Search Engine Optimization and Marketing Analytics across devices desktop, laptop, mobile, wearable, etc., is a fairly recent trend. With the advent of technology companies are investing more and more on tracking both our physical and virtual selfs.
The Past
SEO (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_engine_optimization) is just over a couple of decades old, if you’re old enough you might remember the world without Google). Before that, there were other methods to find information such as encyclopedias, yellow pages, local listings, and other forms of traditional print, radio or TV advertisements. Who would have thunk 20 years ago we’d have super powerful computers in our pockets? In the past, word-of-mouth has always been the most powerful marketing tool, and online it becomes exponential.
The Present
To get found or not to… We jump on our cell phones, tablets, or laptops to search for something, or search about that something, reviews, best price, support, etc. SEO has evolved a lot since its inception. Google, the most-used web search engine, has also made constant changes to its search algorithm to adapt to the real world rewarding sites’ usefulness and mobile display capabilities.
We’ve also seen its flaws, whether intentional or not, to suggest completely unrelated search terms and results, or abusing keywords, content and click bait to steer users their way. Search engines keep getting better and will eventually help filter all the noise. But to keep ahead of the crowd there are several key areas to keep in mind to being found online.
In no particular order, the following are all part of the current equation:
- Content relevancy
- Proper meta and content tags
- Descriptive file titles and section blocks
- Page titles and subtitles
- Sitemap and internal link structure
- Inbound links
- 508 compliance
In my opinion, the most important qualifier is the content. That’s what ultimately drives visitors (new and repeat), and relevant content is the only way to face the unknown number of parameters, and sophisticated algorithms that define what shows up higher in the ranks.
There are also some common errors to avoid. For example going over the limit in keywords or descriptions, and even having too much content can be counter producing. Duplicate content leads to poor visitor performance can also affect ranking.
The Future
With the arrival of A.I. in the form of physical and sensory tracking devices, it will soon be possible to target people geographically, say walking by a storefront or within an aisle in the supermarket with a coupon or advert. Just as search engines display ads relevant to our search terms, in the near future we may see ads depending on our feelings, sensations, or emotions. Eye tracking and body language are already being analyzed in real time to provide greater customer insights.
The convergence of man and machine opens up the possibility for a hyper-connected world in which we can make better use of our limited resources. Perhaps technology is showing us the endless possibilities that were once ‘humanly’ impossible. It might connect all living beings as a super sentient conscious entity. As Albert Einstein once said, “we are only limited by the capacity of our imagination,” and in just a couple generations we’ve evolved more than in the past few millennia.
To Be Continued…
