Digital search

Five digital marketing and search trends for 2020

A new year (not to mention decade!) is always a chance to look ahead, reflect and plan for what it may bring. That applies as much to shifts in digital marketing and search as to anything else.

Here we’ve compiled some trends to keep an eye out for in 2020:

  • Voice search

More than half (55%) of households are expected to own smart speaker devices by 2022. And, by as soon as 2020, half of all searches will be voice-activated. That means organising your content for voice search must be a priority. Remember that search language is likely to be more natural when people speak their query – so people say ‘What is the weather like in Miami today?’ but might type ‘weather Miami’ in a regular search.

  • Social messaging apps

Industry insiders reckon we’ll see brands increasingly using social messaging apps to communicate with their customers in 2020, even if they’ve already been around for a while. These apps can help make your marketing highly personalised, while offering a handy way for your customers to be directly in touch with your brand. They’re also becoming more popular than social media platforms – so message marketing should form a key element of your overall strategy.

A global study from Facebook IQ, for example, found that 56% of us would rather message a business than call it.

Be guided by the work you’re already doing with email marketing – and use messaging to build one-to-one relationships with your target audience.

  • Peer reviews will grow in importance

One recent consumer study by Edelman found that more than three-quarters (77%) of consumers described peer reviews as deciding factors in their brand decisions. Perhaps because it has become such a central theme in our politics, trust is becoming increasingly important. And positive reviews are key sources of confidence for modern consumers. Encourage reviews, act on feedback and respond swiftly to reviews which are not positive.

Equally, many brands use influencers as a way of engaging with customers online, and that’s another trend that’s set to continue well into next year.

  • Interactive content

It’s harder than ever to make your voice heard above the noise, but interactive content helps. Online shoppers are constantly looking for more interactive content as a way of engaging with a brand. Being interactive draws users into the content, and with a little creative flair, can do a lot to develop bonds between your brand and your customers.

So, in 2020, think videos, quizzes, polls and the like.

  • Visual search

Thanks to Pinterest, Google Lens and Bing, it’s now more possible than ever to upload a picture to a search engine to get a page of results. This opens up new possibilities, such as someone uploading a picture of a garment and receiving styling tips, or an image of an ingredient to get cooking inspiration.

And this could be one of the big SEO trends in 2020, so optimise content with an eye for visual search to gain more clicks.

Finally of course, if you don’t have a mobile site in 2020, or it’s broken or incomplete, you’re likely to be rewarded with a ranking penalty on your desktop site. Conversely, a functioning, engaging mobile site can give you a rankings boost. Although mobile search seems second nature now, don‘t forget its importance.

At Front Page, we can help you capitalise on these trends so you hit the ground running in 2020. Give us a call to discuss any of them in more detail – and Happy New Year!