You might think that you have it all figured out for Google’s Search Engine Optimisation (SEO).Keeping things the same way or using the same strategy will not help you deliver organic leads or rank first in Google search. It is a never-ending system and SEO is an ever-changing area that is all dependent on Google.
Here are some trends that SEO that has shaped 2018 and will continue to shape 2019.
1. Mobile Website will have an impact on PageRank
People are searching more through their mobile. It is a fact and it will continue to grow. While you might have a site that looks great on a desktop or your laptop, if you are not mobile responsive for your web design, chances are it is going to hurt you. Mobile first index is one of the biggest change Google has launched. Make sure that your website focus on fast loading time, designed for mobile, and responsive design else you might find yourself being dropped on the search rankings.
2.Voice Search
We are seeing those Google Home devices that are selling in stores and Google Assistant can be easily launched with a tap away. With the popularity of voice assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assist, everyone can be searching with just a tap and our voice instead of good old searching with the search bar. This means that for business, it is important to optimize your SEO for voice-activated search. How to go about doing this will be long tail keywords.
For example, you might search math tuition centres Singapore, but for voice search, people will be searching “where are the math tuition centres in the west.” Same with Mobile SEO, but page speed in voice search plays a massive role. Google won’t pull your website if it takes an eternity to load.
3. Capitalize on Google’s RankBrain
What is RankBrain? RankBrain is very simple.
It is an Artificial Intelligence feature which allows Google to comb through a viewer’s user data and find the most relevant search results.
RankBrain also looks for other factors when ranking search results. Hence search results might vary for person to person. Ramp up your site’s CTR – If RankBrain sees that your site receives a high click-through rate, it will bounce your result up the ranks in Google’s SERP and vice-versa. So, how will you optimize your site to increase CTR? It’s very simple. Just write a compelling title tag, which makes users want to click on your website’s search result!
4.HTTPS it!
Google had warned at the beginning of 2018 that site-owners should move to HTTPS from HTTP as it would be included as one of Google’s ranking factors.
What is HTTPS?
HTTPS is the next version of HTTP (a more secure version) which allows your viewers to browse more safely and without having the risk of getting their personal information stolen. Users of Chrome will notice that Chrome shames sites without HTTPS, as “not secure”. After all security is very important and customers will want data to be secured when transferred over the internet.
5. Make it relevant to the user
Google will be switching up its search algorithm so that one of the biggest driving factors for rankings will depend on the intention of the keyword.
Instead of focusing purely on content available on a website, this update brought relevance to Google’s mainframe. Search engines are becoming smarter and smarter at matching content with search queries, and our content must correspond.
Hence, make sure that content is relevant to the user, is it answering the user’s query?
SEO is an ever-changing system that is crucial to your online success. Although daily changes might not be feasible, your digital marketing strategy should be regularly updated to stay with these changes. It’s imperative to stay current with the SEO trends well throughout your years of operation to ensure your website coincides with the requirements of Google.