Emoji is a term used in Japan to refer to picture characters. Japan is responsible for creating Emoji Icons, which have now grown in popularity around the world to a point where Google saw it fit to introduce this feature not only in search engines and results, but also in social media. While most emoticons are the products of app developers, Emoji Icons are a bit different because scientists created them. Emojis and emoticons are fundamentally different. Emojis have a limited number because they use pre-defined images. On the other hand, emoticons have infinite likely combinations since users create the images.
It is possible to use Emoji Icons and emoticons for the same purpose even though they are fundamentally different. The recent launch by Google has ensured that it is now possible for companies to see their SEO sales increase exponentially by adding Emoji characters and icons to some of their pages or title tags. Expedia is already considering this option. Expedia believes that by adding beautiful imagery on their title tags on different pages, visibility shall improve, thus leading to more SEO sales. More importantly, Expedia believes that by adding Emoji Icons on its title tags, it shall benefit from a higher click through rate.
Click Through Rate or CTR refers to the percentage of visitors who view content on a web page before clicking on specific ads that appear on that particular page. CTR measures the success of an ad in capturing the interest of visitors or users. If the CTR is higher, then the ad has been highly successful in terms of grabbing the users’ interests. All website owners want the CTR to be as high as possible. This is because it would then enable them to support the website using dollars obtained from the ads. This explains why Emoji Icons are proving a hit with websites and companies that are interested in higher CTR.
Emoji Icons now enjoy the support of Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Google Plus and Twitter to mention but a few. The icons have turned into an integral part in the world of social media. The beauty of the icons is their ability to save on space. When the marketing department makes an update on any social media platform and feature any of the appropriate Emoji Icons, they are likely to draw the attention of more users to whatever they write. A website that needs to stand out could achieve its goal by featuring the Emoji Icons. The way the SEO world is changing, it would not be farfetched to imagine the era of emoticon or Emoji Icons optimization.
These days, it is easier to conduct a search using Emoji Icons. If unsure of what icon to use in SEO marketing, it is much better to undertake a search on Google first. The search shall offer a better understanding of what the icon means thus making it easier to use without causing embarrassment. Emoji Icons are here to stay, as Google has proven. Most Smartphone devices now come with pre-installed Emoji Icons in addition to the normal emoticons. In social media circles and in search engine results, the emoticons and Emoji Icons have become a permanent feature.
Update:
RIP Emoji’s: Googles John Mueller said on 5th May, 2015 in a Google+ Hangout that they will be removed from the search results soon.
Click here on my tutorial on how to add emojis to WordPress.
