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Is Google Stacking the SEO Deck Against You?

Why is no one* talking about the fact that Google is actively working against your SEO marketing strategy?

 

Research shows that Google is actually designing its search results page to keep your buyers on Google’s search engine results page (SERP) rather than send them to your website. Rand Fishkin discovered that about 67% of searches on Google never leave the search results page. And Rand says to expect that number only to get bigger.

 

In other words, Google uses the content you’re generating to keep visitors away from your site. Think about that for a moment. If SEO is the foundation of your content marketing strategy, then all of your blood, sweat, and tears to make Google happy come with a payoff of reduced site visits and fewer new leads.

 

You’re busting your SEO butt in order to give Google a bigger slice of the pie, while you sit in the corner hoping someone will notice you got all dressed up for them.

 

Okay, that’s a weird analogy, but hopefully it works for you.

 

How does Google do it? Here’s a few ways:

 

  • Knowledge panels — those little information boxes on the search results page that give you a quick snapshot of information. They often give you just the right amount of information to answer your question without digging deeper (i.e., going to your site).
  • Featured snippets — similar to knowledge panels, with basically the same function.
  • Paid partnerships — basically, paid search results that dominate the top third of your SERP.
  • Google’s own properties — results point you back to Google Maps and YouTube (which Google owns), where it can show more ads and gather more of your data.
  • People Also Ask — a list of questions that are related to your search. Just click the drop-down arrow to view the answer! Best yet, new related questions show up every time you click.

 

Also, some truth bombs about Google:

 

 

If SEO is the foundation of your content marketing strategy, it’s time to rethink your strategy.

Marketing’s Addiction to SEO

For years, the world of digital marketing was dominated by SEO. Get on Page 1 and you’re golden. But that’s changing. And the thing is, most marketers refuse to change with it.

 

Marketers are addicted to SEO — specifically, to Google. Even though the payoff gets worse and worse, we keep doubling down and going harder for that big hit.

 

Even marketers who recognize the trend and see where it’s leading are having a hard time getting off the SEO ride.

 

Why is that?

 

Because SEO strategy FEELS like the safe move. When you don’t know what else to do, you stick with what you’ve always done.

 

Besides, there’s so much out there to legitimize a strategy built on SEO. With SEO, you get analytics. You can track all kinds of metrics. There’s research to do and algorithms to follow. Google provides a wealth of tools to help you achieve more with SEO. An entire industry exists to support your SEO efforts.

 

All those experts and tools and data sets must be onto something, right?

It’s Not Just Google’s Fault

Let’s do a thought experiment.

 

Let’s say Google wasn’t keeping searchers away from your site. Wouldn’t an SEO strategy make sense then?

 

For most B2B companies, no. In fact, it could be a losing battle. Here’s why.

 

Online content is increasing exponentially. Three hundred hours of new videos are uploaded to YouTube EVERY MINUTE! Blog articles and downloadable content and social media posts — and anything else that shows up in a search page — are proliferating at an obscene pace. That means the competition for Page 1 of Google is heating up faster than greased lightning.

 

Most small businesses don’t already own the top spot in Google — they’re fighting for it. But they aren’t just competing with the current top-spot holder, they’re competing with everyone else who’s vying for that spot. Meanwhile, the website in the top spot only has to keep doing what they’ve been doing in order to stay there.

 

It’s like starting a 100-meter dash 50 meters behind the next guy. You’ll never beat him.

 

Even if Google weren’t stacking the deck against you, it’s only getting exponentially more difficult to be seen on Google’s search results page.

But SEO Works!

Woah now, hang on just a minute there, Bill. What about all those stats that SEO and organic traffic generate more leads than any other marketing initiative? HubSpot recently reported that 75% of marketers feel their SEO tactics are “extremely” or “very effective” at helping them achieve their marketing goals.

 

Yes, people do click on search results, and visitors do go to websites from Google. You can be found on Google, even if you aren’t on Page 1, and you can rank on Page 1 for certain searches. All that is true.

 

On top of that, Rand Fishkin reports that there are more searches on Google today than ever before. That’s great for B2B marketers relying on SEO.

 

But the fact remains that Google is hoarding more and more searches, and getting found on Google is getting harder and harder. Both those trends are going to get more and more pronounced.

What’s the Fix for Content Marketers?

So what do you do? Give up on content marketing?

 

Never!

 

It’s not the end of content marketing. You just can’t rely on SEO as the foundation of your marketing. Your buyers will continue to consume your content, so double down on it.

 

It’s more important than ever for B2B companies to:

 

  • Create consistent content
  • Stand out from the crowd
  • Engage your audience’s emotions
  • Be human — and stop being boring!

 

Page 1 on Google is every company’s dream spot, but you don’t need it to be successful.

 

Don’t get me wrong. Good on-page SEO practices are still necessary, and you should have a basic understanding of your best keywords. But for most B2B companies, you simply don’t need to sweat the details with SEO.

 

That’s big. You don’t need to sweat the details with SEO. It’s not just that SEO is hopeless for you — it’s that you don’t need it. You don’t have to be a slave to it.

 

That’s incredibly freeing. Because now you can focus on a strategy that won’t drive you bonkers. And let’s just admit it — SEO has been driving you bonkers.

 

You don’t need to perform on Google to become known to the right people (see Mark Schaefer’s book KNOWN).

 

Here’s the content strategy I’ve found that works best for most B2Bs:

 

  • Be buyer-centric, not product-centric
  • Stand out — claim a unique voice, perspective, media, or niche
  • Keep cranking out content
  • Share your content like crazy, on just one or two strategic channels
  • Be relational — interact with your audience and show your human side
  • Use basic keywords, but don’t sweat the nitty gritty stuff

 

That’s it!

 

Okay, TBH, that’s the high-level overview, and it takes plenty of hard work + commitment. But this strategy is a lot simpler than going down the SEO rabbit hole — and a lot more achievable.

 

*No one except Mark Schaefer, that is. And Rand Fishkin. (And me, I suppose.)