Like all technology today, SEO continues to evolve at an alarming rate. Most of the changes are due to Google’s constantly changing algorithm, which means that a SEO strategy that worked yesterday may not work today. Also, the technology available to SEO marketing professionals is continually changing. Following are 5 SEO trends to pay attention to if you want to achieve a good ranking on Google and other search engines.
1. Focus on Mobile
These days, the number of people using their mobile phones to browse the internet is higher than the number that browse using a laptop or desktop computer. Google has paid attention and now uses mobile friendliness as a factor in their algorithm and has for some time. Having a mobile friendly (responsive) website isn’t an option any longer if you care about SEO. In fact, Google executed “mobile-first indexing” this year, which means that the mobile version of a site is the kick off point for how they establish rankings.
2. Page Speed
We live in a fast-paced world where we expect instant results. This has been the case for a while, however is even more relevant now. When it comes to SEO, page speed is definitely a factor. Google advocates that websites need to load in 3 seconds or less. If a website doesn’t load fast enough, visitors will quickly abandon your site and turn to one that does. High bounce rates are another factor that search engines pay attention to when it comes to ranking.
3. Increased Page Relevance
Google is all about providing the best web browsing experience for visitors by providing search engine results that are relevant to what the individual is looking for. Google has come a long way when it comes to the user experience and can deliver results that don’t just match the words that consumers are using to search but the objective behind them.
4. Personalized SERPs
Search engines today use information about their users, including browsing history, interests and location, to offer a more personalized results list. While this has been the case for a while, personalization has become an even more relevant factor when it comes to search engine optimization. If you manage to achieve a high page ranking and someone clicks on it, the chances of your page appearing in future searches for that user increases.
5. Voice Search
As mobile device usage becomes more prevalent and voice recognition more advanced, more users will be making verbal queries online instead of just typing it out. Voice search is quickly gaining more traction, meaning businesses will need to pay attention to the significant changes that need to be made in how content is produced. The best, most valuable content will directly answer questions using a conversational tone says Chris Poole of CT SEO Company. This means that generating content around a specific keyword is starting to be less prevalent (but still relevant), so it’s important to generate content for search intent as well.
If your search engine optimization strategy is outdated, these are a few of the latest trends for SEO success that you’ll want to implement – and it doesn’t stop there. It’s also important to stay current with future changes to Google’s algorithms. You are probably already aware that these are constantly changing in order to continue creating better user experiences.