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When we have questions in life … about anything, we tend to go to a trusted source to discover the answers. It could be a member of our family, a teacher or a good friend–someone we really know well, and who knows and understands us, too. Another trusted source we turn to for answers is digital online search, and the content that follows.
Common is the school of thought that no matter how specific your question may be, there are answers to be found online. This source of knowledge is very trusted amongst today’s searchers. They are confident that not only will they find the relevant sites they are looking for, they will find them quickly and easily, with the answers they are seeking.
The topics that are searched out online are virtually limitless. Here are just a few streaming topics right now:
- How much money will I get from Social Security when I retire?
- How frequent should I bathe my dog?
- What are some good crockpot recipes?
- Is there school tomorrow in these blizzard conditions?
- What should I sell my car for?
Not surprisingly, the way in which people are searching is undergoing a shift. Over the past two years, there has been a substantial increase in searches that pertain to very personal terms such as “I”, “me” and “my.” As an example, the mobile searches containing phrases such as “Pets for me” have increased by 60% over the last 24 months1. There has been an increase of 80% in the “Where should I travel for the best scuba diving?” type searches in the same time period.2
Now that mobile search has elevated itself to a critical level, the content that is served up by the marketer must be helpful, pertinent and very speedy. What is contained on the site is what searchers really want to get to, so the hunt becomes rather irrelevant if potential customers don’t find the answers they need when they get there. After all, consumers only spend about 5% of their time searching, and 95% reading the content upon which they land.
Search They may locate your establishment almost instantaneously, but if the answers they are looking for don’t manifest themselves right away, they won’t waste time navigating their way through your site in an attempt to find out if you serve Hawaiian-style pies, and how late you are open. They will flip their interest to the next site that WILL have the answers close at hand.
Marketers who are serious about advancing their status in the online environment must be sure that they are in front of the consumer throughout their entire journey; from search to purchase.
In short, brand marketers must be there in all the moments that count, with relevant content that matters, and they must be quick about it!
Sources (3)
- 1-2 Google data, U.S., Mobile, Jan.-Sept. 2017 vs. Jan.-Sept. 2015
- 3 Google data, U.S., Mobile, Jan.-Sept. 2017
