Maximise the impact of SEO in your marketing strategy in 2024

How Google’s new competitors will impact your strategy in 2023

Keeping Up with Google and Other Search Spots in 2024

Even though Google is still the big player when we talk about where people go to search for stuff online, in 2024, there are other places catching up that are worth paying attention to.

For example, if you're looking to buy or sell used clothes, you might go straight to an app like Vinted instead of Google. And if you're after second-hand books, you might check out a site like Books in Belgium.

ChatGPT has become a favorite spot for asking complicated questions or getting help with writing, areas where Google used to be the first stop. Then there's Bing, which has gotten really good at using AI to give you better search results, thanks to Microsoft putting some serious tech into it. So, if you want to make sure people find your website or your online shop, it's smart to think about these other places too.

For product/purchase related searches, we see more users starting their searches on Bol.com or Amazon.com. Visitors access product pages directly, read reliable reviews and can buy - logged in or via the app - with one click. SEO tactics like keyword research and optimisations can also be used on these platforms.

Video content searches start with YouTube or for Gen Z, on TikTok. Because making a good video is a bit more complicated than writing a blog, there’s less competition, and that can be a big advantage for certain keywords.

By making your content fit well with these different spots, you can reach more people, make your online presence stronger, and get more folks interested in what you're offering. This way, you're not just sticking to one place but spreading out to where your audience might be hanging out.

"Search Engine optimisation goes beyond Google Optimisation."

Use of AI as a search tool in 2024

The integration of AI in SEO transcends traditional content creation, offering unparalleled opportunities for personalized and dynamic search experiences. Google's nuanced stance on AI-generated content, emphasizing quality over the mode of creation, mandates a sophisticated use of AI tools. Leveraging AI for content optimization, from generating insightful FAQs to crafting compelling narratives, can significantly enhance search rankings. Moreover, AI's predictive capabilities enable marketers to anticipate search trends and consumer behaviors, allowing for proactive strategy adjustments.

How to integrate AI in your SEO strategy

Google's response has evolved with these developments. Where AI generated content was once explicitly discouraged by Google, today this is no longer the case. In fact, Google now claims that they look primarily at quality, regardless of whether the texts were written by a human or a machine.

The best way to approach quality concerns with AI is to use the so-called "Human in The Loop" strategy: robots that assist people instead of replacing them. Just as the combination of chess computer and human chess player surpasses the capabilities of just a chess computer, a good copywriter together with AI will always produce a better, more effective text than AI alone.

Generated GPT text is already at the level of the average student, which has created new challenges in education. The level of a professional copywriter is (for now) still a bridge too far for AI models. And even if you use a language model, you still have to formulate the prompt well and do post-production processing. Copywriters are not being replaced by AI. It’s just like after the invention of the typewriter and word processing software, they have gained a new tool.

For example, we already used AI to generate FAQ questions based on texts. Because making space for frequently asked questions on your website, helps to raise your Google score. Precisely because we can do this work with the help of AI, we are freeing up time to invest in other aspects of the SEO strategy. Because make no mistake, in the face of so much competition, your texts have to be very close to perfection to score in Google.

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Predictive Search and Consumer Behavior in 2024

Understanding Future Searches and What People Want

Lately, we've seen how big events can change what people look up online. Take energy prices, for example. When they started going up, more and more people began searching for information about them. This shows us how closely what happens in the world is connected to what people search for on the internet.

This change in what people search for can also tell us a lot about what they might buy next. For instance, before a new movie comes out, the number of searches about it can give us clues about how popular it will be at the box office.

So, when we notice that the way people search for things is changing, it means their needs are changing too. And knowing this can help us make better marketing plans that really speak to what people are looking for.

How to Keep Up with What's Trending in Searches

To stay ahead and really understand what's getting popular, you can look at data from tools like Google's Search Console, the Keyword Planner, and Google Trends. This mix of tools can show you when a topic that wasn't getting much attention before is starting to get hot. This insight is super helpful not just for making your website better, but also for shaping your overall marketing plan.

And how do you get ahead of your competitors with this info? By using what we call predictive SEO. This means you're able to guess which topics will get popular before they actually do. This way, you can be one step ahead, ready with great content that meets these emerging interests.

Longer keywords in question form

A trend we are already aware of. Keywords are being searched for more often and for longer periods of time. It is a trend that has already been cautiously noticed in recent years and that advance will likely continue.

Linking SEO to business goals

Companies will have to take rising costs into account in 2024. Prioritisation of the SEO adjustments that deliver real business impact is essential. If you run a website through an SEO tool, you're guaranteed to get an extensive list of potential SEO issues and fixes. But they often get lost in the backlog. SEO professionals will have to demonstrate or justify the proven business value and impact of changes to SEO.

It is also wise to look further into search volume when selecting keywords and search volumes and adapt your SEO content strategy to your business goals. Feasibility, matching with the target group and how your result will look on the results page (the SERP) is essential. Optimising a keyword in a text where four ads, a snippet and a video all score above the fold, will not boost your business.

You can check quickly whether your content is working or not. Instead of a fixed defined annual plan, it is wise to free up time and space to carry out experiments. Depending on the results, you can implement more or fewer of those optimisations. You have to measure the impact accurately – using a dashboard that combines all data sources and relevant keywords.

Or, as the iO CEO Pieter Janssens puts it: " More than ever, it comes down to smart data use throughout the organisation, even for creative copywriters".

Search as a strategic factor

SEO is more than tactics. It's also so much more than building a website and using tricks to rank better in Google. If you really want to improve your ranking with SEO, it happens on a deeper level.

For example, an SEO strategy should answer the question "How can I give my clients exactly what they are looking for, while delivering a positive impact for the business"? It is important to monitor search behaviour and be present on platforms other than Google and to make your business impact clear. This helps your Google results, and your customers and your business. An end-to-end partner with SEO expertise can offer you the best support with this.

The AI era, also in SEO?

Just as AI changed the landscape in other creative disciplines, it looks like SEO will be next in line in 2024. SEO copywriters have a new tool to increase findability and search terms and search behaviour are more predictable than ever today. However, you cannot achieve a successful marketing strategy in 2024 without human expertise. Human in The Loop - today and tomorrow.