How to navigate SEO in a multi-platform world

The role of SEO professionals has undergone significant changes in recent years.

Traditionally, SEO has mainly been about keyword optimization, links, and rankings on search engines like Google and Bing.

While these factors are still important, today’s search engines evaluate a more complex set of ranking factors. And the search landscape has changed dramatically.

The very definition of a search engine is evolving.

• Social platforms TikTok and Pinterest are among the biggest search engines after Google.
• Consumers use Amazon as their one-stop e-commerce shop and YouTube as their how-to university.
• People no longer passively use their browser’s default search engine. They actively look for what they want, where they want it.

As SEOs, we need to adapt and expand our skill sets in the ever-changing world of organic search. Our role has further expanded to include a wider range of responsibilities.

To succeed in today’s dynamic environment, SEO is expected to:

• If not, please get more involved lead – Content creation process. You will need to help develop your content strategy and ensure that your content is optimized for search engines and users.
• You will work closely with a UX designer to create a website that is easy to use and navigate.
• Track your progress and measure campaign success using data and analytics.
• Work with your social media and PR teams to create a more holistic marketing strategy.

All this change has brought us some big questions. As SEOs, we need to determine what we need to know and do to stay relevant in organic search.

What does SEO need to know in this new era of consumer exploration and discovery?

The evolving SEO landscape requires a change in mindset. SEOs are more than just “optimizers”, they are digital marketers with a broader skill set.

Embracing these other channels and tactics is the key to success in the new era of organic search.

content marketing

High-quality, informative content that resonates is still important. As SEOs, we need to:

• Focus on creating valuable content that answers your target audience’s questions.
• Leverage search trends and organic data to inform your content marketing strategy.
• Evaluate your competitors and search environment to identify content gaps.
• Let’s look at all content creation through the lens of building EEAT.

user experience

In many ways, SEO and UX go hand in hand. The goal of UX is to ensure a seamless and intuitive website experience.

Our goal is to provide you with the best answers, and the best user experience is a critical part of that process.

SEO professionals need to be familiar with user-friendly design, not to mention things like accessibility, page speed optimization, and mobile friendliness.

Social media

Building a strong social media presence is essential to increasing brand awareness and complements your SEO efforts.

To use the two channels together more effectively, you can start by:

• Leverage social to increase your space in the SERPs.
• Utilize social listening to narrow down keyword themes.
• Work with social influencers to get links that are relevant to your topic.

Learn more: How to optimize your social media pages for search

public relations

An integrated approach to PR and SEO is the ideal way to reach your audience and build authentic connections.

To strengthen your site’s credibility and visibility, especially when considering off-page efforts, you need to ensure organic and relevant mentions from other trusted sites.

Building relationships with industry influencers and other authority figures can improve your website’s reputation and authority and positively impact your search rankings.

We will be more successful if we can leverage a digital PR approach, use storytelling to increase brand authority and credibility, and think beyond the standard process of link building.

Dig deeper: Moving from search engine optimization to search optimization

How do you deal with non-traditional search engines like TikTok, Amazon, and voice?

Although Google remains the dominant player in the search engine space, optimizing for non-traditional search engines is essential for effective SEO.

So how do you respond to this revolution and reach consumers where they are, fostering engagement at each touchpoint rather than over-indexing on Google or Bing?

tick tock

TikTok is currently the fastest growing social network in the world and is itself a new kind of search engine.

And with the right approach, you can expand your reach on TikTok with less investment than traditional search engines. There is a huge opportunity when it comes to branded content on TikTok.

• As with traditional SEO, start by doing some research. Browse TikTok to see what related topics others are searching for and what topics are already ranking highly.
• To rank higher, take advantage of all the features TikTok has to offer, including descriptions, hashtags, captions, effects, and sounds. Also, don’t forget to pay attention to what is trending.

Let’s dig deeper: So you started a company called TikTok, so what?

Amazon

Optimizing your product listings on Amazon, the go-to online marketplace, is essential for your e-commerce business.

Search brings you the best content on the web. But if no one can find you via Google, it doesn’t matter. Similarly, it doesn’t matter if you have the best product but no one can find it on Amazon.

• In addition to the standard product title and description, Amazon ranking factors include key features, price, images, and backend search keywords.
• The main feature is five product-specific bullet points that provide additional contextual relevance to Amazon algorithms.
• Backend search keywords are basically meta keywords for your product listings. Although these aren’t visible to consumers, they provide additional context for the Amazon algorithm and enrich relevant search terms your audience may be using.

Let’s dig deeper: 5 must-haves for Amazon product list optimization

pinterest

In today’s digital marketing landscape dominated by TikTok, leveraging Pinterest for visual search is somewhat underrated. However, optimizing your images and content for Pinterest can significantly increase your visibility.

Not only does Pinterest boast an impressive 465 million monthly active users, but the prevalence of Pinterest Pins in Google search results is also impressive.

This means that more traffic to Pinterest and subsequent clicks to the site that previously came from organic search now comes from social media.

Optimizing on Pinterest involves creating a robust profile and taking advantage of all the features available.

• Create boards and categorize your pins.
• Use Pinterest search to research keywords and find niche topics.
• Pay attention to the pin structure, image size, and font, as well as the wording of the title and description.

voice search

With the proliferation of smart speakers like Amazon Echo and Google Home, not to mention smartphones in our hands, optimizing voice search with conversational keywords and featured snippets has become important.

Voice search is very conversational and typically focuses on long-tail queries, which makes it very different from text-based search. Improve the visibility of your voice search results by:

• Target the same type of question-based information keyword theme.
• Focus on the who, what, when, where, and how of your content and directly target Google’s featured snippets.

How will artificial intelligence and machine learning impact user experience?

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have emerged as game-changers in SEO. These technologies have revolutionized the way search engines deliver results and the way we as SEOs work on a daily basis.

Search engines use AI and ML to understand user intent and provide more relevant search results. To stay competitive, SEO is expected to produce more results with less effort thanks to AI tools.

In theory, automating and streamlining content creation could save countless hours, but what’s the purpose? Will it achieve the same results? Are you ready for the risk?

Today’s SEO should:

• Find a balance by incorporating this exciting technology while remembering what really matters: the user experience and the human on the other end.
• Take advantage of the tools’ natural capabilities and hone your skills in areas where AI can’t replace a real SEO professional.
• Remind your clients, leaders, and others that scalability in SEO goes beyond pure efficiency and must focus on efficiency without sacrificing quality.

How can you continue to demonstrate the value of SEO?

As we learn to navigate the dynamic world of AI, understand non-traditional search platforms, and build broader marketing skills, we need to rethink how we define SEO success in this new world. There is also.

Historically, it has been difficult to prove the effectiveness of SEO. Earnings cannot be tied directly to rankings. And rankings, for better or worse, are vanity metrics that clients care about.

As mentioned above, the growth of social-first search, combined with the increased visibility of social platforms in traditional organic SERPs, means fewer visits are counted as organic traffic.

With the rollout of Google Analytics 4 and “data-driven attribution models,” organic search may also see a decline in conversions.

We need to expand our definition of success and look at other key metrics that show the value of SEO.

• Report on multichannel attribution where social traffic includes organic search as a touchpoint.
• Determine your organic share of voice by evaluating your brand’s rankings, including key websites, social profiles, and featured snippets.
• Define the value of your featured snippet and place a zero to determine its impact on CTR and traffic.

No matter what sophisticated metrics we can leverage to prove our value, it’s clear that deeper levels of analysis and strategy will be needed than ever before.

Dig deeper: Search, social and retail: The future of digital brand experiences

What this evolution actually means for the future of search marketers

Our role has evolved beyond the narrow scope of traditional search engine optimization. The definition of search engines continues to expand, and to stay relevant, SEOs must adapt, learn, and diversify their skill sets.

We need expertise in everything from content marketing and user experience to social media and public relations. Overall, our role has become more strategic and data-driven. In addition to improving search engine rankings, we are responsible for helping businesses achieve their overall marketing goals.

In this new era of consumer exploration and discovery potential, the most successful SEOs will be those who understand that their job is to create a holistic approach to digital marketing. It is clear that this will be a big bet going forward.