Tech

Evolution of Digital Marketing in 2019

Published

6 years ago

June 28, 2019

Jonathan Grilli

In 2019, digital marketing has changed completely!

The sad part about this is that most brands and agencies are unaware of the changes.

They are still following the traditional approaches to digital marketing. This has led to a decrease in their website traffic, sales conversions and revenues.

The result- loss of credibility and presence amongst 4 billion of the Earth’s population who use the internet!

Here we look at the major changes that have taken place in the world of digital marketing in 2019.

For brands and agencies looking to turnaround their digital fortunes, this article is a necessary read. I am not going to mention about the traditional function of SEO like-

Settling meta and title tags.
Page Loading Speed.
URL set-up
UI or UX

Most SEO agencies are already familiar with such basic set-ups. What I am going to look at will help you in-

Attracting more website traffic
Building credibility and loyalty
Climbing Google’s Search Engine Rankings Page (SERPs)
Improving the Sales Conversion Funnel
Increasing website metrics and SEO scores

According to experts, there are more than 1,805,260,010 websites on the internet! This is a phenomenally huge number.

Major Changes in Digital Marketing in 2019: The List

1. Traditional SEO Services are passé!

The top brands and agencies continue to innovate and push the boundaries of digital marketing. It is becoming increasingly difficult to rank for keywords in 2019. There is just too much competition.

The best SEO Services agencies are now mastering at innovative digital marketing solutions. Bear in mind, these innovative strategies are not easy to execute. However, if you are able to master them, you will set your brand apart from 90% of the competition.

We are talking about strategies like blogger outreach services and guest posting services. You might think that your agency is also offering the same. But acing such a complex strategy requires time, energy, expertise and unmatched resources.

If your brand wants to stand out in 2019, innovative digital marketing strategies can help drive traffic, improve SEO scores, climb the rankings and lead to actual sales!

2. A Mobile Friendly Website Version is the future and the present-

In 2018, Google shocked the world when it announced a Mobile First Indexing Strategy. In other words, for Google, a mobile responsive website sits right at the top of Google’s priority list.

If your website does not have a mobile-responsive and optimized website version, you are going nowhere. In simple terms, mobile searches now account for over 60% of all Google searches. We are talking about billions of search requests.

If you do not have a mobile optimized website, you are-

Not only encouraging Google to place you on their bad performing website list; you are also,
Cutting yourself out from millions of probable searches on the internet.

The best brand and agencies ensure that the design and content on their desktop and mobile versions are completely alike. This makes a strong case for your brand in front of Google and the users.

3. Quality Content is more Important than it ever was-

When digital marketing was at its nascent stages, money could compensate for low-quality content. You could push your brand through massive ad spends, both on Google as well as on social media.

However, in 2019, this is not going to reap the same rewards. There is a strategic shift by search and social media giants towards quality content. If you are smart, you will invest in quality content and back it up with strong media spends.

This will help you maximise your reach and ROIs like never before. The key is to invest in the content creation process. You can specifically look at creating-

100% original, long format articles that are useful, informative and keyword friendly.
Increase the use of visual rich data like images, videos, infographics and statistics.
Focus on creating catchy headlines and social media copy writing.
Aim for content that convinces and converts.

If you are able to master the content creation process, you will see immediate results within months.

4. Pay Attention to Local SEO (Google My Business, Yelp, Directories, etc.)-

Small brands cannot compete with the digital marketing budgets of larger brands. It is practically impossible to have separate digital teams and have million dollar budgets.

This is why Local SEO becomes so important for small brands to excel. Being a democratic platform, digital offers small brands ample avenues to make themselves discoverable.

For example, it is essential for small brands to maintain an active presence on Google My Business, Yelp and other Local Directories.

Active presence means-

Posting regularly on the platforms.
Maintaining updated information at all times.
Encouraging customers to post reviews and feedback.
Immediately replying to those reviews and feedback.
Reaching out to as many local directories in the area as possible.

If you maintain an active presence on GMB and other directories, Google directs users to your establishment who search within a geographical area. Maintaining an active presence on these platforms will help you get a near 30% increase in your sales and footfalls.

5. Don’t Ignore Voice Search-

Let me start by sharing a small insight-

The hottest selling item on Amazon during the Christmas and Holiday season in 2017 and 2018 was- Amazon Echo!

Yes, you heard it right Alexa and others like Siri and Cortana are now part of millions of households. Brands and agencies should not ignore voice search marketing in 2019.

It is important for websites to be compatible with voice search. This means that long tail keywords are essential. Why? Because human beings type and speak differently when searching.

Question related keywords should be a part of a brand’s content strategy. Most SEOs are not paying attention to voice search. I am sure they have their reasons. However, this can be beneficial for your brand, as it can help you get ahead of your competitors.

At present Google just gives answers to people when any voice search is done. However, I expect this to change drastically in the coming months. By staying ahead of the curve, you can ensure great returns in the future.

Conclusion

Most experts agree that going forward; Google’s algorithms are going to get more complex. They also agree that the information, which comes from Google about best practices, will also decline. This is why it is imperative for brands and agencies to keep reinventing their digital marketing strategies and goals.

By staying abreast of the changes in digital marketing, brands can hope to stay relevant and improve their digital fortunes.

If you wish to add value to the article, please do not hesitate to drop us a comment below.

Tech

AI in Placemaking: How ERA-co is Using Smarter Data to Build Better Cities

Published

1 month ago

September 23, 2025

Jonathan Grilli

ERA-co is exploring new ways to apply AI in urban design, utilizing data-driven tools to support more thoughtful and responsive placemaking. Rather than replacing human insight, the firm sees artificial intelligence as a partner — one that can enhance how designers understand and shape the spaces where people live, move, and connect.

This approach isn’t about flashy tech or fully automated cities. It’s about asking better questions, revealing patterns we might otherwise miss, and using that knowledge to make decisions rooted in real-world behavior. For ERA-co, AI becomes most valuable when it helps clarify how a city works, layer by layer, so design teams can create places that are not only efficient but also livable and meaningful.

Understanding complexity before optimization

Before talking about smart tools or predictions, ERA-co begins with a foundational question: “What kind of problem is a city?” Nicolas Palominos, Head of Urban Design and Strategy R&D at ERA-co, references the work of Jane Jacobs to frame this.

“As Jacobs reminds us, cities exhibit complex system behavior, where multiple elements vary simultaneously, in subtle interconnected ways,” Palominos explains. “AI can augment our understanding of these parameters to design better places with optimized social benefit.”

According to Palominos, that kind of social benefit can take many forms. It might involve modeling a housing system that supports proximity-based living, such as the concept of the “15-minute city,” or applying predictive analytics to anticipate and respond to events like floods, heatwaves, or infrastructure failures.

ERA-co doesn’t use AI to chase efficiency for its own sake. Instead, the firm uses it to gain a more comprehensive understanding and a clearer picture of a place’s behavior.

Data that matches people, not just places

Not all data is created equal. When it comes to placemaking, ERA-co prioritizes what Palominos calls “spatial and temporal granularity,” which entails not only examining how a space functions on a map but also understanding how people interact with it over time — from hour to hour, and season to season.

“The most valuable data are those with the greatest spatial and temporal granularity for observing people and urban environments,” Palominos says. “Video footage, mobile data, street view imagery, and satellite imagery enable a deeper understanding of how different groups of people perceive and use public space.”

One recent ERA-co proof-of-concept used AI to assess how people visually perceive streetscapes, analyzing elements like enclosure, complexity, and human scale. These insights informed more nuanced design strategies that align with local behaviors, not just abstract zoning plans.

This level of detail matters because even small design shifts can have ripple effects on how people move, feel, and gather. With AI, ERA-co isn’t just tracking patterns but learning from them.

ERA-co’s AI mobility work: Subtle shifts, broader benefits

Some of the clearest applications of AI can be seen in mobility — how people and goods move through cities. It’s here that ERA-co sees measurable gains in both function and experience.

“AI-driven fleet optimization balances supply and demand in bus services and bike-share systems,” Palominos says. “On the consumer side, it streamlines courier and delivery services through route optimization.”

These systems don’t operate in isolation. When they’re better coordinated, they can relieve pressure on road networks, reduce congestion, and lower energy use. But what makes ERA-co’s approach different is that it doesn’t stop at logistics. It examines how those systems impact the daily lives of people who live in and move through a place.

The limits of AI and the role of design judgment

As much as AI can help us see more, ERA-co is careful not to let it make the final call. Cities are more than just systems — they’re layered with memory, identity, and human connection. And not everything meaningful can be measured.

“There have been cases where AI insights pointed us in one direction, but human judgment and cultural understanding led us another way,” Palominos notes.

Sometimes a place functions well on paper, but feels hollow in practice. Other times, a community gathering space might disrupt traffic flow, yet provide invaluable support for social well-being.

This is where design intuition becomes critical. ERA-co uses AI to inform, not dictate, the design process.

Planning for a future in flux

Looking ahead, ERA-co sees AI playing a growing role in helping cities adapt — not just to top physical threats like climate change, but also to slower, less visible shifts in how people live and connect.

“AI will amplify our understanding of how cities function through enhanced spatial representation and analysis, informing better human decision-making,” Palominos says. He references recent findings (like an MIT study showing people walk faster and linger less in public spaces) as examples of trends that would have been hard to anticipate without AI.

Still, the goal isn’t to automate responses to those behaviors. It’s using those insights to reimagine what kinds of public spaces people may need in the future, especially as patterns of connection and isolation shift.