Table of Contents
The world of SEO and digital marketing is an ever-changing one — full of as many surprises and twists as your favorite mystery novel. And just like one of those novels, it’s important to follow the clues and focus on action in order to stay ahead of the game.
So if things are constantly changing so dramatically, how can anyone be expected to keep up?
At LP Creative Co., we believe that SEO success — while complicated — can be achieved so long as you’ve got the willingness to roll up your sleeves and get to work. While there are some brand new, emerging SEO trends that help small businesses boost their visibility, most of the trends are new iterations of tried-and-true digital marketing philosophies, repackaged for our current landscape.
Why is SEO so important?
Like it or not, we live in a culture that is fixated on the idea of ease and convenience. With the global COVID-19 pandemic stirring up all our lives, more people are being forced to shop, learn, work, socialize, and even perform via the internet.
Unfortunately, small and medium-sized businesses have been a relentless casualty in the months that have passed since the pandemic began. There have been, however, certain ones that have managed to survive — some of them actually thriving in ways they never thought possible for them.
So what’s the differentiator? It’s been found that the businesses that have stayed afloat throughout the COVID-19 pandemic are the ones that focused on honing their digital marketing strategy, investing in intensive SEO services, and actively participating in their online visibility from the earliest stages of the crisis.
So what does this mean for you? It means that it has never been more important to make it easier for your prospective clients to find you and your services, and that the best way to do that is through a proactive, deliberate SEO-focused inbound marketing strategy.
SEO Trend #1: It’s Time to Obsess Over User Experience.
Google has always been a stickler for user and audience value, and in May of 2020, the search engine giant made it official: the experience your prospective clients and other users have on your website will dramatically impact your search engine rankings.
This means that the overall usability, speed, and interactivity of your website could make or break you. So how do you tackle that giant? Use your website. Make an overall thorough examination of your website’s user experience and make any changes to its functionality that need to be made. If you’ve got the expertise for this, more power to you — but if this is way beyond your abilities, it’s time to get in touch with a digital marketing agency that can help you turn your website into a lightning-fast, highly-visibile, dream of an online experience.
SEO Trend #2: Find Your Voice… Optimization.
“Hey, Siri, find street tacos near me!”
“Alexa, how do I make chimichurri sauce?”
“Hey, Google, where can I buy used books in Chicago?”
Voice search. It’s here, it’s here for good, and it’s only becoming more ingrained in our daily lives as each year passes. Car manufacturers are even partnering with some of the biggest tech companies around in order to fully-equip their newest models with interactive, hands-free, voice search options, and now is exactly the time to take advantage of this trend.
How, then, do you do that? Research is your best bet, or hiring a digital marketing agency to do the research for you.
Keyword research is, obviously, a must, but it’s not where it ends. You’ve got to find out what kinds of questions prospective customers are asking about businesses that provide the same services as you, and plan for them as you create and revamp your website’s content. This is where the term “ZMOT” comes in. Have you heard of it? It’s a term that Google introduced back in 2011, and continues to be one of the most relevant philosophies in SEO circles today. ZMOT stands for the “Zero Moment of Truth,” and refers to the practice of consumers making purchasing decisions at the “zero moment,” or right at the exact moment they need something.
Your goal as a business owner is to position yourself at the consumer’s fingertips, right at that moment of truth. Knowing what questions will put you there is key.
SEO Trend #3: Pay Attention and Be Valuable.
If we’re being honest, this idea has been a trend for years — it’s not new. You’ve heard the phrase, “Content is King,” right? Well, that’s Trend #3.
It doesn’t matter how user-friendly your website is, and it doesn’t matter if you anticipate every question a voice search user could ever come up with… if you can’t provide valuable, relevant, optimized content for the people who actually do end up on your website, you’re not going to be happy with your results.
Be helpful, be knowledgeable, and be useful in the content you share and put on your website — that’s an idea that Google has been pushing from the get-go. We’re kicking it up one more notch, however, and adding pay attention to this classic digital marketing philosophy. And by that, we mean pay attention to the events, trends, and news within your own industry and participate with them. Incorporate them into your copy and content so that you can appear credible, knowledgeable, and cutting-edge.
It’s time to get to work — contact your Overland Park digital marketing specialists today!
The main takeaway from this article should be that SEO is integral to a successful inbound marketing plan, and that any work you put toward boosting your online visibility and SEO rankings is good work.
If you’re paying attention and actively participating in your industry’s trends, maintaining a user-friendly website, and trying to position yourself at your target audience’s Zero Moment of Truth, you’re light years ahead of most of your competition.
And if all of that sounds too overwhelming, it’s time to find a qualified, knowledgeable digital marketing agency to get the job done. Contact your SEO specialists at LP Creative Co.