
In recent years, SEO professionals’ roles have changed.
Traditionally, SEO focused on keyword optimization, links, and ranking on search engines like Google and Bing.
Although these elements are still crucial, search engines now consider a more complicated set of ranking variables. The search landscape has altered drastically.
The very definition of a search engine has evolved.
- Social platforms TikTok and Pinterest are some of the biggest search engines after Google.
- Consumers use Amazon as a one-stop ecommerce shop and YouTube as a how-to university.
- People don’t passively use the default search engine on their browsers anymore. They actively seek what they want, where they want.
To stay current in organic search, SEOs must adapt and learn new abilities. More duties have been added to our function.
Today’s dynamic climate requires SEOs to:
- Encourage involvement in content development, if not leading it. They must help create a content strategy and optimize it for search engines and users.
- Collaborate with UX designers to create user-friendly websites.
- Utilize data and analytics to track progress and evaluate campaign success.
- Work with social media and PR to develop a comprehensive marketing plan.
All this transformation has raised major questions for us. SEOs must know what to do to be relevant in organic search.
What should an SEO know in this new customer exploration and discoverability era?
The changing SEO landscape requires a mindset shift. SEOs are digital marketers with more than “optimizer” talents.
Success in the new organic search age requires embracing these other channels and strategies.
Content marketing
High-quality, informative content that resonates remains important. As SEOs, we must:
- Focus on creating valuable content that answers the questions of our target audience.
- Leverage search trends and organic data to inform the content marketing strategy.
- Evaluate competitors and the search landscape to identify content gaps.
- Look at all content creation through the lens of building E-E-A-T.
User experience
SEO and UX often work together. A smooth and intuitive website experience is UX’s goal.
Google strives to give users the best response and user experience is key.
SEO practitioners should be proficient in user-friendly design, accessibility, page speed optimization, and mobile-friendliness.
Social media
Building a strong social media presence boosts business visibility and SEO.
Start using the two channels together more effectively:
- Leveraging social to increase your space in the SERPs.
- Using social listening to narrow down keyword themes.
- Working with social influencers to gain topically relevant links.
Public relations
Integrating PR and SEO is perfect for reaching audiences and building meaningful relationships.
For off-page initiatives, a site’s legitimacy and visibility depend on organic, relevant mentions from other reliable sites.
Building relationships with industry influencers and other respected persons can boost your website’s search rankings.
We achieve greater success by leveraging digital PR to boost brand authority and credibility through storytelling, rather than just link development.
How do we address non-traditional search engines like TikTok, Amazon, and Voice?
SEO requires optimizing for non-Google search engines, even if Google dominates.
How can we adapt to this shift and reach consumers where they are, cultivating engagement at each touchpoint rather than over-indexing on Google and Bing?
TikTok
TikTok is the world’s fastest-growing social network today and a new kind of search engine in its own right.
And with the right approach, you can expand your reach on TikTok with a lower investment than traditional search engines. In terms of branded content on TikTok, the opportunity is massive.
- As with traditional SEO, begin with research. Browse TikTok to see what people are searching for and what ranks well.
- To rank well on TikTok, use all available features, including descriptions, hashtags, captions, effects, and noises. Remember to follow trends!
Amazon
Ecommerce enterprises must optimize Amazon product listings as the top online marketplace.
It doesn’t matter if you have the best content on the web if no one can discover it on Google. Having the best product doesn’t matter if no one can find it on Amazon.
- In addition to the standard product titles and descriptions, Amazon ranking factors include key features, pricing, images, and backend search keywords.
- Key features are five product-specific bullet points that offer additional contextual relevance for the Amazon algorithm.
- Backend search keywords are essentially the meta keywords for a product listing. Consumers don’t see these, but they offer additional context for the Amazon algorithm and reinforce relevant search terms your audience may be using.
Today’s TikTok-heavy digital marketing landscape undervalues Pinterest for visual search. Pinterest-optimized images and material can enhance visibility.
Pinterest has 465 million monthly active users and is highly visible in Google search results.
This suggests social media is driving more Pinterest traffic and site visits than organic search.
A full Pinterest profile and all its aspects are needed for optimization.
- Create boards to categorize your pins.
- Use Pinterest search to do keyword research and find niche topics.
- Pay attention to pin structure, image size, and fonts, plus wording in titles and descriptions.
Voice search
With smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home and smartphones in your hand, conversational keywords and highlighted snippets are essential for voice search.
Voice search is conversational and focused on long-tail inquiries, unlike text-based search. Increase voice search visibility by:
- Targeting the same type of question-based and informational keyword themes.
- Focusing on the “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” and “how” with your content and target Google featured snippets directly.
How are artificial intelligence and machine learning impacting user experience?
AI and ML have revolutionized SEO in recent years. These technologies have changed search engine results and SEOs’ daily work.
AI and ML help search engines understand user intent and provide better results. Due to AI tools, SEOs must create more with less to compete.
Automating and streamlining content development can save hours, but for what? Will results repeat? Are we prepared for AI-generated content risks?
SEOs today have to:
- Find a balance, incorporating this exciting technology without forgetting what really matters: user experience and the person on the other end.
- Leverage the tool for what it is and refine our skills in the areas where AI can’t replace a real SEO pro.
- Remind clients, leadership, and others that scalability in SEO has to look beyond pure efficiency and focus on efficiency without sacrificing quality.
How do we continue to show the value of SEO?
We must redefine SEO success as we negotiate the dynamic world of AI, grasp non-traditional search platforms, and expand our marketing talents.
Historically, SEO effectiveness has been hard to prove. Revenue is not directly related to rankings. For better or worse, clients worry about vanity metrics like rankings.
Due to social-first search and social networks’ increased exposure in organic SERPs, fewer visits are considered organic traffic.
With Google Analytics 4 and the “data-driven attribution model,” organic search conversions may drop.
Our definition of success must include other measures that demonstrate SEO’s value:
- Report on multi-channel attribution where social traffic includes organic search as a touchpoint.
- Determine organic share of voice by evaluating any ranking for our brand, whether it’s the primary website, or a social profile, or a featured snippet.
- Define a value for featured snippets and position zero and determine the impact on CTR and traffic.
Whatever advanced metrics we can leverage to prove our value, it’s clear it will require a deeper level of analysis and strategy than ever before.
What this evolution really means for the future of search marketers
Our roles have expanded beyond SEO. To stay relevant, SEOs must adapt, learn, and broaden their skills as search engines evolve.
We require content marketing, user experience, social media, and PR experts. Our work is now more strategic and data-driven. We help businesses reach their marketing goals, not only SEO.
SEOs that recognize that their duty is to create a holistic digital marketing strategy will succeed in this new era of customer inquiry and discoverability. This will be an expectation going ahead.