When it comes to search engine optimization, only one website can win the battle for top spot. Columnist Jim Yu argues that winning this battle means relying on machine learning to analyze and interpret data. Search engine optimization represents a battle for content visibility – one brand’s loss is another’s gain. Among the obstacles that stand in the way of claiming a larger share of search visibility, I would argue that the main ones have to do with the quality of data marketers are relying on right now.

As a content and search marketing professional, driving targeted traffic through your content is one of the first goals in your strategy.

Some marketers could stop there knowing they’ve done a good job, but as the C-suite is becoming more interested in how the organic search channel is contributing to conversions (and not just any conversions, but revenue), many marketers have a heightened interest in how to convert that traffic.

In the battleground that is online content, brands compete for attention. This has paved the way for countless marketing technology providers to emerge on the scene that attempt to increase our share of that attention.

Unfortunately, the majority of technology providers focus heavily on the creation, automation and distribution of content and little on the measurement and performance of content. Knowing how our content is performing can help inform our digital marketing strategies for maximum impact.

Adobe will announce a slew of partnerships Tuesday at its annual summit in Salt Lake City. IBM Interactive, Accenture Interactive, Rosetta, Razorfish, BrightEdge, Gigya and SapientNitro are among those on the list that will help the Salt Lake City company build out a network of integrated services.

During Adobe's Summit 2015, BrightEdge will demonstrate a search engine optimization tool that the company calls LPO Intelligence. It integrates with Adobe Experience Manager to provide brand marketers with suggestions on how to optimize landing pages based on the landing pages of competing brands. It aims to solve the problem of a lack of information when it comes to optimization for pages tied to sitelinks or paid search advertisements, for example.

Within the last year, the integration of mobile into our daily lives expanded in a huge way. In fact, the Pew Internet Project found that nearly a third of all smartphone owners describe their phone as "something they can't imagine living without." So far in 2015, we've gotten a glimpse at just how ubiquitous mobile connectivity will become -- this year's Consumer Electronics Show showcased everything from connected watches to smart t-shirts. For marketers, the continuing mobile revolution presents a wealth of opportunities to engage with consumers. However, it also brings with it a set of challenges: We all know high-performance mobile content is important, but creating the best mobile experience while keeping up with such a fast-evolving ecosystem is difficult.

As the Apple Watch’s April debut looms, many advertisers are beginning to question whether the tiny screens attached to wearables will really prove all that useful for reaching consumers. But marketers can make the Apple Watch, as well as other wearable devices, relevant for local search if they make the right moves to maximize potential. And now is the time to do it.

Mobile devices have already created an expectation of immediate, accurate local search results. The rise of wearables will most likely only heighten the demand for quick local search, according to Jim Yu, founder and chief executive (CEO) of BrightEdge, a leading enterprise SEO platform.

Google has made a lot of strides with the Quick Answer box over the past few years, and these developments have evoked mixed reactions from SEOs who see both the challenges and opportunities therein.

The challenge is, if a searcher can find the answer right in the search results, why would they click through to your site? The opportunity, however, is that if your site’s content is featured in the answer box with a link back to your site, you have prominent visibility.

In fact, the latest news in the quick answers dialogue is that Google is showing action-oriented links – basically calls-to-action – for certain queries in their answers box.