as62184404 gorilla lgDid you know that the number of internet users has surpassed half of the global population? There are around 4.66 billion internet users today, growing at a rate of 7 percent yearly.

This makes online marketing a growing priority for businesses. Further, the pandemic has boosted the importance of online marketing since it has made people more reliant on the internet to buy goods and services.

By prioritizing digital marketing, you also prioritize Google and if you aren't leveraging Google for your marketing strategy, you are missing a vital opportunity. Here’s how to use Google for online marketing in 2021.

Why Google?

Google is the most visited website in the world with 92.5 billion monthly visits. That’s almost three times the number of monthly visits of second place YouTube, which logs 34.6 billion monthly visits. [quotesright]And in case you’re wondering, Facebook ranks third with 25.5 billion monthly visits. [/quotesright]

With this information alone, it’s easy to see why Google remains the most important part of online marketing. Google dominates the global internet traffic. Many digital marketing strategies revolve around the search engine for this reason.

Customer Journeys Start at Google

[quotes]Google is the gateway to many websites, including yours.[/quotes] If your customers want to look for your site, they’ll turn to the search engine first. The same goes for when they want to learn more about your business or product.

Even if prospects are not looking for you, they can still stumble upon your site if their search relates to you. For example, they can start their search for fitted jeans. Then, it can lead them to your ecommerce fashion website.

Most of the traffic your website gets is from Google’s search results. This gives you a chance to convert this traffic into potential customers.

Social media is fast becoming a great resource for information, thanks to the pages, videos, infographics, and such. [quotesright]Yet, Google is still the default option for most consumers. [/quotesright]

Search Engine Optimization is All About Google

SEO is the leading marketing strategy because it’s adaptable to help you reach your goals for your website. [quotesright]Whether you want to increase your sales or boost traffic, a well-executed SEO strategy will help you show up on page one (i.e., achieve a top 10 search rank) in a Google search. [/quotesright]

Because Google is the first pick of consumers, it makes sense to cater to their preferences when creating a strategy and periodically modifying your website to cater to how Google’s current ranking algorithms score your website.

It’s likely you never noticed that SEO strategies change following Google’s updates. Marketers keep track of changes to the ranking algorithms and adapt their online marketing strategies to keep their Google page rankings high.

The main goal of SEO is to get as many people to your website as possible from Google searches as they cost nothing, unlike online ads.  Called “organic traffic,” they come from Google’s Search Engine Results Page (SERP). [quotesright]The higher your site ranks, the more visible your website will be to your prospects. [/quotesright]

SEO covers almost all aspects of your website to achieve this goal. It incorporates keywords, metadata, images, and every element of your website. With keywords, you must be using the same words consumers use in their searches in the content you create for your site.

Good SEO also ensures your website is “readable” by Google’s crawlers. When optimized, your website’s structure is easy to follow for both users and the search engine.

[quotes]There are many other aspects of what SEO encompasses including optimizing the usability of your site.[/quotes] You have to make sure, for instance, that it has a responsive web design for the sake of mobile users. Page speed is also a ranking factor, so an SEO strategy will take care to make your pages load as quickly as possible.

Google Ads Are also Useful for Marketers

Not all traffic that goes to your site from Google is organic, though. Some of it comes from ads, which is another strong point of the search engine.

Google AdWords is a trusted tool by marketers. It helps you launch pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns, for example, which you can use alongside SEO.

This strategy helps you target searches and buy your way to the top of Google’s SERP, giving you more visibility. [quotesright]Your website still must relate to the search, though; otherwise, Google won’t show it. [/quotesright]

We’re not saying that Google is the only search engine to offer ads. However, this proves that there are many ways you can use it to your advantage. Aside from AdWords, it also has other tools, like Google Analytics.

Why Google Is the First Choice of Consumers

Have you ever wondered how Google dominated the search engine market? Almost everyone you meet uses Google instead of other options.

[quotes]As it stands, Google holds almost 92 percent of the search market worldwide.[/quotes] Bing, the second most used website, only has a 2.71 percent market share, while Yahoo! has 1.46 percent.

The huge margin is staggering, especially when you know that some countries have blocked Google. China, one of the biggest markets in the world, is an example. It uses Baidu, which has a 1.13 percent global market share.

So, why is this the case? Let’s look at a few reasons.

Demystifying Google’s Search Algorithm

Google’s search algorithm is top class; it’s unparalleled by other search engines. It values accuracy above all else and it always considers the user experience. It aims to get them to where they want to go quickly and efficiently.

That’s why its ranking factors all have to do with what users want. [quotesright]It makes sure that the websites on the top ranks are the most relevant and useful for the searcher. [/quotesright]

You can test this out and see for yourself. Google does better even in the search predictions. Once the search results are in, you can compare which does a better job in bringing you what you want.

Of course, Google benefits in making their search engine the best they can, too. They make money selling ads, so they need to have as many users as possible. With many users, Google also then attracts advertisers.

Search Results

[quotes]People trust Google’s search engine results page more than themselves.[/quotes] We know this from the fact that users rarely visit the second page of Google.

That’s why they say that the best place to hide a body is on the second page of the SERP. It’s a play on the popular belief that no one ever looks there. This is not Google’s fault, though.

On the contrary, people trust the SERP so much that if they don’t find what they’re looking for on the first page, they’d rather change their search terms. They believe they’ve made a mistake – not Google.

You’re likely to be guilty of this, too. If Google can’t find something, it must not exist.

Search Features

Google has smart features that can give you information faster. For instance, it can give you release dates of movies and video games right on the SERP. You don’t even have to click on a website to get this information.

You can get the heights of celebrities, weather information, and more. You can even do unit conversions, volume calculations, and so on.

Other search engines have already adopted this feature, but Google has a few more things that they don’t. That’s why people go to Google instead for smart searches.

Some other features you might be familiar with are the “People also ask” section and shopping ads. These help people in their searches, as do the video results and images.

Understand Google’s Motivation in Changing Site Rankings

In a never-ending attempt to better its services, Google is always updating its search and ranking algorithms. Just recently, it announced its total shift to mobile-first indexing. It now prioritizes websites that are ready for mobile phones.

This is a result of paying attention to the behavior of its users. Knowing that the majority of internet users are now using mobile phones, the search engine wants to make sure to show websites that users can see and read on their smaller screens without issues.

This isn’t even the biggest change to Google over the past years. Going back to the early 2000s, we can see how link building has changed.

Link building is an important part of SEO. In the past, though, it had more weight on the rankings than it does today.

However, websites started finding ways to trick the system. They would rely on link farms, which increased their backlinks in an instant. A website would then seem more valuable than it actually was.

Today, Google has methods to gauge the value of a backlink and all other links on the internet. [quotesright]It wants to make sure that it only serves the worthiest websites to its users. [/quotesright]

Google in the Future

Why are we telling you this? Because Google will continue to make changes to its algorithms.

Google is also likely to consider changes in the real world. The Covid-19 pandemic, for example, has changed a lot of user behavior online.

Businesses have to start paying attention to the ever-changing landscape of digital marketing. Among other types of marketing to keep your eye on – social media, influencer, and video – Google marketing is still the most important.

Keep Track of Google Marketing Trends

Google can become a powerful tool for your online marketing efforts. It’s here to stay and has proven time and again that it can hold its place as the uncontested top search engine in the whole world.

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