Persuading Robots

I joined Elliance 6 months ago, and am learning something new every day.

The one big thing I’ve learned, which sets us apart from anywhere I’ve worked in the past, is that marketing is no longer just about persuading human beings. It’s also about persuading Google Bots.

The differences in what appeals to humans and robots are obvious, but what I find fascinating are the similarities.

Here are 3 important ones for marketers:

A Shared Vocabulary

People often group together around mutual interests and beliefs. At the core of their interests and beliefs is a common language. So it’s only natural that Google Bots are built to recognize keywords and key phrases. Once you really know your audience, you can develop a SEO-informed lexicon and bake it into all your digital marketing, so the robots bring the people you want to your door.

Credibility

People rarely respond to a persuasive story they only hear once. It’s only after we see it shared, retold and referenced by many others, that we really begin to believe it. So Google Bots are wired with a Citation Index that prioritizes the stories that are found in lots of places, are referenced by quality organizations and are drawing positive attention. The quantity, quality and positivity of these citations can help you build “Digital Mountains.” These are mountains that take you higher and higher in Google search rankings.

Simplicity & Clarity

People love simple, clear communication. They avoid complicated, tangled messes because it makes their brains hurt. Robots avoid them too. Unfortunately, there are still plenty of marketers using clunky code, building unresponsive sites and creating convoluted user experiences. Google Bots don’t put this kind of work anywhere near page 1, because it isn’t helpful to people.

So play nice with the robots. When you treat them the way they like to be treated, they reward you with more trust, referrals and business.

Just like people do.