Post on 18-Jul-2015
How to Grow Organic
Search Traffic in Spite of
the Knowledge Graph
Prepared by Nate Dame, CEO &
Founder, Propecta Follow @seonate
Tweet with Us!
@propecta
#KGWebinar
“The Knowledge Graph is Google’s massive database of facts and relationships, served to users above
and to the side of search results in order to provide fast answers to simple questions. Knowledge Graph
results are not Google’s own content: they are snippets of text from websites displayed on search result
pages, typically with links to the source website.”
via http://propecta.com/what-is-googles-knowledge-graph-definition-for-marketers
Plain vanilla search results are so 1998!
Time for the Doomsday Bunker?
● 27% of searches now include Knowledge Graph features (source: Moz)
● Wikipedia pageviews declined 21% after the Knowledge Graph was
released
Things may not be as bad as they seem...
Knowledge Graph a Threat to
Google’s Revenue?
Knowledge Graph is a way to get more searchers addicted to more
searching. Their experiments have shown that the faster Google
can get them the answers they’re seeking, the more searches
they’ll do.
So, while it may suck to lose some potential traffic on a particular
search term (or many) due to [the] Knowledge Graph, it’s also
driving up overall search addiction and use, which means
more potential traffic in the future.
As quoted in The Essential Guide to Marketing with Google’s Knowledge Graph
Impact on Search Volume - Example
Before Knowledge Graph:
1. Search for “payroll
accounting,” click through to
article
After Knowledge Graph:
1. Search for “payroll
accounting,” read definition
on search results page
2. Additional search for “payroll
accounting” term, click
through to article or product
The result: More searches
How can My Brand
Earn That Traffic?
More Than a Keyword
Satisfying Each User Intent
User intent of
“Payroll Accounting”
searches:
● Learn how to set
up payroll in
accounting
software.
● Learn answers to
a wide variety of
questions.
● Purchase payroll
software/service.
Satisfying Each User Intent
User intent of “Payroll Accounting” searches:
● Learn how to set up payroll in accounting
software.
● Learn answers to a wide variety of
questions.
● Purchase payroll software/services.
Knowledge
Graph may
satisfy.
Knowledge Graph will
NEVER satisfy.
User Behavior & Knowledge Graph
Image source: Mediative
Search for a definition
or fact-check
Search for “how to”
info
Search for features,
product comparison, or
a case study
Search for Marketo
pricing
Google Search Engagement Asset
Search for a definition
or fact-check
Search for “how to”
info
Search for features,
product comparison, or
a case study
Search for Marketo
pricing
Google Search Engagement Asset
User Behavior & Knowledge Graph
Image source: Mediative
How do I earn MORE
of THESE clicks?
Beat the Competition!
“Yes! That’s
what I want!”
SERP Engagement Principles
1. Call-to-Action(learn, read, find, buy, purchase, order, book, reserve, etc)
2. Keyword(keyword plus a semantic variation or two)
Authenticity > ‘stuffing.’ Place keyword as early in Page Title as possible.
3. Value Proposition(why should they choose you over someone else?)
4. Uniqueness(stand out in the SERP, don't just do what others do)
● Higher click-thru rate
● Increased traffic
● Steady ranking
improvements!
Long-standing #1
ranking!
You Don’t Always Get What you
Want
Google changes as many of 61% of Page
Titles in search results.
Source: http://authoritylabs.com/blog/title-tags/
Target User Intent (not Keywords)
Benefits of a user-intent-driven content
strategy:
● Significantly reduces the “guessing”
● Long-term SEO mindset
● Value-driven (not keyword-driven)
Should I Want My
Content In the
Knowledge Graph?
Should I Want My Content in the
Knowledge Graph?
Benefits: Few
Difficulty: High
It’s no longer enough to just have a website. It’s prime time to put
some serious work into your online brand and overall
presence. Those who ignore this opportunity will simply be missing
opportunities and ultimately, revenue.
As quoted in The Essential Guide to Marketing with Google’s Knowledge Graph
Richer Results Everywhere
Trying to reverse-engineer Google’s semantic view of the web is
unlikely to boost rankings, and may provide a diversion from core
business goals.
It’s more important that visitors have an engaging experience
that increases their propensity to buy/consume/contact/share
(insert your goals here) than to write articles to meet a relevance
index for an entity that’s determined by an algorithm.
As quoted in The Essential Guide to Marketing with Google’s Knowledge Graph
What’s Slipping Through Your
Fingers?
● Value adds to organic search visitors
● Do you know the conversion rates?
● Lead nurturingvs.
Q&A - Thank you!Join the live demo: propecta.com/live-demo
Follow @propecta & @seonate (that’s me)
Questions, comments and complaints!
nate@propecta.com or
312-870-0056 (mobile).