SEO is no longer purely technical – and this presents many companies with challenges when planning their strategy. This challenge lies primarily in focusing on individual needs during the search process.
What exactly is SEO? Essentially, SEO influences a search engine’s algorithm. SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. Search engine optimized content makes it possible to achieve a better ranking than with non-optimized content. However, this is more difficult than ever before: Popular search engines like Google, Bing, Baidu, and others are constantly developing their algorithms. This means that relatively „simple“ SEO tricks are usually no longer sufficient for a better ranking. Anyone who wants to be successful with SEO today should understand the market and their customers.
High-quality content that optimally answers potential search queries allows any company to demonstrate its focus on providing market information. The content on a company’s own website should answer search queries more effectively than the content of its competitors.
Search queries express needs
People use search engines for a wide variety of purposes: general research, a specific search for a particular product, directions to a store, or online shopping – all resulting search queries express needs that are counted as demand.
Analyzing demand provides valuable information for optimizing content, product offerings, inventory, and marketing.
Billions of search terms are entered daily into search engines, marketplaces, and social media platforms. Each of these search queries represents a data set. Collecting and analyzing all this data according to specific markets yields a wealth of valuable insights.
Using the toy sector as an example
A striking example is the significant increase in adult demand for 2000-piece puzzles at the beginning of the pandemic. The reason for this is likely well-known: during the first lockdown, many other leisure activities disappeared, and people needed alternative ways to occupy themselves. This led to a doubling of adult search queries for 2000-piece puzzles compared to 2019, while demand for simple children’s puzzles with only a few pieces remained stagnant.
Search volume can therefore fluctuate significantly. Interestingly, around 15 percent of monthly search queries are new, meaning they have never been used in that form before. This can be attributed to the fact that users now approach their searches much more specifically and no longer just enter individual keywords. Instead, they sometimes type or even dictate entire sentences or questions into search engines.
From this perspective, it currently makes sense for companies to focus on the specific wishes and needs that people express in their search queries.
Analyze demand
As a practical example, consider a company specializing in volleyball shoes. Marketing experts can create a comprehensive list of all potential searches in which users look for volleyball shoes, including various search types and keywords.
This allows for an estimate of the average demand level. A distinction is made between transactional searches (the user searches with the intention of making a purchase) and informational searches, which take place in the run-up to a subsequent transaction.
Those who collect search data can analyze users‘ search behavior not only in relation to well-known brands like Nike or Adidas, but also in relation to less popular niche providers such as volleyball shoe specialists.
The results of the analyses help to understand periodic and geographical fluctuations. They show when and where search frequency is highest within a definable period and reveal trends towards details and frequently asked questions that users often search for.
Many possibilities
Analyzing and evaluating search data offers countless strategic opportunities that can encompass all areas of a company: from production and sales to marketing and product launch, the evaluated information can provide valuable insights.
Today, SEO is no longer a purely technical discipline. Instead, the next generation of SEO professionals is developing it into an intelligent source of information that can give companies a strategic advantage.
For companies and organizations, it is advisable to utilize both external and internal SEO teams. This allows for optimal analysis of search data. Qualified specialists can use this search data to identify potential changes in market behavior or demand at an early stage. These insights provide companies with a crucial indicator for understanding their customers and market trends as effectively as possible.
Source: www.internetworld.de