Both giants, Apple and Google are always raising the bar regarding new technologies, and when it comes to SEO, they’re leading the pack and shaking up things a lot.
This time around, Apple and Google are focusing on apps as a primary parameter for indexing search results. This throws a monkey wrench big time in the SEO world as now the pros have to restructure their game plans across the board.
What it means in essence is that the use of apps will give both companies better insight into what surfers are doing and why. It’s sort of part of their game plan for focusing on engagement more than how well one’s website is structured for SEO. You have to still follow the basics of SEO with no black hat ricks, but this time, your future depends on what apps your surfers are using that are relevant to your site’s subject matter.
Let’s take a look hat how this applies. Let’s say there’s an app that focuses on finding the nearest restaurants that serve lobster at the cheapest price. This is where local SEO comes in a swell as the big mobile market that is taking over. The app looks for the pertinent data that reflects what your site focuses on. People might go to Google and search, but with the new focus on apps, those apps might be far more precise and more popular in use and by their parameters, focus on location, zip code, address, name, products, down to the last molecule. If your competitors have better and more precise and relevant data than you, this app might target them more. In addition, Google and Apple might rely on the metrics of the app to determine how popular your site is as well as how much engagement is going on regarding the app, similar businesses in the area and yours. If the app is showing more interest in you, you get the high ground. If not, your competitors win out.
The plus side to this is obvious. Instead of scrounging through tons of data via their search options, both companies can allow the apps to do it for them. The apps collect metrics and those compiled figures give a profile of what people like, do, and engage in. It’s basically letting the app do all the work. This allows for Google and Apple to quickly gather that data and incorporate it efficiently into their search results. Add to that Google’s Penguin, Panda, and other software, and you’re talking about search data on a massive scale that is automatically sifted through and compiled in relevance and popularity.
With that kind of efficiency, it will be difficult to compromise. As security and advancement continues, the apps themselves will be sharper, and more fine tuned thus providing greater results. SEO pros can only take advantage of this by making sure their sites are professional, and most of all, mobile friendly.
Keep an eye out for the new apps procedures. It’s the wave of the future.