The basic rule of thumb is that any strong Internet marketing strategy is going to employ the efforts of professional search engine optimization consultants, or, at the very least, use SEO as the axis of all efforts. But as we enter a world where people are using different methods of finding online information besides via search engine, those new to the Internet marketing game can’t afford to make the mistake of thinking SEO is the end-all-be-all of getting online attention. In particular, personal assistant apps such as the iPhone’s Siri will pose unique challenges in the years ahead.
As more and more individuals use their mobile devices to conduct searches for businesses, and as more and more of these devices incorporate voice-recognizing personal assistant apps into the user experience, search engines will be used less and less. While not immediate and sure to take several years, the transition from text-based searches dominating the hunt for online information to AI-empowered means of finding such knowledge making up a massive portion of the pie is certain to happen within the next decade.
If you want to mix a progressive long-term marketing strategy in with the guidance of a professional SEO company, just consider the following likelihoods that are expected to come about once personal assistant apps such as Siri become mainstream:
Google is bypassed: As mainly stated previously, personal assistant apps will utilize non-SEO factors to decide “the closest mechanic” such as online reviews and GPS. Therefore, your attempts to secure the top spot for “Seattle auto mechanic” as a Google search won’t matter as much. When deciding where to focus the little you have to spend on marketing, knowing this inevitability is important.
PPC is pointless: With more and more people using hands-free forms of searching, less and less clicking will be conducted. Therefore pay-per-click campaigns, which have rarely seen success these days anyway, are going to become even harder to make a profit from. PPC is dead, don’t let any consultant tell you otherwise.
Local references will matter more: Because of the emphasis on geographical location during a personal assistant app search, companies will have to spend more effort at getting ranked on such sites and services as Foursquare and Facebook Places. Again, this will draw investment away from SEO, as well as the importance of the search engine itself.
All realms of social media will come into play: The thing about personal assistant apps is they won’t be able to do it alone – Android, Apple, and et cetera will be incorporating several third-parties into their personal assistant app searches, many of which will vary from app to app. Thus, it’s going to become crucial that companies get on board with every social media strata that will be used for such searches. Otherwise you could become invisible to a whole swath of consumers whose personal assistant apps won’t register you.
The search engine will remain a pillar of Internet marketing, but don’t mistaken it for the foundation of the future of being found online. The search is changing, specifically the searcher. This means big changes for SEO, and new ideas from Internet marketers.seo
