In September 2013, Google announced its plan to add SSL encryption to users who were not signed in as part of their continued campaign to improve user privacy. The search engine had added SSL encryption for signed in users back in 2011, and it is thought that this move was to add additional protections against possible NSA observational actions.
As time has passed, despite Google’s reassurance that this move would impact under 10% of all searches performed, more and more searches have presented with encrypted results, with some businesses experiencing as much as almost 74% encrypted results. The only place where search results are remaining unencrypted is through ad clicks. But what does all this mean for your average content marketing agency?
With a reduction of 3/4 of keyword search results, digital marketing specialists need to take a new approach to online marketing. It’s currently predicted that content marketing budgets for many companies will increase by 58% while social media marketing budgets are also increasing significantly, with marketers having increased confidence in this marketing style. The key to both of these marketing types is effective content.
Content was originally based on increased keyword usage, with keywords selected based on how many search hits the terms were receiving. This lead to a huge surge in poorly written content that often was no better than a string of keywords connected with a few basic words. Because this content didn’t really contribute to web surfers desired results, Google began tweaking its search algorithm in favor of well-written content that contains valuable information for the viewer.
With this in mind, there are two approaches you can take in light of these changes. The first approach involves moving a good portion of your budget to Google AdWords in the hope of keeping up with the 26% of searches that are still showing up. This can frustrating at best and can prevent you from making gains in your marketing by reaching the clientele who use encrypted searches.
The second approach is to provide exceptional content and organic keywords for potential clients you want to reach. This content should be updated with fresh, new material on a regular basis on a variety of platforms, including your blog, Facebook, Google+, Twitter, Pinterest and similar social media sites. Use a variety of keywords in each piece, worked into the content in an organic and well-written fashion.
By using these practices, you’ll have people coming to your site for relevant content and return to your site for updated information. These people will have formed a trust relationship because you’ve made it apparent that you’re willing to share information without demanding payment and your company will be the first one they turn to when it’s time for them to buy.
Cathleen V is a multi-talented writer with experience in many different fields. She focuses on tutorial, content, blog and article writing for small and medium business management and development, content optimization and marketing, arts businesses, crafts, agriculture, science, construction and home improvement, homesteading arts, food, nutrition and natural health. She is a top 1% content writer out of over 22,000.
