The top five search results account for some 67% of all clicks, according to an Advanced Web Ranking study, and thanks to Google, this year’s algorithm update is expected to improve one in 10 search queries.
“With the latest advancements from our research team in the science of language understanding, made possible by machine learning, we’re making a significant improvement in how we understand queries,” said Google Fellow and Search Vice President Pandu Nayak.
The updated search engine, known as BERT, can process the intent behind queries despite long winded queries or conversational phrasing using Google Cloud’s artificial intelligence optimization.
“Google now seeks to draw contextual frameworks for user searches, anticipating their intent beyond just the words they typed on the search bar,” said Guy Sheetrit, founder of Over the Top SEO. “The better you get at doing the same, the better you’ll get at optimizing your content as well.”
For influencers, Amazon associates, CEOs, entrepreneurs and the like, there is no one size fits all strategy even when a high ranking on Google sends thousands of eager consumers straight into a buy cart,
“You can’t sell a start-up’s core value proposition the same way you would an interesting blogger’s content,” Sheetrit told Newsmax Finance. “Find a way to differentiate your content and online presence.
But because search engines are only getting smarter, the era of trying to game the system with cheap tricks is over.
“If you can’t compete in scope, compete in originality,” said Sheetrit.
Below are five ways to optimize content in way that increases online sales.
- Target segments of the population that are overlooked by competitors. “You may not be able to compete with a bigger, more established competitor head-on but you can use your flexibility to gain segments of a neglected portion of a shared audience and start growing presence that way,” Sheetrit said.
- Add nothing less than expert based thought leadership content. Otherwise, consumers may not respond to knock-off versions. “If you are trying to benefit from thought leadership content, you better be an expert or get an expert to craft it for you,” says Sheetrit. “It’s the thought leadership content that carries the weight of a certified, proficient expert that will attract consumers who are suddenly gaining access to specialized information through the internet.”
- Tie-in brick and mortar business to online sales with an eCommerce website that is optimized for user experience (UX) and user interface (UI) design. “There’s no longer marketing without the word “digital” in front of it,” Sheetrit said. “Leverage your physical locations in the digital arena through local search engine optimization and use incentives to prompt in-person customers to extend engaging with your brand online.”
- Nurture a dynamic social media presence with visuals that link consumers with your brand. “Optimized UI/UX design can go a long way to help minimize those instances in which a consumer visits a website but does not necessarily click on the sponsor that posted the podcast, the image, knowledge graph or video,” says Sheetrit.
- Content must be excellent, optimized and provide value all while prompting an online consumer to click on affiilate links. “As platforms like Google get better at separating the wheat from the chaff, the need to provide visitors with genuinely relevant and valuable content, UX-first design, and tangible incentives to come and stay longer take more of a central role,” Sheetrit said
Juliette Fairley is an author, lecturer and TV host based in New York.
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