People are already using TikTok as their main search engine. And TikTok are now actively prompting their users to search on the app. I don’t think TikTok will overtake Google in their search dominance. But I do think they can break apart Google’s dominance. Here's why I think TikTok search is a legit threat to Google search.

Would you be surprised if I said to you that you’re giving too much focus, too much spotlight, to keywords? An awareness of keywords and how their targeting is used to drive organic traffic, is great. However, keywords are not more important than pages. It’s pages over keywords. Always. Here's why you shouldn't focus too much on keywords.

Every time there is an algorithm update, there is a lot of speculation and theorising about Google search. There’s an entitlement around the traffic one receives from Google search. Marketers tend to forget that traffic from search engines is borrowed users. What do I mean by borrowed users…?

As I like to say, SEO starts way before your state in the SERPs is achieved. The state of your SEO, operationally, is often overlooked. This is a shame because it’s an indicator to how successful you’ll be in the SERPs. To realise rankings, in the top zone, you really have to work on the way SEO is regarded in your business, both on a business level and on an operational level. So, what is the state of your SEO, operationally?

What is the most important area of SEO? Is it On-page, Off-page or Technical? How about Content, specifically? If you're invested in SEO, you need to commit to all three pillars of the channel. You can vary the level of commitment, depending on the state of your SEO but all 3 pillars must be covered if you're to maintain and grow the level of success with the channel.

Is your business committed to the management of SEO? You may have invested in SEO but have you equipped and prepared the business to deal with the investment in the channel? If the management of SEO is not considered, you may leave the channel open to push-back galore from every department, team, individual that the channel relies on to implement SEO recommendations.

SEO is a lot more than the optimisation of your website. Where you rank in the SERPs is only a small part of succeeding with the organic channel. A big difference between brands that succeed in the SERPs versus those that perform subpar comes down to the level of support a brand provides to their SEOs. If your competitors are supporting their SEOs more than you are supporting yours, then it is only a matter of time before they outperform you in the SERPs.

In light of Google’s broad core algorithm update, there’ll be movement in the SERPs. If you're hit by this update, you're going to want to make the necessary changes to your site. After this is completed, after you optimise, don't forget to optimise the state of SEO within your business. This secondary level of optimisation is vital for your SEO success.

In most cases, making small iterations to your SEO is far better than big, bold changes. However, when you've been hit by an algorithm update, you're presented with the opportunity to make such big, bold changes to your website. The release of Google's broad core algorithm update is the perfect opportunity to revolutionise your website.

Some brands have a habit of creating content for the brand rather than for the audience they seek to attract. This can, and often leads, to the content failing to resonate with the audience they seek to attain. The content created is brand-led content, rather than what we SEOs call 'generic content'. The two are very different and acquire different users to a brand's website.