Mastering SEO in 2018: be in the know

From helping users find exactly the information they’ve searched for to answering queries and making recommendations, SEO is a fundamental marketing tool with demonstrable results. Regardless if you are just starting in digital marketing or you’ve been around for quite a while, you are most probably aware of the importance SEO has and how staying on top of ever-changing trends will ensure businesses improve their Google rankings.

This is not always the easiest thing to do, no matter how long you’ve been doing it for, considering the fast pace at which everything changes and evolves. Just think that Google changes their search algorithm for more than 1-2 times per day[1] with the goal of improving user experience. That shows a need for continuous research and education to make sure you are ahead of the game and can make the best recommendations for your clients and their businesses. Certainly, SEO best practices that have been used so far will still play a key role in strategies: making sure WebPages are mobile friendly and they load speedily, the content is as unique and as compelling as possible, the XML sitemap and RSS feeds are put to good use, all with a high focus on user experience.

So, what would be the main trends in 2018 to help plan for and incorporate in strategies? One main one would be the advancement of voice controlled searches and digital assistants. Voice technology has been growing at a crazy rate and alongside it, has been bringing changes to search engine strategies. Google reports that at the moment one out of every five searches are voice searches[2]. Additionally, it is estimated that over 55% of teenagers and 41% of adults use this feature on a daily basis.[3]

These numbers clearly show how the landscape will shift in the future and require more long-tail keywords (containing more than three words), while the selection of them should be guided more by typical spoken language and how people talk as opposed to how they type. Take for instance a user is looking to find timetables for a buses, normally they would type ‘bus X to Y timetable’. If using voice search, the structure would probably be something along the lines of ‘what time does bus X leaves for Y’. For the inexperienced eye, the difference is not so big, however in the world of SEO not having the right optimization will cause businesses to lose their rank overnight. The rise of digital assistants like Siri, Alexa and Cortana further feeds into this while also creating a pool of opportunities. The rule stays the same: typical searches that include a phrase are being replaced by digital assistant searches more likely to be questions.

Another important trend to look out for is mobile first indexing. What this means exactly is that in 2018 the focus will be optimization for mobile devices first, as opposed to desktops. Two-thirds of the global population of 7.6 billion people now have a mobile phone, with as many as a quarter of a billion having accessed the internet for the first time in 2017 and over 200 million purchasing their first mobile device last year.[4] As expected, this wave brought new challenges and opportunities for marketers. As we move towards a more digitally enabled future and the numbers continue to grow, mobile devices are becoming central to all activities.

Industry statistics reveal that almost 60% of web traffic for top brands comes from mobile devices2 which means strategies must incorporate a mobile-first content approach to ensure their websites are visible in search engines.

The Accelerated Mobile Pages project (AMP) is also important to highlight. Briefly, Google has implemented this initiative with an aim of building improved, more user friendly mobile web through implementing a set of rules that help create a much simple, lighter version of HTMLs. By doing so, pages load quicker and they enhance the user’s experience.

As we look to the future, the first mobile phones to support 5G are expected to be on the market by 2020. This will further disrupt the way search engines will perform and how SEO strategies will be developed. The launch of 5G will mean text-based web pages will be overtaken by web pages with more interactive and engaging content. As speed is also expected to go through the ceiling, visually-intensive websites will be able to provide completely different experiences, thus creating an urge for the rest of the industry to step up. We already know video is king in the digital world. A staggering 90% of content shared on social media is video based. In this landscape, you have between 3 to 8 seconds to get their attention.[5]

One trend that has stayed constant throughout time and is as important as ever is strong online social presence. Currently, it is estimated that every 15 seconds, a person joins a social media network. The amount of content they receive is enormous and from a business perspective, it means competing not only with other business, but with the user’s family and friends. However, it is vital businesses take part of the conversation. The number of businesses with an active business page on Facebook surpasses 65 million and is on the rise[6]. With the majority of consumers reporting that they feel more positive about a brand with online social presence. Experts predict that 2018 might be the year LinkedIn becomes influential with more and more professionals and brands using it on a day to day basis.

This year, Google vows to continue improving the web user’s experience and as technologies like AR and VR become more potent and accessible, so will search engines become. If marketers want to stay ahead of the game and ensure they build and implement highly effective SEO strategies, they must plan ahead. Google will be able to scan and interpret websites in more detail than ever and will transform the results in custom made results for users.

 

[1]https://www.callboxinc.com/seo/latest-seo-trends-a-preview-of-how-seo-changes-in-2017/?pdf=18468

[2]https://paulwriter.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Rajiv-Kondal-SEO-Trends-for-2018.pdf

[3]https://googleblog.blogspot.com/2014/10/omg-mobile-voice-survey-reveals-teens.html

[4]https://wearesocial.com/blog/2018/01/global-digital-report-2018

[5]https://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-marketing-trends-2018/

[6]https://blog.statusbrew.com/social-media-statistics-2018-for-business/