Episode 494 SEO With Warren Laine-Naida What Is Search Experience Optimization

Show Summary

This podcast episode features an SEO expert discussing Search Experience Optimization (SXO), a new approach to SEO that prioritizes user experience across multiple platforms, not just Google. SXO emphasizes brand building and creating memorable user moments to improve discoverability. The speaker contrasts traditional SEO’s focus on keywords and rankings with SXO’s holistic approach, advocating for authenticity and content discoverability where the target audience is active, including social media and AI platforms. The discussion also differentiates SXO strategies for B2B versus B2C businesses.

Show Notes

Hi, it’s me, Warren Laine-Naida. Um, thanks for tuning in to Rob’s show. And if you are a returning visitor, you know me. Uh I’m the SEO guy and uh if you are new, I’m still the SEO guy and uh you can find me on Twitter X at Warren El Naida. And um yeah, uh Rob has asked me to talk uh this time about SEO. Not the SEO that you might know, but the SEO you might not know. So not search engine optimization, we’re talking about search experience optimization. You might have seen it written out there as SXO. Um, it’s big. It’s important. It is turning SEO upside down. And, um, that’s our topic for today. Um, SXO is great. It takes traditional SEO and it, you know, it plugs it in social media, um, off- page, all of those things that are outside perhaps on the peripherals of search engines and helps us get found because that’s really the point of why we do SEO is to get found. So SEO is really evolving quickly and all of our online marketing is speeding up. We’ve got social media um, search, we’ve got shopping search, we’ve got search on gaming platforms, and over the last year uh AI search. All of these are disrupting uh Google and Bing’s um uh business models. And I don’t know how you feel about that. I think it’s a good thing. Um Google has had a good run. They’ve had a couple of decades and um disruption is the name of the game. Everyone loves Netflix, that was disruption. Uh everyone loves uh WhatsApp and Zoom, that’s disruption. So a lot of the uh a lot of the tools that we take for granted or we love uh these were themselves disruptors. So I think this is fine. SEO will survive because it just means getting in front of people that you who don’t know you. All right. So um I think what’s really important about SXO is it’s it’s a continuation of that of that content optimization that everyone’s been talking about. Google’s been on about it. Everyone’s talked about this that you need to get content that is firsthand. You need to get content in front of everyone everywhere. So, um you know, it’s really about optimizing your content for discovery everywhere or anywhere that people are looking for you. Okay. So, um yeah, S EO really is SXO. So, I’d like to talk a little bit about experience first because that’s an important part of of branding. Everyone talks about brand experience, how how brand is very important for SEO. Sure, it is because that experience that creates those memorable user moments and that then gives us simply increased discoverability and um you know, you give someone a good experience, they’re going to remember it and they’re going to tell others and other people can uh find you. Um so, I think this is you know the the branding is an important part of experience. Um because a good brand you know first it creates distinct experiences. All right. It creates memorable experiences. A memorable experiences then create organic mentions, organic shares, organic links. The more that that happens means that we get better discovery across a wide range of platforms. Uh so better discovery basically reinforces our brand recognition. Um and this isn’t a cycle. This is a flywheel. All right? And you’ve you’ve heard of flywheels before. Spark Toro talks about them. Oz talks about them. Everyone talks about them. Flywheels are different than a cycle because a cycle begins and ends and goes around. But a flywheel once the flywheel is in motion, it gets speed. It picks up energy. from its own momentum. So at some point you can step out and people your followers the people who are looking for you are doing your work for you. So you can move on to something else and perhaps serve those people who have now found you. All right. So it’s a very virtuous circle. Okay. Better experiences lead to better SEO. You don’t have to force it. Okay. Um I think SXO is also really important because there’s this been a real shift in in branding paradigms lately. Um, traditional marketing, you know, thinking marble, cowboy, and and co, they relied very heavily on creating aspirational images. All right? So, you associate products with idealized lifestyles. And I think people are really moving away from that. Um, you know, you’re selling a vicarious experience and that’s, you know, not always really what using the product is all about. Okay. Um, we are, I mean, people say consumers are more savvy and seek authenticity. Maybe we’re just jaded and we just want to cut through the BS and just show me how this product makes my life better. Show me where I can buy it and tell me how much it costs. And that’s it. I mean that’s what we we think but I’m sure we are we are in many aspects the in many respects the same animals that animal that our parents were and our grandparents were is that we like bling and so sure advertising works on us but we have access to more information and we are more techsavvy so we can we can if we want we can research through the BS and find the real story. for you. So, I think this is why, you know, this classic branding isn’t really working so much. And then classic search is also not going to work that well. I think we’re now into an experience driven type of marketing. It’s very experiencecentric. Uh we’re looking for real interactions. I mean, look at the ads, look at the marketing, they’re dirty. You know, the type of advertising, the type of of communication that’s that works. of people now would never have passed the first draft phase even 20 years ago. Um, images don’t even have to be on transparent backgrounds now. It’s just very casual. It’s very now. Um, and I think this is because we’re we’re not, you know, we’re no longer happy with these sorts of over idealized portrayals of how we’re going to be using a product. No one sings in the kitchen. No one dances. with their drink, you know. So, this is a shift and and this shift is also changing our search patterns. Okay. So, search engines and users, they are going to prioritize and it’s not very new. They are prioritizing experiences. All right? You’re going to be um looking or everyone m algorithms, search machines, us are looking for factors, new factors like accessibility um content relevance um uh accessibility again I’m thinking in German barrier fry height but this is the same accessibility um so but most importantly I think what’s they’re prioritizing is firthand experience so we’ve moved on about um with our with our branding and what we expect and what we want with uh products and so our SEO has to move on as well so I think what’s what’s really you know listical important changes in search. Um, start thinking of your SEO as search engine optimization. At the same time, it’s search experience optimization. You can still say SEO, but remember it’s got two faces. Remember as well that there we’re talking multiple platforms. Don’t be so damn Google centric. Google is just a search platform. Amazon’s a search platform. YouTube’s a search platform. Websites are search platforms. It’s just another search platform. So there’s also Bing. All right? So don’t be so Google centric, please. We’re, you know, SEO covers a multiple a multitude of platforms. SEO covers meeting people on the street. All right? It’s a way to find things. So search engines, social media, AI assistance. So we’re talking AI citations, gaming platforms, all of these ways platforms offer you way to be found. Focus on user experience. We always talk about eat experience, authority, trust. And then the first one is uh I always forget this the second e. Okay. Experience and uh I forget the I forget the other e. Anyway, it all comes right down to can you show that you know what you’re talking about, that you’ve done it, that you’ve done it so that people can trust what you’ve done. All right. Um, can you be found doing this? Add into this offline discovery. And I think this is these are important changing uh factors in in search. Um, it’s the the metrics that you should be uh looking at to measure your success. Um, what’s your visibility across platforms? Featured snippets are fine, but please AI citations are the new featured snippets. So are you getting cited in AI informational search? No, informational search. 80% of our search. All right. Get seen in AI citations. Um social media. All right. Are you an authority there? Are people sharing your post? Are you findable off social on social media? Do you have good engagement across platforms? And how are your conversion rates um uh across channels? I think This is really really important. Um it’s a you know search experience optimization. It’s a broader approach um than than SEO especially if we’re Google centric. That’s just Google. This is you’re leaving money on the table. Okay. This is much broader. Um AI connects voice search. It connects local search. So you know right there you’re you can be found. Um so So, you know, connect that with your social media, your traditional search machines. Um, in a nutshell, your content needs to be discoverable where your audience is looking. All right? If they’re not looking on Google, then it doesn’t matter that you’re on Google because they’re not going to see you. All right? Um, if you’re an online marketer, B2B or B2C, I mean, I think the core the core takeaway for um for online marketers for uh SXO is that SEO is becoming even more holistic. It’s becoming even more user centric. Um so if you’re going to be successful, you have to think beyond traditional search machines. All right? Um don’t worry about the rankings. Don’t worry about keyword density. Just get into the conversation to be found wherever that conversation is. All right? Stop being Google centric. B2B essential uh takeaways for B2B is um Um, you’ve got to become an expert in visibility. All right? Creating authoritative content. All right? Show your expertise. All right? Expertise, experience, authority, trust. That’s the other that’s the other E. Um, B2B is about closing a contract. So, optimize for decision for business decision makers. All right. Um, and obviously focus on being found where these business uh decision makers are all right they’re not all on LinkedIn all right so LinkedIn sure but also make sure your content is part of that decision support uh process okay content that supports the decision process um multistakeholder um uh uh decisions um offer really practical tools uh that’ll help um uh buyers evaluate their options. All right? And then really focus on your Orium ROI. Okay? Um if you can’t measure that, if you can’t demonstrate that your content is going to give these people a return on their investment, that’s not really interesting for them. So B2B is is that would be my takeaway for B2B. B TOC is easier. Be discoverable everywhere. Okay. Social social media. If you’re not on social media still as part of your SEO, you’re really late in the game. Get in there. Visual discovery, social discovery. Um have uh be available on shopping platforms. All right? Wherever your consumers are spending their leisure time, um you need to be there. You know, you can be visible for your B2B in every stage of their journey. All right? Search is part of it. All right? But don’t ignore the other parts. Okay, your content. Um, you’re looking for much more immediate engagement. All right, so quick engaging um experiences. Okay, capture the attention, very visual, very interactive. Okay, get that emotional connection, but your customers aren’t stupid. All right. Um, make it seamless, make it crossplatform. You know, the big difference between B2B and B2C is that B2B is you’re you’re prioritizing being found during the research phase, but B TOC you’re being discovered during more casual browsing and shopping moments. All right? There’s a lot of material online. Research it, look into it. Change your SEO. Turn your SEO into SEO. The new SEO is SXO. All right? This is a really exciting time for SEO. Get into it. Get out of Google and um we’ll see you everywhere. Bye-bye.