My talk from Online Marketing Tag (OMT) Wiesbaden 2018 covering the ever-changing landscape of search and some of the stuff that I think will have a significant impact on SEO in the very near future!

1. pa.ag
Bastian Grimm, Peak Ace AG | @basgr
Search is changing faster than ever // the 2018 edition!
OK Google, what’s next?

2. It feels like the interface changes almost daily!
Google is still changing like mad…

3. pa.ag@peakaceag3
“More results” button on mobile (no pager anymore)
Eventually went fully live on Apr. 11, 2018.
Sources: https://pa.ag/2EyyUIE & https://pa.ag/2JQ0RPS

4. pa.ag@peakaceag4
New meta description length…or not?
Around 150 chars in Dec. ‘17, then up to 320, then in May back to 160 again…
Sources: https://pa.ag/2GeA2BS & https://pa.ag/2ICJjcm

5. pa.ag@peakaceag5
Adding & removing loads of videos to/from carousels
Especially bad for ecommerce retailers when their category pages got stuck!
Source: https://pa.ag/2MeTG8O & https://pa.ag/2vF3UVN

6. pa.ag@peakaceag6
Huge drops after GSC query report changes on 19/08/18
Also, Google started showing “relevant history” directly in their search results:
Sources: https://pa.ag/2CgJLeb & https://pa.ag/2Q274LL

7. The “trend“ continues: Google’s SERPs are (becoming) a destination
More and more data added

8. pa.ag@peakaceag8
“Bayern Munich“ desktop SERP in June 2017

9. pa.ag@peakaceag9
Fast forward one year later (at first-glance almost identical)
Google added a
vertical navigation tab

10. pa.ag@peakaceag10
Even more data available without leaving the SERP

11. pa.ag@peakaceag11
Google’s travel guide and trip planner are really impressive
Clearly, Google is not a publisher… at all! Right…!?

12. Generally, full takeovers like
these are rare, right?

13. pa.ag@peakaceag13
Game of Thrones season start (US on mobile, iPhone)
Not a single organic result is directly visible in the first half of this mobile SERP
#1 #2 #3 #4

14. pa.ag@peakaceag14
Game of Thrones season start (US on mobile, iPhone)
You’d need to scroll to ~75% depth to see the first “classic” result, which is barely visible…
#5 #6 #7 #8

15. pa.ag@peakaceag15
Google wants to rank what's best for its users
Google is getting better and better at
understanding the searcher’s intent and
thus ranks sites (or its own offerings) on
top if they are built to satisfy this specific
intent immediately!”

16. On informational queries, there is almost no way
around featured snippets
Answers are (still) huge as well

17. pa.ag@peakaceag17
11.6% of all desktop SERPs provide answers straight away
Time period: August 2018, desktop, DE - via SEMrush Sensor (vs. 9.9% mobile DE)
Source: https://www.semrush.com/sensor/

18. pa.ag@peakaceag18
Significant increase in featured snippets overall
Over the past 12 months, Google Assistant
has gotten a lot smarter. Google has
added over 100M new unique featured
snippets from the web, video results from
YouTube, and new local places in Google Maps.”

19. Google is crazy about mobile…!

20. pa.ag@peakaceag20
Mobile already surpassed desktop queries in 2015!
Nearly 60% of all search requests come from mobile devices (Hitwise 08/2016)
Sources: Hitwise (https://pa.ag/2qofNNV) & SearchEngineLand (https://pa.ag/2pT2OA7)
Percentage of search requests from mobile devices, by industry:

21. pa.ag@peakaceag21
20% of these mobile queries are voice searches
More than 10 million active Amazon Echo devices in Q1/2017 (USA), with a rising trend!
Source: Kleiner Perkins Internet Trends 2017

22. pa.ag@peakaceag22
Digital assistants… wait, what?

23. …or at least significantly reduced
No visible user-interface left

24. ...so no classic search interface!
No physical keyboard available

25. Voice search is far more user-friendly & comfortable
One common way to search: by voice

26. pa.ag@peakaceag26
When are voice commands used and why?
Phonecalls, online searches, navigation & reminders are the most common use cases
Source: Stone Temple, Voice Search Usage 2017 (https://pa.ag/2yJCxfe)
Main reason for use: it's faster and way easier than typing!

27. The differences between "classic" search input and voice search
Text vs. voice

28. pa.ag@peakaceag28
Voice search very much resembles a conversation
User questions tend to start with how/where/who/what/when/which etc.
Text search Voice search
Weather How is the weather?
Weather in London How is the weather today in London?
Gas station Where can I find the nearest gas station?
Breakfast in Munich Where can I eat breakfast in Munich?
Siblings Sebastian Vettel Who are the siblings of Sebastian Vettel?
Founding Bavaria When was Bavaria founded/how old is… ?

29. pa.ag@peakaceag29
Voice search very much resembles a conversation
Text searches usually consist of 1-3 words; voice searches often consist of 10+ words
Source: Bing / Cortana
Data provided by:

30. OK, Google!

31. pa.ag@peakaceag31
OK Google, how does this work?
The voice command "OK Google, Peak Ace AG" results in:
”Peak Ace AG is located in Berlin, Leuschnerdamm 13, 1.689 kilometres away."

32. pa.ag@peakaceag32
OK Google, how does this work?
Google assistant reads
the names of the first three results
followed by "and more“.

33. pa.ag@peakaceag33
schema.org mark-up for structured data
Far more than just Google, because Bing (Yahoo) and Yandex are also included!
More: https://schema.org

34. pa.ag@peakaceag34
For the sake of completeness...there's more:
Facebook open graph tags (og:title/og:description/og: image/…)
Twitter cards (twitter:card/twitter:creator/…)
JSON-LD (JavaScript Object Notation for Linked Data)
Old: microformats (hCard/hCalendar/…)
Old: RDFa (and various variations)
Etc.

35. pa.ag@peakaceag35
schema.org helps us to understand the contents of a page
I want to live in a world where schema is not that
important, but currently, we need it. If a team at Google
recommends it, you probably should make use of it,
as schema helps us understand the content on the page,
and it is used in certain search features (but not in
rankings algorithms).”
Source: Gary Illyes @ SMX East NY 2017 (http://pa.ag/2GvdoXx)

36. pa.ag@peakaceag36
schema.org/Organisation mark-up
Labelling of company-specific information such as address, telephone, etc.
More: http://schema.org/Organization

37. pa.ag@peakaceag37
There is a schema.org mark-up for almost everything:
Creative works: books, movies, music recordings, recipes, TV series etc.
Embedded objects: audio objects, image objects, video objects.
Events, places, local businesses, restaurants, etc.
Organisations, people, webpages, etc.
Products, offers, aggregate offers, reviews, aggregate ratings, etc.
E.g. for the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry: health & medical entities.

38. pa.ag@peakaceag38
Brand new: schema.org/Speakable
Structured mark-up for marking elements that are particularly important for voice
search commands/results.
More: https://pending.schema.org/speakable
[…] indicates (typically
via xpath/cssSelector)
sections of a document
that are highlighted as
particularly speakable.”

39. pa.ag@peakaceag39
Google just implemented this in BETA:
Currently only available for “validated” news publishers! Don’t forget to fill out the
submission form, for now manual approval is needed.
Adding markup allows search engines […] to identify
content to read aloud […]. Webpages with speakable
structured data can use the Google Assistant to distribute
the content through new channels […] Google Assistant
uses speakable structured data to answer topical news
queries on smart speaker devices.”
Implementation guide: https://pa.ag/2PfUlor

40. pa.ag@peakaceag40
Security is a massive topic with interconnected IoT devices
Researchers show Alexa “skill squatting” could hijack voice commands!
Researchers demonstrated that audio embedded in a
video soundtrack, music stream, or radio broadcast could
be modified to trigger voice commands in automatic
speech-recognition systems without being detected by a
human listener.
Source: https://pa.ag/2LVyZcU

41. Answers questions, solves problems and provides assistance
Conversational search

42. pa.ag@peakaceag42
Direct/instant answer as an Infobox
Only "indirect" optimisation possible, the data comes from Wikipedia, Freebase,
internal Google knowledge graphs or partnerships.

43. A result is promoted to position #0 above the SERP!
Featured snippets

44. Featured snippets are selected from within the top-10 (20)
Place #1 is not a must!

45. pa.ag@peakaceag45
Featured snippet: the answer is highlighted from the SERP
Difference to the infobox: addition of a blue link and additional URL
Lists (+image)Text (+image)

46. pa.ag@peakaceag46
Featured snippet: the answer is highlighted from the SERP
Difference to the infobox: addition of a blue link and additional URL
Mixed typesTables (2/3 cols)

47. pa.ag@peakaceag47
How do I get Google to select my URL?
Keyword- & topic research (incl. “often searched for“) on products, services, etc.
Find the most relevant questions about the seed keyword-set.
Short answers (50-60 words per question) are sufficient; answers need to be on page.
Content must be easy to understand (lists, subheadings, tables).
Structured data (e.g. schema.org/Question, etc.) where it fits semantically.
Branding and call-to-action.

48. pa.ag@peakaceag48
All you need to know about featured snippets:
Don‘t miss Izzy Smith’s great presentation on SlideShare!
Source: https://pa.ag/2Mo7Vbq

49. pa.ag@peakaceag49
Structured data is not an absolute necessity
Source: https://pa.ag/2zWmpof
If you really want them I’d
just use structured data –
it’s cleaner.”

50. pa.ag@peakaceag50
Google to launch Q&A, FAQ and How-To verticals
Don’t miss the new markup from schema.org including HowTo, QAPage & FAQPage*
Source: Google Dance Singapore, Aug. 2018 (https://pa.ag/2wH1cil & https://pa.ag/2wFr4Lb)
We’ve recently introduced new ways
to help users understand whether
responses on a given Q&A or forum
site could have the best answer for
their question. By bringing a preview
of these answers onto Search, we’re
helping our users more quickly
identify which source is most likely to
have the information they’re looking
for.
* Beware: This is currently in closed BETA, schema.org usage does not
guarantee inclusion!

51. Google is going to make audio files searchable
The next big thing: audio SEO?

52. pa.ag@peakaceag52
You‘ve all seen this Assistant demo from Google IO?
Agreed, it looked partially recorded – still though, it‘s a fairly impressive concept!
Source: https://pa.ag/2svpDNv

53. pa.ag@peakaceag53
What Google podcasts currently experience in search:
The new Google podcast strategy is aiming to double audiences worldwide
Source: https://pa.ag/2JoaZ5c
Podcasts will show up in Google Search as a “first-class
citizen” alongside the text,
image, and video results you are used to seeing.
Your podcast listening experience will be seamless
across devices and contexts thanks to Google
Assistant.
Google’s understanding of speech and language will
open doors, bringing futuristic features to life.

54. pa.ag@peakaceag54
Make sure to follow Google’s guidelines for podcasts
Audio SEO? Right now it’s just discovery through good old XML/RSS feeds…
Source: https://pa.ag/2xx4Kap

55. pa.ag@peakaceag55
That's what some people might call coincidence…
And yes, it‘s only possible to do using DoubleClick!
Sources: https://pa.ag/2stkZzC & https://pa.ag/2stkZzC

56. We shouldn't entirely disregard "the screen" yet
Ensure multi-device compatibility

57. pa.ag@peakaceag57
The average consumer uses five different devices
It’s unrealistic to build & maintain a website adapted for all devices – one for iPad and
then different pages for all smartphone screen resolutions
Sources: https://pa.ag/2ffuGNp & https://pa.ag/2fHvLhz
90% of all users
start online tasks on one device
and finish them on another.

58. From an SEO viewpoint, there are various benefits!
Responsive design

59. pa.ag@peakaceag59
Responsive design offers several advantages
<picture>
▪ Firstly: it displays content in different ways,
depending on the resolution (device).
▪ Best practice: first, design the smallest viewport
and then work upwards. Pay attention to portrait
and landscape formats!
▪ E.g. pictures: best possible size, resolution &
format. The new <picture> element is a perfect
starting point, but there are many other solutions,
e.g. "fluid images" adapted to your container.

60. pa.ag@peakaceag60
Done right, it’s a good base for “mobile first indexing”
CrawlingIndexing RankingMobile
Mobile first indexing concerns Google preferring and organising cross-device content in
such a way that it can be easily queried and displayed across many different devices.

61. pa.ag@peakaceag61
What about desktop-only sites?
How to deal with common mobile site patterns such as tab switches, carousels, etc.?
Source: SMX Advanced 2017, Seattle
For desktop-only sites, indexing stays the same,
however crawling will be done using a mobile UA:
“we will index mobile content, only if you don’t have
anything we will index desktop content – no one will
fall out!”
Can I use accordion tabs, hidden tabs,etc. on my
mobile site?
Google is going to assign them the same value as
non-hidden content. Illyes said, Google is going to
ensure that: “hidden content is not valued less on a
mobile site.”
+
-
+
Lorem Ipsum dolor
Lorem Ipsum dolor
Lorem Ipsum dolor
Lorem Ipsum dolor
Lorem Ipsum dolor
Lorem Ipsum dolor

62. pa.ag@peakaceag62
Site- & content-parity is absolutely crucial!
Make sure desktop & mobile are in sync; content, annotations, etc.
Source: SMX Advanced 2017, Seattle
What if the mobile site has less content
compared to the desktop site?
Ranking will be based on the “shorter” content!
(Basically, you need to ensure that whatever you want
to rank for will be present on mobile).

63. pa.ag@peakaceag63
Don‘t do this: Zoopla desktop vs. mobile
Important content on m-subdomain is missing – shortly, maybe also some rankings?

64. pa.ag@peakaceag64
Some tips to make sure you are ready for MFI:
I did a webinar on MFI together with DeepCrawl - make sure to not miss our massive
write-up which covers loads of additional questions:
More: https://pa.ag/2rFQqGj & https://pa.ag/2Io1aV6

65. August 1st update, anyone?
Google is not only busy with mobile!

66. pa.ag@peakaceag66
Google has been really, really busy this year:
According to Marie Haynes, more than 20+ changes in 2018 regarding quality!
Full list: https://www.mariehaynes.com/algo-changes-and-more/

67. Here are the top-5 areas I’d focus on:
Stop chasing the algorithm!

68. Don’t let the user think about how to use your site!
#1 Use known principles

69. pa.ag@peakaceag69
Evergreen: pay attention to usability
Follow basic and known usability principles for good readability
Bad readability Good readability

70. pa.ag@peakaceag70
Evergreen: pay attention to usability
Follow basic and known usability principles for good click ability
Not click-friendly Click friendly

71. pa.ag@peakaceag71
User communication: comprehensibility of language
Communicate clearly and find common ground with the audience
Scientific expression:
User language:
Liverpool impressed all in attendance with a
65% shooting percentage and therefore
succeeded to curve the circular ball three times
at the designated target.”
Goooaaalll! The final was a real showdown
that will go down in history. After 90 intense
minutes against tough Real Madrid,
Liverpool won 3-0!”

72. pa.ag@peakaceag72
Stick to proven methods and conventions
Don't try to reinvent the wheel - it won’t make it any better
On the other hand, don't blindly follow
trends without questioning them either.”
Hardly noticeable desktop navigation Expected place for desktop navigation

73. Become a high-level concierge for your user!
#2 Be convenient

74. pa.ag@peakaceag74
Personalisation: customised experience reduces effort
Shorter funnel due to providing a highly relevant entry-point (last used functionality)
2nd visit: personalised1st visit: not personalised
The user visited the car insurance section before,
therefore the home page is personalised on the 2nd visit.

75. pa.ag@peakaceag75
Perception vs. expectation: don‘t make them think!
Any guesses why #3 doesn‘t rank #1 for “Schlafzimmer“?
Do you want “this”
when searching for new
bedroom furniture?
#1 #2 #3

76. Performance = user experience!
#3 Be fast

77. pa.ag@peakaceag77
Revisited: page speed (load time) is a ranking factor
Surprise, surprise; now also on mobile!
Sources: https://pa.ag/2iAmA4Y & https://pa.ag/2ERTPYY

78. pa.ag@peakaceag78
Google loves site speed and keeps pushing for faster sites
This is NOT a
photoshopped
screenshot, just
saying!

79. pa.ag@peakaceag79
Please don’t forget your desktop now; both are relevant!
Especially for responsive sites, this can be a massive challenge!
With the mobile first index, will desktop rankings use
mobile page speed instead of desktop page speed?
No […] as mentioned […], while our index will be built from
mobile documents, we’re going to continue to build a great
search experience for all users, whether they come from
mobile or desktop devices.”
Source: Google spokesperson (https://pa.ag/2FGGKAi)

80. pa.ag@peakaceag80
Make sure to get the basics right!
Use my checklists on SlideShare to double check:
All slides on SlideShare: https://pa.ag/iss18speed
Optimise images: reduce overhead for JPGs & PNGs
(metadata, etc.),request proper sized images and try new formats.
Implement effective caching and compression.
Whenever possible, use asynchronous requests.
Decrease the size of CSS, JavaScript & HTML files (minify).
Use a content distribution network (CDN) / an asset server
(as well as cookie-less domains) to optimise parallel requests.
Lean mark-up (no comments, use inline CSS / JS only where
necessary or useful).
Consider (DNS) pre-fetching & pre-rendering if feasible.
Watch (& optimise) for TTFB. Don’t forget your back-end
architecture / systems (e.g. DB, webserver etc.).

81. Understanding searchers‘ intent is more important than ever!
#4 Have the right content

82. pa.ag@peakaceag82
Content still matters (a lot)!
Even Google’s John Mueller recommends adding content, e.g. to image-heavy sites
[…] especially without a lot of explanation,
that’s going to make ranking really, really hard. […]
What I’d recommend there is to find a way to
get more content onto the page.”

83. pa.ag@peakaceag83
Please be aware: every niche/vertical is different!
Source: https://pa.ag/2HbIOW3

84. Don‘t waste Google’s resources!
#5 Be efficient

85. pa.ag@peakaceag85
Example: furniture vertical pre-/post update performance
Daily visibility trends according to Sistrix Toolbox (desktop, DE)
Source: Sistrix Toolbox

86. pa.ag@peakaceag86
Let’s add some (page) efficiency to the mix:
The page efficiency index (PEI) is a pretty solid metric to visualise the effectiveness of an
indexation strategy (or lack thereof)
More on PEI: https://pa.ag/2wa17TT
Domain Indexed Pages
Visibility
(03/08/18)
PEI
(03/08/18)
Post Update
(05/08/18)
home24.de 11,200 25.56 228.21 +12%
hoeffner.de 20,900 14.56 69.67 +9%
xxxlutz.de 50,500 20.12 39.84 +5%
made.com/de/ 9,200 3.10 33.70 -18%
roller.de 110,000 20.94 19.04 -49%
wayfair.de 168,000 7.10 4.23 -21%
houzz.de 248,000 4.47 1.80 -22%

87. pa.ag@peakaceag87
Build your own indexation quality check list:
It‘s usually so much more than just looking at one single problem / metric!
Different “no result pages” (no comments for product A, no ratings for product B, etc.).
Empty or almost empty category / tag / other type of listing pages.
Incorrectly implemented paginations (use rel-next/prev, generally page 2+
must not be indexed).
Pay attention to facetted navigation (because of the multitude of combinations)
as well as ordering / filtering.
Generally, weak pages (very little main content, e.g. 1-2 sentences, an image),
e.g. user profiles, etc.
Several versions of one page/URL (e.g. index.php vs. “/” or non-www vs. www
or https vs. non-https).
Internal site search (SERP in SERP quality issues).
Etc.

88. pa.ag@peakaceag88
We’re hiring! 30+ performance marketing jobs in Berlin!
Come and say “hello” or apply via jobs.pa.ag. We look forward to talking to you!
Always looking for talent!
Check out jobs.pa.ag

89. pa.ag@peakaceag89
Bastian Grimm
bg@pa.ag
e-mail me > bg@pa.ag
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