This holiday season, consumers are willing to forego privacy in lieu of personalized results that give them relevant ads and deals, according to a report by Accenture. As consumers become more comfortable with customization, marketers looking to optimize content for SEO should focus on generating quality, custom content that will win social shares and repeat traffic so consumers see results in relevant searches.
The survey, which polled consumers in both the US and the U.K., found that 61 percent would be willing to give up some privacy to gain personally relevant deals, and 73 percent are interested in receiving relevant ads on their smartphones and tablets. Even so, consumers seek a little control – 88 percent want to have a choice about how their information gets used.
These are telling results in a day and age when search engines are increasingly tailoring searches to individual behavior, making some a little uncomfortable. Brafton reported that both Google and Bing are working hard to give these customized results through location, search history and preferred websites. The traditional way for content marketers and digital experts to measure results was through search rankings, but analyzing keyword success and traffic is a better route to gauging SEO success in an era of personalized searches.
