There are approximately 5.6 billion searches per day on Google but there is also a gigantic amount of online content out there. For example, there are about one billion blogs alone on the web as well as vast amounts of technical information, promotional material, specialist opinions and a plethora of content of other kinds.
In effect, in spite of the eye-watering volume of searches made, there is an enormous amount of material that will come up in response to keyword searches. So how can SEO strategies cope with a likely oversupply of competitive content on any given topic?
Changes in the SEO environment
In a highly informative blog post provocatively titled “Is SEO Dead (A Data-Driven Answer)” Neil Patel makes some very interesting observations about the imbalance between the number of searches for a given key phrase and the amount of content the searcher will be faced with after keying it into Google.
He explains: “For example, if you look at the long-tail phrase, “what is digital marketing”, there are only 11,300 global searches a month but a whopping 665,000 pieces of content trying to answer that question.”
Even more spectacular was the ratio for the keyword “banana,” which attracted 640,300 global searches but came up with 880,000,000 results. He also draws attention to heavy declines in CTR (Click-through rates) for some key phrases since Google took it upon itself to answer questions.
However, he rightly comes to the conclusion that SEO is not dead, but the search environment has been developing. This includes the change of the user’s perception of Google from a channel for commerce and purchasing to a channel for discovering information.
That change was dramatically demonstrated in the case of the skincare company Olay, as Google reported that when it changed its ad relating to “dark circles under eyes” from a straight product ad to an informative message “What causes under eye circles? Easy lifestyle tips from Olay®” The result was an 87% rise in CTR, a 30% decrease in average cost per click and a 100% increase in site conversions.
Engagement and consistency
It is not hard to understand why this change in strategy was successful. People have an increasing desire to engage with brands and expect them to display an interest in their target customers rather than simply selling them their products. This goes beyond social media and consistent messaging is essential across all channels.
Consistent joined-up thinking works at its best with a holistic approach to marketing and communications, where SEO specialists work together as a team with content creators, marketers and technical specialists. That is how really powerful and successful SEO campaigns can be implemented and built upon.
The holistic approach is how we work at BBI Brandboost and, in spite of the vast amount of content competing for Google page rankings, we have achieved excellent SEO results for B2B and B2C clients across a range of industry sectors. Contact us at any time you wish to discuss raising the SEO presence of your business in the radically changing global search environment.