Alan Turing was the mathematician famous for breaking the Nazi’s original Enigma code during World War II. But years after the war ended, he theorized that at some point artificial intelligence would develop the ability to think on its own. He proposed something he called “the imitation game” (yes, also the movie title), where an artificial intelligence could be interviewed blindly and appear to be human. The film Ex Machina also borrowed from this theory.

Despite Turing’s efforts – illustrating nine different significant objections to artificial intelligence – since his death in 1954, scientists and engineers have worked to develop true machine or artificial intelligences. The most recent work has been with neural networks. And they’ve come a long way, at least in theory.

Bert, Engage With Ernie

Back in November of 2018, Google released a new open source algorithm on GitHub. They named it “Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers,” or BERT for short. BERT was a neural network that utilized Natural Language Processing (NLP) to, for all intents and purposes, “learn” users languages.

Essentially, the algorithm, instead of just sending out a search for a string of terms, started looking “both ways.” By examining the search string and trying to determine the relationship between words, it learns what users are ‘really’ searching for, and how they speak.

The BERT neural network algorithm radically improved search results. And the underlying algorithms and updates Google made continued to help BERT learn and improve. Every day, BERT’s ability to understand what it thinks you’re looking for does provide better search results for most people. And it made other aspects of our lives easier too.

Hey, Siri, Call Alexa, Okay, Google?

While SIRI dates back to 2010, a funny thing happened on Christmas morning, 2017. A LOT of people found smart speakers under the tree. Amazon Echo’s, Google Home’s, Google Assistants, and more. And as I talked about in detail last year, these voice-activated personal digital assistants have revolutionized search. Additionally, they “speak” in more normal human language. BERT uses NLP to better comprehend what you’re asking for, calculates the best response, based on its programming and what it knows about you, and spits out a response formatted to sound more human-like.

And while the system is still based on data and number crunching, the algorithm comprehends you, uses its knowledge of you, and answers you. And it’s not giving you a menu of possible answers – it gives one response – or asks for more information. That seems much more like thinking than a lot of people on social media are prone to.

While no one will mistake Alexa or Cortana for being human, they are closer than you may think. In fact, the mechanical sounding voice may be there on purpose to disguise how well they DO understand our queries.

By the time we hit 2020, an estimated 3.25 Billion smart speakers were in use across the globe.

Revolutionizing Marketing Mock-Up

Despite literally hundreds of changes to the Google search algorithms and operations ranking each year, some marketers are still under the impression that keyword farming is the best approach. Keyword farming or blasting is focusing on words and small phrases that identify your business – or at least you think they do. But search engine optimization in the 21^st century is so much more than that. And I hate to keep harping on this, but I still see it happening so much, I want to make things clear.

In the old days of search, search engines, including Google, were limited to offering results that exactly matched the keywords plugged into them. But that changed twenty years ago! The reason Google survived and the majority of other search engines disappeared or were absorbed by companies like Microsoft, is because they actively looked for ways to deliver better search results to the end user.

One of the things that really advanced them ahead in a race they had already jumped several laps ahead in was machine learning. They analyzed what people searched for and why. They realized, as we pointed out nearly 20 years ago, that average people weren’t stringing together keywords. Nor were they always searching for businesses. They were looking for solutions.

A few people search for “obedience schools in my area.” But there are FAR more people searching for “how to stop my dog from barking.” I should also point out that in the past, “in my area” actually meant “in Austin, Texas,” or “in Sarasota, Florida.” But now thanks to BERT, Google understands “in my area” to be literally within a certain area around where you physically are when you ask. You don’t have to specify.

But Wait, There’s More

Before BERT came RankBrain, which analyzed past searches and identifies which words and phrases best match that search, even if they don’t match exactly or have never been searched. It couldn’t understand the context of the search phrase, but could estimate the efficacy of the results. Using that, it “knows” the likelihood of its response being what you were looking for.

And guess what? RankBrain is still in effect. It works both in conjunction with and separately from BERT. By uniting the two algorithms, Google can judge your website – does it answer the question being searched for? Or does it just have a few of the random terms? Guess which one gets top billing on the search results page…

Now, Google is leveraging all of that for its most ambitious new code ever. RankBrain cranked the knob to 9. BERT took it to 11. But this summer, the knob is getting ripped off. Subtle changes are already being rolled out as I type this. But come May 2021, Page Experience takes center stage. Google wants to make sure the search results you get are the best – especially if you leave their page.

So Google will now factor in load speed, size of graphics, responsive design (for mobile access), and most of all – usefulness in your website. A landing page is not good enough. Your design can be simple, but it must be robust and beneficial to the searcher. So the address and phone number of your obedience school and some puppy pictures are not enough.

Now more than ever, YOU NEED CONTENT.

You need to be posting on a periodic basis, value adding content that answers questions your ideal customers are asking. You can start by asking them! You’ll need to develop a profile of that ideal customer – demographics, psychographics, as much specific data as you can muster. You need to speak in a language they understand. And you need to do it again and again and again.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you’re in luck. We’ve built our business helping small businesses find and target those ideal customers. We can help you build a profile or teach you how to begin the process. We also have expert writers on staff who can take your ideal customer, and start answering the questions they’re asking.

So when Google’s bots crawl over your site, they mark it as useful, valuable, essential. We’ve literally had clients who, in just a couple of months, moved to the top of Google search results for their ideal customers. And that was in the old days – now our methods work faster and harder for you.

Let us help you prepare for the new Google rollout, and excel in all of your digital marketing. Please reach out for more details. Let’s Grow The Dream together!

But how does this affect you as an entrepreneur? Simply put, the continued rise of podcasting can benefit businesses that know how to take advantage of it, just as much as Hollywood does.

Numbers Don’t Lie

If you had any doubt, a recent report by Edison Research shows that interest in and listeners to podcasts are both continuing to rise, nearly exponentially. There’s a reason iHeart radio stations remind you once an hour that their app has podcasts (40% of people who don’t listen think they have to pay).

About 32% of the United States population listens to a podcast once a month. That’s about 90-million listeners to draw from. The breakdown of listeners by gender is almost perfectly 50/50. Ages 18-54 make up 75% of listeners. Podcast listeners are more highly educated and earn more. Some 41% of monthly listeners earn more than $75-thousand a year – almost twice the national income numbers. And the number of people who sample podcasts and convert to monthly or weekly listeners is increasing, while people leaving podcasts behind is sharply declining.

I’m not going to go into all the numbers, but I encourage you to check out the full Infinite Dial report. They didn’t do a follow-up survey this year. But if you consider the balance of people’s additional free time at home versus those who listened during their commute, I’d wager the numbers stayed the same.

Story Works

Additionally, we know from other market research that in today’s world more than ever, consumers want to know and have a relationship with companies they do business with. And nothing builds relationship faster or more efficiently than story.

There’s a joke in my household that DJ Khaled’s only contribution to projects is coming in and shouting his name. But much like the Kardashians, he has built a brand just on being himself and people being drawn to his personality and transparency. He is his story – authentic and real. Whether you’re a fan or not, you know exactly who he is.

One undeniable key to success is to embrace and tell your story – just as consistently and authentically as DJ Khaled and others. It’s one of the reasons Tik Tok took off here. Instagram and Facebook may have started and branded “stories,” but Tik Tok defined the way people share their lives and stories.

But I’m not here to talk about social media. Hopefully, if you’ve been reading this blog or following our #StrategyStream, you know that content is king. Podcasting takes that content – those stories of you and your business – and jacks them up to the next level.

Content Capitalized

Blog posts are great, essential and can convey story brilliantly. But the human voice can convey much more meaning through tone and inflection than the printed word ever can. One of the other reasons Hollywood is drawn to podcasts over original screenplays is because they don’t have to read them. They can hear them. If they lack imagination, the written word might not convey the emotion of the story. But when they listen, it comes through without even trying.

The same thing is true for your content. Whether you’re working B2B and speaking to other business owners, or B2C and reaching consumers, most of them don’t have time to read. The exception being those who are looking for answers to specific questions, which is why we target them. But as listeners, they hear the emotion, inflection, passion in your voice. And that’s worth a month of posts – especially if you’re doing the podcast weekly or more frequently. Another bonus – podcasts also help build your search results.

You already know the stories to tell. You’ve been writing about them. You’ve built them into the DNA of your customer interactions. If you did our recommended strategic work, you’ve already found ways to integrate who you are and who you serve into the story of your company. So share it.

And no, it doesn’t matter if you feel like you’re repeating yourself. Many people who listen to podcasts do so because they lack time or interest in reading. And if your story is compelling, you can tell it many times over without boring anyone. In fact, doing it on a podcast, again allows your passion to bleed through into their ears. And little is more compelling and attractive than passion.

Learning Curve

I have some good news for you. If you are one of our clients, or just have been following along and doing the strategic work on your own, you are ahead of the game. One of the biggest hurdles many new podcasters face is what to talk about and who their audience is. You already know that. And if you don’t, check out our past #StrategyStreams or drop us a line. We are here to help.

Technology is the other hurdle you may be facing. Both I and our fearless leader, David G Johnson, have a background in radio. So it’s easier for us to talk about and institute podcasting. While we aren’t recording new episodes, you can always check out the past episodes of The Grow The Dream Show. Or, if you’re like many entrepreneurs and suffer even a little ADHD, you can check out David’s current podcast, Kick Some ADHD.

But if you don’t have that background, you can check out these posts on Launching a Podcast for less than $200 and How to host your Podcasting files for low cost. For newcomers to the podcasting world, I recommend you sample a few. Listen to how they structure their podcast, figure out how you want to go, and dive in. The enemy of procrastination is action. Which is why I’m going to bring this article to a close and go work on my personal podcast.

Podding Along

However you slice it, storytelling is an essential for business success. And podcasts can be a part of that story telling strategy – and help hone your storytelling skills. Brevity is the soul of wit, as Shakespeare can tell you.

Podcasts can promote your business, and help establish your credibility and your value in the business world. The stories you tell give you a leg up on the competition. After all, even if there are 100 companies out there that do what you do, your story makes you unique. And people need your uniqueness.

If you’d like help getting your podcasting off the ground, or would like to improve your strategy and content game period, I hope you’ll reach out. Small businesses are the key to our success and we’d love to help you with yours!

Well, they’ve announced major changes coming in May of 2021 – the first time, to my knowledge, that they’ve been quite so open and specific. There have always been changes, some major, more minor, that the geniuses at Alphabet have instituted over the years. The majority have been for the purpose of making Google more valuable – presenting better and more relevant results. This update is different in that respect too. Google appears to be making the changes, not just to bolster their own effectiveness, but to give their users what they want, even if they struggle to express themselves.

It’s a welcome change, if it truly works the way they say it will – one of the biggest hurdles of the Internet these days is just the massive overload of information. It’s harder to find the exact thing you’re looking for, because there’s just so much else out there.

And Google’s efforts so far haven’t really effectively curbed that problem, and often sometimes have even exacerbated it. From AI-aided autocorrecting, to adding additional words to search, to altering the search string based on location and previous user search trends – all of these have backfired at some point. The hope is that the new algorithm roll-out is “smarter” than past efforts and truly helps.

Oh, and some bright news, if you’re like me. When the new update rolls out, Google AMP is going away.

Putting the UX in Crux

If you’re not a retail-oriented business, UX might be a new term for you. But it’s one all small businesses need to learn and understand. UX stands for User Experience and, as I hinted at, comes out of the retail business – previously it was termed CX, or Customer Experience.

But UX is so much more than customer service, store layouts and reward card functionality. Google has already been testing and partially implementing what they call “UX Signals.” When the new rollout hits, they will become Core Web Vitals – and be across the board.

I’m not going to go into the technical details, you can click the link for that, but essentially Google is going to rank higher websites that load faster and more efficiently. And they’re also favoring – no surprise here – sites that work best on mobile devices.

Think with Google found that 39% of people are more likely to browse or shop with a mobile app, while half won’t buy from a poorly designed site. 33% will go somewhere else if they can’t find what they need easily. And 60% will reach out from the search results.

I hope this gets back to some major retail and grocery chains, and most of the restaurants, who, while adapting their apps for COVID-19, have made it nearly impossible to just shop or price compare, without jumping through hoops.

Just as a real world example, I was looking for an app for my iPhone to cast to my GoogleTV. I downloaded maybe a dozen. Of that, two worked – and only after I’d upgraded to the paid version. Statista found that 25% of mobile apps were downloaded and used once before they were abandoned, presumably because of their poor user experience. Rather than continuing to frustrate searchers, those results will drop to the bottom of the search results.

Fighting Over Semantics

As I mentioned earlier, sometimes Google’s attempts to “help” you search just become irritating. The hope is that semantic search can improve on the idea of searching in context, without giving back a lot of useless results.

I talked about the trends briefly a few months back when I discussed how voice search is affecting the questions people want to get answers to. Specifically, even more so than in the past, the average person isn’t searching for a string of keywords and phrases – they’re literally asking questions.

There’s been an 85% increase in searches starting with the phrase “can I.” And the phrases “should I” and “do I need” have both increased by 65%. Conversational questions. And while my Amazon Echo Dot still gets confused when I say “please,” there’s no putting this genie back into the bottle.

Almost 70% of all Google searches, according to Think With Google, are expressed in natural language. And Google execs say that 15% of all of the billions of daily searches are still phrased in new ways. The next step in semantics is not just overcoming bad spelling and grammar, but language barriers. Just watch.

This is the Way

The most interesting development coming out of this Google reworking is that now major SEO companies are turning away from keyword hell and starting to embrace the very principles Grow the Dream has been teaching for almost 25 years.

I’m going to quote from an article, just to prove it’s not me – this is the advice now being given by SEO-based digital marketing companies to their clients.

“First and foremost, how and why do your users search for your content? What answers, information, content, or even experience are your target audiences likely looking for? How can you create authoritative, enriching content to meet the demands of these prospects, customers, clients, and partners?”

If that looks familiar to you, then you’ve been paying attention. That is almost word for word the strategy I have recommended in countless articles, and that we teach every week on our #StrategyStream (when we’re not on holiday hiatus).

When it comes to semantic search, the major SEO companies now recommend people-targeted content that answers questions; topic optimization; and internal linking. Add in measurable results, and you have the Grow the Dream strategic approach in its simplest form. While others are scrambling to catch up and rediscover dwindling organic search results, our clients are still thriving during this economic downturn.

If you’d like help walking through the steps of strategic digital marketing; identifying and targeting your ideal customers; or creating consistent content that draws ideal searchers to your website, please reach out. We’ve built our business and reputation on helping small businesses grow and thrive and we’d love to help you do the same!

Then in March of 2020, the global pandemic struck our shores and guess what..? No, there’s no M. Night Shyamalan twist here. The answer is exactly what you think it is – all that rapidly accelerated. Most stores and other retail outlets shuttered or severely cut back hours and the majority of Americans sheltered at home. Amazon’s value shot through the roof – even when their supply chains got cut short. And then they accelerated their latest delivery system – sidestepping traditional shipping companies and offering jobs to thousands of people.

As I’ve said before – having an Internet presence is no longer optional – it’s necessary. The balance of power had already started to shift – now it’s inevitable.

A social media presence is also needed, but those can no longer be relied upon to be your sole point of online contact. The platforms make the algorithms and the rules, and they can and DO change them at a moment’s notice. Whether you primarily service Business to Consumer (B2C) or Business to Business (B2B) customers, the time will come very soon where you cannot function, let alone survive, without a website and a digital marketing strategy.

There is Only Zuul

Earlier this week, Ad Week published an article that talked about Amazon’s 37% leap in year-to-year sales in the third quarter – still growing after most retail shops reopened. A large part of that is attributed to Amazon Prime sales and convenience. And why not? If I have the option of Amazon sending me my over the counter heartburn medication or herbal supplements for the same price – or often considerably cheaper – on a regular schedule, for free why wouldn’t I save a trip to the store in a last minute panic ‘cause I’ve just run out?

The same article cited a statistic that people looking to buy in 2019, were nearly three times as likely to start their searches on Amazon than Google. Amazon recently released new tools for their advanced third party sellers to track the touchpoints of the funnel leading to an Amazon sale.

And I’m guessing within the next 10 years, Amazon will shift even further – still selling everything, but bifurcated into a virtual online mall. You’ll be able to shop at Amazon retail, like a colossal WalMart in the cloud, AND at your favorite side retailers. And companies like Simon and Westfield will be struggling to survive.

Your Own Personal Vinz Clortho

So how do you, as a single company or entrepreneur, stand out amongst the new giants of commerce? A properly executed digital marketing strategy gives you a whole ring of keys to open those proverbial gates.

Maybe it’s easier to notice with the rise of virtual assistants and voice search, among other things? But it’s amazing to me that people are still just now noticing, recognizing or admitting what we’ve been teaching small business owners for nearly 20 years now. I guess that gave our clients an unfair? advantage. One that you can now get for free – the only cost is time. I’ll explain more at the end of the article.

Regardless, I’m seeing more and more people talk about using keywords the right way. Not the game-the-system attempts of yesteryear, where keywords were splattered across a seemingly blank page, or blogs and social posts littered with apparently random keywords or #hashtags.

No, as we’ve been telling people for decades, and people like Neil Patel chime in on every few years – long tail keywords are, well, key. And I know it may seem counterintuitive on its face. Yes, using specific, targeted long tail keywords and phrases generates less search traffic. But that traffic is at least twice as likely to convert – often within just one or two visits.

Specificity is the key. As I mentioned earlier (or you can check out this article for an in-depth examination), voice search has changed, or rather honed the way we search. More than a third of all Google searches contain four words or more – and are often phrased in the form of a question.

How We Do Things Downtown

The easiest and simplest way to bring ready-to-buy clients and consumers to your website is to create content that answers the questions they are asking. Sure, in 1999, someone might have searched Google for “dog obedience schools.” But they were – and still are – more likely to search for “how to stop my dog from barking all night.” Or “how to housetrain my poodle.” Or “What can I do to stop my dog from romancing my boyfriend’s leg?”

People don’t look on Google for information anymore. Which is probably a good thing because we’re in overload right now. But they do ask Google for solutions to their problems. And if you’ve got a dog obedience school, the best way to help your customers find you is to answer those questions.

You do that in a blog post – you may even tell them how to do it without you. And guess what, that means some people who come to your site aren’t going to buy your product or service. But they were never going to. And the ones who are ready to buy, will. And some of the first group may come back after they find themselves overwhelmed by the DIY solution. After all, they already found you and you offered them a solution that didn’t require paying you – that added value is priceless. This is why we say content is king.

Now, not everyone has a dog obedience school, with obvious problems and pain points to address. But every company has a niche audience they serve…a narrow grouping of ideal customers, who they serve perfectly. You aim for those bullseye customers, and you’ll attract additional potential buyers on the outskirts. Either way, you’re literally in business.

Crossing the Streams

I’m not going to go into every aspect of developing a digital marketing strategy in one article. But here’s something to keep in mind – we follow the same timeless principles that we teach. A quick site search and you’ll find all the pieces – everything to develop a marketing strategy on your own.

But we didn’t stop there. As our way of giving back to the small business community that helped us Grow our Dream, we’re giving back during these troubling times. You don’t have to wait to go back to the office – or even quit your nine to five – remote or not – position. You just need to sacrifice one lunch hour a week.

Every Wednesday at 1pm Eastern, we host what we call #StrategyStream. Our chief educator David G. Johnson, walks you through the strategic marketing process that he taught the Ziglar Corporation and Michael Pink’s clients among many others. We’ve legitimately charged thousands of dollars for this training in the past – even without our help implementing it. Now you can get it for free. And if you need implementation help, well, we can talk about that too.

Don’t let your entrepreneurial dreams die because of time, money or the global pandemic. Grow the Dream with us.

“According to a two-thousand sixteen report from ComScore-dot-com, by twenty-twenty, fifty-percent of all Internet searches will be done by voice.”

“Alexa, is that the most accurate representation of the data?”

“I am not sure I understand you, but it is estimated that by the end of this year, there will be eighty-three-point-one million smart speaker users – or thirty percent of all Internet users. Is that what you are asking about?”

“Hey Siri, how many iPhone users use voice search?”

“The closest Apple Store to you is 3.4 miles away. It is rated 4.1 stars. Is that the one you would like directions to?”

But Seriously, Voice Searches?

ComScore’s oft-quoted “50% of all Internet searches will be done by voice,” originally stated in a September 2014 interview about Baidu (the top search engine in China), has been taken WAY out of context and has long past ceased being relevant.  

But the truth of the matter is that Google and Bing are both working to adapt their algorithms to accommodate more plain speech queries. Whether the growth of smart devices and the AI’s that attempt to answer their questions, is still relevant in 2020 is not the question we should be asking.

The fact is, with the proliferation of these devices, as well as the ease of access to Siri, Cortana and more, people are altering their search strings, even when they’re not utilizing voice searches.

Location, Location, Location

This shouldn’t be a surprise – we’ve been talking for years about how the traditional view of keywords and SEO is outdated. Google has changed their algorithm hundreds of times, so making sure your site ranks high for “obedience school” or “pest control,” isn’t helpful – and, if approached poorly, may actually cause your site to drop lower in search results.

People aren’t looking for keywords and the latest hot terms in your industry. They don’t think like you – you need to think like them. And what people want most is solutions. “How do I make my puppy stop chewing my shoes?” or “How do I get rid of ants in my kitchen?” are perfect examples.

The nice thing is, because of the growth of voice searches, the search engines now tend to give preferential attention to local results. That means that they offer higher rankings to the results that give the answers, but also to those that are geographically close to the searcher’s location, assuming they know it (and they usually do).

Setting the Tone

The other factor is probably the one that led you here. The title of this article purports to answer a question. Which it does – with hopefully a helpful answer. I use a mixture of storytelling, humor and concrete, but relatable statistics to answer that question. And I use a conversational voice and tone.

This approach not only increases the value of the answers provided, but because it’s more relaxed and uses everyday language, it’s more likely to align with Google’s semantics-oriented searches. It also makes it more accessible to the reader and hopefully easier to understand, even when I’m flexing my vocabulary.

The Tail Wags the Dog

On the off-chance I haven’t made it clear enough, the search results that rank highest on Google and other search engines tend to have what we call longer tails. While individual key words in a search string might pop out some results, it’s long-tail answers that get the most attention, because Google sees them as more relevant.

In fact, for the page that answers a search query in the most specific way, Google will highlight it as a “Featured Snippet.”

Neil Patel advocated this years ago, and his blog posts, which always rank high, tend to be 2-5000 words long, establishing their authority in the answer. His work bypasses the Featured Snippet section and ranks even higher – as a “In-Depth Article” on a particular topic.

Google knows its users. And whether they’re searching from their phone, their desktop computer, or their smart speaker, they’re going to do their best to offer answers to their questions.

This is why we focus so strongly on a strategic approach here at Grow the Dream.

If you know who your ideal customer is, and what they are searching for, you can target them with answers to those questions in conversational tone in a content blog just like this one. If you’re still unsure on how to do this, or need help working out the strategy or creating powerful content posts, please reach out. We’d love to help you find your way.

“I don’t see Grow the Dream in your contacts. Would you like to add them?”