Prerequisites of Advert. PT. 3
At the dawn of Google, one aspect sent the search engine skyrocketing ahead of the rest. The use of off-site information to speak to the relevance of other sites allowed for an "cross reference" of relevance as it were. This meant that wild west outlaws of the internet could build sites simply to markup their business and push it to the forefront of Googles' result pages.
As we wind up 2017, it's interesting to reflect on how Google has changed, and influenced the internet around it over the last ten years. Google has a much more complex algorithm to determine the relevance of site's and some might guess, the relevance of brands as well. What does that mean for the career paths of digital marketers? It means it’s time to stop simply relying on SEO and focus on a well rounded ad campaign.
Make a significant contribution to your community.
While it's possible to get by simply writing content that no one will ever read, or trying to become a top influencer without giving anything back, it's important to remember that local brands have a say in their community, first off. Secondly, making a real difference is the easiest way to get noticed.
Here, in the Treasure Valley, some of the strongest brands work the least on their web appearance. Yet the continual effort towards making Boise a fun place to live is always apparent. This naturally attracts people, and in this age of smartphones, they're going to be sending digital votes for your brand without even taking it into consideration.
The caveat
You'll still find that having a helpful website is meaningful, as we head into 2018. Customers need to find relevant information about your business, and it's becoming just as important as friendly customer service.
Have you done user testing on your website?
Have you watched people try to perform a specific action on all devices and media available?
Have you consider listing and/or updating the relevant information on Google Maps, Yelp, etc.?
Do you know if people like using your site rather than your competitor’s?
Do your pages load quickly?
No, it's not the case that digital marketing is picking out a headstone at the moment, it's that the tasks involved are expanding. There's no simple formula to earning a page one rank anymore. And that's a good thing for us all.
