Website Optimization
Picture this: You love fishing, and you have a favorite spot on a huge lake. Every time you go, you pull up big, healthy fish. You know exactly how much you’re going to spend on bait and what kind will work best, because over the years, you’ve tested a lot of different combinations. But one day, you pull up to your spot, get your gear set... and things are different.
There don’t seem to be as many fish in the water. Your go-to bait doesn’t seem to be working as well, and you find yourself putting more and more on the hook to try to compensate for the lack of fish. At the end of the day, you didn’t get as many fish as you normally do, and it cost you a heck of a lot more in bait.
Driving away, you notice that a new pier has opened up on the other side of the lake. And you notice that they’re dumping food into the water freely. As you look at the water surrounding the pier, you see a literal ton of fish popping up and eating greedily from the free buffet.
It’s suddenly apparent what’s happened to “your” fish and why your fishing spot isn’t as good as it used to be. Conditions at the lake have changed… and changed dramatically. The lake? It’s the digital marketing landscape. Your routine and bait type? Your existing paid digital advertising strategy: PPC, LSA, etc. Bait cost? CPC and CPL.*
It used to work, and there’s no reason to expect it won’t work this year. Except for that pier. The pier is the impact of AI on the digital marketing landscape. Free food for the fish? AI search results and AIO (Artificial Intelligence Optimization) results that are taking precedence over paid ads in the “water”. They are positioned above your precious paid space, and are designed to keep customers and clients on Google by giving them exactly what they’re looking for without an additional click. Google has engineered the customer experience so they don’t click on your site.
This leaves the all-important question: what do you do about it? How do you get your fish catch back up? At some level, this is a shifting landscape as Google and other search engines figure out how to balance AIO results and ad revenue. But what we do know right now is that good old-fashioned SEO is—at least temporarily—going to be less and less effective. As are paid ads triggered by conversational and informational search terms (such as “how do I troubleshoot X?” or “how do I choose the best toaster?”).
Instead, focus on high-intent keywords and phrases (things like “yarn for sale” or “car mechanics near me”) and carefully test Google’s AI tools**. For SEO, if possible, really focus on local Google My Business listings rather than wider-scope content marketing. And test other digital channels, like paid social, YouTube, and display.
Remember, though, that we’re in a transition period as the world gets used to AI and learns to use it better—and as search engines learn how to make it more worthwhile for advertisers again. Keep testing, keep playing with new combinations, keep investigating. The kiss of death in times like this is to rely too heavily on your old fishing hole… without lifting up your head and looking around once in a while.
Happy marketing,
Theron and Katie
* Here are your acronym salad translations: PPC (Pay Per Click), LSA (Local Services Ads), CPC (Cost per Click), CPL (Cost Per Lead)
** Please test! Google’s earlier Google AI tools like Smart Bidding initially drove up cost without actually increasing conversions. Google’s working to get it right, but always verify before you commit too much budget. And always remember - Google’s main goal is to generate revenue for Google, which doesn’t always match up with what’s good for you. We can help identify the difference!
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