When we talk about SEO, we tend to think about having only one object to study: Google.
Undoubtedly, the Mountain View giant is the search engine par excellence but, as already analysed in other in-depth studies – for example, the white paper on Amazon SEO – we are now heading for a greater fragmentation of online search, with no offence to Big G’s monopoly.
It is not a matter of abstractions made by industry operators, but users are the ones who say so: 55% of web users on an international level claim to start their product search directly in Amazon, just like those searching for a video do directly on Youtube, etc.
Optimizing horizontal search is always a good starting point for the specific SEO for vertical engines.
To avoid any doubt, with this article we are not telling you that traditional SEO is obsolete, nor that you should forget Google, Bing, Yahoo and other “horizontal” engines. Of course, the best practices of “traditional” optimisation are always valid and continue to be the optimal and indispensable starting point.
What is changing in web marketing? The rise of vertical search engines means that companies are becoming increasingly aware of their channels and understanding their target, which, for us who do this job, results in a constant improvement of optimisation techniques specific to each engine. So here we are, exploring the vast and fragmented universe of VSO = Vertical Search Optimization.
Vertical motors: how and what are users looking for?
Quite simply, a vertical engine is the perfect tool to search for a specific type of result. As mentioned above, users will use Amazon to search for a product, especially if they already have in mind what they need – not requiring general information about the article – and are oriented towards immediate conversion.
It is essential to know the search habits of users in relation to their business: there may be margins of untapped “verticality”.
Vertical search is catching on because the search habits of users, whi are always-on and connected mostly by mobile devices, are changing. Per se, these are already more refined searches broken down by platform: they no longer go from the general (Google search) to the particular (vertical search), but they skip the first step, thus demonstrating a greater knowledge of the different channels in relation to their needs.
Vertical Search Optimization: tell me what you’re optimising and I’ll tell you how to
Google News and Google Images
Let’s continue with Google for a moment and analyse the vertical channels already made available by Big G: Google News and Google Images. How many times as a user have you ever filtered by news or images the content you’ve been looking for? Countless, without a doubt, and without even thinking about it, as proof of the increased awareness of the web audience in finding the best solution channels/search needs.
A slow and inexorable evolution has favoured the transition from “Google Play Newsstand” in Google News, which has become a single centre for finding the latest news divided by category. After recent criticism by US president Trump on the fact that Google is “rigged”, top management in Mountain View have responded by denying any manipulation, indeed, claiming that the continuous algorithmic updates are going precisely in the direction of promoting the quality, relevance and objectivity of results.
Another important issue related to the issue “news” is AMPs, the Accelerated Mobile Pages that we spoke about recently in a dedicated blogpost.
With regard to Google Images, please note that the image optimization guidelines have been updated in recent months. Don’t panic if you haven’t adjusted yet: there’s time to “adjust”, intervening on the optimisations of alt, title, caption, prominence of the image on the page and name of the file: don’t consider them details of little importance, because they can be decisive in positioning yourself better with certain keywords.
Amazon is a pragmatic search engine: good product optimization, linked to multiple factors including sales, favours positioning regardless of brand awareness.
Amazon
We have already talked about the algorithmic, usage and goal differences between Amazon and Google: what you need to understand – from the point of view of marketers of major Brands – is that they are often undermined in Amazon’s SERPs by unknown players, who know how to implement better optimisation strategies, even if not supported by brand awareness. This means that all those who sell products online, whether big brands or small to medium enterprises, can benefit from an optimisation strategy dedicated to Amazon.
Youtube
The numbers of Youtube are impressive: it seems that a third of all Internet users worldwide use it. What is the order of magnitude of this video search engine? We are speaking of figures in the billions: a billion users from all over the world, who watch a billion hours of video content and generate billions of views… yet, the immense potential of this channel is still underestimated.
Starting from the basics, therefore from the quality of the video itself, you can then optimise all those tags that are typical of SEO as we all know it, and that means title, description, use of keywords etc. Positioning oneself in YouTube’s SERP often means also positioning oneself in Google’s general SERP.
Never underestimate maps and the local dimension, especially for those businesses that are strongly rooted in the area: for example, chain stores, banks with physical branches, and accommodation facilities.
Search engines linked to the local dimension
When you say Local SEO, you immediately think of Google Maps and Google My Business. Once again, talking about Google’s properties is always the starting point, since they determine schemes and dynamics that are often imitated by other engines. Responding to Big G’s algorithmic logic, these two tools have numerous elements that can be optimised to benefit from a better positioning related to territoriality.
However, they are not the only possible options: you should also be present on other types of maps and platforms for local searches, such as those of navigators – Waze, Yelp, Garmin, TomTom, ViaMichelin first, as well as those simply integrated into the infotainment systems of car manufacturers.
Vertical search engines: conclusions
Now, we have understood the importance of not limiting oneself to “traditional” SEO, taking into account the specific features of VSO. What are the starting points for structuring a vertical positioning strategy?
An initial phase of qualitative and quantitative research, study and auditing is essential, not only in relation to elements closely linked to optimisation but, in general, to a marketing analysis of the brand that we are taking into consideration: to which industry does it belong? What is the target audience and how does it behave online? Are there specific platforms or channels for this industry or product/service? Do users mainly use these channels or do they mainly carry out “generic” searches via Google?
7 tips for leveraging the increasing fragmentation of the online search universe.
At this point, you can outline the first pillars of your vertical strategy:
- Mapping the search behaviour of users, related to your brand/product, on different engines;
- Monitoring every channel useful to spreading your brand and promoting your products/services, without disregarding the analysis of competitors;
- Using structured data and Open Graph tags to ensure that search engines find, understand and return your content as best as possible;
- Making it as easy as possible for users to access your content, site, and apps;
- Never forget the optimisation elements common to each platform, such as the importance of loading speed;
- By adapting the content strategy to each different channel, according to the expectations of users – images, news, videos, articles – the same topic can be expressed in a thousand different formats;
- Leveraging the integrations between your website and vertical engines.
What we underline is that this fragmentation of the search world can be an opportunity to be exploited, for example for those mid-range actors who struggle to emerge on Big G’s SERP because of the awareness of renowned top-players, but who could have great visibility in the more limited scenario of a vertical engine.
