It’s that time of the year again when we predict the search engine optimization (SEO) trends that will shape online reputation in 2022.
In recent years, online search has shifted dramatically from previous norms. The emergence of the mobile web, advancements in algorithms, and a full rethinking of Google SERPs (search engine results pages) with new features have all occurred. Google even launched continuous scrolling just a few weeks ago.
For simple facts, we now have the norm of “zero-click” searches, in which Google answers the inquiry directly. Furthermore, we’ve observed a shift in emphasis toward technical aspects of web design. If a site is out of date, has a bad user experience (UX), and does not operate properly on mobile devices, it will not rank high in Google.
In IT circles, there is an ancient term that is pertinent to the new Google search standard: “DWIM,” which stands for “do what I mean (not what I say).” The focus of search results is on user intent, which is powered by algorithms that seek to deduce what the user wants rather than the specific search strings the user was entering. This makes a huge impact to marketers, as marketing is the ultimate purpose of SEO.
You won’t go far in digital marketing if you merely put a product on a website and ignore user intent. For Google to show up as a suggested link, you must have what the user was looking for and be a really beneficial location.
That means there’s a lot to learn, but the good news is that we’ll cover all you need to know in this post.
We’ve got a lot to talk about, so get a cup of coffee before you get started.
- Not alternatives, but additions
Before we get into how to capitalize on people’s new search behaviours, it’s important to note that all of these activities should be supplements to your existing search strategy, not substitutes.
According to GWI, more than 4 in 5 internet users still use ‘traditional’ text-based search engines once a week, while Semrush says that Google.com is the world’s most frequented online domain, with tens of billions of visitors each month.
As a result, investments in search-friendly online content and paid search advertisements on platforms such as Google should remain a key component of your entire search strategy.
However, with so many individuals incorporating new search behaviours into their daily linked activities, it makes logical sense to capitalise on these lucrative new chances as well.
But what exactly are these new behaviours, and how can you capitalise on them?
- Voice Search
According to GWI, almost a quarter of all internet users aged 16 to 64 now use voice assistants like Siri and Alexa on a weekly basis to access information.
Voice search is especially popular in China and India, where more than three out of every ten internet users claim they’ve used a voice assistant to find information in the last seven days.
However, Western European nations, as well as Japan and South Korea, continue to have lower adoption rates.
Some of the disparities in adoption rates may be due to linguistic differences, particularly between English-speaking and non-English-speaking nations.
However, cultural factors may also play a role in determining local adoption.
Talking on the phone, for example, is deliberately prohibited on Japanese public transportation, where posters advocating the usage of manner mode’ (i.e. silent mode) are prevalent.
Such cultural standards may restrict people’s comfort level with voicing search queries into their phones, particularly in public areas, resulting in less possibilities to incorporate these technologies into daily routines.
And, like with many other digital behaviours, age has a significant impact on the use of voice search technologies.
However, as we’ll see below, the benefits of voice search should, in principle, be more enticing to older generations, so we may expect to see this ‘age gap’ shrink over time.
- Voice is a commercial opportunity for businesses
Voice interfaces, as a result of all of these factors, make digital devices more accessible to a broader audience than text interfaces alone.
As a result, it’s maybe not surprising that many of the most powerful businesses in the digital world are adopting voice.
Google’s Chrome browser, for example, now provides a shortcut to voice search under the normal search bar that displays whenever a user starts a new window or tab.
Clicking the microphone icon – shown in the figure below on the right-hand side of the search bar — enables the computer’s microphone, allowing users to search using voice commands.
The similar microphone icon can also be found in Google’s main search bar.
Amazon has also incorporated a voice search shortcut in its mobile app in a handful of countries, however this feature is not yet accessible everywhere.
So, from both a platform and a user standpoint, it’s clear to see why voice search may become more significant in our daily lives.
Voice search, on the other hand, poses a number of issues for companies and content developers.
Image search
Image recognition systems such as Google Lens and Pinterest Lens are also becoming more popular throughout the world, with adoption already prevalent in Latin America and Southeast Asia.
More than half of all internet users aged 16 to 64 in Colombia, Brazil, and Mexico say they use these capabilities on their smartphone at least once a month, and picture search is becoming more popular throughout Southeast Asia.
Globally, around one in every ten working-age internet users has used picture recognition technologies in the last 30 days, although – like with voice search – use is lower in Western European nations and Japan.
Aside: It might be a coincidence, but it’s worth noting that picture recognition software appears to be less common in English-speaking nations than in others.
The usage of search ‘lenses’ varies significantly by age, with women aged 18 to 24 nearly twice as likely as women aged 55 to 64 to have used these tools in the previous week.
These generational disparities, however, may be influenced in part by popular use cases for image recognition technologies.
Google’s search lens has also gained traction, thanks in part to the fact that the service’s activation indicator – a camera symbol – is now visible in the default search bar within Google’s mobile app.
However, one of the more intriguing advancements in picture search advertising emerged in recent revisions to Amazon’s mobile app.
Amazon’s mobile app’s search bar previously had shortcuts to the phone’s camera, allowing customers to search for specific goods by taking a photo of them or scanning a barcode.
Is image search appropriate for your business?
Image recognition techniques provide obvious prospects for fashion firms, but they are also applicable in other aesthetic areas like furniture, home remodelling, gardening, and even consumer electronics.
Merchant-independent picture recognition solutions, such as Pinterest Lens, also provide small companies and stores with a means to increase visibility, particularly among international customers.
This possibility is especially relevant as cross-border buying grows in popularity and fashion-conscious buyers widen their horizons in pursuit of fresh, new styles.
Image recognition techniques are likely to become more important in location-specific search as well.
Allowing passers-by to access a menu simply by taking a photo of the outside of a café, for example, provides obvious convenience as well as extra user value.
It may also be worthwhile to investigate odd picture search use cases.
For example, if you’re a packaged products firm, how might you use image recognition algorithms to give new content when someone takes a photo of your product or packaging?
Taking consumers to a brand website or an ecommerce platform may be a ‘easy win,’ but what else might you advertise as an image search result to give genuine audience value?
- Creating a strategy for social search
Unfortunately, there is currently very little information available for businesses wanting to enhance their social search results, particularly from the networks themselves.
Furthermore, due to the differences in algorithms, search strategies that work on one social network may not work on another.
As a result, ‘test and learn’ should be a key component of any social search approach, with a particular focus on ‘learn.’
So, if you’re serious about experimenting with social search, here are eight things to think about.
- Concentrate on goals or outcomes.
Your first step, like with anything else in marketing, should be to determine what you want to achieve.
Which audiences do you want to target, and what do you want them to do after they find your account and your content?
These goals will differ from brand to brand, and even from time to time, so make sure to select the results that are important to you.
- Account visibility as opposed to content visibility
Getting your content (i.e. your posts) to rank in search results isn’t the only way to be successful in social search.
You’ll also want to make sure your account or ‘page’ ranks high in relevant searches.
Also, keep in mind that there may be different outcomes to consider.
- Timelness vs. relevance
When a piece of content is submitted to the site, how much weight does the search algorithm place on it?
Most social media managers are already aware of the ‘visible half-life’ of postings in social feeds, but how does this phenomena affect social search results?
Critically, does the platform prioritise fresher posts in its search results, or does it prioritise older but more relevant articles at the top of the results ranking?
This has significant consequences for how frequently you should post search-optimized content.
It’s also worth exploring whether user activity (such as likes, comments, and shares) influences how individual posts rank in search results.
- What information is indexed?
What types of objects does the platform’s search algorithm match users’ search queries to, and how does it understand them?
Instagram’s search interface, for example, prioritises accounts above individual posts in its search results at the time of writing.
Search on TikTok, on the other hand, appears to function rather differently from search on Instagram, with the site appearing to place a larger focus on content (i.e. individual posts) than on profiles.
Meanwhile, when it comes to indexing individual posts in its search results, Instagram appears to prioritise hashtags that a publisher has actively added to a post, while more generic (non-tagged) language appears to have less influence in structuring Instagram’s search results.
Searches on Facebook provide a considerably greater range of results than searches on Instagram and TikTok, including individuals, pages, posts, marketplace listings, events, videos, and several other ‘categories.’
Furthermore, the second result in Facebook’s search results is often a sponsored placement, so if you want to rank well in Facebook search, you need to consider ‘Facebook SEM,’ in addition to trying to enhance your organic search results.
LinkedIn’s search results also take a unique approach, adapting to the unique function that the site plays in the lives of its members.
People’s profiles often rank first in LinkedIn search results, followed by corporate pages.
Individual posts, groups, events, educational courses, and job listings, on the other hand, may show in search results, with each of these categories having its own ‘tab’ at the top of the search results page.
As a result, you should consider the types of search results you want to rank for, rather than just which keywords you want to prioritise.
However, keep in mind that all platforms are always tweaking their algorithms, so things may have changed by the time you read this piece.
Even more difficult, the characteristics that affect performance may shift just as you begin to understand what works for you.
As a result, you’ll need to analyse and change your social search strategies on a regular basis to guarantee they’re always adequately optimised.
- How do consumers conduct their searches?
Another important factor to consider when planning for social search is how customers search for brands and items in your industry.
Do category-generic phrases (e.g., coffee) tend to dominate, or do brand names (e.g., Starbucks) account for a larger percentage of consumers’ search activity?
In connection with this, what can you discover about what people are searching for when they do a search?
- Top keywords vs. long tail keywords
This is similar to a consideration in traditional SEO: do you want to compete for the top 1 or 2 keywords in your category (e.g. “dress” or “coffee”), or is it better to focus on a broader range of “long-tail” keywords that may attract a lower volume of searches, but are more specific, with less ‘crowded’ search results?
Of course, you may try a combination of the two, but it’s definitely worth your time to figure out which tactics are producing the greatest results for your unique goals.
- Become more technical
Remember that when indexing possible results, social search engines do not simply look at explicit post or account material.
In other cases, search engines may use metadata and other ‘invisible’ features to rank results, and these variables may have a significant influence on your social search success.
Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn, for example, all enable users to add ‘alt text’ to photographs.
These aspects contribute to improved content accessibility, but they may also have extra benefits in terms of social search indexing.
- Measure and maximise
How will you know what works best for you when it comes to social search?
It can be far more difficult to track the impact of your social media search activity than it is to measure the impact of your SEO activities on Google.
Some social networks will assist you in determining how many new impressions or clicks originated from search, but in many situations, you’ll need to determine (or even create) your own metrics and KPIs to monitor performance.
However, you must ensure that your measurements and KPIs are closely related to your objectives and outcomes.
- Conclusions
People’s internet search habits are constantly changing, particularly when new tools and interfaces become more widely available.
The growing diversity and complexity of search might make it appear daunting, but the related opportunities can rapidly repay the necessary investments of time, effort, and money.
Finally, making your digital efforts as visible as possible enhances the likelihood that those activities will achieve their intended goals, so pursue new search opportunities with the same zeal that you would a new social media platform with massive new reach.
And, if you need help determining which possibilities are most relevant to your company – and how to capitalise on those opportunities – be sure to check out Reputation Ace or email us at info@reputationace.co.
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