Paul Bongers, Search metrics London : "we need to change the way we think SEO."

Paul Bongers works for Searmetrics London as Global sucess manager. The international enterprise, founded in 2007 by Marcus Tober, provides SEO platform for search engine optimization tools. Paul was at the SEO Camp’us 2014. And he gave us really good insights into the process of managing SEO content after Google Hummingbird. I went to ask him a few more questions at the end of the conference. Here are his answers for you !

Hello Paul, can you tell us how we need to create SEO web content after Google Hummingbird ?
Well, I think we need to change the way we think SEO. People ask themselves questions when using search engines. We have to answer those questions. Google wants to deliver a relevant search result, so it will push web content that correctly answers to users’ intentions. The fact that keywords are “not provided” might actually give us a good opportunity to change our content strategy. We can build something new, and more efficient.

What do you mean exactly ?
Do keywords matter after Google Hummingbird ? Yes, but we need to think thematically, holistically. A web page should address a set of keywords around a user intention. We need to gather multiple questions on the same user intention and then make sure those questions are answered on one strong page. This will then create powerful SEO web page on a theme. We need to target people, not keywords. The SEO manager should ask himself “how can I best satisfy the users’ search ?” And then “when I am found, how do I deliver the best results ?”

Can you give us an example ?
Google rewards when a search leads to the right stage of the buying circle. So we have to think web content so that it matches the buying cycle :
> awareness
> interest
> action

Every stage of the buying circle is connected to questions. Let’s imagine someone who doesn’t know at all about smart phones. First of all, this customer will try to find information about brands. Which brands are the best, the more reliable, for this kind of goods ? It’s quite hard to measure brand awareness. But you need to deliver this generic content on your website, to build specific pages that will react to those types of broad questions.

As a brand you need to be found in the awareness stage, or you will not be deemed relevant.

Then your customer wants to have more information on this smart phone. What kind of phone matches his need ? Then you have to deliver results for people who looks for more specific answers : budget, size, so on.

In the end, your customer wants to buy the smartphone ! He will make a very precise request. You’d better have a very well designed and written product page where the customer’s needs will be satisfied.

Thank you Paul, for answering Plume Interactive questions :-)

More on Plume Interactive
Gerry McGovern : "I would never design a website from a purely SEO point of view."

En français
Le SEO Camp'us Paris 2014 vu par une rédactrice web