Amazon is gearing up to be the next big player in search for 2018, predict industry experts
“We are all kind of pretending to know what we’re doing with Amazon, but no one has really become an expert yet. I’ve tried Alexa. It’s interesting and it’s there in your house listening. That’s an amazing experience,” according to Greenlight Digital director of paid media, Hannah Kimuyu.
“Earlier this year, I was at the annual Independent agency summit in New York and Google stood up and said that they’re worried about Amazon. That’s the first time they’ve ever said they’re concerned about anyone.”
Many believe that voice search will be making leaps in the new year, MediaCom senior executive officer, Edward Cowel does not dispute this: “2018 isn’t going to be the year for voice search, that will be further down the line. The big trend for next year is the search industry understanding their audiences more and from an organic search perspective, that will feed into what Google does around artificial intelligence, personalisation and results.
“It also will affect us from a local search perspective with things becoming increasingly localised and personalised. And on the paid search side as well. From what I saw as a judge of The Drum Search Awards, was people really using audience data in very smart ways, not just to target key phrases but to really understand who they are targeting.”
The Drum Search Awards showcases data-driven work driving performance across screens from agencies, search engines, technology providers and all other outfits active in the space. The awards are open to entries for 2018, with the deadline fast approaching on Friday February 2.
Jessica Leader, client partner at Propellernet, the winner of the Grand Prix and best use of content awards, said: “Winning a Drum award has been an incredible accolade for us at Propellernet, and winning the Grand Prix even better! We’re incredibly proud. It’s helped to showcase our agency’s talent, insight-led creative approach and our impactful results.
“It has been a fantastic confirmation for existing clients, a great endorsement for new prospects, but most importantly, motivated and rewarded our incredible team.”
Founder of VCCP Media and chairman of the 2017 judging panel, Paul Mead, believes that the full potential of search is yet to be realised. He said: “Search is a point of connection between all of a brands activities and one of the most effective ways to measure the health of a business. It is therefore vital that we provide a platform to promote this and to celebrate the amazing thinking and creativity of the talent in the UK search industry.”
The Search Awards return for 2018 to recognise and reward the very best in the industry across both SEO and PPC. These awards create collaboration across the whole industry bringing together search engines, agencies, technology providers and all other businesses and brands that contribute to the search industry.
What categories will you enter? There is a wide variety of search areas you can choose, including: performance agency of the year, most innovative search campaign, best use of connected devices, biddable team of the year, organic team of the year and many more.
To enter, submit your application before Friday February 2.