1. Get Smart…er
Content is King – no matter how much we try
to avoid that overused phrase, we somehow
keep coming back to it. And in the constant
battle around whether content should be created
for search or for users, Google Hummingbird
has laid down the law – it’s for both.It’s about
creating useful, quality content that’s directly
relevant to what people are actually searching
for. So setting up a blog and filling it with
keyword-dense metadata and on-page copy
just isn’t going to cut it anymore.
Traditionally, brands push out content that is
developed by their Marketing Communications
team promoting their products and services.
Someone types in a branded search term, say
“Nike Dri-FIT running shorts”, and gets results
directly relevant to that particular product.
But what if the user doesn’t know about the
particular product, and types in “What to wear
when running?” Even if the Nike Dri-FIT line is
perfect for the user, Google would not rank that
highly because content around that product
line does not necessarily meet the intent of the
search. The outcome? A lost opportunity. And
we really don’t want that.
Now marketers need to think about what their
target customers are actually searching for, and
how those queries can be best answered. It’s the
melding of Search and Content, using the former
to identify the user’s needs and then the latter to
meet those needs. Product promotion can come in
Google’s New Era of Search & Content