Hearing search engine optimization (SEO) and small screen in the same sentence might make you think of smartphones and tablets — but not so fast. SEO and television (regardless of the platform you choose) is about to become “a thing.” How people watch TV these days is changing, and streaming is taking over from cable. However, people are still watching their TVs either via a smart TV or by hooking up laptops, tablets and the like to their in-home entertainment center. This means the industry is changing in order to make room for the latest technology.
In 2014, online streaming rose 60 percent while traditional TV viewing dropped by 4 percent. Clearly, a disparity is growing between streaming and classic television, which means marketers need to change their tactics. SEO, which has traditionally been an online-only realm, is seeping into the world of television. From Hulu Plus to Netflix and everything in between, it’s silly for such streaming providers to think their audience always goes directly to their site. Many do, but what about the users who don’t immediately find what they want? They’ll probably start Googling terms like “watch (insert show name here)” and suddenly SEO can be a game changer.
The New Commercial Break
When people start Googling show names, ads can pop up for paid possibilities. Maybe a particular show isn’t available to stream just yet, but it might be available to purchase. Of course, any TV lover who’s tried this approach knows that you get a lot of junk in the mix, too. Today, there are thankfully more than just a couple of options for streaming, and with new options comes new aggregators. For example, RabbitTV is an affordable subscription service that will find a show if it exists to be streamed, no matter who’s actually hosting it.
Marketers and aggregators have an important relationship, since collaboration allows for matching complementary ads to the best demographics. This is, of course, done much better than traditional advertising on television. However, it doesn’t come without challenges. As a marketer, your audience needs to know where they want to head in order for you to do the same. Guessing has no place in a sophisticated targeted ad campaign.
What Do These “Online Aggregators” Have to Do with Marketing and SEO?
Think of online aggregators as the new version of old-school TV guides. However, while TV guides simply showed the channel and time for various shows, online aggregators allow viewers to select which episode they want to watch. This is one extra page for aggregators — and one extra chance for a marketer to advertise. This means you can further customize your ads and up their relevancy.
From an SEO perspective, if you want television viewers to visit your site or click on your ads, it’s becoming more and more feasible to reach the “right” demographic, thanks to online streaming. There’s a good chance that if someone wants to binge watch Orange is the New Black, they might be interested in your latest blog on female prisoner athletes, or even your new “pen pal”/dating site where they can connect with inmates (no judgment).
Are you interested in tapping the TV crowd? Contact Be Locally SEO today to get started on a campaign that’s customized to appeal to all online audiences, including the streaming variety.