The Future of Augmented Reality With Search Engine Optimization
Augmented Reality (AR) is not new. It has actually been around for years. But it’s true potential wasn’t fully utilized until relatively recently, with Pokemon GO.
Although the game was a victim of momentary success, it showed us what AR can do.
Pokemon GO helped businesses envision their future with AR, compelling them to use it for digital marketing and Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).
But before we begin talking about the future of AR with SEO…
What is Augmented Reality?
AR is a digital technology that augments your natural surroundings and overlays them with information, images, texts, videos, etc. related to the subject.
You see, in this image, a person scans a painting with his iPad and on its screen, he is provided with information about the painting and its artist.
There are several games and applications which have adopted AR to engage their audience.
For example, Snapchat provides their users with lenses and filters which mask over their faces adapting to the shape of it.
And because there are not one but many filters, it becomes funny and engaging at the same time.
Google has used AR in Google Glass as well. But just recently, it launched Google Lens for every Android smartphone.
Google Lens lets you:
Read reviews and see ratings of local businesses around you.
Identify a flower’s type.
Know about the products around you.
Augmented Reality and SEO
But AR is not just about identifying your pet’s breed, or a type of flower. AR has a wider approach which makes it a boon for digital marketers and SEO experts.
AR can influence the future of SEO by enhancing user experience and generating engagement.
And that’s what this article is about, so let’s begin:
Local SEO Will Progress Even More Rapidly
Augmented reality majorly focuses on location as its results are based upon where you stand.
Yelp has been proactive in upgrading its app with AR. So, whenever your camera faces a street, you will see this:
Google Lens and Maps have adopted AR as well.
To get highlighted in such results, local businesses would have to prepare strategies for their local SEO and optimize themselves with it.
And how would they do that?
Updating Your “Google My Business” With Correct Information
1.17 Billion people seek answers to their query on Google and Google, in return, provides them with proper solutions.
This makes it essential for your local business to register itself on Google My Business to get listed in Google’s local search results.
Just fill in information like your business’s name, working hours, location, address, contact number, etc.
Location is prioritized by AR so that users can locate stores, restaurants, hotels, nearest to them.
Registering on Google My Business will help users find your store with Google Lens.
Use The Same Information In Online Directories As Well
Local businesses should not limit to registering on Google My Business. They should fill in the same information on online directories as well.
Yelp is an online directory that focuses mainly on local businesses, it has also been actively upgrading their AR for better user experience.
Local businesses should register on as many directories as they can because services like Yelp’s, are going to advance in the field of AR in future.
Plus, the audience will easily be able to locate the store or restaurant in their locality.
User-Generated Content Is Important
To keep a business running, offering good services is necessary. Plus, it helps SEO because better service leads to better ratings and reviews.
Ratings and reviews are important because they hover over local businesses in online directories’ results.
Local businesses with more positive reviews are trusted and chosen over others. Plus, user-generated content is good for SEO, so your rankings will move closer to the top SERP pages.
Leverage Location For Targeted Marketing
AR shows results on the basis of your geo-location.
This feature can be leveraged into making an effective marketing plan focussed on your audience’s location.
The audience can be notified of a store’s Offers and deals in AR when they walk past its location.
Social Media Will Help Strengthen Your SEO efforts
Social media can influence your local SEO and your brand’s search engine ranking, depending upon its performance on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, etc.
Although Google discards social media as a ranking factor, if your brand successfully engages its social audience then it experiences a rise in the SERPs.
The graphs prove that social engagement can affect a business’ SEO, and AR is capable of doing just that.
You must have noticed the 360-degree images being used on social platforms like Facebook. They help us virtually experience a place from every angle. The 360-degree effect is achieved through AR.
An Example of 360-degree images
Snapchat is yet another example of a fusion between AR and social media.
If you are a Snapchat user, you must have noticed the many filters and lenses that modify themselves depending on your location.
Lens Studio by Snapchat allows you to create your own AR lenses for free. Marketers can use it to create lenses to promote their brand and products.
Snapchat’s techniques to engage the audience and popularity among youngsters make it a strong part of your social media marketing strategy.
Oreo combined AR with their Social Media and led people on a scavenger quest: The Great Oreo Cookie Quest.
The quest asked questions like “What puts the hand on your wrist?” and the audience had to point their phone’s camera to the answers, which in this case was a wristwatch.
Winner gets points that are later compared with the points earned by their Facebook and Twitter friends/followers.
Make Your Website More Interactive With Augmented Reality
“It’s Alive. It’s Alive.”
I am not talking about Frankenstein coming to life. I am just referencing it with your webpage.
Just imagine, AR on a webpage?
Scanning it with your phone’s camera and watching it come alive!
This idea is still in its initial stages.
But, you can see how it might look like:
How can this affect your website’s SEO?
The motive of this technology is to bring engagement and you are doing just that with AR -you are interacting with the audience.
And what does interacting mean?
This means that your website will experience a decrease in bounce rate and an increase in session rate, which are two of the main factors for getting a web page ranked and generating more traffic.
Your business can partner with AR companies to provide users with a way to experience your product.
There’s a virtual fitting room application called TryLive, which allows you to try apparels at home.
Closing Thoughts
These ways to change reality (without Thanos’ reality stone), Virtual and Augmented, are revolutionizing the tech world. You can play games feeling like you are in it. You can locate places with a little scan of a street.
With these points, marketers can get an idea as to how the SEO world is going to change and what all is needed to be done, as AR becomes more and more popular.
Beyond every point that I have mentioned, I would still like to emphasize more on Local SEO because that is one field which is going to experience the most change, so you need to optimize your local business, and the sooner you do it, the better it will be for your business.
You may also want to read: 7 Trends That Will Transform Online Business In The Future
What Augmented Reality Means for Brands
Featured image: Copyright: ‘https://www.123rf.com/profile_paylessimages‘ / 123RF Stock Photo
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