Not so long ago, improving search engine optimisation (SEO) was intensely technical. Whilst data analysis, attribution and other technical signals are counted as a ranking factor, digital know-how is not the answer to your SEO dilemma in the current epoch.

The best way to improve SEO these days is to create a marketing strategy which encourages consumers to interact with your website, trust your products and respect you as a brand.

That’s not to say the technical performance of your website is not important. It is. A website has to be intuitive, responsive, enjoyable to navigate on mobile devices and provide high-value content.

However, the performance of your website in search engines is driven by how consumers interact with your brand across omni-channel platforms. So ask yourself this: are you of driving traffic to the buy button?

Search engines are a powerful tool and brands have to be SEO-astute to be a winner in the online game. However, business owners should not rely on search engines alone to influence consumer behaviour.

Whilst Google’s Rankbrain has learned how to answer questions and deliver the most relevant page content, purchasing decisions are based on user-experience, trust and emotional connections.

Power Shifts

The rise of digital platforms has shifted the balance of power from brands to consumers. Brands have an obligation to be sustainable, transparent and deliver on your promise.

Moreover, brands have a responsibility to be a leader in the community. Consumers want to make a difference to society, but they also want help doing it and look to brands to provide the solutions.

Research conducted by Edelman, for example, revealed 88% of consumers expect brands to help them live sustainable lifestyles and improve their environmental footprint.

The report concluded that “relationship strength is a form of brand equity that is of increasing importance.” Consequently, brands have to look beyond technical SEO and tap into consumer mindsets.

Optimising The “Shoppable” Experience

Today’s brands need to be customer-centric and develop a marketing strategy that ties into the customer journey. Creating a “shoppable” experience across every touchpoint is a trend consumers will come to expect.

Understanding how your audience uses various online platforms is central to driving traffic to your website. Pay attention to the user-experience and deliver the right content at the right stages of the customer journey.

What do consumers want?

Beyond an intuitive web design that responds promptly on desktop and mobile, consumers want brands that care about their wellbeing. They want to be treated like a human beings by a human being.

Today’s consumers are not satisfied with automated services, chatbots powered by artificial intelligence and soulless interactions with faceless online stores. Consumers are looking for brand relationships that are not robotic and distant.

Customer Service

The amount of content online businesses need to publish these days can actually hinder consumers finding the information they want to know about. This leaves marketers in a quandary.

On the one hand, search engines rank in-depth content higher than pages that are “thin” on information. However, consumers do not want to read through a 2000-word article to find an answer.

Chatbots received heavy criticism, so companies increasingly used human members of staff to manage online queries. Consumers prefer Live Chat functions, but oftentimes are left waiting for an assistant to become available.

The solution is to offer both options. Chatbots can address customers immediately but may not always be able to provide an answer. However, as the technology matures, chatbots are becoming better at seeming more human-like and can answer questions.

If your customers are averse to chatbots, give them the option to choose a live chat. A predictive search function and a detailed FAQ can also enhance customer support.

Social media networks like Facebook are also being used more often as a shopping platform. A key reason behind the success of social platforms is because the chat function enables customers to ask questions and receive an immediate answer.

Improving your customer support across multiple touchpoints builds consumer confidence in your brand and encourages customers to return. When customers can find whatever they are looking for on your website, they will also linger on the page for longer – which is great for SEO!

Remove Intrusive Ads

It’s time to face facts. Consumers hate intrusive ads. So ditch the pop-up ads – especially obstructive ads that interrupt visitors as soon as they arrive, whilst they are reading and when they appear to be leaving.

Internet users today are more savvy about the ads they want to see and the brands they want to associate with. If your website has intrusive ads, customers are less inclined to visit.

Furthermore, pop-up ads that appear when customers are leaving the page are annoying. They may actually be using the main menu to navigate to another page.

In essence, pop-ups erect barriers to the cheque out and interrupt the shopping experience. Discrete native advertising is a better solution. Also encourage visitors to sign up to a newsletter.

Voice Search

The longevity of your page content could be jeopardised by voice search. Pages that rank well against keyword search terms today, may lose their matchability when voice search becomes more prominent.

You may not have much time left to compile a voice search strategy. Reports suggest the number of searches conducted by a voice assistant will be as high as 50%.

The increase in smart speakers such as Amazon Echo and Apple HomePod will accelerate the number of people that use voice assistants to search for content, products and services.

Voice searches are predicted to have a significant impact on SEO. However, nobody really knows how voice searches will affect how Google will match content to searches.

There is a possibility that search engines will bring up different results because people speak differently than they type. The query they provide will include more details.

To rank for voice searches, address long-tail keywords together with H2 and H3 headings in your content. Answer questions in your content that your customers are most likely to ask.

Content should also be finely tuned to a specific stage in the customer journey. Map out a timeline and the mindset of customers from the research stage to purchase intent to determine what your audience want to know at each stage of the purchasing process.

Publish High-Value Content Everywhere

It’s no secret that high-quality is the key to online success. Improving SEO involves showing up wherever people are using a search tool. It’s therefore imperative that you know how to engage readers and drive traffic from various platforms other than your website.

What do consumers want?

Today’s consumers typically start their shopping experience online. They want to know what their options are in terms of quality, price and the customer experience they can expect a brand to deliver.

Consumers of all ages today rely less on the information brands provide. Genuine peer reviews and the opinions of family, friends and colleagues carry far more weight.

As a result, brands should be building trust by encouraging customers to write reviews and publish user-generated content. The content consumers want to see is not only about what your product does but the experience and satisfaction they can expect if they buy the product from you.

Leverage Customer Testimonials

Customer testimonials about your brand have to go beyond a few words published on your website. Nobody believes customer testimonials unless they can visually see the comments are authentic.

What your customers say about their overall experience carries a lot of weight. Whilst trusted review hubs are recommended, the most influential customer reviews are found on social media and videos.

Whenever possible, encourage customers to leave a review on your social media account. Also, consider making a video featuring customers that are willing to explain their experience with your brand and your products together with case studies with relevant images.

The more strength customers testimonials project in various pieces of content, the less uncertainty and doubt new customers feel.

Build A Community

Social media has democratised the marketplace and small businesses are in a great position to take advantage of online communities that are geared towards specific interests.

Brands that encourage online interaction, engage with customers and contribute to conversations are in a better position to leverage positive attitudes and increase trust.

Creating an online community and supporting customers empowers brands to help people find solutions that are not provided by government or state-run institutions such as healthcare, law and councils.

A survey conducted by Sprout Social identified consumers believe society is more divided now than ever before. Sixty-eight per cent of respondents accused political leaders and government institutions.

Meanwhile, 91% feel confident social media can successfully connect people and 78% want brands to take a leading role to fill the voids that are all too often ignored by political decision-makers.

Influencer Marketing

The rise of content-sharing platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Facebook, have given consumers a voice. In niche industries, consumers are the leading experts on products and brands. Consequently, influencers are priceless commodities to brand marketing campaigns.

Influencer marketing creates a buzz around products and brands. Word of mouth advertising is so effective, that influencers are fast becoming the go-to strategy.

Social influencers have built up a personal brand by engaging audiences with regular posts and organic content. Influencer marketing gives companies the opportunity to tap into a ready-made audience that comes from a trusted source.

However, influencers come in various packaging and it’s important to distinguish the differences. First of all, there are celebrity endorsements, then celebrity influencers, and finally micro-influencers.

Consumers are already wise to celebrity endorsements. Despite the adoration of celebrities, savvy consumers know these people are being paid to say whatever a brand wants them to say.

Celebrity influencers will soon be found out as well. These influencers are typically socialites, models and TV stars that have a huge Instagram following that idolises these celebrities.

Brands take advantage of celebrity influencers by showering them with free gifts or paying the organise special giveaway prices through their social media account.

It’s well documented that the likes of the Kardashians and their ilk are paid thousands of dollars to post a brand endorsement.

The issue with any type of celebrity endorsements is they are designed to manipulate consumers. Shoppers know this, but more importantly, Google and social media networks know this and will penalise brands for underhand marketing tactics.

Micro-influencers are the way to go. These are people that take a genuine interest in a niche interest and have a lot of knowledge about it. They have steadily grown an audience of followers that trust their opinions and are continuing to grow because they create high-value content.

Leveraging micro-influencers positions your products in front of an audience that are most interested in buying it. Furthermore, you have a reliable spokesperson that endorses your brand with an honest opinion.

Influencer marketing essentially boils down to trust. Reports indicate that micro-influencers with 1000 followers generated 85% higher engagement than influencers with 100,000 followers and 70% of teens trust micro-influencers over celebrities.

Winning Over Search Engine Users

Whilst most customers start their shopping experience with search engines, they want to know more about a brand before they are prepared to invest hard-earned money into a product.

SEO is important but improving online visibility means ramping up your online profile and interacting with end-users. The more consumers trust a brand, the more they will explore your website and social media channels.