Top 5 Internet Marketing Trends to Watch for in the New Year

Each year, innovations that make the user experience more positive online also bring changes to the Internet marketing world. Smart brands know how to adapt to these changes, but they must know what they are first. Here are some of the changes anticipated for 2019, and insights into how they will affect your marketing strategies.

1. User Intent Will Be Critical
Do you really know your audience? For 2019, this is going to become increasingly important. When your site has the media and content that your audience wants, and a visitor stays longer and invests time in your site, Google will reward you with better organic rankings. As Google gets smarter and is better able to determine a user’s search intent with just a search query, providing content that matches that intent will be critical to your online marketing success.

This means search marketing is going to go beyond keywords alone. Yes, keywords are still important, but now you need to go beyond simply marketing to keywords. You need to make sure your site and its content are answering, comprehensively, the questions your audience is asking when they make a search.

2. Moving Beyond Google
Google still remains the top search engine, but today’s consumer isn’t just searching through search engines. They’re also searching in app stores, on YouTube, using their smart home speaker device and other voice-assisted devices, and more. Raking first in the SERPs is great, but you also need to rank in the other areas where your audience is searching. Online marketing in 2019 is going to move beyond Google alone.

3. AI as a Help to Marketers
Many fear the role of AI as taking over their jobs, but this is far from the current reality. For online marketing, AI is going to help significantly, though, as technology continues to improve and create automated options that make it easier for you to reach your audience with less effort on your part. AI can also help analyze data about your target audience, so you can get a clearer picture of who it is you are trying to reach.

4. Video Continuing to Rise in Importance
Industry experts anticipate 2019 being the year that the Internet pulls up equal with television for number of hours watched, and as such video marketing is going to increase in importance. This year, expect video content to be more search friendly. Also, expect to see more brands taking advantage of live video options and 360-degree video technology.

5. Increased Acceptance and Use of Chatbots
If you have been hesitant about letting a computer talk to your customers, now is the year to start. This automation makes life easier for you, and the technology is getting smarter, allowing for a more human-like experience. This technology is going to be more widespread, and consumers are going to become accustomed to it, making it a valuable addition to your marketing arsenal.

Are you ready to capitalize on these trends and predictions? StoneFish is here for you, every step of the way! This year will prove to be an exciting and innovative one on the Internet marketing front, so start making your plans to succeed in business in the coming year.