If there’s one thing that’s consistent about the rules of SEO marketing trends, it’s that they’re always changing. Just when you think you’ve gotten your search engine marketing strategy figured out, Google’s algorithm changes and then you’re back to square one. That’s why it’s so important to stay on top of emerging trends. Knowing what’s coming in the future will help you to plan for those changes today, ensuring that you’ll be one step ahead of the competition.
Here are some of the trends that will be coming your way sooner rather than later. Prepare for the arrival of these trends now and you’ll find yourself ahead of the curve.
Voice Search
Did you know that 20 percent of all mobile searches are conducted via voice? That means Google Home, Alexa and Siri already have a very strong foothold in the search engine marketing space. As a marketer, it behooves you to go where the action is — and increasingly, the action is in voice marketing.
It’s estimated that by 2020, voice search will comprise half of all mobile searches. It’s critical to not ignore this SEO marketing trend and get in on the ground floor of this medium. The way a customer speaks is not the way he or she types. Begin to optimize your site for phrases rather than words, in the verbiage that one speaks. Starting this transition while voice search continues to gain prominence will help you to iron out the kinks before voice search truly takes the world by storm.
Search Engines Other Than Google
The other part of the voice search revolution is that users don’t always know from where their smart devices are getting their information. For instance, Alexa uses Bing, which was also used by Siri until Apple switched to Google in 2017. With such fluidity among the various in-home voice searching devices, it’s clear that marketers need to go beyond Google in order to ensure that their bases are covered.
While the tools that help businesses to climb the Google search rankings can also help those same companies succeed on Bing, it’s also necessary to look beyond the obvious when it comes to SEO. Amazon is the world’s leading e-commerce site, but it’s more than that — Amazon is also the first place people look when searching for a product, beating Google by a healthy margin. Another important place to consider optimizing is the App Store, with apps driving most of the activity performed on mobile devices.
Website Speed
Google’s never-ending quest to deliver an excellent customer experience has taken many forms over the years. Its latest look is one that prioritizes website speed, and with good reason. Nobody wants to wait 30 seconds for countless ads and pop-ups to load. Users just want to search for something, quickly find what they’re looking for and be on their way. Google’s goal is to help consumers do exactly that.
The fancy graphics you thought were cutting-edge in 2016 might actually be a deterrent to SEO success in 2019. Consider a more economical design that highlights what you have to offer your audience. In the modern era of search engine marketing, less is more.
Mobile-Friendliness
We’ve known for years that Google places a strong emphasis on mobile-friendly websites. But over time, that preference has transformed into a requirement for businesses that want to rank highly on the search engines. The most telling proof of this yet can be found in Google’s latest initiative — using a company’s mobile website and not their desktop site — in determining where a business will reside in their search rankings.
One nice thing about this change is that Google provides its own tool for helping website owners test their mobile site’s speed so that they can optimize that speed as much as possible. However, this also means that there are no more excuses for not being on Page 1. You have the tools at your disposal, and you know what the consequences are if you don’t come through. It’s time to give Google every reason to love your page.
Producing Great Content
Of course, there is one thing Google adores above all else — top-notch content. The goal of any search engine is not to wow you with its technological acumen or to penalize a business that doesn’t have a great mobile site. The goal is simply to ensure that anyone that uses the search engine finds exactly what they want, quickly and easily.
If you’re already doing this, then you’re well ahead of the game. The particulars of what Google, Amazon, and Siri look for may change from day to day, but what they’ll always want is solid high-quality material. It’s definitely a good idea to incorporate any of the above factors into your SEO strategy. But remember, content is king. Keep providing good content, and Google and the other search engines will make sure people can find it.
Staying true to your content strategy and keeping abreast of the latest SEO marketing trends will help you to keep your search engine marketing running at peak performance. If you’re having trouble getting your website to rank high in the search engine results, contact us and we’ll help you boost your site’s ranking.
