Oh My MUM or how to think SEO in the era of AI Algorithms

Is the classic funnel still a useful model?
Are the "0 click SERPS" something we SEO cannot deal with?

Watch the deck, and discover how Messy Middle is shaping Google Search now and how it is the real cause of why Google is presenting more and more Search Features (and introduced MUM).
Learn my way of targeting, mapping, and optimizing the organic visibility of a website and a brand for the Messy Middle, and how Messy Middle is obliging us changing the way of thinking and doing SEO.

Transcript

1. OH MY MUM! HOW TO DO THINK SEO IN THE ERA OF AI ALGORITHMS GIANLUCA FIORELLI ILoveSEO.net @gfiorelli1 for #SOB22
2. WHAT YOU WON’T SEE HERE @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
3. PATENTS
4. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 If you are interested in patents, I warmly recommend you read (again) the posts our real SEO Jedi, Bill Slawski, published in his blog SEObythesea.com or wrote for Go Fish Digital
5. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 SO, WHAT?
6. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 I AM HERE TO ASK YOU A FEW QUESTIONS
7. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 WHAT IF THE CLASSIC FUNNEL WAS NOT EXISTING?
8. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 WHAT IF THE ’’0 CLICK SERPS’’ WERE MORE THE CONSEGUENCE OF AN OBSOLETE STRATEGIC THINKING THAN ANYTHING ELSE?
9. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
10. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 2016 Micro-Moments
11. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 2020: Messy Middle
12. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
13. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 Google Search • 2015 RankBrain • 2016 SyntaxNet • 2017 Image Search Tags • 2018 Neural Matching • 2019 BERT • 2021 Passage Rankings and SubTopics • 2021 MUM
14. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 2016 – Micromoments ‘’An intent-rich moment’’ 2020 - Messy Middle Search Journey/Session • 2016 SyntaxNet • 2017 Image Search Tags • 2018 Neural Matching • 2019 BERT • 2021 Passage Rankings and Subtopics • 2021 MUM (E-A-T)
15. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 Messy Middle AKA forget the classic TOFU, MOFU, BOFU funnel
16. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 TRIGGERS: … THEY ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE FAMOUS PAIN POINTS. If we don't know them, we can't move forward. Carrying out good analyzes of the Buyer and Audience Persona continues to be important, as well as carrying out studies of trends and seasonality of interests. Being the first at a temporal level is key.
17. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 TRIGGERS… Where? This is largely the field of predictive, which is why knowing our audience is so essential. Synergies with Social Media, commercial/customer departments, and traditional marketing are the key to discover where to be and when to be visible as soon as the trigger is activated... and influence the response.
18. TRIGGERS… What about Search? GOOGLE DISCOVER, which is by nature a news stream proposed by Google on the basis of predictive analysis of interests.
19. TRIGGERS… Where else? YouTube, with collaborations with Creators that we know influence our audience. Their videos are the trigger that generates searches. This is a job that will also serve us later. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
20. TRIGGERS… Where else? Images… on sites we know influence our audience. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
21. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 TRIGGERS… ¿Dónde? Imágenes… en sitios que sabemos que influyen en nuestra audiencia.
22. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
23. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 MESSY MIDDLE It consists of two coexisting phases: 1. exploration phase (expansive) 2. evaluation phase (reductive) It is a feedback loop. Its keyword is "What's next" and our success lies in the ability to shorten the time during which our potential users stay in the loop.
24. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 MESSY MIDDLE Google retains its users in the Messy Middle… it is their kingdom. We can say because it increases their exposure to ads or that it helps them through the entire potential Search Journey and thus make the right decision. In any case, we must work so that "all roads lead to our site"
25. Search Intent >> Informational I want to know > theoretical (text) > practical (video/how to…) > simple Search Intent >> Commercial I want to buy but… (Landing Page, “Best X”, Reviews, Comparisons...) I want to go >> Navigational Lists and Local Search I want to buy >> Transactional Product Pages (owned and not)
26. The order always depends on the search intent perceived by Google, and it is also an initial information about the content format that the user will most likely use to find his answer, and about the possible paths that he will take in the Search Journey. Landing page that works like Pillar. Target the ’’I want to buy but…’’. Sitelinks based on architecture and internal linking not menus. On mobile they can be more than on desktop (carousel). Indented search result. Product page that targets a different and purely transactional intent (’’I want to buy’’). There is no “keyword cannibalization”.
27. This is the clearest map of the Messy Middle for this query. It is partly powered by Google Merchant/Manufacturer (Shopping Graph): • Overview (exploration) • Details (exploration) • Stores (reduction) • Reviews (reduction) Partly from Search: • Stores (reduction) • Videos (both exploration and reduction) • Related Searches (‘’Cards’’ & ‘’Accessories’’ – reduction) • Top Ranked (reduction)
28. https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/188924?ref_topic=3163841 https://www.google.com/intl/es_es/retail/solutions/manufacturer-center/ Essential are data harmonization between Merchant feed and original source of the same data, and full use of Products structured data
29. Data Sparcity > We must focus on attributes that are really important for users when performing a search (product identifiers, color, material, type, brand...). Data Completion > The data (structured and not) must be complete and consistent. The product image in different formats is a good example. Data Quality > The data must be reliable.
30. Data Harmonization > The synchronization of the data between the web and the Merchant feed must be total. If some data (eg InStock) tends to change very frequently, it is better that it exists only on one side to avoid discrepancies. Data Reconciliation > There should be no ambiguities that could cause substantial duplication. That is why the UPI (Unique Product Identifier) must be used, which is the rel=“canonical” of the products.
31. Result with strong local connotations (demos in stores).
32. Barnacle SEO It is necessary to monitor the reviews.
33. Barnacle SEO They are not the same as those presented in the original SERP, but they imply the same Search Intent.
34. Owning a YouTube channel, doing SEO for video, structured data (key moments)... Identify Creators to carry out Barnacle SEO and co- marketing actions.
35. It's important to devote the same attention to SEO for YouTube as we do for Search. The Messy Middle includes any Google property that can feed searches.
36. Also in this case, to be present as much as possible in the potential stages of the Messy Middle, it is necessary to rely on true influencers with real visibility both on YouTube and in the box/carousel videos.
37. YouTube itself provides us with potential contacts for outreach. Also, consider not only current visibility, but also over time. The best are the Creators with evergreen videos.
38. Sometimes, Google prominently presents us with the most important related ones, and that we must target with the same attention as the main one. These are more than keywords; they are the most relevant sub- entities associated with ours.
39. ¿Es este tipo de análisis valido también en otros ámbitos? TOTALMENTE ¡¡WTF!!
40. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 All the SERP features that we found are a potential step forward in the Messy Middle.
43. Entity Attribute Related Entity Google Lens > Multisearch > Multisearch Near Me > MUM
46. MULTISEARCH https://blog.google/products/search/multisearch/
47. MULTISEARCH NEAR ME
48. SCENE EXPLORATION
49. What about Voice Search? Remember… Conversational Search was the first attempt to target the Messy Middle https://blog.google/products/assistant/assistant-io-2022/
50. MUM, with the ability it offers to use images, text and voice more fluidly at the same time, is nothing more than a further enhancement of features already available in part from separatly.
51. But, MUM is not only this. MUM is strictly tied to entity search, and that's why we have even more Messy Middle with ”Broaden This Search” and “Refine This Search”
52. And this without counting all the other SERPS’ features and personalization
53. ‘We’re fucked’’ (an SEO)
54. ‘’ May the Entity Search be with you, always’’
55. S T A R W A R S L E G I O N TABLETOP GAME TERRAIN PAD MINIS ARMIES HEROES CARDS RULES REBELS STORMTROOPERS LUKE SKYWALKER DARTH VADER FIGURE PAINTING GUIDES EXPERTS PAINTS FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES (MANUFACTURER)
56. S T A R W A R S L E G I O N TABLETOP GAME TERRAIN PAD MINIS ARMIES HEROES CARDS RULES REBELS STORMTROOPERS LUKE SKYWALKER DARTH VADER FIGURE PAINTING GUIDES EXPERTS PAINTS FANTASY FLIGHT GAMES (MANUFACTURER) ’’PRODUCT’’ CRITICAL REVIEWS BLOGS MAGAZINES VIDEOS SHOPPING GRAPH MERCHANTS UGC REVIEWS EXPERTS JOURNALISTS CREATORS
57. This is the way
58. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 MESSY MIDDLE (and MUM) It is the realm of Entity Search, and the queries/keywords represent only one element.
59. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 The ‘’0 click SERPs’’ they are a consequence of the Messy Middle (and MUM).
60. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 But the mistake is forgetting that what matters is not the specific search, but the search session. The SEO contribution to traffic in an indirect way is going to have a similar weight to the direct contribution.
61. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 That is why it is essential to always be present throughout the entire search session with our resources and those that most influence our potential users.
62. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 And that is why it is essential that we as SEOs work so that our brand (core entity) is considered the most Expert, Authoritative and Trusted (E-A-T).
63. Post credit sequence
64. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22 The SEO is also here and the Page Experience reports are his Book: • Core Web Vitals • Mobile-Friendly • HTTPS
65. OH MY MUM! HOW TO DO THINK SEO IN THE ERA OF AI ALGORITHMS GIANLUCA FIORELLI ILoveSEO.net @gfiorelli1 for #SOB22