Business

This is the beginning of the rank brain algorithm

Ask Google how to boil an egg, and you'll get 54 million facts in response
Ask Google how to boil an egg, and you'll get 54 million facts in response Ask Google how to boil an egg, and you'll get 54 million facts in response

SPRING is a time of renewal and change. In the world of education, it's also time of trepidation and excitement as exams approach. For final year students, it's very much a new beginning as they start the process of seeking out employment and taking steps towards building a career.

Recently I met some of the students studying at the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Graduate Gateway provision in Magee College. The Graduate Gateway will help them to stand out in the marketplace, where research indicates that 85 students are competing for every job in marketing.

But the world of marketing the students are entering is so different today in comparison to when I graduated over 20 years ago. Back then, the fax machine was my best friend – the magic invention that was quicker than post. Today, we communicate instantly, constantly and seamlessly across our mobile devices and PCs.

The impact of 24/7 communication on e-commerce was a key part of CIM’s annual digital master class in April. Led by CIM tutor Steven Parker and his colleague John Cave, it provided practical hints on how to maximise web presence today, while also looking to the future.

When I first dipped my toe in e-commerce back in 2003, search engine optimisation (SEO) and Google sometimes struggled to provide me with answers – if I misspelt a word, no answers came back. These days, not only will Google correct your spelling, but it will also offer you a picture, map, film clip, graph and a myriad of featured content.

As digital master Steven Parker said: “Ask Google to boil an egg, and you will get 54 million facts in response”. Google is truly meeting its mission to “organise the world’s information, and make it all accessible and understood.” This is the beginning of the rank brain algorithm.

Websites still need to be on solid servers, with logical site maps and well-structured data. These days, however, content is king. Sites with authoritative links will float to the top of organic listings, with sources Google spiders deem to be expert (such as a newspaper) resulting in high rankings.

Another digital trend is the increase in use across different devises. As pay-per-click expert John Cave said: “We don’t just go online, we live online.”

The UKOM/comScore data reveals that 16.7 per cent of all UK internet time (one in every six minutes) across computers, tablets and smartphones is spent on social media – up from 12 per cent two years ago. Social media has overtaken entertainment, whose share nearly halved from 22.1 to 12.4 per cent, and with 1.6 billion users, we are doing most of our talking on Facebook. We reach for our phone, not just to price match, but also to inform our choices. We want pictures, films and reviews. We want to share our decision or indecision.

We now live in a digital media world of constant change. Facebook is making a bid for the throne this year, but next year it could be Instagram or Snapchat. However, one of the core messages from the master class is that the fundamentals of marketing, despite all this rapid and constant change remain the same.

Knowing who your customer is, what they want and assisting them to make easy choices still remains key. In the digital future, the customer experience is still key. Twenty years ago when I started out, the customer was king, today meeting his or her expectations remains the core purpose for marketers.

:: To learn more about CIM qualifications, a weblinar is being held on Tuesday May 17 (1pm-2.15pm). Go to www.cim.co.uk/ for more details on qualifications and local events.

:: Carol Magill is CIM Network Manager for Ireland