As marketing evolves, the approaches to marketing – both digital and traditional – are constantly changing. These approaches are increasingly data-driven; marketers have realized the importance of numbers and analytics in crafting successful campaigns.
In this article, we will explore why businesses would do better to rely on data and how they should think about data and analytics innew, relevant keywords SEO.
Data as a basis for making decisions
At some point in its growth trajectory, every business faces a plateau. Suddenly, it becomes harder to develop or expand the company’s operations and make profits.
There are two ways to get out of this plateau or rut.
The first is the perception and attitude of top management as well as employees. If the staff strongly believes that they have the necessary expertise, resources, determination – whatever it takes – to get out of a crisis, then the crisis is as good as resolved. Where there is a will, there is a way.
The other approach is based more on hard facts. It is to simply follow what the numbers suggest – every time. All your decisions should be based on data and only on data, nothing else.
When you do this, your growth becomes predictable, consistent and permanent. Otherwise, you remain clueless as to what’s working and what’s not working for you.
Research firm BCG conducted a study for Google recently and based on the analysis of over 1,000 firms, they found that businesses that made data-driven marketing decisions grew 1.5x more than those that didn’t. Moreover, they cut their marketing spend by a third compared to when decisions weren’t based on data.
What this means is, companies not using data to make decisions are making less money and growing much slower than those that do.
If that is so obvious, then why isn’t every company taking a data-driven approach?
Because they’re not sure it always works (and it doesn’t).
When (and how) to take a data-driven approach
If you decide to adopt a data-driven decision making approach, you need to stick to two things:
- You need to exclude all other ways of decision making. What the data indicates would be final. You can’t give in to pressure from management or follow your intuition in some cases. No exceptions.
- All employees must use it too. They must truly understand and acknowledge the benefits of data-driven processes.
This is not easy to implement in an organizational setting because it shifts the authority from people or roles to data. When the marketing department makes a decision based on clear data, the supervisor can’t do anything but agree. They can’t add an “insight” based on their seniority, expertise or intuition. The numbers are there for all to see and the logical decision must be made on the basis of the data.
Are there any exceptions to this rule? Are there any areas where data-driven decision making fails or backfires?
Yes. Decisions based on data aren’t very effective for companies that are operating at their peak or are behemoths in their industry. When extremely large or successful companies make decisions based on data, the law of diminishing returns kicks in and the changes they make might not be efficient – they could even be detrimental to profits.
The reason for this is that when companies have grown to be extremely successful and scaled peaks that no one has before, there are no precedents – read, no data – on what factors would drive further growth. And without data, there is no data-driven decision making.
And that’s why you see that a lot of “innovations” made by large companies like Google and Amazon end up fizzling out in a few years. Google might be one of the biggest companies in tech, but there’s a whole “graveyard” of products that it launched with much fanfare but died silent deaths.
Getting started with data-driven marketing
Data-driven marketing is a very hands-on activity. You can start out by trying out various martech tools that help you analyze and navigate different digital channels. There are a ton of free and freemium tools out there for every imaginable platform related to marketing.
These tools have made it possible to track each and every lead that you get from every channel, to the extent that in some cases you have far more leads than you could possibly service or sell to. Of course, as your business grows, this ample number of leads becomes your new baseline.
Remember, this “problem of plenty” only occurs when your analytics is precise and relevant. If you’re sure of the accuracy of your data analytics processes, all you need to do to grow your operations is keep updating your tools or choose new ones at the right times. This is akin to a doctor sanitizing his surgical and other instruments from time to time.
Also, before implementing a full-fledged data-driven approach to digital marketing, you need to be sure your company has the resources you need to do this and that the resources will be available whenever needed. This is the basic requirement even before you begin work on your website.
A lot of companies are focused on cutting costs at the early stages of growth. This is understandable because resources and funds are limited when you’re a small business or a startup. However, the downside of a data-driven approach is that cost-cutting defeats its very purpose. If you don’t spend your budget according to the insights you get from your marketing model or algorithm, the results will be disproportionately sub-par.
The importance of data in SEO
All search engines, including Google, have some ranking factors or “signals” on the basis which they rank your site. See this video to know further:
How to Create High-Quality Data-Driven Content
Let’s take a look at practical methods for optimizing content on e-commerce websites and blogs, shall we? I would say yes, as it is certainly useful for any SEO manager to understand what types of content work best. What do I mean by “the best”? The data-driven content that both Google and the audience like.
By the way, we at Serpzilla have recently started a series on our YouTube channel on how to rock SEO which you are most welcome to watch.
You can create content based on your experience or experts’ recommendations, or by reading guides and articles online, or using ChatGPT and the like. You can also discuss strategies with colleagues. However, these approaches are often case-specific, and it’s hard to predict what will truly work for your site. Technology can assist in this endeavor. By gathering data from various sources about your site’s performance and content, you can get valuable insights into what you can improve, what’s working better, and what you can implement.
Effective Content Types for SEO
It is extremely important to set clear goals beforehand. To do so, you need to understand which content types yield the best results.
Common content forms include text descriptions, images, and videos. For e-commerce sites, product pages are particularly important. Here’s how to optimize them effectively:
Optimal Use of Photos
A well-optimized product page typically requires multiple high-quality photos. However, there is a balance to strike—too few photos won’t engage users, while too many can slow down your site. Analyzing the performance of product pages with varying numbers of photos can provide insights. For instance, pages with at least four photos often achieve higher search visibility compared to those with fewer images.
Incorporating Videos
Videos can also enhance user engagement and improve SEO. Of course, they come with production costs, so it is a point to consider. Is it worth it? Nobody can be 100% sure without trying, so I suggest – test it. Create two sets of product pages — one with videos and one without. Then compare their search visibility and conversion rates. Collect the right data, and you’ll have your answer. Typically, product pages with videos receive a significant boost in search visibility, sometimes nearly doubling it.
Advanced Content Strategies
Beyond basic text, photos, and videos, other advanced content strategies can further improve SEO.
Utilizing 3D Models
Integrating 3D models into product pages can also enhance user experience and SEO performance. Similar to videos, you should test this by comparing pages with and without 3D models. Generally, pages with 3D models show increased search visibility, which can justify the additional development costs.
Gathering Reviews
To build trust, you’d need customer reviews. The number of reviews can directly impact search visibility. To determine the optimal number of reviews, analyze groups of product pages with varying review counts. Typically, pages with around 100 or more reviews perform better in search results.
Measuring Content Performance
To evaluate the effectiveness of content modification, use technology to create and compare different groups of pages. Track metrics. Look at search visibility, organic traffic, and conversion rates. This will allow you to understand the impact of each type of content, which means you’ll be better prepared to make informed decisions about future investments.
Optimizing Blog Content
Blogs are another area where content quality and SEO go hand in hand. The key challenges for bloggers include identifying attractive topics and determining which article types perform best.
Here’s how to optimize blog content:
Evaluating Copywriting Teams
Content can be produced by different teams or authors, each with varying levels of effectiveness. To measure this, compare the performance of articles written by different groups. For example, you might compare an in-house team’s content with that produced by an agency. By analyzing metrics such as search visibility over a few months, you can determine which team delivers better results and decide whether outsourcing is a viable option.
Testing Different Content Types
Just as with e-commerce, testing different types of content in blogs is crucial. Articles can be enhanced with photos, videos, author bios, and comments. Running tests to compare the performance of articles with and without these elements can provide valuable insights. For instance, adding comments to blog posts often increases search visibility, making it beneficial to encourage reader interaction.
Identifying Popular Topics
To discover which topics attract the most traffic, create groups of articles based on different topics and compare their performance. Analyzing search visibility and traffic data can reveal which topics are most effective. And this will guide your future content creation efforts.
Conclusion
Whether you’re optimizing an e-commerce site or a blog, the key is to continually test, analyze, and refine your content strategies. Do so, and your content will effectively drive traffic and conversions.
