If you’re involved in online marketing you’ll know that the way things work changes on an almost continual basis. Google continues to dominate the search engine market, with Google Panda and Penguin both making a big impact on the way websites are ranked. Then there was Hummingbird that was slipped in last year, and that's not likely to be the end of it. So we thought it would be useful to look at the latest trends and expert thinking.
Why Content continues to be King
When all is said and done, there is no getting away from the fact Google has to generate the most relevant results in order to maintain its high ranking position in the search engine industry. For this reason Google rewards websites with high quality content. Generating high quality content continues to be a major challenge for any business or organisation looking to increase visitors to their website and when you read what Google says counts as a high value site, you’ll understand that content isn’t just about the occasional update to your website.
It’s been reported that Google has started to boost the rankings of web pages that provide the most accurate and thorough answers to people’s questions. The Hummingbird algorithm means that Google now looks at the context of search enquiries, rather than specific keywords, so you need to research and understand the search terms that are being used and address them in articles if you want to achieve higher page rankings.
So what’s our advice:
- Research the questions being asked and select those that fall in line with your objectives
- Produce targeted content on a regular basis
- Broadcast content across a range of digital media: social media networks, blogs and video websites
Relevance on Social Media
The link between your website content and social media platforms will continue to become stronger and even more relevant:
While Twitter and Facebook are likely to continue holding the top slot as the most popular social media platforms, the likes of Google+, LinkedIn and Pinterest are also growing.
Talking about what Google+ is all about, Google’s UK Head of Agency, Matt Bush, has said that Google+ is not about “connecting you with your friends” but is about “trying to offer people the information they want at the right time and searching for information or people that you care about or take information from, when you want it most. That's the overarching strategy.”
Our advice:
- Research if your market (buyers and influencers) are using social media platforms and which ones are their preferred choice
- To avoid disillusionment, make sure you set objectives and measurement values to monitor results on a regular basis
- Use the social media platforms that your market is using
It’s no secret that the growth of smart phones, tablets and other mobile devices giving access to the internet is growing – and fast. Making sure your website is created for mobile use and visibility is now not only a given but essential, as search engines such as Google include this as part of its website ranking criteria.
Our advice:
- Ensure your website is responsive to mobile technology. It may be more appropriate to design a separate site for mobile visitors
- Research how mobile users are interacting with your site. Is it different to desktop visitors? Google Analytics can help you identify how visitors are arriving and using your website.
- Mobile users are used to interacting, so make sure your website provides plenty of relevant opportunities to be engaged and interact
- Don’t forget email and text messages, both of which high on the list of mobile users activities. Emails should also be optimised for viewing on mobile devices
