Getting a firm grip on the latest SEO trends and practices could bring great benefits to your business. Here are essential ways to achieve that and better your Google ranking.
SEO has been a crucial part of online marketing for a long time and continues to remain vitally important today.
The obvious benefit is that it can improve your site traffic and help generate leads. And following the best SEO practices promotes a better understanding of online search habits, which can help you improve your website.
But there are more upsides to it than those related to search engines.
Good SEO can positively reflect on user experience and website effectiveness. It’s also very beneficial for your social network promotion, and it can even help you produce and organise better content.
The downside is that SEO isn’t always easy to maintain.
When it comes to Google, keeping up with the constant changes in its algorithm is necessary for your site to rank well on the largest search engine.
Making the content on your website relevant with respect to the latest changes in Google’s algorithm will help you stay up-to-date with the latest SEO trends. Here are some of the best methods to achieve just that.
Method #1. Focus on User and Search Intent
While this concept is an old one, in essence, it’s a continuous task you’ll never be done with. User online behaviour changes all the time after all, especially after a tumultuous year like 2020.
People turn to Google or another search engine for answers. So it can be highly beneficial for a business to understand the intent and motivation behind relevant searches in as much detail as possible.
When you get into the reasons why your target audience is searching online, you’ll be able to tailor your content to answer their questions.
Bear in mind that Google already has a decent idea of what people are looking for when searching for a term. That’s why keeping an eye on SERPs is vital to understanding user intent.
As the search engine becomes more sophisticated, its search results will reveal more useful information.
Method #2. Capitalise on the Rise of Voice Search
As far as revolutionary changes in SEO go, not much can compare to the introduction and growth of voice search. It now even makes up a significant part of all online searches among mobile and even desktop users.
But what makes voice search a game-changer is the growing popularity of smart speakers.
While the usual SEO practices might prove sufficient for voice search results on devices with a screen, smart speakers provide an entirely different playing ground. A smartphone, tablet, or PC gives a list of search results, but a voice-activated virtual assistant will answer a question with only one result.
In other words, for a large number of users, the only result that matters will be the top-ranked one. As this is a trend that can be expected to keep rising, every SEO-oriented marketing campaign would be wise to pay special attention to voice search and how it develops in the future.
Method #3. Position Yourself in the Featured Snippet
For those that might not be familiar with the term, the featured snippet is the box at the top of search results. It provides a quick answer to a query through a list or a short paragraph. And in a large number of cases, the featured snippet is also what turns up as a voice search result.
Even without voice search, Google’s featured snippet is certainly where you want your business to show up. But taking into account how efficiently the two combine, working to improve your SEO for one will reflect on the other.
Certain traits of successful snippets play a vital role in securing that top spot in search results.
Of course, long-tail keywords are essential, but they must be carefully coined to match both the user’s relevant questions and their most likely choice of words and phrases. Tags and headers need to be identical to the long-tail keyword search. Finally, your answer to the query must be short and concise.
Remember that the average snippet provides a brief answer or overview in no more than 50-60 words.
Method #4. Double Down on Semantic Search
Semantics deal with words in relation to each other and their meaning within a context. A search engine looks for exactly those connections in a search term.
In order to show the most relevant results, a search engine will use all available data in analysing the meaning, context, and even the user’s intent behind a query. While an engine might have a hard time always pinpointing the most precise results, they are getting better and better at it as time goes by.
A handy aspect of semantic search development is that it brought the natural language to the spotlight. This means that your content can be better defined and aimed at the people asking the questions, not the search engine.
Your content should be formed around the most frequently asked questions, taking into account how they’re formulated. The same attention should be paid to the answers.
Concentrating on these aspects, as well as on a natural, concise, and understandable way of communication, will help you create content that’s both efficient and helpful.
Method #5. Drill Into the Mobile User Experience
It should come as no surprise that mobile devices drive a large part of online traffic. People have grown accustomed to using their phones and tablets for searches and browsing to such an extent that it’s become almost unacceptable to not have a mobile-optimised site.
As mobile user experience continues to be a central focus point of SEO, Google is shifting towards ranking pages for mobile and desktop experiences on the same scale.
This means a dedicated mobile version of your site won’t suffice, as making your primary site responsive on mobile is the way to go, especially for your landing page. Everybody understands how important a landing page is for lead conversion, on desktop and mobile platforms.
As a general rule, your pages should be easy to navigate and intuitive to achieve this. They should also be able to display all of the vital content on a phone screen as efficiently as on a desktop monitor. The main focus of your page design should be simplicity and customisation.
If you’re considering launching a new lead page, you shouldn’t hesitate to get professional help with that task. We at Automation Agency are happy to assist with that, so you can have an opt-in page that responds well on any platform.
Method #6. Build a Respectable Brand
Brand building shouldn’t be underestimated as an important aspect of SEO, as search engines will consider how trusted and respectable your brand is when ranking your content.
Furthermore, when someone searches for your brand name, the first page of search results should show mostly your company’s links and news. All of the results should represent your business in a positive light.
The most efficient way to build a brand is to spread your marketing campaign to many different platforms. This will result in better brand awareness, as well as more links that Google will have indexed. And these links and social media shares play an important role in Google ranking.
Besides the marketing aspect, you should also ensure your company nurtures a good relationship with the customers, both through your content and the support you provide. In the end, it won’t be enough just to build brand recognition with some notoriety around it.
A well-built brand will need to have the authority and trust to come on top in SERPs, as well as on the marketplace.
Method #7. Focus on Intent More Than Keywords
Although considering the user’s intent is a crucial part of semantic search, the direction in which Google’s been developing their search engine makes intent especially important.
Since Google’s BERT update, it’s become apparent that the technology behind the search engine is driving it towards becoming more conversational. Even long queries using everyday language don’t present much of an obstacle to a search engine like Google that seemingly understands the intention behind them.
As users become more accustomed to communicating with the search engine or their virtual assistant in a natural way, the market will need to shift its focus from keywords to pinpointing the user’s intention as precisely as possible.
But how can you design your campaign to do just that?
You’ll have to understand the four elemental, broadly-defined intents: getting information, purchasing, shopping and comparing, and reaching a specific website.
It would be best to adopt a new approach to marketing and address the exact needs of your target audience instead of appealing to an abstract average.
Google’s algorithm is moving more and more towards defined, narrow audience circles and every business that wants to be successful needs to follow that tendency in its marketing.
Method #8. Create More Video Content
Several years have passed since Google SERPs started displaying video carousels, yet the importance of video content has consistently grown.
As a subsidiary of Google, YouTube serves as a huge search engine in its own right. The majority of growing businesses that use video marketing credit the massive influence of such content for their growth.
Many people find it more convenient to watch a short video than to read an article, and this fact didn’t go past Google’s algorithm.
However, the matter isn’t as straightforward as switching from text to video marketing.
For a number of marketers, video’s too costly and that presents a deciding factor. Incorporating it into your marketing strategy is also not as convenient, as there are many aspects that will need additional planning and work to make a video both engaging and SEO-friendly.
But if you can do so, it’s well worth the investment.
Updating Your Marketing Strategy to Come on Top
Ensuring your SEO and overall marketing efforts follow along the lines of current search engine development is the best way to stay in the marketing race. With ever-improving technologies, there will be plenty of aspects that will require your attention.
But, don’t worry about the overwhelming task of optimising your website all by yourself.
Automation Agency can share the burden and get you on top of the latest changes and remain one step ahead of the competition.
Go to this link to find out more about the full range of our services and start growing your business reach now.
