Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is arguably one of the most fruitful ways to drive potential customers to your site. One thing is sure though, SEO is most effective when used correctly, but it is easier said than done! It would help if you had robust game plans to rank highly on search engine research pages and generate organic traffic to your website. But SEO keeps evolving, and the strategies that worked a year past may not work today. So, to maintain your ranking or rank higher, you must know ways to modify your SEO strategy. As a small business, you need to stay on top of your SEO game since search engine algorithms constantly evolve. Here are some of the trends in SEO that you need to look out for and prioritize:
Optimize new ways for searching
In the past years, most users have been doing their searches via text. However, with the advancement in technology and the introduction of voice recognition in mobile devices, people can now search for things on the internet through voice and image. The future of search engine marketing is such that you will expect more internet users to employ casual conversation type words when looking up things.
Optimize your keywords to cater to the different search mediums. Optimize your website for voice and visual search. Leveraging the various search mediums will give you the advantage of having a low competition method for pushing traffic to your site and, in turn, increasing revenue. You could even consider working with an SEO agency to give you the best recommendations for optimizing new search methods and employing strategies that will offer returns.
Prioritize website security
Website security is crucial. More so in this age where hackers are always looking for ways to exploit vulnerabilities to infiltrate systems and cause damages. You cannot risk having malicious threat actors gain access to your network and steal confidential information. Furthermore, website security or a lack thereof impacts your ranking with search engines. Google wants its users to be safe online. That means that they will give an upper hand to secure websites. Get an SSL certificate to move your site to the more secure HTTPS protocol. With a wildcard SSL certificate, you can secure multiple first-level subdomains within the same base domain. So, investing in a cost-effective cheap wildcard SSL is always a good idea if you wish to secure your website with multiple level-one subdomains under the chosen main domain.
Use Google Search Console (GSC) for better SEO
GSC is a powerful SEO tool once known as Google Webmaster Tools (GWT). The free service provided by Google helps to manage website search functionality. In the Search Console are a collection of tools and reports that help detect errors. They are also effective for optimizing search engine rankings. With adequate data in your Google Search Console, you can identify the keywords to drive more people to your website. You can also know the pages that rank highly on google and learn what they do to earn the high rankings. Use the data to find out the keywords that draw more traffic. The data you get from GSC is beneficial for optimizing SEO for your website.
Have a Google Analytics Account?
Imagine sailing an expansive ocean with no map, compass, or any way to tell direction. You’d be very lost. That is what happens when you do not have the means to gauge the return on investment with your SEO strategies. With a Google Analytics account, you can track the performance of your site and your digital marketing campaigns. This tool is a must-have for any digital marketer. What better way to understand who visits your website? You can track what content they enjoy interacting with and their general behavior when they visit your site. Implementing Google Analytics is vital for bettering your SEO and your website. The best thing about it is that you can measure your business goals and prove your ROI at absolutely no cost because it is free.
Do keyword research
If you are not satisfied with your website SEO, you probably are not doing enough in-depth keyword research. Most content and websites that have a higher ranking on Google tend to have specific keywords. If you are always posting content without focusing on keywords, you may not have a fighting chance with higher rankings. Consider using available tools for keyword research like Keyword finder and SEMrush. They will help you know what people search for most when looking for things that relate to your products or services. Find Tampa SEO Services at Get the Clicks.
Don’t go crazy with the keywords.
Even though keyword integration is important, it is equally crucial that you do not stuff your content with too many keywords. While it is okay to use targeted keywords, you should go over the top. They should appear naturally in your content. Less than 5% of the words in your pages should be keywords. Do not mention the keyword all over a blog or article lest you have the opposite outcome of having Google rank your page lower. Don’t compromise the quality of your content to fill it with keywords. You do not want search engines flagging your content as spam.
Create useful content
The more content you create, the higher the chances of targeting even more keywords. You have more opportunities to inject more keywords organically when you create more content. In the future of SEO, creating just any content is not enough to cut it. More so, with the ongoing competition in the SEO arena. You need to make valuable, in-depth content. Go the extra mile with your content. Add videos, audio and images to differentiate you from the pool of similar creators. See, video and picture content are more practical and will likely help your content rank higher and increase traffic. Incorporate relevant statistics in your content. Better yet, give a unique perspective. Add different ways to look at a topic. Your content will stand out more when it has the spice of your unique expertise and life experiences.
Create sustainable content
Like is the case with most things, content can also go stale. It is therefore essential to create content that has a longer shelf life. Make content that focuses on things that do not change easily. Write on ideas, opinions, theories and strategies that are likely to stay fresh for a longer time. Dynamic content is a critical SEO component. Think of the crucial topics in your industry. Consider some of the questions most people ask when creating content for your website. Informative content is also more likely to be long lasting.
Improve page speed
The impressive page loading speed will always be in style. It is necessary to provide a fast website experience to your visitors. No one will sit waiting for a page to load when they have a host of other pages that have related information. Google recognizes that and goes ahead to rank pages with fast speeds higher. The search engine giant assesses how long it would take for users to start interacting with your content. They want to know how soon after landing on your page can a user find answers to their questions. Audit your page speed regularly since it will always play an integral as a ranking factor. An audit will help you identify and conduct any necessary updates in good time.
Have a mobile-friendly site
Another trend that small businesses need to look out for is mobile friendliness. More and more people are employing their phones to do searches. And the numbers are constantly growing. For a successful SEO and more organic traffic, you need to optimize your site for mobile users. Google understands that more people use their phones. It, therefore, takes into account mobile friendliness when ranking.
Incorporate responsive design to achieve a mobile-friendly website. With a responsive design, your website will be open to adapting to the different devices that your audience have. Optimizing for mobile devices ensures that all users accessing your site have a positive experience and makes you rank higher in search engine research pages (SERP).
Wrapping up
SEO is one of the best strategies you can leverage as a small business to drive traffic to your site. To be successful in SEO, you need to stay on top of new SEO trends. SEO is a volatile industry, and things are constantly changing. With the unpredictability of the SEO world, you must keep well-informed of the trends. That way, you will always know what to do to keep the ranking under your control.