase your odds of ranking high and connecting with them when they are included as part of your marketing strategy. Stay on top of changing SEO by maximizing your use of these 4 search types:
Voice Search Marketing Strategy
As mentioned before, one of the keys to using voice search effectively is to use natural language (semantic search) instead of basic keywords. Keyword searches of the past used disconnected words. Now the focus is on “topics”, where searchers are outlining their needs as though they are talking directly to you; imagine you are standing face to face.
Consider the benefits to using voice search:
- You are answering direct questions from your potential customers
- You are quoted as the source of information
- You are building authority, as well as consumers’ trust
To maximize the use of voice search, it is important that Google understands what your page is about. Matching the content to the searchers’ terms, in whatever variations they might use, is yet another step in improving your rankings.
Local Search Marketing Strategy
No matter how “worldwide” consumers search, many people want to know where your business (or the nearest branch to them) is. Claim your Google business page—ensure you are “open for business” for those who will search online for your details:
- Location, including directions & a map
- hours
- phone number
- website
- reviews, including business responses
- anything new to interest customers
By providing content specific to your community/location—activities and events related to your business—you are establishing yourself as a community leader, and exclusive offers specific to a location helps you build that community connection with branches of a larger organization.
Other important tips to utilizing local search include:
- Get your site on business directories (Angie’s List, TripAdvisor, Yelp)
- Use local search ads with Google (paid option to allow businesses to be showcased above other results)
International Search Marketing Strategy
Your business can take advantage of today’s growing global market with a strategy to increase your international reach. Here are some keys to expanding your reach:
- Know your market—understand the starting point & potential for each country you want to market to. Remember to do your research so you know where the top options are. What are the volume, traffic, keywords & conversion rates?
- Consider some international search engines--Google is #1, but look for others, like Bing, Baidu in China, Yandex in Russia, and Naver in Korea.
- Meta data is important—remember that some things are “lost in translation”; the length or intent may be lost, so it is important to translate it in each language you will be using.
- Targeting is important. If there is not enough volume in a specific country, you may want to focus your efforts on language, which can expand your coverage enough to increase the ROI
- Make sure your payment gateway is international-friendly.
Semantic Search Marketing Strategy
Semantic search can take multiple variables about the person typing in the search query and use these to serve more accurate and relevant results—kind of a “getting into the head” of searchers. This takes intent a step deeper to include context, Google’s Hummingbird algorithm in 2013 sought to give priority in results to webpages which matched a searcher’s meaning instead of just a few keywords.
RankBrain took this idea even farther by combining the idea of ranking queries with commonly searched topics (and verbiage) with pages already proven high rankers. Voice and semantic search together have helped shift the focus from traditional SEO to include AEO (answer engine optimization); since people are looking for answers and not simply company information, you should provide the most thorough information to allow Google (and others) offer YOU and YOUR PRODUCTS/SERVICES as the best answer to their needs.
It may feel like Google is stalking the searcher, as it takes into consideration what the person has been looking at recently, where they are at, what device they are on, and using this info to build its own knowledge base (the Knowledge Graph), a system for collecting and organizing information from many data sources, including Wikidata, since Google’s mission is to make information more accessible and useful. A bonus is that searchers are on Google longer and not the resulting site, so Google ends up a winner. To use this form well, remember that Google is needs information to decide what to do with your site, so provide complete:
- Meta description
- Title
- Keywords
- Content
Search Marketing Strategies—Prepare for the New Way We Search
All of this means that you need to balance all the aspects of your site to allow Google (and searchers) the information so they can determine if it answers search queries! From the explosion in voice search to international search, you are provided with the tools to optimize your search strategy—you just need to utilize them well! Consider where your customers are found and be sure to provide information in the format they are looking for, and content which builds their trust in you, giving you authority in your industry, and a stronger local (or worldwide, as the case may be) presence!
To help guide you through this journey, look to the team at Digital Impact Agency. We can help you create targeted, effective search marketing campaigns that produce quality leads, return on investment, and engage your customers!
