Death to Keywords: The Rise of Contextual Search

Contextual SearchGoogle has been working on new algorithms that change the nature of search and the way that search engine bots find results when a search is performed. Instead of relying primarily on keywords, searches are now moving toward contextual, or semantic, search. This changes the focus to user intent and context rather than just the targeted keywords. How does this affect your marketing?

For starters, you should know that contextual entity searches are more accurate methods for bots to determine user intent and provide the best verified sources to answer the query. People are still primarily using keywords, however, to conduct searches, according to most SEO companies. People like keyword searches because they’re simple. They are, however, starting to add more complex details and long-tail searches to their keywords in an attempt to get better results. This can affect the way that your site ranks if you are only optimizing for keywords rather than for context.

While users are still reliant on keywords for the most part, search engines are delivering more results that are contextually relevant in addition to keyword relevance. They are looking for less manipulation and more natural language, but it doesn’t change the way that you optimize content for the most part. In fact, even with semantic search, any SEO company will tell you that the advice is the same:

-Know your audience
-Don’t overdo it with keywords
-Consider the intent of users

Keywords do still have some value, as they are the main expression of user intent, but they are only a starting point. Today’s SEO companies offer a broader approach to optimized marketing, focusing more on context, topics, and semantics. Keywords aren’t dead, and will probably never totally die, but they are not the focus anymore.

Put simply, the new focus on contextual search is all about figuring out (or guessing) a user’s intent and delivering relevant results that come from context rather than just keywords. Basically, this means that if you are to succeed with marketing, you have to understand how your audience’s thought process works when using search engines. An SEO company can help you get the best results from contextual marketing and changing trends in internet marketing.

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