Digital marketing is constantly changing. Whether it’s search engines like Google adjusting their algorithms or introducing AI into online search, there’s always something new entering the online marketing landscape.
As a business owner, you’re wearing many hats. Maybe you have an internal marketing resource or a small marketing team; even then it’s tough to find and have the budget to pay for the expertise for the various specialty areas that comprise today’s digital marketing landscape.
Outsourcing is definitely an option, but even if you do outsource all of your online promotions, you should still understand the current state of digital marketing, online search advertising, and social media. An informed business owner is in a much better position to make wise choices with their marketing and to work with the key marketing resources to refine campaigns for optimal lead generation.
AI-Powered Search
AI-powered search is the latest change to search engine optimization (SEO). Due to the rise of AI, some businesses are seeing dramatic shifts in their search engine traffic.
Platforms such as Microsoft Copilot cite sources, so when it returns answers to a user’s questions, it includes a link to the source document. If the source document is on your website, this link may send traffic your way. This turns AI platforms into secondary search engines and a potential traffic source.
As AI-powered search evolves, one thing remains clear—companies must focus on the basics. This includes branding. No AI tool can adequately capture your brand. When customers search for you by name, your company should be at the top of the search engine results. Adding a well-written about page, search-engine-optimized frequently asked questions, biographies of the founders or leaders of your company, and similar content to your website can help you remain at the top of the search engines in this new age of AI-powered search.
Social Media Changes
This past year has seen a whirlwind of changes in social media. Depending on the platform you frequent, you may have noticed these changes or merely heard about them in the news, like the threatened TikTok ban.
Social media platforms should be thought of similarly to search engines. They rely upon algorithms to find and serve specific content such as videos, pages, or friend feeds. And that algorithm is constantly changing, too. Just as Google or Bing tweaks its algorithm regularly, so too does Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube (to name just a few).
What works on one platform doesn’t necessarily work on another, and you must be willing to either invest the time to learn what works on your audience’s favorite platforms or work with a knowledgeable social media manager to ensure that your social media advertising is working to generate leads.
WordPress and Other Content Management Systems (Websites)
We use WordPress and similar content management systems to build websites. Like the previously mentioned digital marketing tools, these systems also change frequently. Whether it’s the overall aesthetics of a website or how it serves its content to the visitors, the parameters of what makes an effective website change over time, too.
Digital Advertising
Lastly, the world of digital advertising is also evolving. Now, more people than ever search the web from their mobile devices. Ads must display quickly and clearly on mobile phones and tablets. Companies such as Google, Bing, and social media platforms that earn revenue by displaying ads are also constantly updating their policies, changing their algorithms, and looking for new ways to get consumers to respond to ads. They’re developing new products and tools all the time, too.
Feeling Overwhelmed? Leave It To Us
If all of this sounds and feels overwhelming, we understand. That’s why companies like Dashboard have specialists on the team. Each of us specializes in a specific aspect of digital marketing, such as search engine optimization, Google ads, social media, content marketing, videos, and so on. This allows us to keep up to date on what’s new in our industry, share it with the team, and then make recommendations to our clients.
Sites such as MarketingProfs, Social Media Today, The Tilt, and many others are also good places to learn more about the evolving marketing landscape. The best way to stay informed, however, is to stay close to your team at Dashboard Internet Marketing. Read our blog and newsletter, meet with us, and let’s dive into this brave new world together!