If you have an online presence, you’re probably familiar with the term SEO. But while many know what it is, it’s still a mystery to most. And, Google doesn’t make it any easier to understand. They are constantly making updates to their algorithms and offering businesses very little information on those changes. It can be a little overwhelming to try to keep up.
But, don’t worry. We’re on top of it.
While there’s no sign of The Google easing back on changes anytime soon, we have spotted some trends that will help you get more traffic, and more conversions, as we make our way into 2018.
Featured Snippets
Gone are the days of simply getting a list of links when you do a Google search. Several years ago, Google implemented featured snippets, and they’ve been all the rage ever since. The featured snippet offers information about a result before users even click a site. It shows before the first result, gives some background information on the search, and then links to the site providing the best information. This is a premier organic opportunity for any site. There’s no form to fill out for this. You simply have to have awesome content in order to get Google’s attention and compel them to feature you.
Voice Search
Whether it’s on a mobile device via “Siri” or “Ok, Google,” or on a brand new device such as Amazon Echo or Google Home, people are searching the web in a brand new way — with their voice. This is important since people don’t search with their voice in the same way they do through text. Text searches are succinct and quick, while voice searches are more conversational. This is important to remember when writing content and researching keywords.
Load Times
No one wants to sit around and wait for a site to load. Google knows this, and they emphasize page speed in their algorithm. Attention spans just aren’t what they used to….*squirrel!* See?
Slow load times guarantee users will peace out. If you’re worried about your page speed, visit Google’s PageSpeed Insights. Not only will they tell you the score of any site you enter, but they will also tell you how to make it better.
Mobile First
You need a mobile site. We can’t stress that enough. If you don’t have one, get one. That is all.
Video Content
With Google’s increased emphasis on user experience, as opposed to the old emphasis on keywords and link building, videos are becoming much more important in the SEO landscape. Videos are more engaging than text and easier to digest. By using them on the right spots on your site, Google will know that you are creating more engaging content for your visitors and reward you for it.
RankBrain
RankBrain is a complex tool that Google has been using in its algorithm, yet it is still somewhat of a mystery to marketers. Simply put, Rankbrain doesn’t look at site content, but site interactions. Based on a myriad of factors, such as actions on the page and bounce rate, RankBrain ranks your site against other similar sites. This means Google is taking the emphasis off of keywords and site elements, and instead focusing on the users, aka, the humans.
The biggest takeaway from the tools taking over in 2018 is that Google is turning their attention from content and focusing on the user and human element more than ever before. This means your website needs to be easy to navigate, easy to read, and it needs to contain valuable content that users actually care about.
If you need help meeting this criteria, we’re here for you. Give us a call to find out how you too can have a slammin’, user-friendly site in 2018.
