Google’s search algorithm updates are often cryptic and always chaos-inducing. A writer at Search Engine Roundtable summed it up well: “I wonder what is going on at Google, and I suspect Google wonders as well.” Add to that the omnipresence of AI, and search engine optimization is officially not for the faint of heart.
But with the right strategy and expectations, this wild ride can be worth the work.
Too big to ignore
If you’re feeling gun-shy about embracing search engine optimization (SEO), consider that Google commands the lion’s share of search (87.39% according to StatCounter, as of December 2024), and the overall number of searches continue to climb. Google sees an estimated 8.5 billion searches each day — some 99,000 searches per second.
One report found that B2B companies generate twice as much revenue from organic search than any other channel. You can’t ignore those numbers.
The nature of SEO
SEO has been a volatile undertaking from the start. In the early days, a small number of “black hat” marketers tried to game search engines for their benefit. In response, Google and others have routinely updated their algorithms to thwart these black hats and to better understand users’ search intent — with the goal of improving the search experience. After all, it’s in Google’s best interest to make Google a one-stop search shop.
But these updates have not come without volatility or controversy. The most notable changes include the introduction of search engine results page (SERP) features. Once a sea of blue links, most SERPs now include images, videos, social media posts, knowledge panels, featured snippets and more. Every one of these additions resulted in page traffic spikes/drops, and forced marketers to evolve in how they think about SEO optimization.
And now AI overviews and LLM search have only further muddied the waters. (See our guide to optimizing content for AI search here.)
This is not to discourage you. On the contrary, it should reassure you: SEO has been and always will be this way. Don’t listen to the skeptics who have declared the death of SEO for two decades. It’s not easy, but it’s fun — and it works.
What strategies can help insulate you from unpredictability?
At Imprint, we’ve focused on a few key principles that can help mitigate the impact of future search volatility for any domain:
- Target topics, not keywords. Algorithms are evaluating words in context of sentences, sentences in context of paragraphs, paragraphs in context of sections, and sections in context of the article. Focusing on topics and queries, rather than keywords, means the focus is on intent. Algorithmic parameters and weights will change, but we believe those changes will reflect an effort to better understand the intent of a query.
- Stay in your lane. We’ve seen evidence of sites (see HubSpot) being penalized for creating content that is too far removed from their services and products. Many of the same filters you use to create “regular” content can and should apply to SEO.
- Be cite-able. AI and search algorithms want to cite information from the most authoritative sources. What better way to demonstrate your cite-ability than to publish proprietary data? This will require cross-functional collaboration within your organization, but your SEO performance will benefit in the long run.
If search matters to you, get comfortable with volatility
At Imprint, we’ve been studying SEO strategy and tactics for years. We understand the inherent nature of SEO, and we continue to evolve our approach as things change.
Whether you’re looking to improve on your SEO efforts or launch one for the first time, we want to help! Please reach out to us at imprint@imprintcontent.com or fill out the contact form here. We’d love to learn where your organization is in its SEO journey, and how we might be able to boost future success.