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A note about user behavior
There’s been a lot of talk in the SEO industry lately (and for many years) about the role user behavior plays in Google’s algorithms. But algorithms aren’t the only reason why SEOs should pay attention to user behavior.
Often, as part of the “SEO process,” we use all sorts of metrics to predict what our consumer base, or our clients’ consumer base, will want. For example, we’ll look at search volume to see how popular a term might be with our target audience.
Predicting potential interest is one thing—analyzing actual interest is another. Understanding how your clients’ visitors engage with and react to your current content offering can help you:
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Get insight into your audience that goes deeper than demographic data
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Isolate which aspects of site content resonate so you can replicate
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What aspects of the UI might be preventing users from reaching targeted content
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One great free tool that reveals how your audience is actually interacting with your content, is Microsoft Clarity. Have a look at how you can use it right inside your Wix dashboard courtesy of this article by Celeste Gonzalez.
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Happy reading,
Crystal and Mordy
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Why should SEOs focus on emerging content trends?
Nigel: Google is paying attention to generative AI—and you should too
Google is under more pressure than ever to get content right: The whispers I've heard are that Google is viewing this [generative AI] as the first true existential threat that they have ever really seen. So I would wager for sure that a big part of all of this is they're leaning more into that user data and what do people find helpful, and not find helpful, all that. But they had some of that data before and they weren't acting on it as much, and now they're like, oh, we actually need to get ahead of this before we wake up and we're in third place.
Jason: Google aligns its search experience as content trends change
It's really been ingrained in us to trust Google. We trust the results. It's an answer engine. I go there seeking solutions to my problems, answers to my questions. We see that with growing trends in featured snippets. We see the growing trends in People Also Ask’s visibility and things of that nature. That's because it's the evolution of how people are using the tool, using the search engine.
Mordy: SEOs chase algorithms but the algorithms chase users
Google’s machine learning systems take a look at user behavior, process it, and make general shifts and moves about what people want or are consuming. That’s then reflected in search results. So we know they're looking at what people are doing and how they are reacting to emerging content trends. If Google's saying that they're looking at content trends and how people are engaging with content, why are we not talking enough about this? It has practical implications in terms of how we do things like keyword research. Long-time SEO vet Nick LeRoy of #SEOForLunch recently said “Leverage message boards and other forums such as Reddit to identify trends and frequently asked questions.” This is a vote in favor of simply relying on traditional tools.
Crystal: Google looks at content from a wide lens and so should you
From a content perspective, it’s important to think about the fact that Google is looking at the whole of the web, not just websites. Take Facebook for instance. Google's also looking at their competitor, right? So their competitors include Facebook, TikTok, X (Twitter), and Amazon for instance. Those are their competitors, and I think they're also steered by those content trends.
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Newflash
Mordy Oberstein
Google is giving users an immersive new way to search. Circle to Search allows you to use Google while you’re inside another app. As the name suggests, it’s a functionality that lets you circle (or highlight or tap, etc.) a section of an image to bring up Google search results within whatever ecosystem you’re currently in. For example, if you notice a nice pair of shades in a social post—all you’ll need to do is circle them to pull up Google results that show where you can buy them.
Currently, the functionality is only available on a limited basis and only for specific Android devices such as the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 pro.
While the rollout of the feature is limited, it’s important to take note that Google is looking to create more naturally flowing and immersive search experiences. Widespread adoption could very well impact the types of content that do and don’t garner search traffic. Have a look at Barry Schwartz’s coverage on SERoundtable to see the functionality in action.
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How to grab attention with your copy the right way
Firstly, sniff out copy that rubs you the wrong way—so you know what NOT to do. It shouldn’t take you long because we homosapiens have a gnarly negativity bias. Think back to the last Instagram ad that made you cringe. Or maybe the most recent typo-filled flier that snuck through your letterbox, and cursed you into an unavoidably dramatic eye-roll.
Ask yourself “why did I despise that writing so much?”, because whatever horror it committed against you is not something you want to repeat unto others.
Next, use your newfound copy assessment skills against your competitors. Approach their websites, and their company social accounts, with the same side-eye you showed our last step’s atrocious marketing material.
Whip out a pen and notepad. Make notes of the jargon you spot repeating across your industry. Scrutinize every word by asking: “is this an accessible way to communicate ideas to a broad audience, or are these companies trying to sound clever at the expense of alienating customers?”
Now flip your findings to shake up your brand dictionary. Should your peers overuse niche terms the average Joe won’t know, or throw out empty corporate words like ‘dynamic’, ‘innovative’, and ‘solutions’ that mean next-to-nothing at all, then you’re gonna do the opposite.
From this moment on, you’ll educate and entertain readers plainly—without baffling them with industry terminology or fake business speak into a (reluctant) transaction. You’re going to be unexpectedly straightforward. That’s what’ll set you apart.
In your last written bid toward world domination, you’re going to practice no-nonsense headlines. Your opening sentence sells the rest of your blog, website copy, or social post, so if it isn’t exceptional then every digital bystander will dip right past your work, leaving it to die.
A fantastic rule of thumb is to make your headline as punchy as possible. Use alliteration, and unexpected adjectives, while making it abundantly clear you’re covering a hot topic anybody might enjoy. That’s how you’ll get a stranger to stop scrolling and read your words.
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Does Google use user behavior metrics for ranking?
The recent antitrust lawsuit against Google sheds new light on how much user behavior impacts rankings. We investigate what this means for SEO with Shelley Walsh of SEJ.
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Live webinar: Bring automation and AI into your sales funnel
Drive more conversions with less effort—join us for expert advice on how to integrate automation and AI into your digital marketing workflows.
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Keep your SEO projects on track with downloadable checklists, templates and toolkits, created by industry experts. Share them with the whole team for smoother workflows.
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In the pipeline
Next month, learn how to manage content at scale—from creation to optimization. We’re going to dive into keyword mapping (with Ryan Jones of SEOTesting) and how to create the perfect SEO-first content brief (with Giuseppe Caltabiano of Rock Content).
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