As organic search continues to evolve and develop with the rise of AI platforms and overviews, we are always looking for ways to improve our clients visibility and help make those connections with users on a personal level. The way users search has also changed. They are searching in various and different ways now, sometimes utilizing multiple resources. The traditional search of a user typing in a simple keyword and phrase into a search engine like Google or Bing are evolving. Businesses need to be ready and adapt. Here is how we have adapted our SEO strategy.
Tracking
What we have been tracking and how we interpret that data has changed. Keyword rankings should still be monitored but more as a guide on user search intent. With the increase in question based queries and searches, your content should provide a solution to a specific issue users are having and how you can help solve it for them. Also important is the benefits and how what you do is different from others. Therefore, Google Search Console is a great way to monitor your impressions and the queries that you are being shown for within the search results. So an increase in impressions and along with the proper matching search term/query would be a great way to ensure you are visible with the right user search intent. Clicks and the corresponding CTR (click-though rate) would also be a good indicator that your meta description and titles are resonating with users to the point where they are clicking through to your site. New users, pages per session and engagement rate are also good indicators of growth. Demonstrating that new users are going to the site, have meaningful sessions longer than 10 seconds and are visiting multiple pages.
3rd Party Websites and Reviews
When displaying results for users, the AI platforms want to ensure that the information being displayed is verified and accurate. Therefore, users who have interacted with the business are a great way to show validity. It also provides an opportunity to respond to reviews with some of those key phrases. For example, when Delco SEO replies to a review we could include something along the lines of “We are so glad to hear that you were happy with our SEO services and truly appreciate the positive feedback…”. It also sends indications to users that you care about your client base and value their feedback. Once again, providing validity. Sites like Trustpilot, Facebook, YouTube, Reddit, Yelp, etc. are great examples of those that the AI search engines crawl and cite. However, don’t forget about Google reviews as well and be sure to respond to those in a timely manner.
Content Audits
Regular content audits are always a good idea for a variety of reasons. The AI platforms prefer newer information that is up to date and accurate. How users also engage with specific pages is also useful for determining the page value. Having a page which does show up in the search engines but does not get much engagement or key events could actually bring down the SEO score of higher performing pages. You also want to check for duplicate page content and cannibalization. This would cause pages to compete with one another in the search rankings. When this occurs, consider combining the resources and updating. With that being said, you also want to demonstrate that you are authority around a specific topic or within an industry. So having pages with similar topics tied together with interlinks would send a strong signal to the search engines and provide a better user experience where users can get more information around a specific topic or query.
As you can see, a lot has changed and evolved in the SEO industry and will continue to as AI continues to develop. Making sure your marketing team has a strong baseline to measure the results, and watch for improvements or declines is important in monitoring steady growth and areas where you can improve. An SEO expert can help guide you through this process and ensure your marketing efforts are in alignment and being tracked properly for an effective digital marketing strategy. An SEO consultant will also be up to date with the latest trends, ranking algorithms, and AI mentions, citations and cited pages.