Anyone who has built and launched a website has likely encountered an oft-repeated acronym: SEO (search engine optimization). And while you might not have ever done SEO yourself, you've benefited from it in the past: Every day, search engines like Google employ complex algorithms to sift through more than 400 billion web pages and deliver the most relevant results.
Website owners like you use SEO techniques and strategies to get their websites to the top of the search results for relevant user queries. But SEO is not a one-time endeavor — Google and other search engines change often, and ongoing SEO ensures your website stays in front of the people you want to reach. Just as a physical storefront requires regular maintenance and updates to stay competitive, your website needs ongoing SEO to remain visible amidst the ever-changing digital landscape.
The ABCs of SEO: What is Ongoing SEO and Why Does It Matter?
Don't let the techy jargon intimidate you. HubSpot — considered one of the gold standards for SEO and digital marketing advice — defines SEO as simply a collection of strategies and tips that "expand a company’s visibility in organic search results'' and help "drive more visitors to the company’s website, increasing their chances for more conversions which leads to more customers and more revenue."
SEO Connects the Search Engine Algorithms With Your Website's Content
Regardless of your website's goal or industry niche, all SEO techniques have one thing in common: They look at ways to optimize your website's content, keywords, and links to help search engines rank your website higher in the search results when someone searches for something related to your keywords, content, or brand name.
According to HubSpot, SEO needs to address the key factors that all search engines use to determine the value of your website's content — and therefore how high in the search results your website or specific landing page should appear:
- The intent or meaning behind why someone is searching for a specific term or question
- The relevance between what someone searches for, and the content on your website
- The quality of your content (for instance, a website about physical exercise written by certified personal trainers is deemed by Google to be higher quality than a website where the articles are written by non-experts)
- The performance of your website, such as how long it takes a page to load and whether it works well on mobile devices
Static SEO Versus Ongoing SEO: Why It Matters to Stay Fresh and Keep Your SEO Updates Current
As users' web behavior changes and technology evolves, search engines proactively adjust their algorithms.
If you aren't conducting ongoing SEO maintenance and upgrades, a well-optimized website today can quickly become obsolete tomorrow, causing your search rankings to drop and attracting fewer organic visitors. Google itself updates its algorithms several thousand times per year, including significant "major" changes every few months that dramatically change how it crawls and ranks content. For example, Google's infamous Panda update changed how it ranked how-to lifestyle content on the Internet, causing one major content publisher to lose a whopping $6.4 million of traffic and advertising nearly overnight.
How Ongoing SEO Influences Your Website Strategy
Staying abreast of changes to SEO techniques and strategies provides important guidance to your content, marketing, and overarching website strategy. For example, it can dictate or influence:
- How much content you publish, and the content's format, length, and focus
- How you incorporate other forms of media on your website, including images, video, and audio
- How you organize content on your site, including landing page layouts and your site's navigation
- What keywords and target users your website focuses on
Embrace the Power of Ongoing SEO
Caroline Forsey, an expert in thought leadership and marketing content, looked at the survey results from more than 400 of the world's leading web analysts to predict the biggest SEO trends of 2024. According to her data, some of the top changes in SEO strategies this year include:
- A heavier emphasis on expertise, meaning the content on your website should come from experts in your related field (including bylines and author bios that demonstrate the author's credentials and experience on the topic they're writing about)
- A renewed emphasis on first-person, credible content, especially as more websites generate high volumes of low-quality AI content (Google itself has announced upcoming changes to tackle low-value articles created by AI)
- A priority on websites that are deemed trustworthy, such as e-commerce sites with well-rated customer service, or content sites that do a good job of citing trustworthy research and statistics
- Bonus points on content that is creative and original and doesn't simply rehash content found on other sites
Of course, these SEO trends will inevitably change every year, and ongoing SEO will keep you competitive no matter what Google, Bing, and other search engines do. No matter your website's industry or content strategy, ongoing SEO requires that you:
- Focus on keeping your content fresh and high quality, including new blog posts or regularly refreshing and updating old product descriptions or articles
- Conduct keyword research often, since the terms or phrases that your core audience uses will evolve over time
- Maintain your website's overarching performance, such as mobile-friendliness as mobile devices evolve, and page load speed
- Build a diverse portfolio of high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites within your niche, which may include outreach campaigns, getting others in your industry to write guest blogs, and participating in online forums or communities
- Keep on top of technical and performance metrics, such as scanning your site for broken links (and fixing the links you uncover) and using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console to track organic traffic, keyword rankings, click-through rates, and conversion rates
- Stay on top of algorithm changes so you can adapt your SEO strategy in real-time
Some website owners think of SEO as the first step of their promotional strategy. But it's less a first step, and more an ongoing journey to ensure you, your brand, and your content stay relevant in such a competitive atmosphere. Whether you choose to go it alone and take a DIY approach to SEO, or you choose to consult with a digital marketing and SEO agency, check in often and make sure your SEO evolves as the world around you evolves.
Investing in social media remains critical to business success in 2023 and beyond. A recent study shows that 100% of customers turn to their favorite social media platform for inspiration before making a purchase. Social media channels constantly evolve and adapt their features to suit changing needs of users and appeal to new ones. This continuous flux presents excellent opportunities for marketers in all industries to find new creative ways of reaching their audience. This blog discusses four ways companies will use social media in 2023.
1. Reputation management
There are myriad reviews of every company splashed on various platforms out there, and not all are true. In the current highly competitive marketplace, there could be negative information available about your company sponsored by a competitor. Whether genuine or not, negative reviews could damage your business unless you appropriately manage them. Social media is ideal for companies to address any complaints in 2023. It is the first line of contact that inspires customers to contact you directly rather than voicing their complaints through third-party service. Apart from managing negative reviews and commentaries, you can also magnify positive reviews and information through your social media platforms.
2. Customer service
Successful companies are always proactive in responding to customer queries, concerns, and complaints. Customer service issues can arise anytime, and social media platforms offer excellent opportunities to respond promptly and address them before they become serious. In 2023, more companies will invest in responsive social media accounts to resolve customer service issues before they snowball due to a lack of attention.
3. Brand awareness
With over half of the world's population using social media, popular platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook are the right channels to reach new customers.
Brand awareness increases the amount of trust that people have in your brand. Apart from making potential customers more knowledgeable about your brand, social media makes it easy to reach customers on a personal level. A new study reveals that 83% of Instagram users say they discover new products on the platform, making this platform great for connecting your brand with a highly targeted audience. In 2023 more companies will use social media channels for brand awareness by sharing short videos, ads, links, and infographics that answer customers' questions or address trending topics.
4. Market research
Social media channels are undeniably the best place to conduct market research before launching new products or services in 2023. The platforms allow companies to review all their engagements and activities to determine the specific demographics they are reaching. Social media also allows companies to poll their own clientele for information about what they truly want from the business and get insights on how they react to ideas before launching them. A valuable differentiator of social media marketing is that it's instantaneous, meaning you get feedback immediately after you give out any content. Your customers will freely respond to inquiries making it a cost-effective platform to conduct market research.
Social media trends to watch out for in 2023
The following are some of the social trends that companies will utilize to increase brand visibility, market reach, and user engagement.
- Short videos on TikTok: Short-form videos on TikTok have become a widespread phenomenon with the younger generation, especially Gen Z. As a result, marketers are now turning to short-form videos to increase engagement with the target audience. A recent study reveals that 78% of marketers surveyed felt short videos have directly increased sales for their business. It helps brands deliver their message to the right audience in the shortest time possible. In 2023, more marketers will embrace change management and make way for short videos on TikTok.
- The rise of micro-influencer marketing: Influencer marketing continues to be important in 2023. However, many brands will likely shift from macro-influencers to micro-influencers to cost-effectively engage their target audience. Macro-influencers are well-known influencers with a huge following. They always ask for a high price to promote a brand, cutting smaller businesses from the crucial market share. Besides, macro-influencers have huge followings making them ineffective in engaging with the following. Micro-influencers or smaller influencers, on the other hand, have smaller audiences but higher engagement rates. They are also cheaper to guarantee a better return on investment. In 2023, companies will likely collaborate with several smaller influencers suited for the relevant market.
- Live videos: Live videos on Facebook Live, Youtube Live, TikTok Live, and Instagram have increased in popularity in recent years. Live videos allow marketers to share immediate updates, record ongoing events and make important announcements. The concept of Live shopping will also grow in popularity in the coming years. Live shopping lets companies direct users to purchase their products during live streams. The trend allows online shoppers to interact with their products in real-time while indirectly enabling marketers to foster a stronger relationship with their customers.
Reinvent your digital marketing strategy with Synchronicity
Experts predict social media ad spending will reach $350 over the next few years. Social media for marketing is no longer an option. It is a critical means to engage customers, grow the brand and gain valuable insights into your products and services. In 2023, content like short-form videos, live shopping, and social commerce will likely continue to grow.
If you need help optimizing your digital marketing strategy, contact Synchronicity. We are a digital marketing agency in Charlotte, NC, helping companies achieve real growth through holistic digital marketing. Contact us today to learn more.