The digital marketing landscape is evolving more dramatically than ever..

This year, we’re seeing rapid advancements in AI-powered and voice-activated searches, as well as a surge in popularity of novel social media marketing formats, and these updates have prompted corresponding changes in the online market. As a result, adaptability will be vital for the success of businesses. 

This blogpost delves into the important changes you can expect of the digital marketing world this year, and offers expert tips on how you can modify your SEO strategy in preparation.

AI Search and Google SGE

2024 will witness a radical shift towards AI-powered search.

Google’s SGE incorporates generative AI to optimise search results, offering more tailored ad results with comprehensive product descriptions, including videos and reviews. SGE also enhances suggested search, creating uniquely focused pathways for online users to follow, which will allow them to refine their product search. Google is also testing AI features in Maps for local business searches, allowing users to find businesses and establishments using niche descriptors.

This poses challenges for online marketers; SGE’s personalised, hyper-specific search paths could decrease organic web traffic, and the introduction of AI features to Google Maps risks local businesses being arbitrarily overlooked. As a result, the SERP rankings are set to become more demanding and competitive than ever before.

To satisfy AI-powered search and improve your visibility in the SERPs, your web content will need to meet a variety of possible search intent criteria. One way to achieve this is by varying your keywords to ensure they echo or answer more specific search queries. In light of the AI features coming to Google Maps, local SEO should pivot towards more specific, descriptive keywords, rather than focusing solely on typical, generalised adjectives like ‘best’.

Focus your energy on diversifying your content, including informational content as well as promotional content, and videos as well as pictures. The ultimate goal is not only to promote your products/services, but to establish yourself as a reputable source by providing valuable insight for your potential customers. If you strike a balance in your content, you’ll offer an optimal user experience (UX) to your site visitors, generating brand loyalty. Fundamentally, this will allow you to tick all the boxes and secure a high ranking in the SERPs.

Voice Search

Voice-activated search continues to grow in popularity, and demands a new keyword approach.

Due to the increasing popularity of voice-activated searches, optimising your SEO strategy for voice search is imperative. To adapt to the semantic search trends, marketers should prioritise conversational, long-tail keywords that mimic natural language queries, as opposed to traditional pithy phrases. Adapting to voice-search will require that you experiment with question-based keywords. If you run a stationery shop, for example, consider replacing the title ‘The best stationery for artists’ with the title, ‘What’s the best stationery for artists?’

Considering how personalised voice-searches are, catering to public interest is lucrative. Stay active on social media and pay close attention to Google analytics to keep on top of the trends, and leverage keywords that will appeal to the masses.

Keeping content conversational and personal is highly beneficial. Not only will this content style rank highly for voice searches, but it will also humanise your business and foster brand loyalty.

Alternative Platforms

As organic web traffic becomes more competitive, social media marketing should be a priority.

To make your business discoverable, it’s fundamental to focus on building brand identity and spreading brand awareness, and social media is a reliable medium for doing so. By ensuring an active, consistent online presence, and maintaining a cohesive promotional style across social media platforms, you can build a memorable brand. Be sure to include enriching content, and engage with your followers, to accumulate devoted customers.

It’s also essential to experiment with the up and coming social media marketing formats. Video marketing, in particular, is worth the investment in 2024. Short-form videos on Tiktok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts have taken off as a primary method of product promotion.

Social media is also a hub for product research and influencer marketing. Potential customers seek authentic, digestible reviews in the form of snappy videos, particularly from their trusted content creators. Influencer marketing is a reliable method of far-reaching advertisement. By collaborating with influencers who align with your brand values and post relevant content, you could see remarkable growth in your conversion rates.

Social media platforms are also a popular way to shop; the introduction of features such as in-app checkout and shoppable posts has seen a rise in social media e-commerce. This means your social media presence and campaigns are crucial for the success of your business.

The Bottom Line

Recent advancements in AI and new marketing trends make the online market a competitive arena. Now, more than ever, marketers need to hone their SEO approach in line with the emerging trends.

At Clarus, our lead generation experts have you covered; we’ll take you through every step of the process, from refining your social media campaigns to helping you generate organic search traffic. Reach out to the team today to learn more.