How to Optimize for the Search Experience, Not Just Results to Drive Growth

On this episode of Predictable B2B Success, the host Vinay Koshy sits down with guest Edward Sturm to discuss a range of topics, including how to optimize for the search experience instead of just results. They start with a discussion on the importance of sticking with your passion project for at least two years, which has been a game-changer for Matt, who built an AI platform that offers unique speech-to-speech capabilities. Edward also shares his success stories of how creating amazing content on platforms like TikTok can help build personal brands to hedge against AI disruption of jobs.

Edward also dives into how targeting bottom-of-funnel keywords in search engine optimization is more effective than high-level keywords since conversational AI has disrupted the ranking model in SEO. Finally, they talk about how the world has become sci-fi-like due to the rapid advancements in AI technology and blockchain and how it’s now easier to optimize for the search experience since algorithms suggest content based on keywords and viewers’ behavior.

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About Edward Sturm

Edward Sturm is a blockchain and crypto entrepreneur with an impressive track record. He co-founded the first video game in the blockchain and crypto space, launched a year and a half before his latest venture, Reverb.

One night, while walking around a beautiful lookout in Kyiv, Edward and his co-founder came up with the concept for Reverb, a cloud-based voice recorder that allows users to share their recordings with a link that can be embedded in Twitter. They launched it on BetaList and Product Hunt and were surprised by its success.

The education sector widely adopted it, and with the pandemic, it was a way for people to communicate over distances. Edward implemented a thorough search engine optimization funnel, and at its peak, they were getting 32,000 users a month from SEO alone. They helped many people and are now adding an AI feature that, at the time of recording, competitors haven’t as yet.

Optimize, Convert, Succeed: How to Master Optimizing the Search Experience for Business Growth

In search engine optimization (SEO), one thing is certain – change is the only constant. Since the inception of search engines, there have been numerous changes in algorithms, ranking factors, and best practices. Moreover, emerging technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI) rapidly change the SEO landscape. In this podcast episode, the guest speaker, whose name is uncertain, dives into how to stay competitive in SEO despite the constant change and the impact of AI.

One of the first things Edward highlights is the shift from search engine optimization to search experience optimization. The speaker suggests more than targeting high-level keywords is needed as more businesses compete online. Rather than optimizing the traditional top-of-funnel content to build brand awareness, companies must now seek to optimize the entire user experience. The goal is to provide a positive user experience that keeps visitors engaged and coming back for more.

This shift is due to the rise of conversational AI like chatbots, voice assistants, and others. These types of AI agents have disrupted how search engines traditionally ranked content. While traditional search engines rely on exact match models, conversational AI favors content that provides the best user experience regardless of keyword matches. As a result, businesses prioritizing the search experience over traditional ranking factors will be more competitive in the new era of SEO.

Another key takeaway from the podcast is the importance of providing context in content. While conversational AI can understand the meaning behind a search query, it still relies on content to provide the necessary context. The more context content can provide, the more likely it is to rank high in search results.

Businesses that want to be competitive in the ever-changing SEO landscape must focus on context by producing high-quality, long-form content that provides context and depth. Furthermore, experts suggest organizing content that is easy for search engines to crawl and understand.

Focusing on user intent is also critical, which refers to what a user wants when performing a search on the search engines. Search engines aim to understand user intent and provide results that match it as closely as possible. Therefore, businesses that can target search queries relevant to their users’ intent will have higher engagement levels and, in turn, higher rankings.

To optimize for user intent, businesses must get into the mind of their target audience. They must understand their customer’s pain points and needs to know what type of content to create and how to optimize it. For example, targeting bottom-of-funnel keywords that indicate a purchase readiness can lead to higher conversions and sales.

Another way to optimize for user intent is to create a content hub, a collection of content centered around a specific topic or keyword. Rather than optimizing each piece of content individually, businesses create a content hub that is a one-stop shop for everything their customers need to know about a particular topic or keyword. This approach allows companies to target all buyer journey stages within one hub.

Another crucial aspect of SEO competitiveness is technical SEO. Technical SEO involves optimizing a website’s backend structure and code to ensure search engines can crawl, index, and rank content quickly and efficiently. With the rise of conversational AI, technical SEO is even more critical than ever.

Businesses must provide access to site links, textual content, images, and other content types that conversational AI agents can quickly scan and understand. Techniques like schema markup, site maps, and meta-data are becoming increasingly crucial for ensuring that AI can crawl sites quickly and rank sites effectively.

Furthermore, businesses must ensure that their websites’ code adheres to best practices regarding page speed, mobile-friendliness, and security. Websites that load slowly need to be mobile-friendly or are vulnerable to hacks will lose out to those that prioritize these technical aspects of the website.

It’s also important to remember that search engines are designed to serve their users’ needs. Businesses must focus on providing valuable, relevant, and unique content. Google’s BERT algorithm update has made it much easier for the search engine to understand natural language queries and provide the most accurate, relevant results in response. Therefore, producing content that answers user queries conversationally and naturally is essential.

Moreover, businesses must create original, engaging, and informative content. Copying or plagiarizing content will hurt the user’s experience and harm the business’s ranking and reputation.

Finally, as Edward points out, SEO competitiveness is more than ranking high in search results. It’s also about providing an excellent user experience that keeps visitors engaged and coming back for more. This aspect of SEO is becoming even more critical with the rise of conversational AI, which prioritizes the user experience over traditional search ranking factors. Businesses that provide a top-notch user experience are more likely to gain and retain customers, which can lead to long-term success.

With the rise of AI and the ever-changing SEO landscape, businesses must adapt and evolve to remain competitive in search rankings. The key to SEO competitiveness in this new era is prioritizing the search experience by providing context, targeting user intent, investing in technical SEO, and providing valuable, relevant, and unique content. By focusing on these factors, businesses can stay ahead of the curve and capitalize on this evolving industry’s opportunities.

Some areas we explore in this episode include:

• Edward’s perspective on AI having more utility than blockchain and is amazed by advancements in AI technology, including chatbots and voice apps.
• They think most cryptocurrencies are scams and trust only Bitcoin.
• Edward’s perspective on the world has become strange and sci-fi-like due to rapid advancements in advanced technologies like AI.
• Why anyone can start a TikTok account and build a personal brand that can result in business success.
• A success story about a friend who started a TikTok account using Chat GPT to write scripts and an app called Caption AI for teleprompting is shared.
• Consistency and not giving up are essential to creating content on platforms like TikTok while building a personal brand.
• Targeting bottom-funnel keywords as they are more effective than high-level keywords due to conversational AI, which will disrupt the ranking model in SEO.
• Technical SEO is important for allowing AI to crawl and recommend content.
• Mobile video is a growth hack that requires a small investment of time and money for great results.
• Generating content is easier now as algorithms suggest content based on its transcript, keywords, and previous viewer behavior.
• And much, much more.

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Related links and resources

Connect with Edward

• LinkedIn

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