A week or so when I posted my first blog post I wrote: “By the time I publish this post, Google might change ten algorithms in its code, SEO techniques might cease to exist and search engines might become personal”.
Now not meaning to blow my own trumpet or anything :) but it seems there was something somewhat prophetic in my observation.
By “..search engines might become personal” I meant that Google could create a personalised search engine for each one of its users, by using information collected from +1, Google + circles etc. Soon afterwards, I read this very interesting article on a Google blog post titled “Make search more secure”.
As I know you are all keen to keep on top of Google developments and changes, I am going to have a look at what exactly was meant by this title. In my humble opinion I very much doubt that their aim is to raise privacy levels, but rather to ensure they keep their currently (very) large chunk of the search engine market safe from competition...
Let us have a look at the post:
“As search becomes an increasingly customized experience, we recognize the growing importance of protecting the personalized search results we deliver. As a result, we’re enhancing our default search experience for signed-in users. Over the next few weeks, many of you will find yourselves redirected to https://www.google.com when you’re signed in to your Google Account. This change encrypts your search queries and Google’s results page”
The post continues:
“What does this mean for sites that receive clicks from Google search results? When you search from https://www.google.com, websites you visit from our organic search listings will still know that you came from Google, but won't receive information about each individual query...If you choose to click on an ad appearing on our search results page, your browser will continue to send the relevant query over the network to enable advertisers to measure the effectiveness of their campaigns and to improve the ads and offers they present to you”.
So what does that mean in one sentence? Unless you run Google Ads you will not be able to see the keyword responsible for your traffic increase. Of course, the excuse “importance of protecting the personalized search results we deliver” is non-existent - if that was the case then they should ban the keyword queries from Google Ads as well - but that would kill their product.
For me, SEO was always a silent PPC competitor, as there are ways to reach high rankings simply through a bit of research on short and long tail keywords. However, what I see here is Google trying to remove one of the most important pieces of information available for SEO companies.
So how do you get the crucial keyword information from now on?
Well you will not be able to - unless you are running Google Ads. In terms of SEO, it is not catastrophic, as I am sure a lot of users will not be logged in their Gmail accounts 24/7 so there will still be sufficient information to plan SEO/PPC campaigns.
However, is there a more efficient way that will benefit business's marketing mix in the long run apart from SEO?
Well, if you are not already an avid user then now is the time for you and your company to really make the most of social media marketing services.
Tools such as Twitter, Foursquare, +1, blogging and Facebook help you directly connect with your target audience and their circles (friends or personal networks), but most importantly you will be able to identify the language used, keywords and terminology used for your product or services, topics that concern them in your industry sector, trends and so much more. All of this is invaluable information, that will keep you ahead of the game and help you start building personal relationships with your audience, by directly connecting with them as well as providing content that will add value to your brand and products.
If you are still dubious about obtimising your web site content, then remember that Google just introduced Google dynamic ad. PPC ads will now be displayed based on your content and not selected keywords. Also meta-description will be automatically generated by Google based on your online content.
It appears that SEO methods is no longer guaranteed to increase your site rankings on its own. Instead, content marketing and social networking sites will play a very important role in terms of gaining edge when it comes to the Google machine..
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