SEO in 2018 looks very little like it did when it started almost three decades ago. In fact, it doesn’t look the way it did a year ago.
We doubt anyone can say they have Google’s SEO algorithm down pat. SEO is dynamic, it’s an ever-changing field. The system began as simply selecting relevant “keywords” and building backlinks. Today, it has evolved into an elaborate necessity every marketer is grappling to understand and use to their advantage.
SEO is tricky, because while it’s an ever-changing industry, the only one that holds all the cards is Google. If you have been in the SEO game for a long time, you know that Google relies on various individual signals when ranking page. These variables are updated from time to time. Most instances, the changes are too little for anyone to notice, and at times, the industry is shaken with major algorithm updates, enough for businesses to overhaul their existing marketing strategy.
SEO has come far beyond keyword planning and placement
Are you stuck with irrelevant SEO strategies? Here are old tricks that you need to stop doing in 2018:
- Paying more attention to your site’s performance on desktop.
It’s official: more users now turn to their mobile phones instead of a laptop or desktop when looking for products or services they need. This means that even when you have a website that looks amazing when viewed from a desktop, you may not rank when it isn’t as responsive to mobile devices.
Google’s mobile-first index has also set sail March of this year. So instead of focusing on how your website appears on a PC, optimize your site’s performance on mobile. Double check the page load time, design, content, and ease of navigation.
- Stuffing your content with keywords.
Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant — voice-activated smart devices are gaining traction, and soon, keywords may lose to comprehensible search phrases. While keywords are still vital to ranking, it’s also imperative to optimize your content for voice-activated searches. Veer away from vague keywords or related terms. Instead, think long-tail keywords and actual syntax your target market may use in everyday conversations.
- Focusing on gaining page visits.
The goal is no longer to simply drive visitors to your site. Aim for long clicks.
A long click refers to your visitors’ activity on your page. It means they’ve stuck around long enough to digest your content, so that they were prompted to click through to other internal pages instead of bouncing off the site.
Unlike one-time page visits, long clicks are future-proof. To get your prospects to navigate to your page and stay, apply these techniques:
- Make your content relevant to your users’ search query.
- Add value to your content; make it informative, current, and up-to-date
- Improve user experience.
Out with the Old, In with the New
Stay up-to-date with algorithm rollouts with help from Sievers Creative. We constantly tweak our SEO services to make sure our projects are on the right track. We align existing strategies and plans with recent industry trends to fully optimize our clients’ campaigns and give them user and search engine-friendly websites.
Get a leg up on the competition by rising to the first-page results. Call us at (651) 300-4932 or fill out our form to schedule a consultation.
