Oh My MUM or how to think SEO in the era of AI Algorithms

Is the classic funnel still a useful model?
Are the "0 click SERPS" something we SEO cannot deal with?

Watch the deck, and discover how Messy Middle is shaping Google Search now and how it is the real cause of why Google is presenting more and more Search Features (and introduced MUM).
Learn my way of targeting, mapping, and optimizing the organic visibility of a website and a brand for the Messy Middle, and how Messy Middle is obliging us changing the way of thinking and doing SEO.

Transcript

1. OH MY MUM!
   HOW TO DO THINK SEO IN THE ERA OF AI ALGORITHMS
   GIANLUCA FIORELLI
   ILoveSEO.net
   @gfiorelli1 for #SOB22
   

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2. WHAT YOU
   WON’T SEE HERE
   @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
   

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3. PATENTS
   

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4. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
   If you are interested in
   patents, I warmly
   recommend you read
   (again) the posts our real
   SEO Jedi, Bill Slawski,
   published in his blog
   SEObythesea.com or wrote
   for Go Fish Digital
   

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5. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
   SO, WHAT?
   

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6. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
   I AM HERE TO ASK YOU A
   FEW QUESTIONS
   

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7. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
   WHAT IF THE
   CLASSIC FUNNEL
   WAS NOT EXISTING?
   

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8. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
   WHAT IF THE ’’0 CLICK
   SERPS’’ WERE MORE
   THE CONSEGUENCE OF
   AN OBSOLETE
   STRATEGIC THINKING
   THAN ANYTHING ELSE?
   

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9. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
   

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10. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    2016
    Micro-Moments
    

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11. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    2020:
    Messy Middle
    

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12. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    

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13. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    Google Search
    • 2015 RankBrain
    • 2016 SyntaxNet
    • 2017 Image Search Tags
    • 2018 Neural Matching
    • 2019 BERT
    • 2021 Passage Rankings
    and SubTopics
    • 2021 MUM
    

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14. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    2016 –
    Micromoments
    ‘’An intent-rich moment’’
    2020 -
    Messy Middle
    Search Journey/Session
    • 2016 SyntaxNet
    • 2017 Image Search Tags
    • 2018 Neural Matching
    • 2019 BERT
    • 2021 Passage Rankings
    and Subtopics
    • 2021 MUM
    (E-A-T)
    

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15. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    Messy Middle
    AKA forget the
    classic TOFU, MOFU,
    BOFU funnel
    

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16. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    TRIGGERS:
    … THEY ARE NOT NECESSARILY THE
    FAMOUS PAIN POINTS.
    If we don't know them, we can't move
    forward.
    Carrying out good analyzes of the
    Buyer and Audience Persona continues
    to be important, as well as carrying out
    studies of trends and seasonality of
    interests.
    Being the first at a temporal level is
    key.
    

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17. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    TRIGGERS… Where?
    This is largely the field of predictive,
    which is why knowing our audience is
    so essential.
    Synergies with Social Media,
    commercial/customer departments,
    and traditional marketing are the key
    to discover where to be and when to be
    visible as soon as the trigger is
    activated... and influence the
    response.
    

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18. TRIGGERS… What about Search?
    GOOGLE DISCOVER, which is by nature a news
    stream proposed by Google on the basis of
    predictive analysis of interests.
    

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19. TRIGGERS… Where else?
    YouTube, with collaborations with
    Creators that we know influence our
    audience.
    Their videos are the trigger that
    generates searches.
    This is a job that will also serve us
    later.
    @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    

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20. TRIGGERS… Where else?
    Images… on sites we know influence
    our audience.
    @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    

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21. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    TRIGGERS… ¿Dónde?
    Imágenes… en sitios que sabemos
    que influyen en nuestra audiencia.
    

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22. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    

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23. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    MESSY MIDDLE
    It consists of two coexisting phases:
    1. exploration phase (expansive)
    2. evaluation phase (reductive)
    It is a feedback loop.
    Its keyword is "What's next" and our
    success lies in the ability to shorten the
    time during which our potential users
    stay in the loop.
    

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24. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    MESSY MIDDLE
    Google retains its users in the Messy
    Middle… it is their kingdom.
    We can say because it increases their
    exposure to ads or that it helps them
    through the entire potential Search
    Journey and thus make the right
    decision.
    In any case, we must work so that "all
    roads lead to our site"
    

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25. Search Intent >> Informational
    I want to know > theoretical (text)
    > practical (video/how
    to…)
    > simple
    Search Intent >> Commercial
    I want to buy but… (Landing Page,
    “Best X”, Reviews, Comparisons...)
    I want to go >> Navigational
    Lists and Local Search
    I want to buy >> Transactional
    Product Pages (owned and not)
    

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26. The order always
    depends on the search
    intent perceived by
    Google, and it is also an
    initial information about
    the content format that
    the user will most likely
    use to find his answer,
    and about the possible
    paths that he will take in
    the Search Journey.
    Landing page that works
    like Pillar.
    Target the ’’I want to buy
    but…’’.
    Sitelinks based on
    architecture and internal
    linking not menus.
    On mobile they can be
    more than on desktop
    (carousel).
    Indented search result.
    Product page that targets a different and purely
    transactional intent (’’I want to buy’’).
    There is no “keyword cannibalization”.
    

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27. This is the clearest map of the Messy Middle
    for this query.
    It is partly powered by Google
    Merchant/Manufacturer (Shopping Graph):
    • Overview (exploration)
    • Details (exploration)
    • Stores (reduction)
    • Reviews (reduction)
    Partly from Search:
    • Stores (reduction)
    • Videos (both exploration and reduction)
    • Related Searches (‘’Cards’’ & ‘’Accessories’’
    – reduction)
    • Top Ranked (reduction)
    

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28. https://support.google.com/merchants/answer/188924?ref_topic=3163841
    https://www.google.com/intl/es_es/retail/solutions/manufacturer-center/
    Essential are data harmonization between Merchant feed and original source of the same data, and full use of Products structured
    data
    

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29. Data Sparcity > We must focus on attributes that are really important for users when performing a search (product
    identifiers, color, material, type, brand...).
    Data Completion > The data (structured and not) must be complete and consistent. The product image in different
    formats is a good example.
    Data Quality > The data must be reliable.
    

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30. Data Harmonization > The synchronization of the data between the web and the Merchant feed must be total. If some data
    (eg InStock) tends to change very frequently, it is better that it exists only on one side to avoid
    discrepancies.
    Data Reconciliation > There should be no ambiguities that could cause substantial duplication. That is why the UPI (Unique
    Product Identifier) must be used, which is the rel=“canonical” of the products.
    

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31. Result with strong local
    connotations (demos in
    stores).
    

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32. Barnacle SEO
    It is necessary to monitor
    the reviews.
    

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33. Barnacle SEO
    They are not the same as
    those presented in the
    original SERP, but they
    imply the same Search
    Intent.
    

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34. Owning a YouTube
    channel, doing SEO for
    video, structured data
    (key moments)...
    Identify Creators to carry
    out Barnacle SEO and co-
    marketing actions.
    

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35. It's important to devote the same attention to SEO for YouTube as we do for
    Search. The Messy Middle includes any Google property that can feed
    searches.
    

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36. Also in this case, to be present as much as possible in the potential stages of
    the Messy Middle, it is necessary to rely on true influencers with real
    visibility both on YouTube and in the box/carousel videos.
    

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37. YouTube itself provides us with potential contacts for outreach.
    Also, consider not only current visibility, but also over time. The best are the
    Creators with evergreen videos.
    

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38. Sometimes, Google
    prominently presents us
    with the most important
    related ones, and that
    we must target with the
    same attention as the
    main one.
    These are more than
    keywords; they are the
    most relevant sub-
    entities associated with
    ours.
    

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39. ¿Es este tipo de análisis valido también en otros ámbitos? TOTALMENTE
    ¡¡WTF!!
    

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40. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    All the SERP features
    that we found are a
    potential step forward
    in the Messy Middle.
    

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43. Entity Attribute Related Entity
    Google Lens > Multisearch
    > Multisearch Near Me
    > MUM
    

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46. MULTISEARCH
    https://blog.google/products/search/multisearch/
    

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47. MULTISEARCH NEAR ME
    

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48. SCENE EXPLORATION
    

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49. What about Voice Search?
    Remember… Conversational Search was the first attempt to target the Messy Middle
    https://blog.google/products/assistant/assistant-io-2022/
    

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50. MUM, with the ability it offers to use images, text and voice more fluidly at the same time, is nothing
    more than a further enhancement of features already available in part from separatly.
    

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51. But, MUM is not only this. MUM is strictly tied to entity search, and that's why we have even more
    Messy Middle with ”Broaden This Search” and “Refine This Search”
    

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52. And this without counting all the other SERPS’ features and personalization
    

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53. ‘We’re fucked’’
    (an SEO)
    

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54. ‘’ May the Entity Search
    be with you, always’’
    

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55. S
    T
    A
    R
    W
    A
    R
    S
    L
    E
    G
    I
    O
    N
    TABLETOP GAME
    TERRAIN PAD
    MINIS ARMIES
    HEROES
    CARDS
    RULES
    REBELS
    STORMTROOPERS
    LUKE SKYWALKER
    DARTH VADER
    FIGURE
    PAINTING
    GUIDES
    EXPERTS
    PAINTS
    FANTASY FLIGHT
    GAMES
    (MANUFACTURER)
    

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56. S
    T
    A
    R
    W
    A
    R
    S
    L
    E
    G
    I
    O
    N
    TABLETOP GAME
    TERRAIN PAD
    MINIS ARMIES
    HEROES
    CARDS
    RULES
    REBELS
    STORMTROOPERS
    LUKE SKYWALKER
    DARTH VADER
    FIGURE
    PAINTING
    GUIDES
    EXPERTS
    PAINTS
    FANTASY FLIGHT
    GAMES
    (MANUFACTURER)
    ’’PRODUCT’’
    CRITICAL REVIEWS
    BLOGS
    MAGAZINES
    VIDEOS
    SHOPPING GRAPH MERCHANTS UGC REVIEWS
    EXPERTS
    JOURNALISTS
    CREATORS
    

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57. This is the way
    

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58. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    MESSY MIDDLE (and MUM)
    It is the realm of Entity Search, and the
    queries/keywords represent only one
    element.
    

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59. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    The ‘’0 click SERPs’’ they are a
    consequence of the Messy Middle (and
    MUM).
    

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60. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    But the mistake is forgetting that what
    matters is not the specific search, but
    the search session.
    The SEO contribution to traffic in an
    indirect way is going to have a similar
    weight to the direct contribution.
    

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61. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    That is why it is essential to always be
    present throughout the entire search
    session with our resources and those
    that most influence our potential
    users.
    

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62. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    And that is why it is essential that we
    as SEOs work so that our brand (core
    entity) is considered the most Expert,
    Authoritative and Trusted (E-A-T).
    

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63. Post credit sequence
    

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64. @gfiorelli1 #SOB22
    The SEO is also here and the Page
    Experience reports are his Book:
    • Core Web Vitals
    • Mobile-Friendly
    • HTTPS
    

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65. OH MY MUM!
    HOW TO DO THINK SEO IN THE ERA OF AI ALGORITHMS
    GIANLUCA FIORELLI
    ILoveSEO.net
    @gfiorelli1 for #SOB22
    

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