Apply Predictive Analytics in Smart Ways to Boost SEO

Most people see the job of a San Diego analytics agency as running either descriptive or diagnostic analyses. However, this is not all. They also run predictive analytics, which provides critical support for SEO. This analysis allows you to plan ahead with considerable accuracy.

Here are seven ways predictive analytics can boost local SEO:

1. Refine content research strategies.
2. Understand local customers better.
3. Find high-potential keywords faster.
4. Prepare ahead for seasonal trends.
5. Outmaneuver top local competitors.
6. Know what customers would want.
7. Predict any strategy’s performance.

There’s a lot to discuss, so get ready to take notes.

Let’s go!

Seven Smart Ways to Apply Predictive Analytics in Local SEO

As its name suggests, predictive analytics is a method of using data to gain foresight and insight so you can make informed business decisions. It allows you to anticipate future trends or behaviors, giving you the ability to take advantage of them.

A common use of predictive analysis is to produce an overview of past marketing and sales data to establish patterns, whether these patterns are peak tourism seasons or new consumer interest in a segment of your market. Below are seven ways your business can apply predictive analytics right now.

1. Refine Content Research Strategies

Content creation is often a thankless job because the proportion of output to quality leads is far from 1:1, even for a top San Diego business. Numerous factors, such as how well you match search intent and where you rank in local search engine results, further complicate this ratio.

Therefore, predictive analytics is ideal for topics you know have strong appeal and decent potential for ROI. A quick audit of your content body is enough to shed light on what your target market wants, but you must get granular if you want to see lasting results.

Use predictive analysis in content creation by assessing on-site behavior to see what works. Taking the collective dwell time, engagement (repost, share, comment, etc.), and user path (sequence of pages the person visited) creates a refined overview of top content.

After using predictive analysis on its social media posts, an ice cream shop along Sunset Cliffs finds that its sea salt caramel sandwich boosts sales during the summer. The results make it clear that variations on this flavor have the most potential for success with its target market.

2. Understand Local Customers Better

Predictive analytics also allows you to do more with your data. One of its most common uses is dissecting customer behaviors to better understand what people want from your business. It usually applies to searches but also works well with website behavior.

Content management systems (CMS) such as WordPress, website tools such as Google Analytics, and marketing software such as HubSpot collect tons of on-site data. This tells you a lot about visitors and your content and would go to waste if not analyzed.

A Clairemont real estate firm finds that 80% of its roughly 8,000 visitors browse through houses along Torrey Pines Road after extensive predictive analysis. It signals that many potential clients are interested in that area, and it is worth placing ads for it.

Though a San Diego analytics agency is the best partner for this purpose, artificial intelligence (AI) analytic tools can also enhance your marketing. Both work great together if that is within your budget. After all, having experts on hand can only help your business.

3. Find High-Potential Keywords Faster

Keyword research is one application of predictive analytics that does not require you to play an active role. When you enter a seed keyword, tools such as Google Keyword Planner already make predictions on your behalf. You can take these predictions even further by making comparisons to understand how well your content aligns with your audience’s search terms. 

Just because a keyword has a high volume does not mean you are guaranteed any portion of it. Low-volume keywords that you can dominate are sometimes more valuable for your business. You must consider your capacity to outplay competitors and reach the top of search results. 

For instance, ‘San Diego craft beer’ has high traffic compared to similar search terms, but it also has more competition. ‘Microbrewery San Diego,’ on the other hand, brings in more traffic and is less popular with competing businesses. Both are vital for local SEO. 

4. Prepare Ahead for Seasonal Trends

As mentioned above, predictive analytics is primarily used to identify established patterns in the market or consumer behavior. Although this might seem like common sense, you need hard data to accurately predict it, and it is better to err on the side of caution.

The Christmas creep that consumers have been seeing over the years is a direct result of and directly affects holiday shopping trends. Jumpstarting Christmas decoration sales as early as October gives shoppers more time to avoid the holiday rush and brings businesses more profits.

It is not just local businesses that benefit from this use of predictive analytics. Even professional services generate more profit from adjusting their marketing strategies to leverage the patterns of their target market and related segments.

For example, a Point Loma accounting firm might think October is the best time to increase marketing for their services because it is the peak of tax season. However, San Diego analytics agency experts would suggest using predictive analysis to learn when search interest picks up.

5. Outmaneuver Top Local Competitors

You can also make better judgments about competitors through predictive analysis of data. Though they would not hand over metrics to any outsider, it is possible to collect data points from publicly available and easily viewable sources.

The usual method of finding data for predictive analysis is to go right to the source. Make a point to conduct customer service surveys to get feedback on why people choose your business over others. This is a good time to learn what choices are made and where competitors excel.

Predictive models based on this data can show how competitors enjoy as much success as they do. It is crucial to perform competitive analysis regularly to have a complete overview of what works best and to avoid where others have already failed.

Hiring a San Diego analytics agency helps immensely here. Not only do they already know how to conduct both competitive and predictive analyses, but they can do both for your business. A skilled agency can even aggregate comments on social media for richer data sets and results.

6. Know What Customers Would Want

The running theme of predictive analysis is faster resolutions and service, which means an overall boost in your SEO. When customers have a good experience with your brand, they are more likely to dwell longer and do more on your platform, profile, or website.

Knowing how customers will likely behave and respond to your actions also plays a central role in providing relevant, customized products and services. For instance, a local ecommerce business in Mira Mesa can use predictive analysis to forecast which products are best to stock.

Paired with AI, it can apply predictive analytics to display results based on real-time customer behaviors. Sections such as “Customers also bought…” illustrate the incredible utility of being able to anticipate behaviors before they happen. 

This is especially beneficial with strategies to track online trends to outpace competitors. However, being the prime choice for prospects and leads is only one perk. Predictive analysis has one more key use that fits any San Diego business.

7. Predict Any Strategy’s Performance

You can never be too sure what people will respond to in your SEO; all you can do is make an informed choice. Predictive analysis reduces the guesswork when applied correctly. You can use it to predict success.

First, you need clean and reliable data to create accurate models. These models help to make decisions and reduce possible risks. As stated in previous points, the goal and benefit of this strategy are to increase insight and give you greater control over your marketing strategies.

An Ocean Beach fishing charter might use predictive analysis on data from previous fishing trips to precisely forecast weather, fish populations, and customer preferences. They can then apply this insight to creating content, advertising their services, and adapting to real-time changes.

The results of their predictive analyses also translate into how they build optimal packages for prospects concerning individual preferences. Pricing strategies and marketing investment are other aspects that predictive analysis can enhance for better competitiveness and ranking.

Summing Up

San Diego business owners can claim many benefits from predictive analytics. Results from analyses boost the value of SEO strategies, making them more accurate and aligning them better with customer needs. It is also effective risk management and provides optimization for your future performance.

Need help applying predictive analytics to your SEO and business strategies? Contact Digital Authority Partners today.