I had a 12pm internal meeting with my Digital Marketing team out here in the real world. I had tuned out by slide 2 (yes there was an actual deck) and my mind-wandering settled on – ‘what does digital marketing looking like for VR/MR?’
In the most simple and crude evolution – my experience in paying for Digital Marketing has been SEO (organic search visibility) -> SEM (paid amplification) -> Optimisation for LLMs.
Extending that evolution to VR/MR seems like the most logical frontier – XR SEO or Metaverse Optimisation… making your content discoverable in immersive environments where users search via voice, gestures, spatial queries, or AI-driven exploration rather than typing keywords into a bar.
Traditional search engines like Google are already integrating AR previews, and platforms like Roblox or Decentraland have their own discovery algorithms. Optimising here can boost engagement in virtual worlds, AR overlays, or hybrid experiences, leading to higher dwell times and conversions.
So in a Vuture first, here’s some shared Digital Marketing learning – because I’m learning too. Here are 5 suggested strategies to consider (launch) your XR-SEO:
1. Label your virtual content clearly so search engines (and headsets) can spot it
a. Give your 3D models, virtual tours, AR filters, or VR experiences proper names, descriptions, and tags – like writing a good title and summary for a YouTube video. Add simple location info (e.g., "Sydney Opera House virtual tour") so it shows up when someone in VR asks, "Show me cool things in Sydney." This is like putting clear signs on your shop window instead of hiding it.
2. Write and talk the way real people ask questions in VR
a. People in headsets usually speak out loud: "Find me a virtual apartment in the CBD" or "Show AR furniture for my living room." Make your content answer those natural, spoken questions clearly and conversationally (just like optimising for ChatGPT or voice search today). Use every day Aussie phrasing so it feels local and helpful.
3. Keep your virtual experiences fast and easy to load
a. Create lightweight 3D views, try-ons, or tours that don't lag or make people dizzy; quick-loading = people stay longer and like it more. Think phone-friendly AR filters or simple virtual room previews rather than super-heavy ultra-realistic worlds. Put them on easy-to-find places like app stores, Sketchfab, or your website so they're discoverable.
4. Tie your virtual content to real-world places (especially useful in Sydney)
a. Link your AR overlays or virtual experiences to actual locations—like making a virtual preview pop up when someone points their headset at Bondi Beach or the Harbour Bridge. This helps local discovery: tourists "see" your café or attraction before they arrive. Just make sure everything is accurate (Australian Consumer Law says no misleading claims in virtual try-ons or tours).
5. Share your content everywhere and keep improving it
a. Put your VR/AR content on multiple platforms (your site, Meta Quest store, Apple Vision apps, social media, YouTube 360° videos) so more people bump into it. Make it easy to share (e.g., "Send this AR view to my friend"). Watch what people actually do in it (via simple analytics) and tweak the bits that get ignored—small tests lead to big improvements over time.
As my 12pm meeting wrapped up, deck closed, questions unanswered – I realised the slides weren’t the future; they were just the bridge. While the team debated slide 4 in the real world, my mind had already wandered into headsets and spatial queries, landing on a simple truth: the next era of digital marketing isn’t about clicks or AI snippets anymore, it’s about being discoverable.
Because the next time someone tunes out in a meeting here, they might just be exploring your virtual storefront instead.
Let’s make sure you’re impossible to miss.
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