do you need an app for that?

The fight to stay at the forefront of industry development and innovation can be exhausting, In the first quarter of 2018, there were 6,140 new android apps released through the Google Play store, every day. Leading edge or bleeding edge?

Of course, not all of these applications are suitable for business…although, after two years of GDPR prep, I could do with seeing if I can survive a term at Hogwarts (yep, there’s an app for that) as a bit of light relief! With new technologies developing at an incredible speed, it is up to businesses, not to be wooed by the latest app and maintain a focus on strengthening core routes to potential new clients.

This was one of the focusses of the recent ‘Inbounder Global 2018 Conference’. Top marketers discussed the evolution of digital marketing and emerging trends, which will help brands decipher where to focus their efforts, summarised below:

Mobile first indexing is just the start…
- Mobile first indexing is hugely important as more and more people are searching for content on the mobile devices instead of desktop. But this is just the start of the AI journey as search bots are becoming more intuitive and are now bringing in results from apps, Google my Business accounts, video and other assets.

Image and voice search are on the rise!
- By 2020, it is estimated that 50% of all searches will be done using voice recognition (Siri/Alexa/etc). It is therefore increasingly important to ensure your keywords are longtailed and your content answers specific questions (“How long will I last at Hogwarts”, rather than “Hogwarts mortality”). To guarantee organic traffic, brands must also ensure all images used are unique, fully optimised and use structured data as visual content becomes mainstream.

Are Google snippets making websites less relevant?
- In 2018 February, 34.28% of desktop searches and over 61% mobile searches were non-clickable. Google’s position zero enables users to find answers without visiting a company’s website, through featured snippets.
- SEO Expert Rand Fishkin, provided key insights:
  1. Getting your message mentioned in existing content which is featured in Google’s snippet is potentially more valuable than gaining website clicks.
  2. Positive user reviews and being featured in Google’s recommended places is invaluable!
  3. Google shopping ads are an great way to rank when keywords aren’t effective.
  4. Your Google My Business ranking is extremely important! Reputation matters!

User intent is much more important than keywords
- Optimising your website content to account for users’ intent is potentially more important than having the right keywords. Rand Fishkin suggests compiling a list of potential problems your audience is trying to solve, ranking them and making sure that the top three are featured high up on the relevant webpages. Sounds lovely and inbound to me!

Quality content is still paramount
- Co-founder of “Shift6”, Lexi Mills, said that good content should meet three objectives: interest your audience, Google, and the press. This will ensure exposure, a high rank and engagement.
- This was backed up by award-winning content consultant Melanie Diezel who suggested that good content must educate, increase trust (through use of stats and collaborations with thought leaders), be unique and compelling, and create a connection with the reader.

Users dedicate five seconds to new information
- Digital marketing and CRO expert Oli Gardner says your content needs to captivate the website visitor within five seconds or you’ll lose them.
- His top tips are: make your offer and benefit clear immediately after your headline, communicate your uniqueness, ensure your visuals are clear and tell your story, and keep your message clear by removing unnecessary details and distractions.

The key to success - good user experience
- "your business will reach its objectives only when your clients reach theirs.” (Talia Wolf, the founder of Getuplift)
- The users’ needs and requirements should be your focus and your content should revolve around that, even if this means changing things up regularly.
- IPullRank´s founder Michael King stated that companies should get used to testing hypotheses and business decisions to identify the key to their success and guarantee ROI.

So…with all of the above in mind, my top tip would be this: put the app store down, take advantage of the Hogwarts exeat and focus on being ready for the shifts that are taking place in the digital world by applying the above techniques. But first, some quidditch.

Our door is always open – get in touch if you want to chat through your marketing needs or would like to come and meet the team. By the way, if you do need an app building, we happen to be experts in this field and will make sure that Hagrid won't feature once!