The digital age has given rise to various online trends. User information and sensitive details are available all over the internet, and this has helped fundamentally change the way people look at their data and seek digital privacy. Various use cases and breach incidents have put people’s trust in question.
People want to gain back the lost control over their data and privacy, especially when it comes to their personal information. So, the key to cracking the code of building unshakable consumer trust is that your trustworthiness should be communicated to them even before they visit your website.
How is that possible?
First impressions are essential, and Google Ads are one such source that acts as the first touch between your business and the potential customers.
Customer Perceptions And Their Preferences Around Google
Customers type their random requirements on Google, and when they get everything that they need from the search engine results, it is nothing less than a delight. Every year, SEO enthusiasts wonder about Google’s venture for search results. Initially, only a handful of updates to the algorithms were in the picture, but now, thousands of changes are introduced every year.
There is a combination of algorithms and more than one ranking factor that delivers web pages and their ranking by preference. Change is the new constant, and hence, businesses need to take steps that help them stay ahead of the curve.
People generally agree that Google may either alter or suppress sensitive information, significantly the ones related to social and political issues that people often search through the search engine. Yet, it is generally agreed that Google surpasses all other search engines and provides the best results in comparison. Apart from that, customers think that in competition with Google, the local businesses’ websites offer better accuracy.
When asked about the source that has the most accurate information, here are some statistical responses recorded:
- 56% expect the local business websites to showcase better accuracy.
- 32% believe Google My Business for showcasing accurate information.
- 12% of directories show updated information.
But, when it comes to personal information, there is a lot to be done. People are concerned about it as digital dealing has led to the formation of a pool of information available on Google. However, Google has features that help customers remove information related to them, such as their phone number, email, and home address. Also, platforms like Guaranteed removals can work as a valuable tool for scrubbing off personal information.
It would help if you focused on using platforms that completely erase information related to you. It would help if you enquired whether the platforms help in removing information from a particular website or the internet as a whole. In some cases, platforms promise to erase data in the context that the information will still exist. But it won’t immediately appear when you search your name. It won’t be easy to find information related to you.
Does Monetization Pose Security Concerns For Customers?
As discussed earlier about the Google algorithm and policy changes, there is a lot to be considered while trusting all sorts of search results shown by Google when entering any keyword or phrase.
The yearly Google changes can let the customers expect either of these things:
- Google will monetize more results. It is a thing of the past and has happened in 2020 and 2021. You can ring a bell for it in the form of Local Service Ads.
- It is expected that Google can change the layout or external appearance of the organic part of the results showcased. The Google Business Profile did it previously. The most prominent change was the map shift to the side of the results, which was earlier on the above.
Naturally, SEOs will have concerns related to the continued monetization of Google results, and also, the customers’ trust in its authenticity is questionable. SEOs are concerned because it’s their job to assist the websites in achieving higher rankings in search results organically. However, another thing to note is that there has been a shift to Local Service Ads from the previous domination of Google Ads. Customers had recognized it as a form of paid posting.
The ones who have a thing for favored organic results keep scrolling forward in the search for more.
Building And Maintaining Consumer Trust In Google Searches Through Digital Steps
The browsing changes impact the digital marketing strategies of professionals, and the impact can be understood in the following way:
- Customers see the appearance of cookies that are used to generate ads based on the visits. However, the changes have limited the ad personalization instance.
- There are underreported conversions due to which reliability is hit, especially for the campaigns that measure value using the view-throughs.
- Measurement methods like holdback tests, attribution models, and others like brand-lift surveys are under pressure, followed by lesser accuracy.
Forward-thinking marketers understand these things and the upcoming issue of declining customer interest in Google searches and results. They know that online privacy concerns are real, and hence, preparations to tackle them have been in place all along.
Hence, marketers should take notes on the way more prominent brands do it. LOreal is one such brand that is celebrated globally for understanding and seriously executing its responsibility for customer data. Traditionally, the brand used to sell its products through retail chains, but various changes have been introduced since the arrival and implementation of the digital age. People have changed the way they shop, and the same was acknowledged by the company, followed by a thoughtful approach to handling customer experience, data, and shopping requirements.
Also, the brand has undergone various privacy requirements to suit the customers’ needs and authentic practices so that they can gain appropriate results for what they search for.
Conclusion
The idea is to strive for growth while keeping the consumer trust intact and build it for the times to come. Growth should not come at the cost of consumer trust. Hence, marketers are beginning investments in protecting and strengthening customer relations, followed by creating brands that will endure in the future. It is time for marketers to understand the need for responsible marketing, as it is more important than ever because the expectations for privacy and trust in the services from the consumers’ end are higher than ever.