Need-to-know SEO tips and trends

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In today’s highly competitive digital world, there are numerous factors that contribute to a successful web presence — search engine optimization (SEO) efforts being one of them. In fact, without at least minimal SEO implementation your website may as well be invisible as good SEO is what allows Google and other search engines to index your content properly and determine the subject match with user’s search queries. To ensure your site is maxing out on potential benefits such as improved search rankings, heightened organic traffic, and potentially increased conversions, we’re sharing four need-to-know SEO tips and trends. 

Mobile Optimization

Mobile optimization is an essential element of website success. Today, mobile phones are, in fact, the most popular device people use to access the internet — accounting for more than half of overall web traffic. So optimizing the mobile experience is crucial for every publisher.

Google has made it abundantly clear that user experience is a major ranking factor, so it’s recommended to do all that you can to ensure your website is designed for a positive user experience — including the mobile experience T When optimizing for mobile there are a few best practices to keep in mind.

  • Page Speed: Potential connectivity issues make page speed even more important for mobile users as opposed to desktop users. So, it’s imperative you consider how your website’s code, browser caching and other relevant factors contribute to your page speed
  • Site Design: It’s no surprise a mobile site design must differ from a desktop. To ensure visitors are engaging with the site as intended, designers must consider scrolling patterns, touch-screen variabilities, how notifications and effects are displayed, and more, to provide the best possible user experience for mobile users.
  • Mobile-first indexing: Google wants to see that you’re doing everything you can to follow their best practices for optimizing your website for both users and Google’s algorithm. In terms of your mobile SEO strategy, mobile-first indexing your site signals to Google that you’re doing it right —  it essentially means Google recognizes the mobile version of your site to be the primary version and therefore will use it for indexing and ranking.

Automation 

SEO is a continuous process. As factors are constantly changing, a successful optimization strategy requires continuous effort. Should your organization not include a fully built out SEO team, keeping up with the steady workload can be daunting! Implementing automation into your SEO strategy can help in maintaining the success you’re working towards with reduced effort from your physical team. 

So how do you automate?

Technology like robotic process automation (RPA) relieves you of tedious, time-consuming tasks while simultaneously improving your data collection. Tasks such as regular site audits, up-to-date data collection on keyword rankings, and competitor backlink analysis  can all be easily automated. This eliminates the risk of human error and allows your team more time to focus on big picture items. 

The key here is to understand how to best utilize your time and available resources to get the job done both effectively and efficiently. While the entirety of SEO campaigns are too complicated to be fully automated, delegating certain aspects of your SEO can be extremely helpful. When in doubt regarding what should be automated and what shouldn’t, think of the processes behind it. For example, tasks like site monitoring and data collection are best left to automation as it allows for data collection on a consistent basis and without accidental oversight. Conversely, content creation and link building should fall on the shoulders of a human employee, who can utilize the data collected to build high-quality content and organic backlinks, keeping brand safety in mind. 

Content

The golden rule in SEO has long been “content is king.” This holds true today more than ever as Google continues to emphasize the importance of accurate, authoritative, and comprehensive content. Not to mention it’s one of the top three ranking factors in search. To optimize your content strategy, research is an essential first step — keyword research specifically. 

Keyword research begins with analyzing thewords, phrases and themes relevant to your business or website. Utilizing available tools such as SEMrush, three main criteria should be analyzed: 

  • Search volume
  • Keyword difficulty
  • Traffic value/cost

Implementation of Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) keywords are also an important factor in your content strategy, as these keywords or phrases are specifically chosen for their strong relation to a specific post topic. Keeping up with keyword data is essential for ensuring your content is properly optimized for relevancy and timeliness. 

Another considerable factor in content optimization is creating content that meets users’ needs and preferences. Staying up to date with what individuals in your community are talking about and interested in should be your guide as to what sort of content you’re creating. To take it a step further, provide answers to additional questions or areas of interest that may come up based on your content, as well as offer multiple ways for visitors to absorb your content, such as infographics, videos, and text. This creates opportunities for your website to resonate with a range of audiences. 

Voice Search

Voice-activated devices are becoming increasingly popular — with 30% of all web browsing projected to come through voice search in the upcomingyear. Neglecting to optimize your website for voice search can leave you lagging behind your competitors and potentially missing out on opportunities for new business. 

What’s important to remember about voice search SEO is the unique strategy needed for success. Unlike traditional search, there are only three top results available through smart speakers — making a top ranking mission critical. A few key components to a strong voice search strategy includes: keeping your Name, Address, Phone number (NAP) data consistent, adjusting content for search style, and optimizing your site for local search results. 

  • Keeping NAP data consistent across your entire online presence is essential for Google to recognize you as an authoritative and legitimate business. 
  • Searches are performed differently through smart speakers than they are through traditional platforms, therefore your content needs to take that into account. 41% of people use voice search like they’re talking to their friend or family member, so aim to answer questions with your content. Choosing keywords and phrases that match the unique way people phrase voice search queries can help set you up for success.
  • Optimizing your mobile content for local search results is crucial if your business has a local element. This includes standardizing your name, address and phone number, and including your city and province/state name in your site’s metadata.

SEO is a constantly evolving process and the tips listed above are a great first step on your journey towards being number one in the search results!

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