SEO, or Search Engine Optimization for the uninitiated, is a form of dark magic that only a chosen few marketers are able to harness.
Kidding, kidding – in a nutshell, SEO is the art of building a website and digital network that provides value to your audience, and is easy to navigate and read for both visitors and search engines. This form of marketing allows you to reach your target audience when their intent is at its peak: when they are searching for you or what you do online.
SEO should be treated as a long-term strategy for growing your business online. Your website’s search engine presence is a living, breathing thing that takes time to develop and maintain, however, SEO consistently proves to be one of the most valuable online acquisition channels for countless businesses.
Let’s talk about how SEO has changed over the last year, and what opportunities might arise for you or your business stemming from these changes.
The Landscape of SEO in the Last Year
Major Algorithm Updates: Google Giveth, Google Taketh Away
In March 2024, Google released a core update to the algorithm that determines how search results are shown. This core update aims to combat the rise in spam and unoriginal, low-value content. In this official update, Google states that “we’ve long had a policy against using automation to generate low-quality or unoriginal content at scale with the goal of manipulating search rankings.”
This is a fancy way of saying “We’re taking the gloves off against AI-generated content”. Google’s reasoning behind this update is simple – no, it’s not because “ChatGPT is stealing their market share” – rather, Google relies on the quality of their search results to provide value to their users. If Google’s search results were filled with unoriginal, AI-generated content, Google’s core service would become less valuable, and that’s how you lose market share.
Emphasis on User Experience (UX): Make It Snappy
In their effort to provide maximum value in search results shown to users, Google has begun placing more and more emphasis on websites that provide users with a good experience. Google looks at a number of metrics to measure this experience: how fast webpages load, how long users stay, and if users can navigate from page to page with ease, amongst other metrics.
If you’re unsure if your website meets these standards, check out this helpful guide from Google about what they look for when determining a page’s user experience quality.
Rise of AI and Machine Learning: Rise of the Machines
Large language-model AIs are nothing new, but their recent surge into a mainstay media headline over the last two years has brought about widespread adoption in the marketing and creative fields.
With that widespread adoption has come misuse. With many AI copywriting apps being promoted as a pseudo-replacement for creative writing, many digital creators, artists, and writers used them to heavily increase their output without taking due care as to not sacrifice the quality of their works. Alas, the internet has been swarmed with low-quality, low-value, and sometimes, blatantly false content.
Finding Your Advantage In SEO
Drive More Value
Over the last few years, the common denominator of changes made to how search engine platforms like Google function has been driving more value. Therefore, at the core of your strategy, providing value to your website users should be your utmost focus.
Whether that value is provided through tools, unique information, or entertainment, make sure that your website doesn’t just exist to exist – your website content must serve a purpose and keep visitors engaged to be relevant on search engines.
Providing more valuable content doesn’t just help your search engine rankings. It helps your website visitors’ perception of you, and increases the likelihood that they will return and/or complete favorable actions on your website like signing up for an email list or buying a product.
Leveraging Data and Analytics
Tune into those analytics – they’re your roadmap to victory. If you don’t already have data measurement apps like Google Analytics 4 (GA4) installed on your website, this is your sign to make that a priority.
Apps like GA4 will provide invaluable insights into how, why, and when people are interacting with your website content. This data will allow you to make more informed decisions on how to optimize your website’s content to provide more value and become more visible on search engines.
Focusing on Niche Markets: The Little Fish Strategy
Dominating a niche is like being a big fish in a small pond—except the pond is the internet, and you’re the Loch Ness Monster of your market. When you show up for more specific search terms, i.e. “emergency plumber in grand rapids, mi” vs. “plumbing”, you increase the likelihood that you will acquire visitors who genuinely need or want to learn more about what you do.
When you acquire better visitors, they are more engaged. When your visitors are more engaged, you show up more often on those search results. Thus starts the chain reaction that makes SEO such a powerful tool.
Leveraging Data and Analytics
Tune into those analytics – they’re your roadmap to victory. If you don’t already have data measurement apps like Google Analytics 4 (GA4) installed on your website, this is your sign to make that a priority.
Apps like GA4 will provide invaluable insights into how, why, and when people are interacting with your website content. This data will allow you to make more informed decisions on how to optimize your website’s content to provide more value and become more visible on search engines.
Keep Yourself Up To Speed
SEO is an ever-changing process. If you snooze, well, you don’t rank. Preparing for and executing changes like search engine algorithm updates ahead of time helps prevent unexpected decreases in your search engine rankings. Never stop learning!
SEO Is Still Very Relevant
If you’re debating on how to spend your marketing dollars for the rest of 2024 and into 2025, rest assured that optimizing your website to provide more value and gain more search engine traffic is still a viable opportunity for your business.
Don’t have an SEO strategy? Let’s talk about that. 8THIRTYFOUR has built accessible, value-driven websites for businesses and organizations of all sizes, and we’d love to break down the specifics of how a refreshed or new website could drive growth for your business.
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