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46% of all marketing decisions are based on gut feeling instead of analysis.
If you have been doing marketing for a while, your gut feeling probably points you in a good direction. For SEO optimisations, I still prefer to rely on data rather than on my gut alone.
Of course, if I have done something 10 times, I usually trust my gut more than the data. For most marketing actions I look at the data first, because what worked before may work very differently today.
Marketing moves fast, so keep looking at the data.
Let me give you an example from one of my earlier projects.
We had people answer questions through a WhatsApp chatbot instead of a typical contact form on the site.
That one change soon lifted our conversion rate by half. A change of course overnight. If I did the same today because my gut tells me to - because it worked in the past - it would work less well now.
In this post I share the key insights from a marketing point of view. Think of the types of channels to use, from search (SEO) to content marketing and conversion optimisation. I also touch briefly on social media and paid advertising.
After all, there is more and more overlap.
Let me get straight to the point.
Do you sell products under €100? Then you need at least 3 interactions for a sale. See the line going up? A higher price means more touchpoints too. B2C goes for paid social media, B2B turns to search ads.
Diversity in channels gives you a 23% higher ROI, but stop before the saturation point.
- Paid ads + SEO + email = the holy trinity
- Social media? 68% engagement is not the same as more revenue
- More traffic is not the same as more revenue either. SEO does generate the most visitors (and revenue comparable to ads), but most businesses get this wrong. More traffic only makes money when it is qualified traffic from your target audience.
- Organic social traffic converts at 9% versus 31% for email.
Here are 5 reasons why your SME clients walk away
1. Your value has to be high enough. 63% of SME owners would otherwise switch
2. Fix all your errors and bugs properly. 72% risk of churn
3. Support your client on time. 23% risk of churn
4. Support your client with new workflows and APIs. 18% risk of churn
5. Do you have a team? Provide a dedicated point of contact. 86% of SMEs want this. Make sure the CVs of your contact people are available online to underline their expertise.
Why your clients choose to stay:
- 78% of SME owners feel a bond with your brand when their pain point is mapped out well
- When you take care of client retention. 5% more retention brings 25% to 95% more profit
- 68% of your clients stay with you longer as a supplier when you offer self-service reporting
Right, let's look at a few SEO insights.
We have collected a lot of data from different industries with different kinds of clients, from smaller businesses to the somewhat bigger players. There is plenty of good information in there.
So first of all, I want to point out that, as most people understand, search keeps evolving, year after year. New platforms arrive and bring new ways of searching.
Social media has become a common alternative to search engines for many younger generations.
It serves as a discovery channel that, after inspiration, can lead to a Google search.
I suspect that social media and Google are increasingly coming together. Not as a battle. Rather as a combination of both, where the two meet in the marketing funnel.
Work together and use AI in a positive way
AI chatbots have grown more and more over the past 60 years.
Correction, over the past 4-5 years to be precise. The first chatbot was ELIZA, which Joseph Weizenbaum developed at MIT between 1964 and 1967. It was one of the first programs that could attempt the Turing test.
Chatbots are used for quick answers to complex questions and they can inspire a Google search to verify the facts. More and more searchers use AI chatbots for quick answers.
Always check the source behind an answer.
Where are the opportunities here?
Like this:
1. Mark up your content with FAQ schema (ChatGPT and other search engines pick this up 3x faster)
2. Publish your own research every month (“Our data shows…”)
3. Example case: a photography blog doubled its traffic with chatbot-friendly infographics
4. Don't forget: most of today's ranking principles can be derived from how you used to score in Google. By that I mean the other search engines and GEO (Generative Engine Optimisation). Take a look at our data chart below. People search in different ways and yes, search engines now have company - but they still hold the biggest share.
An important detail from our research last year is that the percentages turned out to exceed 100%. This is because people use not just one platform for their searches, but often a combination of several.
Someone searches "best electric bike" on their iPhone, compares models on desktop and finally buys via the iPad.
If you had asked me about 2 years ago who the main players in search were, I would always have said Google. Then Bing and the rest. More options have arrived since. I am talking about more than search engines. Search now also means Instagram, Meta, YouTube, ChatGPT and Snapchat. Every platform is growing in search, Google included.
Google still holds the strongest market share among search engines.
Among the real search engines, easily 90% at the moment. If we take a broad view of all platforms where search plays a role, around 62%. This includes YouTube, because that is part of Google. TikTok and Instagram, in other words the searchers who discover, come to about 12.1%. With ChatGPT, Perplexity and other AI search tools, you can count on 8.7%.
As you can see, we end up with percentages above 100%, so people search on several platforms at the same time.
We were able to find data on these platforms. There are around 1.2 billion searches a day in Europe. That is more than the entire population of Europe, which is 740 million.
Search is growing.
Some marketers are feeling uncertain.
Will AI kill Google? Answer: did Facebook kill LinkedIn? Did TikTok kill Instagram? Did YouTube kill Vimeo? People now search on multiple platforms, with an average of 4.7 different platforms used per question.
If you think about it, search is growing in the same way. People search everywhere and being present everywhere is a huge opportunity for your business.
And above all, if you have young children, you will notice they search by voice first, because that is what they have learned. We - the oldies - are all used to typing first, because that was the technology when we started searching.
The next development is that children will mainly use voice search as they grow older, simply because that is what they are used to.
They think what we do is weird.
It may sound strange, but seriously, because AI is being built into all these voice devices, the answers keep getting better.
Blog posts were once sacred.
And these days? Search engines reward brands that go a step further in variety. Take a mortgage adviser who increases their leads with a simple ‘Monthly payment checker’.
Tools like these – think calculators, quizzes or AI-based generators – bring in more search traffic.
Tools are only part of the story.
Product pages now need to provide answers too. 41% of searchers expect technical specifications and user experiences on one page. Ideally with embedded video reviews, comparison tables and FAQ sections. And remember your homepage: 62% of your visitors start their search journey there.
Turn it into a question-driven hub instead of a static place to hand out business cards.
Searches are getting longer. Much longer.
71% now use phrases of 5-8 words. A big development. People arrive already informed, which makes this your chance to convert them. Play into this by creating long-form content, such as a 2,500-word article.
How do you start? First analyse questions with Google Trends or AnswerThePublic. Turn them into content that sounds natural, which also helps you with voice search. As a garden centre chain, for example, you could publish a guide to pond maintenance in autumn.
Then expect a rise in organic search traffic.
Google divides searchers into four types, based on the search intent people have:
1. *Informational* (“How does SEO work?”) → create in-depth guides
2. *Navigational* (“Brand X contact”) → provide clearly structured pages
3. *Commercial* (“Best CRM for SMEs”) → create comparisons + case studies
4. *Transactional* (“Buy iPhone 15”) → show USPs (benefits) + social proof content
Mind you: 83% want to be informed first. So give them room instead of forcing a sales appointment.
Forcing it costs you conversions.
Brand-related searches rose by 89% over the past year. How do you get this right? You do it by increasing your authority. Publish your own research every month – “Our analysis of 100 clients shows…” works like a magnet.
Also think of backlinks through expert interviews in trade magazines, for example. And build a “Knowledge centre” where people can download free templates.
Take a new local IT company that grew from 0 to 800 monthly searches on its brand name alone, by offering visitors weekly security whitepapers.
This helps create consistency in your search traffic.
Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness (E-E-A-T) has been an important factor for several years. Google’s algorithm penalises brands that lack transparency.
So always show:
- Your case studies with client results (work them into your blog, for example)
- Team profiles with certifications (on your about us page)
- Media mentions in reputable sources (in a trade magazine, for example)
A quick hack? Use schema markup for author attributions. According to Search Engine Journal, this increases the click-through rate by 34%.
The 80/20 rule is more than a strategy.
Focus 20% of your energy on quick wins, such as TikTok skits or LinkedIn posts that generate direct leads.
Reserve that 80% for content that keeps paying off.
Blog posts about the pain points of your audience, for example. They attract traffic for months. Tools such as a ‘VAT calculator’ for freelancers also pay for themselves through new leads. The aim is to create timeless value over temporary hype.
35% of your readers remember at least one key point from in-depth blogs – with short social posts that is only 9%.
One study gave participants a free choice between short and long videos. Who chose fast content? 68% of them clicked away within 15 seconds.
And the longer viewers? 41% of them watched everything and could recall three details.
The conclusion I draw is that short content attracts people and long content makes the lasting impression.
Combine the best of both worlds.
A simple example is to start with a YouTube Short that cuts off halfway: “This is why most starters fail…” with a link to your full guide. Or share one shocking statistic on LinkedIn (“1 in 3 marketers makes this mistake”) and point to your research. That way you catch fleeting scrollers and convince the doubters.
You have 300 seconds. Exactly. A webinar attendee decides within 5 minutes whether they stay, yes or no. No live polls or compelling data to pull them in?
Then they drop out fast.
"Prove it." SME owners give you 46 seconds. We found this by analysing more than 200 websites. Show your client results in the first paragraph ("for example, I connected this client with so-and-so") – right at the top, not on page 3.
Title + first sentence = your only chance.
"Stop doing X" works better than "10 tips for a beautiful smile …".
Another tip I can give you is to use cliffhanger sentences. So focus on grabbing attention straight away with every type of content.
Numbers drive results.
So what tactics could you apply to make your headlines, your content, your webinars and your videos more effective?
As the data below shows, these are curiosity-sparking calls to action, urgency and scarcity. All of these tactics work. Build them into your titles or the first part of your content.
1 = Number-based: "9 Forecasting Methods"
2 = Data-based: "How to use data-driven decision-making to boost business growth"
3 = Curiosity-sparking: "How do you make others curious?"
4 = Call-to-Action: "Create a website you're proud of"
5 = Urgency: "Urgency declaration for home seekers"
6 = Listicle: "Listicle Examples to Boost Your Holiday Website Traffic"
7 = How to: "The difference between i.e. and e.g. clearly explained"
8 = Trend-based: "9 Forecasting Methods"
9 = Emotion-driven: "Now is your moment to build a better tomorrow"
10 = Mistake/Warning: "Watch out! Some commercial agencies apply for an urgency declaration on your behalf for a fee"
11 = Addressing the reader: "Why Zoom"
12 = Problem-solving: "How can you benefit from data-driven decision-making?"
13 = Question: "Why do some people succeed and others don't?"
14 = Question and answer: "What is the difference between i.e. and e.g.? The complete explanation"
15 = Storytelling: "How a road trip past a hidden coffee shop changed my holiday"
16 = Authority/Expertise: "Zoom is ranked #1 in customer reviews"
17 = Inspiration/Success: "Top performers: why do some people succeed and others don't?"
18 = Breaking news: "Breaking: new data-driven method increases business growth by 30%"
19 = Comparative: "The difference between i.e. and e.g."
20 = Controversial: "Why data-driven decision-making undermines traditional business models"
Your content needs to support the customer journey.
So build awareness with podcasts, infographics, blogs and short videos. Drive conversions with whitepapers, webinars and case studies.
See your content as a funnel.
First there is the awareness stage, which is more about grabbing attention quickly with the least time-consuming types of content, such as your first short videos, your blogs, your Google Business Profile posts or whatever else.
From there you move into the consideration stage, where you bring people further down the funnel. Then comes the decision stage, where you reach them with the longer formats that truly show your expertise and the reliability of your brand.
Here you can see how effective the different content types are per funnel stage.
First you wake them up.
Podcasts about trends, blogs with practical tips, infographics that make complex data simple. That way you attract attention without applying pressure.
Next, you go deeper.
Whitepapers with research, videos thatanswer “how” questions, plus visuals such as a relevant stock photo that strengthen your USPs. This is where interest turns into serious consideration.
Finally, you convince.
Webinars show expertise live and case studies prove results. This is the moment when decision-makers ask for proof.
Whether you have Gen Z (TikTok clips), Millennials (how-tos) or the 50+ crowd (informative videos) in your sights, video simply works. Mind you, most people want authenticity over a perfect studio feel.
Think of a photographer. Not every photo is taken in a studio and not every photography style suits a studio.
Just use your phone.
Just use your phone. Lo-fi content scores 34% better than high-end productions. Even with a simple recording, you can look more professional by, for example, removing the background for a cleaner look. Show your brand as it is – raw, real and human.
My bonus tip of the week is to combine short hooks (of 7 seconds) with in-depth stories. That way you catch scrollers and convince the doubters.
Check what ranks in your own SERP.
Type in your main keywords and see what happens.
Do you still only see blogs?
Or are Reddit threads, videos and infographics at the top? Most search results now contain a mix of content formats. For example, search for “best running shoes” and you get TikTok clips alongside webshop links.
This means it is time to stop guessing. Analyse your top 5 search terms every month, note the dominant formats and adapt your content to them.
Always writing 2000+ words is outdated.
In the fintech sector? Yes, there depth with 3000+ words quickly brings in more leads.
But for “How do I make peanut butter”?
Short videos work better there. Industry-specific data helps you further. SaaS companies see gains with extensive guides, while fashion brands use short product videos for more conversions.
YouTube Shorts and TikTok work for most B2C brands. For B2B, whitepapers and case studies are indispensable.
Draw your own conclusions. Make one simple video with your phone, publish an in-depth study and measure which format attracts more traffic.
That way you find out whether your audience thinks in images or in words.
1. SERP analysis. Use tools such as Ahrefs to see what competitors are doing. Is Reddit dominating? Then create Q&As, for example.
2. Your own industry first, rather than general trends. Fintech calls for different content than fashion.
3. Keep updating too. Check every 3 months whether your content still matches what Google rewards.
Our research shows that by updating about 6 old blogs every quarter, you can already expect a quarter more traffic.
A realistic expectation.
How do you divide your time effectively between creating new content and updating existing content?
A good guideline is the 70/30 rule, where the ideal split depends on the stage your business is in.
Startups, which often still need to build brand awareness, do well to focus on 70% new content and 30% updates.
Established brands on the other hand can focus more on updating existing content, with a split of 60% updates and 40% new content.
Remove outdated information, replace specific years such as “In 2025…” with more general wording such as “Recent research shows…” to make the content timeless.
Add new subheadings, structure your text with extra subheadings. This helps Google’s ranking systems understand the relevance of your content better.
Implement redirects, are you removing pages? Then set up redirects to relevant, up-to-date pages to prevent 'dead links' and guide visitors as well as Google to the right place.
Okay. Now for CRO, or conversion rate optimisation.
Colour can influence your conversions. Certain colours work better for specific industries, such as blue for finance and technology or green for health and wellbeing.
CTAs need to stand out, so you want to focus on colour and contrast. Blue, green and red can really stand out on screen.
Make sure there is contrast on your website. Lots of blue on your site? Use green for your CTA. Orange converts best at the moment, but first ask yourself whether it also brings the right contrast to your website.
Clicks do not always correlate with conversions, so you need to use multiple psychological triggers to increase your conversions. Several of the ones mentioned here can be combined, like the different strategies I shared earlier.
Combining these different triggers can help your conversion rates.
Forms are about balance.
Make sure you have enough form fields to assess your lead quality, while keeping the form short enough that people who need your product or service happily fill it in.
If you find you need more than four form fields, consider testing a form that shows two fields at a time to make it easy for the customer to convert.
As long as it is relevant, of course.
With form fields, we have found that if you ask for too little information, you may get a high conversion rate from visitor to lead, but the step from lead to an actual sale or revenue will be truly terrible.
So look at the conversion rates of the entire funnel, from visitor to closed deal.
One of the stages may have a lower conversion rate. It may well be that you need more form fields in that stage. Run a split test on it.
So look at this mix of big and small adjustments we can make to improve conversion rates.
Even seemingly small adjustments, such as improving load time, can have a big impact. Testing copy that addresses the reasons people might not convert also helps you increase your A/B test gains.
Dutch furniture company Zitmaxx Wonen cut its load time to 3 seconds, with explosive results. 50% more conversions straight after implementation. And above all, revenue nearly doubled within 3 months.
UX changes, or simply mobile optimisation, will help you create a checkout experience that guides your users, your customers, all the way to completing the checkout.
And again, if you focus on content that gives your customers the information they need and stays transparent, they will feel less pressured to buy after adding something to their basket.
Many marketers use AI and believe it is a miracle cure.
More than 50% of marketers use AI to support copywriting, email, social media and search.
It is not a miracle cure.
Even though many people believe it is and it is presented that way, in its current form it is far from it.
I am not saying the technology will not improve, but in its current form in marketing it cannot solve everything YOU want it to do.
Especially with more complex tasks.
Think of image generation, for example. It often takes a number of clicks or prompt adjustments before you get there.
And when we look at the ROI of AI in marketing, it is not in the KPIs people talk about.
Everyone talks about 'I use it to create content or videos'.
Much of the ROI actually comes from things like cost savings and automating everyday, boring tasks. Rather than creative content, it comes from data, analysis and chatbots that help people past objections when they need support.
So think of all those ugly jobs. When you use AI for the ugly jobs that are less visible, we see a much higher ROI in marketing.
And now, human-written content.
Who wins? Robot or human? Purely human-written content beats the robots. It simply attracts more traffic.
That said, you can still use AI to help with your content creation.
We simply see that it keeps producing the same rehashed information. It performs worse from a search and ranking point of view. On top of that, it lacks many of the elements of E-E-A-T.
Think beyond Google. Most ranking principles are the same for other search engines.
With paid ads we also see that humans win. But what if you then let AI loose on the winning campaigns? The campaign soon performs even better.
A mix of marketing channels gives the best ROI. The 'holy trinity' consists of paid ads, SEO and email marketing. Email traffic converts much better (31%) than social media (9%). B2B companies perform best with search ads, while B2C has more success with paid social media.
Match your content to the customer journey: use podcasts, infographics and blogs for the awareness stage (5-10%), whitepapers and informative images for the consideration stage (10-50%) and webinars and case studies for the decision stage (10-85%). Most people want to be informed before they buy, so inform first and let the sale follow.
Increase conversions easily by improving your load time (more conversions), optimising forms to a maximum of 4 fields, using contrasting CTA colours and opening with strong headlines straight away, because you only have 14 seconds to grab attention.
More in this series on strategy and trends
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About the author
Dominic Pietersz
Your dedicated point of contact
Dominic helps SMEs grow through Google and other channels. With his international experience, he turns challenges into concrete growth.
Follow Dominic on LinkedInInspiration · While out running, I was thinking about how often decisions rest on gut feeling. Back home, I wrote these seven optimisations that bring data and feeling together.
