With World Emoji Day coming up on 17th July, our blog looks at whether Emojis, when used in an SEO capacity, help or hinder search performance. 

Perhaps you’ve already noticed them in descriptions and titles in the search results? As mobile is now more widely used for search than desktop, it may or may not surprise you that emojis have also started to creep into our searches! As a result of this, Google now supports their use.

Brands are using emojis across social and their websites are growing, but should you be using them in your SEO strategy?

What are they, and what are they used for?

You’re probably familiar with emoticons, or those “little images” used in social media posts, text messages, or emails to express emotions. Are emojis and emoticons the same thing? The answer is No. However, they have a similar application as they’re used to express feelings and communicate without words – a picture tells a thousand words, after all!

Emojis are “pictograms”, and Emoticons are written with “typographic” signs. Emojis were created in 1999 when Shigetaka Kurita from Japan presented them. Emoticons, on the other hand, have been around since 1982. Another difference is that emojis aren’t used solely to reflect emotions – pictograms may also depict objects, animals, plants, and many more, as there are thousands of categories.

How do emojis impact SEO?

Similar to how voice capabilities spiked a change in search behaviour, the way emojis are used has also begun to cross over into search habits. Google will filter them out depending on circumstances, so before you put them here, there and everywhere, consider how appropriate they are to your industry, brand, content and audience.

Google only displays emojis when they consider them relevant to the query. Don’t rely on using them solely for headers, titles or descriptions, as Google may ignore them if they seem out of place, look spammy or are misleading to the topic and backfire on your efforts.

Emojis can positively impact SEO in many ways:

• Increased Click-Through Rate: Yes! Using emojis can increase the CTR of your website, and as you know, Google prioritises user experience highly. Therefore, when used in the right way could help to improve your rankings.
• Increased brand trust:  People remember brands better if they create an emotional connection. Emoji’s fundamental use is to show emotion. When used correctly, they can evoke an emotional response, increasing the relationship between the user and your brand.
•  Emojis can make a piece of content more relatable and natural because you are speaking the user’s language. 
• Strengthen your brand identity: Emojis can help enhance your brand identity through a new, relevant format. As above, the simple style of this digital messaging aids brands in speaking directly to their target audience and its positioning to reach a broader market.
• Improved search relevancy: Google’s primary focus is to help users gain the most relevant search results. As emojis are so popular, it is becoming more acceptable to utilise them when appropriate, either as a search term or in addition to text.

Is it beneficial to apply emojis in SEO?

Be aware that using an emoji may not always be relevant. A significant factor in using them is deciding if they are audience/industry appropriate and whether they benefit your content. As digital is constantly growing and changing, new ways of implementing them into your online brand are emerging.

Emojis can be present in:

• Metadata: Title tags, meta descriptions and Google My Business Listing. 
• Titles: They can be included on Google Ads and websites. 

When adding emojis to your content or metadata, you should use them sparingly and make sure they are always relevant. Remember, Google doesn’t always show meta titles and descriptions precisely as the site owner/author provides.

Whilst emojis in search results are far from the norm, that doesn’t mean they won’t take off. It is starting to happen, and if you were to jump on this trend early, this might help promote your visibility on Google and that all-important competitor advantage. However, don’t expect them to be shown in search results 100% of the time and speak to your marketing team about whether your brand should use emojis and how to adopt them within your SEO strategy.

Once you use emojis, monitor how they affect your CTR through Google Search Console or alternate software. Compare before and after your changes, but also consider possible changes in your Google positions in your analysis.

In Summary, they can help you improve your CTR and make your content more attractive to users. However, don’t overuse emojis. Try not to kill users and Google bots with kindness – applying too many emojis can bring a counterproductive result; it’s even possible that Google won’t display them at all.

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