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This month’s Searchlite intro was written by Content Specialist, Brenna Miles
Hi, y’all!
How’s 2023 treating all you wonderful search people so far? We’re doing swell, thanks for asking!
But really, we’re excited for what the next eleven months will bring, not only for our team but for this industry we get to be a part of too.
Things are happenin’ within the search marketing realm. Jetson-esque AI tools are the talk of the town, Google updates are yet again inspiring marketers to re-think how they create their content…the list goes on!
Intrigued? If so, keep reading this month’s edition of Searchlite, which includes our take on these topics and so much more.
Too Few Marketers Grasp the Difference Between Strategy vs. Tactics; We Need to Fix That
By Rand Fishkin, Sparktoro
Key Takeaways:
- Strategy and tactics are distinct in marketing: Strategy involves how beliefs about target audience, competition, etc. inform a marketing approach, while tactics are specific marketing actions taken to improve outcomes.
- Strategy vs. tactics matters because misidentifying the issue can lead to misplacing efforts. Tactical issues can be improved through changes in execution, but if the strategy is wrong, superb tactical execution will still fail.
- Knowing the difference between strategy and tactics is important for making informed decisions and avoiding common pitfalls, such as misinterpreting poor sales performance.
Why it Matters
Mistaking tactical issues for strategic problems or vice versa can lead to misplaced efforts, so it's important to understand the distinction between the two. Strategy serves as the blueprint for marketing success, taking into consideration crucial aspects such as the target audience, customer insights, company strengths and weaknesses, and market competition. On the other hand, tactics are the tangible steps taken to drive marketing outcomes. Avoiding the confusion between these two crucial elements can save marketers from wasting valuable resources and help ensure their efforts are directed to the right places.
Google E-E-A-T: How to Add “Experience” and Improve SEO Content
By Jamie Reedy, Amsive Digital
Key Takeaways:
- With Google Adding an extra “E” to their E-A-T initiative, digital folks everywhere want to know what “experience” actually means.
- In all the literature about E-E-A-T, the best way we can describe this “experience” component is that Google is valuing authors with experience in their writing as much as they value trustworthiness, authority on the subject and an authors expertise.
- This implies that the E-E-A-T framework is going to be applied to other types of content, like lifestyle, travel blogs, and reviews of products, as an extension of assessing YMYL topics for authority.
Why it Matters
Google is always trying to improve search results and keep search results accurate and helpful With Experience added to E-A-T, Google is opening up search results for the intangible experience element, meaning more “squishy” perspectives on content are becoming more acceptable. An example of this could be if you’re looking for vacation recommendations in Greece - you might be more inclined to trust someone who’s been there and has had experiences there over someone who’s read ancient Greek texts and has a PhD in Greek Mythology. This makes search results more helpful, and more human - something Google is constantly working towards.
SEO Pricing: How Much Does SEO Cost in 2023?
By Joshua Hardwick, Ahrefs Blog
Key Takeaways:
- While there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach to SEO pricing, there is consistent data across factors (i.e., pricing model and experience level) that can be leveraged to make an informed decision on how much you charge clients for work.
- A whopping 78.2% of SEOs surveyed stated that they charge a monthly retainer for at least some of their services offered to clients, making retainers more common than hourly rates or pre-project pricing.
- Agencies and consultants both tend to charge more than freelancers. Unsurprisingly, more experienced SEO professionals also tend to have higher rates, particularly after they have been working in SEO for two years or more, jumping again in rate after five plus years of experience.
Why it Matters
While there is a range in how much SEO professionals charge for their services, the rates themselves are intentional, with a few key factors, including experience level, business type and geographic outreach, most impacting the decision-making behind SEO service cost. When deciding how much to charge a client for your SEO services, it is important to do your own market research to ensure that your pricing is fair, while ensuring that you’re also not under charging your clients for valuable contributions in an increasingly competitive market. While there is no universal answer for how much to charge for SEO services, by following the data featured in this survey based on your demographics and business model, you can feel more confident that you are charging clients a calculated and well-researched rate that also considers your own unique values as an SEO professional or group.
The Content Cyborg: How to Use AI Tools in Content Marketing
By Angela Rollins, Animalz
Key Takeaways:
- In content creation, AI can be an advantage when used correctly. Animalz presents the “Content Cyborg” as the happy medium for approaching AI content.
- The Content Cyborg is the most productive blend of human and AI input. Humans have strengths, and so do AI tools. When used in harmony, the two can create the perfect blend for creating content.
- Of course, this is on a case by case basis. It’s important to consider when AI should be used, and when it shouldn’t. AI is designed to write at all costs. Sometimes it paraphrases, adds fluff, fabricates statistics, the list goes on. In some cases, the effort of using AI might outweigh the reward.
Why it Matters
AI generated content isn’t something to be ignored, but it isn’t something that can be fully trusted (yet?). We’re approaching AI with the “review everything, trust nothing” mindset that Rollins presents. As AI becomes a reality in our space, it’s our responsibility to explore the opportunities and drawbacks. In the end, our goal is to create content that resonates with customers and drives meaningful conversions. If there’s a component of AI that can help us make that process more efficient while maintaining integrity and quality, count us in. In the meantime, we’ll be testing, testing, and testing some more.
How to do a JavaScript Audit for SEO
By Sara Taher, Sara Taher
Key Takeaways:
- Though it’s the most popular web development language, JavaScript can harm your website (and your SEO efforts!) in many ways. JavaScript can slow down your website, it can prevent crawlers from discovering your URLs, and it can make your website content invisible to Google.
- There are ways to fix these problems. Use tools like Google Search Console or Screaming Frog for auditing support.
- Avoid using client-side rendering for your website when possible. Client-side rendering increases load time, and it may cause poor SERP performance because it can block the page from popping up on Google Search.
Why it Matters
JavaScript is critical to the infrastructure of many websites, yet it can create roadblocks for your SEO strategy. Without the JavaScript auditing process, it can become extremely difficult to determine why your pages aren’t ranking (or why they have a slow loading speed). As a result, it is essential to understand how to diagnose JavaScript difficulties if you want to truly optimize your website. To maximize the benefits of your SEO strategy, learn how to conduct a JavaScript audit and don’t be afraid of using software to help you.
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