As we tend to spend our time scanning and processing data such as keyword analysis and ranking reports, competitor analysis and PPC campaign results statistics. However, we can glean much from simply keeping our eyes open every day.
Here are four trends you’ve surely spotted as you commute to work, chat with friends, family, colleagues and business partners, read newspapers and magazines, and watch television.
People are Spoilt for Choice
Just think a scant decade ago, if you wanted to buy a t-shirt. You’d jump in your car or stroll down to the shops, browse the racks and pick up one you liked. Now the world’s your oyster.
Just fire up your browser and you’ll find t-shirts of all colours, materials and designs. Place your order and it’ll arrive at your door in a few days. Visit sites such as Amazon and you’ll be served up stacks of recommended additional purchases. It’s enough to make your head spin.
SEO Takeaway
One side effect of too much choice is confusion and confused people don’t buy. Make sure your clients’ websites don’t overwhelm with choice. Offering a selection of three items is far more likely to lead to a sale than a selection of ten.
Clear navigation also helps, with categories clearly marked out.
People are Drowning in Info
Today’s consumers have a mass of information at their fingertips, so much so that they’re overwhelmed and unable to make a decision.
SEO Takeaway
In most cases, visitors to your clients’ sites aren’t looking for more information, they’re looking for guidance. They desperate for advice from someone who understands them and can recommend the best solutions for their needs. Help them (and your client) by publishing engaging content that shows visitors that your clients’ products are just what they’re looking for.
They’re Timestrapped
As result of all these choices and because of the complexity of the modern workplace, today’s consumers are constantly short of time. They get pulled in all directions by new options for work, study and play.
Application
When designing web sites for your clients, get to the point fast. Make sure you’re catering to all kinds of visitors from browsers all the way through to those tapping their credit cards on the keyboard. Make it clear what the user has to do and what he gets. Confuse them for a moment and you’ve lost them forever.
If you want to see how to do all the above well, just check the Amazon.com website. Browsers can read specs and reviews, comparison shoppers can run through their options, and buyers can just click and order.
The next shift in SEO might not manifest itself on your computer monitor but out there in the real world. Make sure you’re primed to notice it.
