SEO PRONOUNCED DEAD AT MNSEARCH EVENT
Newly promoted Senior Search Manager, Abel Johnson, wears a lot of hats in his work with our teams and clients, but coroner isn’t usually one of them. But this past month, Abel rang the death bell on SEO at a crowded and highly engaged MN Search event hosted by Minneapolis based Rocket55.
Few members of the Twin Cities’ search and digital communities mourned, however. Abel went on to deliver the case for search’s evolution from search engine optimization to life optimization. What are the strategies, content and approaches to delivering search not by platform but by actual human intent? How do we improve human experience? If you’re searching for a new restaurant, isn’t it a more rewarding and engaging experience to find the restaurant but also more curated information? An immediate, convenient curation of local Instagram posts and comments. Or TikTok influencer reviews.
“Search engine optimization may be dead but search experience optimization is just beginning,” says Abel Johnson, senior search manager, Voro. “Digital agencies and their search teams need to evolve to this far more rich, engaging and rewarding model. What does that mean? Digital strategists for years have been writing strategies that improve optimization around search engines. But today we need to think across all platforms about strategies to improve people and their experience with the content and the answers they’re seeking.”
The session went on to highlight suggested changes to strategy, program implementation and measurement. A shift toward visual search as Google upgrades Lens and human search behavior moves toward more aggregated and more visual results needs. The opportunity for cross channel collaboration between media teams. And the need to prove value, tracking and reporting on recommendations.
“Search experience is now life experience – if we improve one, we deliver on the other.” Abel adds.
If you’re interested in watching the presentation it’s here. And look next month for Abel’s Industry Insights column on all things search experience.