SEO is an ever evolving industry. Google algorithm updates constantly keep small businesses and entrepreneurs on their toes. In recent years, you’ll notice the change in the results from a search query. Map pack changes, paid placements, organic results, and position “0”

Jonathan LeRoux of TurtlePie Solutions explains, ”

Position 0, also known as Googles “Instant Answer” or “Answer Boxes,” is where brands need to aim when optimizing for long-tail keyphrases and queries. With nearly half of searches that yield an instant answer ending there — meaning no click-through traffic for any website — brands have to strive for their content to be the best answer on the web. According to a recent study, 96% of consumers cited design over content as the main reason they “trusted” a site.

Aside from the value of being the Google Instant Answer, position 0 is also where voice searches, such as from an Amazon Echo or Google Home device, harvest their results.

To do this effectively, the keyword research invested into each piece of content cant be a quick, 20-minute excursion into Google Ads Keyword Planner.

Its vital to know exactly the audiences youre targeting with each piece, and with that information, go where they live online. Do a lot of discussions amongst your audiences happen in Facebook groups? Get in em.

Learn what problems their facing, whats keeping them up at night, and then tie that into your content.  If your contents not in alignment with helping them actionably solve those problems, its not the content thats going to keep your audiences coming back for insight from your brand. Its just more of the same hollow, same-old-same-old that they can get from any other blog.

Above all, SEO is becoming more and more about answering the question “How can I be the best help to my customers for (insert problem here).” If your brands leadership and content marketers arent genuinely troubled by the issues their customers are facing, that lack of emotional authenticity is going to degrade the quality of content you produce.

Customers are more content savvy than ever and can sniff out a lack of authentic empathy and care from a mile away. But this isnt a detriment to your brands efforts. In reality, it means that customers are quick to reward — and stay loyal — to the brands that actually care about them and demonstrate that care consistently through the quality of the content they produce.

Let’s hear more from other digital marketing experts.

Great Content

There are 5 generations of commuters but we could be seeing a Sixth Generation of computer in the near future. Whatever devices that are being used, one thing remains true: content reigns supreme.

Content will always rule the roost. “Successful SEO strategists will be more focused on creating good content and pointing high quality backlinks to it,” describes Bob Ventura of WebHorse Marketing. “Content on its own wont give business owners the boost they are looking for. Backlinks by themselves are good, but without good content businesses will never see the results they want. This is and will continue to be the SEO game.

Content and links go hand in hand link PB&J. We often hear that SEO is dead, usually after every new update from Google,” explains Zuhair Sharif of Serp Drift. “Its happening since the first penguin update, but we SEOs always manage to update their knowledge with new google updates, After all these updates I would say the basics will remain the same Content + links, and its up-to SEOs to interpret according to their knowledge.

Kara Hopper of KLH Technology Solutions explains, “Video is the key in current digital marketing trends, but quality shareable content is very important and voice search is continuing to rise.”

Understand Searcher Intent

What is the client looking for? Marketers need to be able to answer this question. Ravi Sharma of Webomaze says,

“Understanding the Search Intent would be the key in 2019.

We have to write the content which is in sync with the intent of the user. If we are able to understand the reason for the search, we can write the content in a better way. For example, the user looking for an informational piece would not be interested in a product page.

We can see what ranks mostly on the first page for the search term and design our content accordingly. If the results consist of blog-posts, then we need to work on getting a blog-post for that term and getting it ranked, rather than a product page.”

Strategy Basics

Any great digital marketing campaign needs a well thought out strategy. Rebecca LeClaire of Start-up to Success Media, Marketing and Consulting Agency explains, “I see the need for strategy in the implementation of digital marketing being key. More and more people are becoming tech savvy and DIY their marketing. If 3 companies in the same industry and locale are all using the same online marketing platforms and tools, the one who gets ahead is using a well planned out strategy based on their goals, who their audience is and how to reach and speak to them.”

To start a campaign, well thought out keyword research needs to be done. Steven Reddy of Select Marketing describes, “Featuring key words or phrases that you want to be associated with will continue to be the most important thing you can do for your websites SEO health. Doing this through new page or new post (Blog) content is the most functional.”

How do you get users to engage with your content? “Its all about context, relevance and engagement. So the strategy would identify relevant platforms to be on basis audience & marketing/business objective while using high quality original video content to aid prospect interest & action. Whilst driving traffic to an SEO & conversion optimized destination,” says  Rajiv Jadhav of RSQUARE MEDIA.

Ensure that your website is secure says Chet Norman of Incline Marketing Group. “Times are changing in the digital world and its more important now than ever to be on your best game. Having a clean and secure website is whats the driving force in having a positive digital footprint for your business to have digital success.”

SEO or Paid?

“Our clients are seeing that the cost of doing paid advertising on platforms like Google, Facebook, and others have sky-rocketed over the past 5 years. The truth is that clients are spending and depending more on ads to grow their business; however, they are getting far less return on investment.

This is a potentially dangerous cocktail if a company falls on hard financial times, or if the United States experiences another recession. Typically the first thing to get cut is marketing budgets and then, BOOM, business growth has come to a screeching halt!

This is why SEO is critical and a cornerstone for a successful business. SEO is more resistant to the effects of a recession while also allowing free organic customer traffic flow to a website. We work with clients every day to increase their SEO rankings and have seen amazing results,” explains Nicholas Scott of New London Media International.