Back in the 2000s, talking about SEO was fun. You could bust myths quickly and easily by demonstrating the data. You could also create a huge impact quickly with a bit of focus.
But now, despite sales and marketing still demanding to know exactly WHY something has happened, it’s not such plain sailing.
Google want you to pay for ads, and they share less data than ever. Apple don’t want to share either. It’s all about privacy (but I bet they rinse that data for all its worth).
Then you have that little fly in the ointment of the 2020s – AI. I recently read that 58% of Google searches no longer lead to clicks. If you are looking to increase your search traffic, good luck with that. Obviously, this pushes more people towards ads, which in turn raises prices as effectiveness continues to fall.
Attribution and a clear understanding of what works (and why) are fading. It’s like the pre-Internet days all over again, harking way back when to John Wanamaker – “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.”
But, like the old days, therein lies the opportunity to get creative.
Don’t assume AI will do the job. I’m talking PROPER CREATIVE (albeit with the support and research capabilities of AI). Sitting in a room, brainstorming – with a shit ton of arguing, tweaking and learning along the way.
Test. Then test again.
And for pity’s sake and your own sanity, inject some bloody fun back into it.