Google definitely keeps brand marketers on their toes. In the world of the search engine king, rules are rewritten by the truckload. Parameters are changed at the drop of a hat. Get comfortable with one reality, and you’re tumbling down the rabbit hole again. Then comes the mad-scramble to make adjustments.
The current scrambling is taking place thanks to changes in Google’s search engine results page, often abbreviated as SERP. Remember when SERP ads displayed on the right side of the page? Ancient history. Now these paid announcements stack themselves at the very top, conspicuously ahead of organic results.
From Google’s standpoint, the re-orientation makes perfect sense. First of all, top-stacking the ads conforms to the constricted dimensions of the mobile screen. Information sitting on the sidelines of a smartphone display is vulnerable to ghastly distortions and major squeezing. At the top, ads always fit like a glove. Equally important, users now scan SERPs top-to-bottom in swift vertical sweep. Google’s revealing eye-mapping studies confirm this new viewing pattern.
Understandably, this new state of affairs is a major irritant to search marketers. Imagine, users catching a glimpse of paid ads before their eyes lovingly meet the organic entries. An intolerable interference, particularly after expending considerable time and effort on the goal of getting noticed first.
Well, as they say, you better get used to it. Unless search marketers can (1) persuade Google to return to yesterday OR (2) seize control of SERP layouts, the ads aren’t budging.
There is, however, a way to make the most of the situation … a means for maintaining powerful organic results. The trick is implementing a solid keyword strategy. Here, page position is monumentally important. Keyword strategies should focus on pushing your website as close to the top as possible. Yeah, you’ll be wrestling with space-hogging paid ads. But you’ll still get abundantly noticed if you manage things correctly.
Research is the launch point of any solid keyword strategy. Experiment with various search terms to pinpoint the type of SERP layout each one generates. Through this research, you’ll discover which layouts produce the fewest paid ads between organic results.
SERP layout, of course, is only one criteria useful in the development of search marketing strategies. But considering the viewing patterns of users, it’s one that certainly deserves more than a quick glance.
If you have any questions or comments about search marketing, or about any other brand-related topic, feel free to send them our way.