SEO Trends That Shouldn’t Be Overlooked by Businesses in 2018
The “internet” is ever-changing, and digital marketing is king as companies strive to be seen, compete, and win in the online arena. As search engines get smarter and user activity changes, businesses need to stay up to date with SEO trends. The moves that paid off a year ago might not be sufficient today. This year brings new opportunities and new rules, and knowing how they work can help brands grow faster and more artfully reach their target audience.
Why SEO trends are more important than ever
Search engines such as Google are continually updating their algorithms in an effort to better serve users. This has implications for both site rankings and how people find information. Keeping current with the most up-to-date SEO trends will help you keep your website updated and easily found by users who are searching just for what you have. Companies who adjust with the changes generally tend to have an edge over their competitors, whereas those that do not see a decline in traffic and visibility.
Trend 1: Content Is Getting More Useful and Human-Centered
Google has made helpful content a priority this year. The search engine favors sites that provide real value, clarity and easy to understand content that gets right to the point offering users solutions. But what we are finding, is that SEO is moving away from keyword packing, and in the direction of meaningful content: engaging, informative and interesting.
Instead, they do that by focusing on producing high quality content that answers questions, solves problems and represents real expertise. #10: Long Form Blogs, How To Guides, Expert Insights and Data Driven Content are Doing Bettericles They are Ranking Better today. Authenticity and transparency are more important than ever before – it’s the sites that prove their expertise and authority in a given niche that flat out win.
Artificial Intelligence and SEO Optimization
AI is now heavily used in how search engines such as Google analyze websites and rank content. The landscape of how people find information will change, through tools like Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE). Users are receiving faster, condensed answers and providers need to offer content that is AI friendly and full of context.
AI also enables companies to fine-tune content quicker. Keyword research, content creation and SEO analysis tools are helping the webmasters to create the optimized pages. But companies need to balance their use of AI support with human in person creativity. Search engines continue to reward genuine, original content created with human insight.
User Experience as a Big Ranking Factor #12: User experience is going to be a major ranking factor.
SEO is not simply about keywords and backlinks anymore. User experience is a ranking factor today. Search engines administer how users are engaging with a website, the loading speed, mobile responsiveness, navigation ease and time spent on pages.
A site that’s slow to load or seems complicated sheds users rapidly. This pushes bounce rates up and down you go with search rankings. Today’s SEO also means clear website design, fast load times, ease of navigation and a mobile-first layout. Companies that offer a frictionless user experience receive more attention and participate of users’ time.
Voice search and conversational queries on sharp rise
With a growing number of smart speakers and voice assistants, voice search is a normal part in daily living. The conversational tone in which people search online is more common than ever. Keywords are moving beyond short, simple words to longer, more natural phrases.
Content also needs to be more human and right-sized, tailored for the way people talk. This involves writing FAQ content in natural language and answering specific questions directly inside the content too. There’s more to come, for now Make sure your focus on the search voice is broader this year because it’s a trend everyone in business can’t afford to ignore.
E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness
Google’s E-E-A-T guidelines are closely linked to who gets top rankings. Search engines aim to present users with information that is accurate, trustworthy and written by experts.
Verified authors, expert content, reliable references and strong brand reputation result in a more powerful website. Displaying authentic experiences, expertise and fresh copy builds credibility with users and search engines alike. All business should ensure that such level of consistency is met on all their online content.
Local SEO Continues to Dominate
As an increasing number of users look for businesses in close vicinity, local SEO has assumed great significance. Local queries — like “near me now” or searches for the physical proximity of a business — have soared in recent years. Businesses with solid local presence, as verified information and customer reviews rank higher on Google.
This year, local SEO is all about fresh when it comes to content and location information — not just what you say on your site. Local-serving businesses need to make sure their local online presence matches their offline footprint.
Video: The new CORE SEO strategy.
Video has emerged as one of the most powerful types of content on the internet. Today, search engines are indexing video content and videos often now appear at the top of search results. People are lazy and rather watch small (informative) videos than read long shit!
Businesses that invest on video for their SEO process are able to edge past the competition. Tutorials, product demos, educational content or expert talks help you increase engagement and visibility. Titles, descriptions and transcriptsAll of the above are factors that contribute to video Search Engine Optimization (SEO) making it more accessible and easier for search engines to crawl and rank your videos.
Conclusion
SEO is changing quickly and companies need to make sure they keep up with the changes if they want to have good visibility on search engine results. This year focuses on useful content, user experience, AI inclusion, voice search, E-E-A-T guidelines — local optimization and video content. Businesses that adjust to these shifts will be rewarded with more organic traffic, increased brand credibility and improved online results.
SEO is not a one-time task. It’s an ongoing process that develops along with your business. You build a confident digital base to succeed for the long haul when you take the trends into account.
