With its latest core update, Google is clamping down on AI spam and low-grade tactics.
As proponents of ethical AI, Seeker Digital has been innovating. We’ve been building on postmodern concepts for years, helping us take one e-commerce brand from startup to market dominator.
Find out how a future-proof mindset has enabled us to decode a new era of organic marketing.
Google algorithm updates are becoming more frequent and aggressive. Here’s a look back at the past six months…
Search engines are getting more competent at weeding out spam and rewarding better websites and brands.
Seeker has been at the forefront of the machine-led revolution, but we don’t buy into the idea of weaponising automation for manipulative, algorithm-baiting means. We never prioritise hollow victories over meaningful, long-term results.
My Advanced Link Building & Outreach course in association with BrightonSEO helps enterprise brands and agencies level up their links.
We build links for brands that have more to lose than just rankings, big brands with high expectations keeps our strategies sharp.
The LRT certification is the only one for managing SEO penalties and this awareness helps us avoid them. We’ve not incurred a penalty yet.
I lead on innovation and I have the privilege of working with a small but powerful team who create the magic and get client results.
First-hand experience of both in-house and agencies. Knowing where SEO came from helps me understand where it’s going.
My first talk on AI for SEO was in 2019. Full-time AI developers and ex-Amazon AI engineers have guided Seeker’s AI roadmap.
This story epitomises the true power of SEO when it’s done right. Over nearly 7 years, we grew The Independent Pharmacy from startup to market leader.
We began in 2016 and worked exclusively on strategy, content, technical, digital PR and links. Many agency case studies are questionable, claiming successes that are rarely clear-cut in search. This is a unique situation where one agency was responsible for almost everything for 7 years. It’s as definitive as you’re going to get in terms of attribution.
Of course, many factors contribute to success, and we couldn’t have achieved these results without a good service, positive customer reviews, and holistic marketing activity including paid ads, email and referrals.
These annual comparisons show the incredible growth from 2016 to 2023. We can’t share revenue data but the figures are astronomical. Organic has been the main driver of growth and SEO has delivered an exceptionally high Return on Marketing Investment.
2016 vs 2023
TIP have leapt ahead of all competition, many of which were once leagues above in the search results. Introducing forward-thinking tactics that the competition still isn’t even aware of ensured Google responded favourably.
TIP organic traffic compared to the main competitors. Source: Ahrefs.
No Data Found
A long-term SEO roadmap with peaks and troughs that ultimately ended up with the brand in a powerful position in the market.
2016
A successful first migration
TIP was keen to maintain their foothold throughout a website migration and requested our help. Their new site looked superb, but we uncovered a litany of SEO shortcomings under the hood. We delayed the launch and got to work. After a comprehensive tune-up, the site went live with an immediate increase in visibility.
2017-2018
Content & links
Impressed by how we handled their website’s migration, TIP signed a retainer to help them grow organic traffic and revenue. Our priority was making improvements to the product and category landing pages. Once complete, we got to work on a full content marketing strategy, including collaborating with influencers who blogged about their experience with a specific medical condition.
2018-2019
Google Medic update
Things were going well until the Google Medic update hit… TIP’s traffic plummeted by a stomach-churning 48%. Correlational analysis and outside-the-box thinking helped us build a blueprint for better communicating EAT through the brand. Despite their strong adherence to ethical, compliant medical practices, none of this was particularly evident on the website.
2019-2020
Google Medic recovery
After 6 months of realignment, our blueprint had worked! The website saw a full recovery, and went on to massively surpass previous baseline traffic levels. Our offsite strategy shifted to securing links from medical industry publications with strong topical authority.
2020-2021
The power of organic (& importance of digital)
The COVID-19 lockdowns highlighted one of the real strengths of organic marketing. Traffic spiked as the nation turned to the web for health advice and medication. Had this traffic been gained through paid ads, they would have been charged per click. Instead, their margins significantly increased.
2021-2022
Full switch to Digital PR
We had covered the majority of good link building tactics, all adding a diverse range of backlink signals that propelled them forward. There was only one discipline left to capitalise on – Digital PR. In September 2021 we launched their Digital PR strategy, aimed at putting the brand on the map as a recognised name within the health and pharmacy industry.
2022-2023
Reaping PR rewards
Combining technical SEO, content marketing, digital PR, and precision link building prepared the brand for what was coming next – the Helpful Content Update. Exceptionally helpful, validated medical content combined with our approach to semantic SEO saw them shoot up to unprecedented levels.
2024
Double algo updates
The March algo updates are still rolling out and could take at least 2 more weeks to settle. It’s too early to conclude judgements, but to be transparent TIP has so far suffered as a result. Did we do anything wrong? I don’t think so. The majority of online pharmacies have also been affected (as have many other sites such as Reddit) but this is just the usual ebb and flow of search. We encountered a similar situation with the Medic Update and realigning the strategy with the new algorithmic requirements saw them go to even greater traffic levels. We’ve generated many many millions in revenue for TIP, but most importantly we’ve set the brand up for future digital success.
New, emerging arenas of organic marketing are opening up; platforms where consumers interact with brands in new ways.
Short-term hacks are gone; future-proof marketing activity that benefits search should be your priority.
Whilst we believe in a full spectrum of links from diverse tactics, the days of run-of-the-mill ‘guest posting’ are over. Seeker employs digital PR and content marketing tactics that not only generate link virality but also grow brand signals.
Understand the shifting paradigms and how to optimise your strategies to meet new standards. Dive into the intricacies of algorithmic changes and the importance of quality, relevance, and context in link building.
Explore what the advent of the semantic web means for Digital PR practices. Learn how to leverage structured data and semantic analysis to enhance visibility and credibility in a more connected and intelligent web.
As AI becomes more prevalent in content consumption and analysis, understand the nuances of marketing to an audience that includes both humans and machines. Learn to craft content that resonates with sophisticated algorithms and enhances your digital footprint.
With the rise of generative AI technologies, discover the concept of Link Building for Generative Engine Optimisation. Unpack the strategies for aligning your link-building efforts with AI-driven content generation and search engines.
Analyse how changes in consumer search behaviours, driven by advancements in AI and machine learning, are set to redefine the SEO landscape. Gain insights into adapting your strategies to stay ahead in a rapidly changing environment.
Google's ability to track down and penalise spammers is improving; occasionally, a brand that didn't deserve to be downranked is tarred with the same brush. Learn how to protect your business from future updates.
Discover how our postmodern approach to organic marketing can help you grow.
Henleaze House Business Centre
13 Harbury Road
Henleaze
Bristol
BS9 4PN
Seeker Digital © 2024