Making search engines better together - SEO Webinar

Making Search Results Better Together

Making Search Results Better
Together
www.madﬁshdigital.com

Topics we will
discuss
This is not another webinar about how to rank #1. This is a
conversation about the role digital marketing managers
have in making a positive impact on search results.
● Mad Fish Digital: Who we are
● Leading with purpose and why you should care
● Understanding algorithm bias in search engines
● What can you do as marketers to make changes?

About Mad Fish Digital
Mad Fish Digital is a values-first digital marketing agency specializing in SEO, Paid Media, Content Marketing and
Design. Having recently been ranked #6 on Oregon's Top 100 Places to Work, Mad Fish Digital is proud to be a
certified B Corporation focused on being a force for good by putting people before profits.
Jessica Martinez, Digital Client Strategist
Cierra Cegielski, Client Success Manager
Ben Herman, Chief Executive Officer

Leading With Purpose
Why you should care

Understanding the consumer
According to recent studies conducted by Cone
Communications:
● 78% of Americans want companies to address
important social justice issues
○ 85% expect companies to help address
racial inequality (up from 81% in 2018)
● 87% will decide to purchase a product because
the company supports an issue they care about
● 83% of Americans are more likely to be loyal to
brands that lead with purpose

People are voting with their dollar
Conscious consumerism is driven by making purchase decisions that
have a positive social, economic, environmental, or/or political
impact. It’s a movement where consumers vote with their dollar by
buying ethical products or boycotting unethical companies.
● Who am I purchasing from?
● What does the brand stand for?
● Is the company environmentally responsible?
● Are they committed to social equity?

● Spotify, MTV, and record labels went offline on Blackout
Tuesday, a day of reflection on racism
● Nike, Twitter, Lyft, and others are openly observing Juneteenth
● Etsy, Postmates, and Yelp specifically featuring black-owned
businesses
● Companies with racial roots like Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s, and
Land O’ Lakes, are making changes to their logos and brand
● Nascar bans the confederate flag
● Ben & Jerry’s created a new flavor and action campaign
dedicated to criminal justice reform
● Away, Google, Intel, and Warby Parker are donating to
organizations to end racial injustice
Brands are making changes

Understanding Algorithm Bias
Systematic and repeatable errors that create unfair outcomes

What is algorithm bias?
Algorithm bias can be summarized as the discrimination of
one group based on a speciﬁc categorical distinction.
How does this happen?
● AI, Algorithms and Deep Learning Models are taught
with “Training Data”
● Training Data can contain many forms of bias
○ Facial recognition - using mainly white faces
○ Loan data from companies - giving higher
rates to people who live in certain zip codes
○ Data that excludes genders, age groups, etc.
● As AI becomes smarter, it will be harder to intervene

Real life examples
Algorithms dictate what we see

Image search results for “doctor”

Image search results for “business person”

Image search results for “rich people”

Image search results for “poor people”

After whistleblowers pointed out that
Google’s autocomplete results returned racist
results for queries related to race, they
released Autocomplete policies which
essentially restricts searches from appearing
at all, especially when paired with a gender.
Autocomplete results

“If you don’t have anything nice
to say, don’t say anything at all.”
- Jess’s mom, but also all moms

Why are we seeing these
results?
First and foremost, Google’s algorithm is inﬂuenced by collective human actions
and search history.
Common image algorithm factors:
● Image ﬁlename
● Backlinks pointing to that image
● URL of the page containing image
● Text near or surrounding the image
Common autocomplete algorithm factors:
● Popularity and freshness
● Location and language browser
settings
● Search history

So What Can You Do?
Marketing has the power to support and enact change

Things you can do with your website today:
● Make a plan to use diverse and inclusive images in your
blog posts using stock photo sources like:
○ tonl.co
○ nappy.co
○ pexels.com
● Add company headshots to your about us page(s)
● Use inclusive language in your web copy, blog posts,
and meta copy
● Understand DEI and what it means for your brand
● Get to know your hidden bias, test yourself!
Take action on your website
www.madﬁshdigital.comwww.madﬁshdigital.com

Challenge your marketing strategy
● Do your advertising creatives reﬂect the community around you?
● Do the ethnicities of your social media inﬂuencers fully represent your
target audience?
● Can you champion a diversity report for your company?
● What research have you done to understand your true website users?
○ Should you adjust your messaging or geo-targeting?
● Are you using inclusive language in your online job descriptions?
Questions to ask your team...

Take action through hiring
● Be intentional on where you are recruiting team members from
● Participate or partner with colleges that rank high on the diversity
index
● Partner with organizations that work with underrepresented groups
● Champion a mentoring program for your company that is customized
towards underrepresented groups
Actions that some progressive companies are already doing

Diversity
Amongst CMOs
For the C-Suite on down,
diversifying the team needs to be a
priority, not just lip service
Source: ANA (Association of National
Advertisers) 2019 Diversity Report for
the advertising/marketing industry

“The world is a dangerous place, not
because of those who do evil, but
because of those who look on and
do nothing.”
- Albert Einstein
www.madfishdigital.comwww.madfishdigital.comwww.madfishdigital.com

Thank you!

Making search engines better together - SEO Webinar

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