If you want advice or a recommendation, you turn to friends and family, right? After all, they understand you like no-one else does and you have faith in their judgement.
But it seems more and more of us are now including search engines in our circle of trusted advisers. We’re searching for answers online because we believe that’s where we’ll find information that is relevant and accurate and which address our personal needs.
And this isn’t based on anecdotal evidence either. Recent data from Google shows a dramatic shift in the way that we use the web to find answers. We’re placing our trust in the web to meet our specific needs and we’re searching in a much more personal way.
Google’s data showed a dramatic increase in mobile searches over the past two years which include personal and conversational language like words such as ‘I’, ‘me’, and ‘my’. The data revealed a staggering 80% increase in mobile searches which included the phrase ‘…should I…?’ and a 60% growth in mobile searches which included ‘….for me’.
Consider the following two search phrases:
The shift in language may seem subtle but the second phrase reflects how an increasing number of us are searching online. We’re asking personal questions and savvy digital marketers know that content needs to be structured differently to take advantage of these changing semantics. It’s about giving consumers the answers they’re looking for quickly and in a way that is more personalised and more relevant than ever before.
Consider your own search habits. Mobile searches give us instant results. They solve problems. They answer queries. They provide recommendations and dispense advice. Just like family and friends do – only faster. Combine this change of search query language with the new Google AI (MUM), and you can see why digital marketers need to stay one step ahead of the pack.
That’s why business owners need to stay on top of this trend towards personal searches and review and update their SEO strategies accordingly in order to meet customers’ needs quickly, meaningfully and authentically.
Consider what you can do on your own business website to take advantage of this rise in personal searches. How can you provide the answers to questions that potential clients might be looking for, that your business can help with. What information can you provide on your blog that could feature on the search engine results page especially as a Featured Snippet at the top of the page.
Check out my new online, self-managed course, The SEO School, which takes you through all the key tools and techniques of a successful SEO strategy. The course is great for business owners, website managers and anyone who wants hands-on learning about all the essentials of SEO from an industry expert. Find out more about The SEO School here.
You might also enjoy “A Beginner’s Guide To The Search Engine Results Page“. It explains all the different features of the various results pages.
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