There you are, optimizing your site for the top keyword terms in your niche. Good work. Now along comes Google to state that over 20% of all searches are terms that have never been searched upon before.
Whoa! The first time we heard this statement, we were taken aback. It must surely be a mistake? But no, it is not an error and the sooner you understand what it means for your SEO, the more you and your website will benefit.
However, before we go any further, you need to understand that Google has made this same statement many times since at least 2006. Yet each new round of SEO entrants and website owners seem to miss the implications.
How Can There Be So Many New Search Terms?
It is fairly simple really. There are two main factors in 2013/14 – the explosion of information and the uptake of mobile devices. (From 2006 - 2012, there were different reasons each year, which are also worth knowing for good SEO, but beyond the scope of this article).
Information Explosion
For many, it has now become a virtual impossibility to find the correct information being sought on the search engines with a simple two or three word search phrase. While this used to be possible (back in about 1997!), if you were willing to trawl through a few pages of SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages), it no longer works the majority of times. There is just too much information – read: pages optimized for three words - out there. So, long tail terms (4, 5 or even more keywords) have become more common to get results.
And 4 or 5, or more, words can be sliced and diced in many ways, resulting in squillions of combinations of searches - many new and unique if you are to believe Google's statement. Well, do we have a choice but to believe?
Mobile Devices
There will soon be as many mobile devices on this earth as people. Mobile searches (tablet and smart phones) now make up nearly 50% of all searches – it is convenient, you can search on the move, and it is fast. The clue about the growth in this change in search should have become obvious to all SEO experts, Internet marketers and website owners the moment Google added a microphone to its search box. People are searching not by typing but with their voices. Which is logical if you are holding a telephone in your hand!
Voice searches are natural language searches, and are therefore constructed differently than those old clunky keyword-driven searches. Where do I find....? How do I....? Who is.....? What is....?
So how do you optimize in this brave new world of search? Keep reading our blog…our next piece will offer insights and tips on this subject. Have a question about SEO content and optimization strategies? Call MintCopy now at 888-646-8003 or send us an email.