Are you making decisions based on vibes? 😬

Hello Reader,

Let me be clear:

I don’t use SEO as a cornerstone marketing technique because I love google.

In fact, they’ve really lost their way as a company since they ditched the "Don't be evil" slogan.

I don’t do this work because I’m obsessed with the thrill of a number one ranking.

Sure, it’s obviously a fabulous return on investment and a great “top of funnel” strategy, but those metrics aren’t what excite me.

Nope, what excites me most about SEO strategies is that it’s still a reliable source of data about what people are looking for online.

I’d even argue it’s the most reliable, accessible source. (Google Keyword Planner is 100 percent free and apps like KeySearch [affiliate] are super affordable.)

Want to know exactly what your audience is looking for around your subject matter expertise? We can figure that out!

Want to infuse their lingo into your marketing so you can meet your audience right where they’re at? Yep, diving into the search data will tell us that.

Curious about content gaps you can fill even in a crowded niche? You’ve got it, we can do research and discover opportunities.

Thanks to the challenges of attribution (that means figuring out where an online action originated) and decline of cookies (aka tracking), plus the rise of zero click online experiences, our data from tools such as ads managers or our analytics programs can be quite incomplete.

That’s where we can use search tools to complete the picture.

Understanding based in facts is powerful.

Too many people are making high risk business decisions based on vibes and Facebook discussion threads. (I'm only slightly exaggerating.)

Case in point: I recently saw an online business influencer talking about how "no one" is using search engines anymore, that everyone is using ChatGPT to search for information. The reality, looking at data, is that ChatGPT and all other large language model chatbots only account for 0.25 percent (yes, zero point 25, a quarter of one percent) of searches. It's actually statistically insignifigant at this point.

And yet, folks make business decisions based on one person's statement and not looking at the cold, hard facts.

This is extremely worrisome for me as someone who's seen the fallout from using unreliable sources—random Facebook posts, polls of friends who aren't your audience, etc—far too many times. I don't want this to happen to you!

As the world gets more chaotic and more hyperbole and misinformation flies around the internet, relying on data, research, and analysis can be your superpower.

I don't even need you to use the tools I prefer, such as keyword data from Google and audience data from SparkToro! Find other sources of research and leverage that, do qualitative research by interviewing your clients, look into studies and see what you can utilize in your decision-making (this is why I always comb through Edelman's annual thought leadership study).

There are so many avenues out there to help you see clearly—I promise!

Talk soon,

Sarah

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Tired of shouting into the void? SEO can open doors to audiences you never dreamed of reaching! Check out my latest YouTube video to see how SEO can transform any business that uses coaching techniques to serve clients. Watch here:

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