SEO Has Evolved: Is Your Business Evolving With It?
As a business owner, you’re likely familiar with the importance of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) in driving traffic to your website. However, SEO has evolved significantly beyond traditional text-based optimisation. Here at Zib Digital, we are focused not just on the traditional text based searches, but also on the increasing importance of image, voice, and video search.
As a leading SEO agency based in New Zealand, we find a lot of business owners still think SEO is just about keywords and blog content. However, Google now ranks and indexes images, videos, and voice search queries more effectively than ever. In fact, according to our research, over 30% of all Google searches included visual elements in 2024. This shift in search behaviour presents a significant scope for businesses to increase their online visibility within an ever-increasingly crowded marketplace.
Image SEO: The Untapped Opportunity
Users are continuously turning to Google Image Search and other platforms, such as Pinterest, to find products and services. With approximately 12 billion visual searches per month on Google Lens, it’s clear that image search is becoming a key driver of online traffic.
Our SEO and performance experts at Zib have outlined some keys tips to optimise your images for search, such as:
- Use descriptive alt text and filenames that include target keywords.
- Compress images for faster load speeds, as Google prioritises page speed.
- Add structured data to help images rank in search results.
And these are just the basics, if you’d like to learn more about these insights we’d be happy to help.
Voice Search SEO: The Rise of Conversational Search
Some New Zealanders are using voice assistants in creative ways, such as automating tasks, controlling smart home devices, and even integrating with other technologies like Zigbee and ESPHomes. As voice assistant adoption continues to grow in New Zealand, businesses and marketers have a unique opportunity to tap into this trend. By optimising their content and advertising strategies for voice search, companies can increase their online visibility, drive more sales, and increase their engagement with the right customer at the right time.
Younger users, in particular, rely on voice search for product searches.
To optimise for voice search, focus on:
- Targeting conversational, question-based queries (“Where can I find…”). Consider how you would chat to a peer or ask a question of a friend and implement these same parameters for search.
- Ensuring Google My Business is optimised for local search. At Zib, we take the time to fully understand the nuances of your local market and the surrounding communities.
- Using long-tail, natural-sounding phrases in content. Try to avoid stiff language and keyword stuffing, that’s a thing of the past!
Video SEO: The Power of Engaging Content
Research shows that in 2025, Google prioritises video content, and YouTube is the second-largest search engine after Google.
It’s clear that video is a key driver of online engagement. Our Zib SEO experts and content strategists outline some quick handy hints to optimise your videos for search:
- Add transcripts and captions to improve accessibility and SEO.
- Optimise video titles and descriptions with target keywords.
- Embed videos on high-ranking pages to boost engagement.
SEO has evolved beyond traditional text-based optimisation. By incorporating image, voice, and video SEO into your strategy, you can increase your online visibility, drive more reliable traffic to your website, and stay ahead of the competition.
At Zib Digital NZ, we can help you develop a modern SEO strategy that drives real results.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help your business stay ahead of the SEO trends.
Sources:
Google. (2023). Google Search Statistics.
Google. (n.d.). Google Lens.
Wyzowl. (2022). Video Marketing Statistics 2022.
