SEO has always been synonymous with constant change.
And now, the pace of change is accelerating.
SEO is a fast-evolving field, particularly with the rise of AI search algorithms. Sticking to “SEO best practices” from years past is a recipe for stagnation and a steady organic revenue decline. AI-powered search engines and marketing tools will change how consumers research purchase decisions and how marketers execute their SEO strategies.
To keep up with the change, marketers must adapt to trends brought about by advancements in AI.
Emerging SEO trends for 2024:
- Generative AI search results
- Consumers embracing more efficient search tools
- Generative AI marketing tools for SEO and content
- Search algorithms delivering answers, not just web pages
The solution for marketers is simple: Focus on conversions and revenue, not rankings and traffic
SEO for Revenue
For SEO marketers, focusing on revenue means a shift towards strategies that are not just targeted towards keyword rankings but also on meeting users’ specific needs to drive revenue and ROI. Successful SEO campaigns drive organic revenue, not just organic rankings.
So, the question remains, why haven’t marketers focused on organic revenue over organic traffic sooner? It’s a question worth asking as SEO evolves with the introduction of AI. Many marketers prioritize the wrong KPIs, such as rankings, traffic, page load speed, and domain authority when measuring success.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with tracking rankings and traffic or improving page load speed. But, improving your website’s performance on these metrics is worthless if you fail to generate real revenue growth. When you craft SEO strategies with revenue as the primary goal, it becomes clear how to respond to the changes our industry faces.
Examples of Revenue-focused SEO Strategies
- When developing your content strategy, you will choose content formats proven to convert, not just attract organic traffic (hint: you’ll write fewer blog articles). When you use generative AI to create a piece of content, you will lean on human writers to add elements that humanize your content to improve its revenue potential, not just its ranking potential.
- When you choose keywords to target, you will target keywords with high purchase intent, not high volume keywords.
- When you use AI to analyze user behavior, you will focus on identifying patterns that lead to conversions, not just understanding what drives organic traffic.
- When building calls-to-action (CTAs), you will write the messaging before developing your content strategy (so your content strategy is informed by your CTA messaging), not after your content starts driving traffic.
- When you analyze backlink opportunities, you will prioritize backlinks that bring referral traffic that converts, not just backlinks from high DA sites.
Additionally, when you focus on revenue as your SEO goal, your SEO efforts will positively impact your campaigns on other marketing channels. SEO content that is optimized for conversion can be repurposed for PPC campaigns, sales enablement and email marketing.
Once organic conversion and revenue become your primary SEO goal, the rest will fall into place. The vast majority of your time will be spent (1) creating content that answers your customer’s purchase intent questions, (2) building trust and authority with search engines.
Here’s the important part: Google’s AI will find your content when it answers the right questions. You may need to take this on faith. You’ll win by targeting YOUR customer’s search intent, not the internet’s aggregate keyword volume.
Content designed to meet the customer’s needs drives the engagement signals that Google loves. Choose alternative content formats (hint: not blog articles) that improve conversion rates.
Generative AI can be helpful for content creation, but human input is essential for maximizing your content’s revenue potential.
Steps To Develop A Revenue-Focused SEO Strategy
Step 1: Research Your Ideal Customer
- Objective: Understand who your target customers are, what they are looking for, and what questions ask when making a buying decision.
- Tools: Customer conversations, analytics, CRM data
- Output: Detailed ICP, list of customer pain points and questions
Step 2: Optimize for Search Intent, not Keywords
- Objective: Choose search intents with high purchase intent
- Tools: Customer conversations, keyword research tools
- Output: Content optimized with high purchase-intent keywords and user behavior insights
Step 3: Develop Messaging and CTAs
- Objective: Craft calls-to-action (CTAs) that will drive conversions.
- Tools: Customer conversations, competitive research tools, A/B testing
- Output: Clear and compelling CTA messages that align with your ICP’s search intent. Every page on your website has unique customized CTA messaging.
Step 4: Create Content Optimized for Conversion
- Objective: The role of your content is to drive visitors from their search intent to a CTA
- Tools: Generative AI for ideation and initial drafts, human writers for to refine and humanize your content.
- Output: High-quality content in formats proven to convert (e.g., comparisons, Q&A, niche service pages, niche buying guides)
Step 5: Attract Natural Backlinks
- Objective: Attract natural backlinks with useful content and effective content promotion
- Tools: Backlink analysis tools, competitive analysis tools, social media management tools
- Output: Content partnerships, influencer collaborations, events, uncommonly useful content
Step 6: Repurpose SEO Content for Other Channels
- Objective: Leverage your conversion-optimized SEO content to drive conversions on other marketing channels like email, PPC, and social media.
- Tools: Marketing automation platforms, social media management tools, PPC platforms
- Output: SEO content repurposed for email campaigns, PPC ads, and social media campaigns
In the end, it’s important talk to your customers to learn what information they need when making their buying decision. You can’t hide behind analytics and keyword research tools. To drive organic conversions, understand your customers deeply—what are they really looking for? What problems are they trying to solve?
The more time you spend researching your customers the easier it will be to create the content your customers need and earn Google’s trust.
