When it comes to search engine optimization, change is the only constant. Obviously, it is difficult to keep up with these constantly changing SEO rules and trends, so fast that it becomes difficult for anyone to adopt them in a short period of time.
one. Mobile IS THE Trend
These days, mobile search has become a profound aspect of people’s lives. At the same time, Google aspires to be a reflection of user needs, no matter what. Well, Google recently announced that it would start testing the mobile-first indexing strategy. This decision was implemented somewhat after the use of mobile compatibility was considered as a ranking factor. While there has been quite a bit of controversy regarding this, but 2018 will be the year this triggers a trigger in the search engine results. So with that comes the importance of the mobile version of your site.
Now, Accelerated Mobile Pages helps web pages load faster in a mobile-friendly way. That is why Google has introduced it to improve the loading time of your page on any device. This has an influence on the performance of a page in the SERPs along with interactions and conversions. Case studies reveal that AMP implementation improves user experience and also factors like CTR and bounce rates. So even if AMP isn’t a ranking factor now, it could become one soon.
two. Link Building is not dead, but stronger
These days, certain SEOs may claim that the link building strategy is weak or worse dead. But let me tell you that this strategy is not dead, it requires proper planning, hard work and patience. It’s more about earning your links than building them. Since good quality backlinks serve as one of the main ranking factors, you also discover the direct correlation of website rankings with their backlink profiles.
3. Voice search is new!
Siri and Cortana have already won our hearts through their instant and non-stop help. Similarly, Amazon Echo and Google Home also let us shop hands-free. So now with the passage of time, the accuracy of speech recognition also seems to increase.
With all due respect to the convenience these voice recognition offers, it’s also less frustrating when you want to search for something on social media. Initially, there would be at least one voice search each week for each individual. But over time, searches have multiplied by three or four. So the reporters conclude that the importance of voice search remains intact and could consume around 50% of all searches.
Four. Structured data has an important role to play
In this Internet age, structured data markup is truly underrated. But at the same time, it is a great method of making your site crawler friendly and also makes it easy for search engines to index your content in no time.
There have been quite a few changes to the way data was displayed in the SERPs. Features include immediate and relevant feedback, relevant context, helpful nuances, and display in search results. All this depends on the data being arranged in a clear and logical way.
With the importance of user experience increasing every day, SERP design is also evolving. Structured design is becoming essential. So, you should consider structured data heavily.
5. Keep your crawl budget
Crawl Budget is all about optimizing your website both inside and out. It should look attractive to your visitors and search bots should also find it attractive. This will also affect the number of pages crawled, indexed and updated by Google or any of the major search engines. With this comes the responsibility of keeping your website healthy and not wasting any of your crawl budget. This will also help Google crawl your website more often which will also benefit your ranking factors.
6. Quality content on content quality
Change is just the constant when it comes to SEO. But, amid all the changes, the importance of the content remains intact. But this time, you need to focus more on the quality of the content than the quantity. In fact, content optimization goes far beyond keywords and requires a complex approach.