Here is a quick overview on some of the industry updates we want to make you aware of:
- Content: Ok, I know we sound like a broken record, but it’s true! We’re seeing example after example of sites with robust content ranking better than other sites. Content makes the site “stickier” for Google and gives us more to work with. It’s really important, so lean on every member of your staff to generate FAQs, articles, blogs, comments. If you’re stuck about topics, just let us know and we can give you lots of topics.
- Tools: We’ve expanded the number of tools we’re using to audit sites, especially in light of the issues Moz has been having. So on our calls, you may begin to see references to some of the others we’ve implemented.
- Artificial Intelligence (AI): Google recently published some new information about the algorithm. The research reveals Google is using AI more than ever to answer questions, which may cause a shakeup with how Google currently determines rankings. Put simply, the new algorithm takes the user’s question, reformulates it into multiple questions, and then returns the answers. We have begun to see this in real-time with how results are displayed. We are continuing to monitor things. Related to this, here is an illustration of this reinforcement learning, Google showed off a phone call placed by Google Assistant, which was able to react and respond naturally during the conversation.
4. After-Hours Answering: For those stragglers who have not yet implemented after-hours call answering, we highly recommend it for conversion. Unfortunately, we do not have a negotiated group rate through the Consortium with a reliable vendor, but nevertheless, we have seen conversion increases with those who have implemented this type of service.
