It’s a brave new world, the evolution of SEO today is a far cry from where it was a decade ago. You can no longer get away with stuffing keywords-that ship sailed. Strategies and tactics in 2019 are more inclined towards content value, overall usefulness and the expertise your landing page offers in terms of answering FAQs. You can see this in SEO trends.
The constant changes in Google’s ranking algorithm to distinguish between great content and fluff has made it crucial for website owners to ante-up strategy. This means better research, more in-depth information, and most importantly, SEO tracking as a way to measure content efficiency.
So how do you determine what works and what doesn’t? And what can you do to ensure your website ranks well on the SERPs? Here is a list of 5 key SEO trends in 2019 that may help you maintain an edge, all courtesy of https://keyword.com
The increasing popularity of Video-based content
If projections are anything to go by, then consider the fact that it is estimated that by 2022, about 80% of all internet traffic will be video based content. If that doesn’t push your buttons, then consider the fact that YouTube is the second largest search engine after Google, which means, that at some point, most people will incline towards video quality as opposed to written content.
The inclination towards video content is perhaps the most important of SEO trends, and it’s not just about filling your landing page with random videos, just create useful content that people can relate easily to and gain something from.
Did you know that mobile-based organic searches have a task completion rate of up to 70%? Essentially, although most searches are local, people who search for services online via smartphones usually follow through. So what does this mean for online businesses?
Well, first, if your site doesn’t have a mobile friendly website or a mobile version, then you are losing out on a lot of business! More and more businesses have discovered the untapped potential of mobile-friendly sites, and are now investing heavily in it. Consider the fact that by close of business 2018, mobile-based traffic was up to almost 60%!
Keep tabs on the UX index
Another important rollout trend is the evaluation of user experience on your site. This is still a bit new to most website owners, but it is expected to be a key feature. Overall, RankBrain evaluates and establishes page ranking based on bounce rate, CTR, and mostly, dwell time.
This metric measures if your site answers the users’ question based on how long they spend on your site. Following the UX index carefully will indicate how rich your content is, and if you need to differentiate, to be more engaging, and what works.
Content!!!
As mentioned at the beginning of this piece, content in 2019 has taken centre stage. There is a lot you can get away with still, but low-quality content isn’t on that list. If you want to rank high on SERPs, then your content has to stand out.
Your strategy has to emphasize on well formulated, relevant, precise, useful and easy to read the content. If the target is to improve conversion rather than just make the submission quota, then great content is the only way to get there.
Social Signals
Lastly, the social media frenzy is your friend. Most big brands have realized this and are using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Linkedln as marketing gateways. The success of your landing page can easily be measured simply by how many likes and shares you get on your social sites.
Social sites can also be a great place to backlink to your site, and they provide an active platform to engage and interact with users, perhaps get pointers on how to improve your UX index.
The bottom line
Trends change, every year, how highly you rank on SERPs depends on how well you identify and adapt to these subtle changes in the Google algorithm.