Understanding Intelligent Optimization
The terms SEO and Optimization are nothing new and we’ve covered both topics extensively in the past. While having a well-executed SEO strategy is vital for any online business to succeed, the buck shouldn’t stop there. Many web developers still overlook the importance of other on-site tactics that go beyond SEO auditing, to create value from users. This is Intelligent Optimization and the new future driver for search engines. What we are talking about here is taking it a step further; think expanding into sales funnels, pixels, automation and most importantly, data harvesting. In recent years SEO tactics have focused heavily on rankings, but the next time you and your marketing team sit in a SEO pitch with an agency, be sure to bring up these points: Which pixels? – Simple? Sure. Yet very important to get this right. Not only should a Google Analytics tracking code be placed, but a Facebook Pixel needs to be added as well for the most effective retargeting. The best way to organize your pixels is still through Google Tag Manager. If they’re not familiar with GTM, they need to be. Automation, the right way – No, we are NOT talking about automated follow-up emails here. These are very apparent and generally come off as cheap, annoying and dishonest. However automating social media postings from the blog will save your business time AND doesn’t require personal interaction with customers. A simple Zapier script that cross-posts to all social channels from your blog would be a great start. Data harvesting – One of the first questions your SEO agency should ask is: “how do you collect data on customers.” Data driven marketing is the future, and being able to leverage your site’s data is the first step in creating a high end one-to-one marketing campaign. Combining web pixels, sales funnels, and custom audiences gives your company an edge to creating a powerful CRM database. Do they know Schema.org? – Schemas are lines of code added into the backend of your website that tell search engines, like Google, information about your site. Google treats schema marked-up sites with authority, allowing you to move up in rankings quickly. More importantly though, schema creates rich snippets (those boxes you see in Google search), allowing your business to be found more easily. Do they understand your sales funnel? – It may be simple for you, but many web developers don’t understand sales. Intelligent optimization places a heavy emphasis on pushing your web visitor to create an action. This is common place for business owners, but web developers need to understand this as well. For e-commerce sites, make sure your best selling items are also presented at the bottom of your page (you want them at the top as well). Happy selling! Daniel Gross – CEO
