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Virtual Reality (WebVR) and Augmented Reality (AR)
WebVR brings with it the promise of VR in a web browser. This is exciting for a number of reasons, the primary being the ability to deliver rich, immersive experiences to any one with a browser (everyone) and compatible headset. In the same way that mobile devices changed the way we experience and consume content online, VR and AR will be the next big paradigm shift for how we experience digital content.
(Anyone can get started with VR, there are headsets options available for every price point)
With impressive AR developer resources on offer from Google and Apple, there is potential now, to differentiate your product or service by developing something in this space. From product walkthroughs and demos, virtual tours, AR scavenger hunts, there are lots of opportunities for great campaigns, and memorable experiences.We're already exploring this space with our clients, so stay tuned when we can talk more about some of these exciting projects.
Mobile-first indexing and accelerated mobile pages (AMP)
At one point, mobile was the future of the web, but that time has come and gone. Mobile is the present, and that’s where your visitors are coming from. With some of our clients sites at around 70% mobile traffic, this is where you should be focusing your efforts and ensuring the best experience for your customers. It’s not only your customers, but Google and other search engines that are focusing on mobile and your websites experience.
Mobile continues to grow, and for many is the only way they view your site. Are you focusing all your efforts there?
Mobile first indexing
For some time now, Google has been working towards a mobile first index, this means they will use the content from your site as experienced through a mobile device. Here’s what they had to say when they first started experimenting with this feature in 2016.
We're well down this path in 2018, and this will continue to be the case this year, so make sure you’re thinking mobile in everything you do on your site and marketing efforts.
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)
The AMP project is an open-source aimed at improving the performance of web content on mobile devices, it involves creating a separate page setup according to the AMP specification that is separately indexed by Google and served in preference to your traditional content. This process can be automated and served automatically once setup, so you shouldn’t be deterred by the thought of having to make 2 sets of all your content.
AMP Results
What does Google search results with AMP listings mean for you?
- It means your site should be developed and designed for mobiles first
- Your content should be consistent across all devices, don’t hide things on mobile as this is where Google is looking now
- All aspects of your marketing should be mobile first, EDM, landing pages, etc
- Get started with AMP for your site, especially for news and blog content
Mobile should be the core of your SEO strategy and all of your content. Many might say that desktop is dead.
User focused content
In the past few years, Google’s algorithm has been moving from being keyword focused, to being relevancy focused. Search engines are now able to determine relevancy, and thanks to improvements in machine learning and natural language processing they can “understand” your content, and determine it’s value to a user (one of your customers). It’s not just a case of picking your focus keywords and working those into your copy anymore, but that’s a good thing.
You want to help your customers, (well, we hope you do, we sure do) it’s what makes you a success. You can help them by providing them with content focused on them, that helps them solve their problems and this will help your SEO. It’s a simple process that you can follow
- Know your customer
- Understand their problems, and how you are able to solve them
- Develop your content with this in mind, speak to your customers and help them solve their problems
This will do several things for you in terms of SEO. If your content is engaging and answers your customers questions, they will be more likely to click on your results (improving click through rate or CTR), and they will spend more time on your site consuming your content. These are both important signals to Google when it determines how to rank your site. Even if you show up on the first page of Google, it won’t be for long if users are bouncing from your site because your content isn’t up to scratch, or doesn’t address their problems.
Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI)
If you’re writing good content, you probably don’t need to worry too much about this, but it’s worth mentioning. LSI is part of natural language processing, and it's mathematical analysis used to determine the relationship between terms and concepts in content. The English language is full of similar words that mean different things, and combinations of words that change their meaning entirely. LSI uses synonyms in your content, and other phrases relating to the subject to determine what your content is about, based on what is written, not just how many times a keyword is used.
Latent Semantic Indexing is a response to keyword stuffing and pages that just focus on keywords, and not on quality content about that topic. If you write a good piece of content, it should naturally contain synonyms and various phrases relating to it, so you're already on you way. There are online tools available for LSI keywords if you want to try them out.
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