Winston Burton is an SEO and digital marketing expert with over 12 years of experience optimizing some of the worlds largest brands. Winston joined Acronym in 2014 with over ten years in search marketing. Prior to joining Acronym, Winston was the VP of SEO at Havas Media, one of the world’s top ten global ad agencies. He started the SEO practice for Havas and built the practice to include clients such as Choice Hotels, Fidelity, Exxon, Volvo and Marc Jacobs to name a few. Winston spearheaded SEO strategy including content marketing, mobile, link building, and all technical areas of SEO. Winston’s career also included the SEO Manager role at Rosetta and time at Zeta Interactive
Please introduce yourself and where you work.
My name is Winston Burton and I’m the VP, SEO at Acronym. Acronym is an intent based and data driven digital marketing agency headquartered in the iconic Empire State Building with offices in Singapore and London. Our clients consist of enterprise level brands including SAP, Four Seasons, Godiva and Scotts Miracle Gro to name a few. I have been an SEO practitioner and optimizing the sites of some the world’s largest brands for the last 12 years and delivering high quality traffic, improving sales and conversions through organic search strategies and tactics.
How do you think SEO has changed over the last 10 years?
SEO has changed to giving users a positive content experience. Understanding intent and the cognitive process that consumers use to progressively make, and change, decisions at various stages demands a more fluid approach creatively to content engagement. Beyond web search, discovery occurs across numerous channels. For the end user, search and discovery are stepping stones on the path to purchase.
The notion of “concierge search” is at the core of search and discovery. Digital assistants such as Siri, Alexa and Cortana use elements of artificial intelligence (AI) to satisfy both search and service. For instance, if I know of a favorite restaurant I want to eat in, I can ask a digital assistant to automatically book a table. However, if I’m not sure of where to eat, I can ask a digital assistant to search and recommend somewhere.
What is commonly known as search marketing on the world wide web, will expand beyond the browser into the app economy where a new type of “suggested discovery” will occur based on digital assistant usage and behavior.
As the “digital assistant” becomes the “information provider” the industry will adapt to include content experience analysis across multiple channels and devices.
The notion of “concierge search” is at the core of search and discovery. Digital assistants such as Siri, Alexa and Cortana use elements of artificial intelligence (AI) to satisfy both search and service. For instance, if I know of a favorite restaurant I want to eat in, I can ask a digital assistant to automatically book a table. However, if I’m not sure of where to eat, I can ask a digital assistant to search and recommend somewhere.
What is commonly known as search marketing on the world wide web, will expand beyond the browser into the app economy where a new type of “suggested discovery” will occur based on digital assistant usage and behavior.
As the “digital assistant” becomes the “information provider” the industry will adapt to include content experience analysis across multiple channels and devices.
How did you get introduced to digital marketing, more specifically SEO?
I got introduced to SEO and digital marketing back in 2002 while I was pursing my Master Degree in eCommerce at Mercy College. I had an SEO optimize one of my personal sites and learned how to do it from him and picked it up ever since 2004.
What are the services you provide to your clients?
We provide Search (PPC, Organic Search, Display, Mobile, and Social Advertising), Web Analytics & Digital Data Integration and Technology through our patented technology platform Keyword Objects.
Keyword Objects brings together all your insights from SEO and PPC so you can make faster and smarter decisions about where to spend your money, gain the most meaningful insights, and get easy reporting for all levels of your team.
We also provide Strategic Consulting through our Digital Center of Excellence.
Keyword Objects brings together all your insights from SEO and PPC so you can make faster and smarter decisions about where to spend your money, gain the most meaningful insights, and get easy reporting for all levels of your team.
We also provide Strategic Consulting through our Digital Center of Excellence.
What strategy according to you will prevail in 2017 for SEO?
Brands that develop content around intent at all stages of the fragmented user journey will prevail in 2017. If you don’t have useful and relevant content that satisfies the needs of end users in their moment of need then you won’t rank highly in the Search Engine Result Pages for your targeted keywords. It’s that simple. Stop selling and start helping.
In order to develop useful and relevant content Brands need to do the following.
In order to develop useful and relevant content Brands need to do the following.
- Identify content gaps vs competitors
- Connecting social listening to Search
- Show up for answer box and be the answer for relevant voice search queries across all devices and platforms
- Promote content through outreach and paid social
What would your advice be to people who are looking to take up digital marketing as a career choice?
Digital Marketing can be a very rewarding career if you keep up to date with the latest trends, technology and strategies that will make your clients successful. I would also tell people to learn about machine learning and AI as this is changing the way do SEO and PPC. Additionally, I would advise people to learn all aspects of digital and not just search because it all works together to produce the same result.