SEO Trends: A Look at How to Improve Your Website Rankings in 2019
Search engine optimization has played a major role in every digital marketer’s or website owner’s work. That hasn’t changed in 2019, which is why you shouldn’t be relying on old SEO strategies to boost your website rankings. You need to stay updated with the latest changes in the world of SEO since users change their browsing habits. That is why you must ensure that your SEO techniques are consistent with the times so that you can take advantage of them and dominate your industry.
People have changed the way they use search engines like Google. For instance, “mobile-first” has become the mantra for boosting page rankings and improving accessibility, over the past couple of years. No one knows what the future is going to be like, but that hasn’t stopped people from making predictions about the future.
In this blog, we are going to be discussing why search engine optimization is still the key to improving website rankings and we will also discuss the popular SEO trends that have been dominating SEO strategies for businesses in 2019. So, without further ado, let’s begin:
THE STATE OF SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO) IN 2019
If you’re not familiar with the concept, SEO or search engine optimization is a series of techniques that are designed to improve website rankings in search results. It plays a vital role in the work of content creators and developers today and will retain that role for the coming years.
There are multiple ways you can use to improve your SEO on websites. The most common methods include ensuring faster load times and conducting keyword research to customize your posts to provide people with what they are searching for.
It may seem that SEO practices are evergreen, but that is hardly the case since search engine algorithms are constantly changing. This obviously means that you shouldn’t be using outdated optimization techniques and expect great results. If you want the best results, you will need to stay updated with the ever-changing SEO world. This will also ensure that your website is properly optimized and ranks high on search engines in 2019.
SEO TRENDS TO FOLLOW IN 2019
To give you a head-start when it comes to optimizing your content and ranking high in 2019, we are going to look at the best SEO trends you should be following in 2019. You’ll also learn about tips on how you should adapt strategy and content to use trends to your advantage. Let’s begin:
Voice Search Is the Future
Voice search has already made a massive difference in the lives of people around the world. To name a few examples, you can use Google’s Assistant, Amazon’s Echo, or Apple’s Siri. This technology is becoming more common, and you must find out what impact voice search will have on your SEO strategy.
The only difference between voice search optimization and standard SEO strategies is to use ‘natural’ phrasing. The standard text search would be based on compressed phrases, such as, “best article hosting 2019.” However, if you’re using voice search to acquire the same information, you would say: “What’s the best hosting for articles this year?”
You must have noticed that the second phrase sounds more natural and is longer as well. That means you should think about using long-tail keywords to optimize your content because your main goal should be to use keywords people are searching for.
The Need for Speed is Still Important
You must already be familiar with the idea of high website loading speed, which is something that is discussed in several blogs. However, it’s extremely important since website load times play a vital role in improving website rankings in 2019. Google already announced in 2018 that it will start factoring in page speeds for mobile devices. That was mainly down to the increasing popularity of browsing on mobiles, which means website owners should focus on keeping shorter load times.
The main strategies that you must focus on when it comes to improving your website load speed are optimizing your media files and implementing a caching solution.
Implement Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is going to play a vital role in changing search engine optimization in the future. It has already made an impact, as businesses have started implementing AI solutions. Google is extensively using AI with its RankBrain system. It’s a bot which boosts Google’s search results by using machine learning. It finds context and patterns in millions of pages and allows the search engine to provide the most relevant results for queries.
Google isn’t the only one that is using AI since tools that use machine learning to boost SEO are also gaining in popularity.
Focus on Mobile Optimization
The mobile-first index by Google ensures that pages will be ranked based on the mobile versions. So, if your website is performing exceptionally on a desktop machine but is sluggish and slow on a smartphone, it will affect your SEO rankings. That is why you must focus on mobile optimization for your website since without that you will struggle to rank on Google.
You will also need to look at how your website will work on multiple screens. For instance, if your navigation is designed for desktop browsing, how will it perform on mobile devices? You must also consider whether additional elements on your website don’t ruin the user experience on mobiles. The good news is that it shouldn’t be a big problem, because most WordPress themes and plugins have responsive designs. However, you should always test your website on multiple devices.
Emphasis on Personalized Results
The average user on the internet is more impatient than ever before as they want instant access to information. This is the reason why Google has now placed greater importance on delivering personalized results to users. Google collects information from users and provides them with the most relevant results now.
Google has also personalized its service by providing users with contextual results that are based on the user’s location and previous search history. For instance, if you’re searching for “Where is the nearest bookstore?”, you’ll be shown all the options that are nearby.
This may appear to be a difficult trend that you can use for your own advantage, but it’s not impossible. For instance, by offering organized and clear information on your website, you can increase your chances of appearing in the answer boxes. Your website will also rank high more easily if you use distinct headings and lists to summarize the contents of each page, as it allows Google to easily index that information.
Optimize Videos with SEO
Search engine optimization isn’t all about text. It’s important that you think about SEO when it comes to video content. Video is becoming more popular as a medium, and that trend is going to continue in 2019. For instance, in 2018, more than half the users on the internet watched nearly an hour of online video every week. Website owners have started to notice this trend and should be doing the same.
The way to begin would be to start uploading videos on your website. The length of time users stay on your website and the quality of your content is considered by search engines when it comes to website ranking, you can improve both by using video. You can also choose to increase SEO on the videos.
This can be done by selecting the right hosting platform for the video and using descriptive and clear titles while addressing the main questions of your users. This ensures all visitors get the information they are looking for and your website rankings improve as well.
Enhance Your Technical SEO
Search engine optimization is generally considered as something that is exclusive to marketers and content creators. However, developers should also think about it. The technical SEO process is all about ensuring that your website is compatible with search engine standards. The two main features of technical SEO are mobile optimization and page speed, but you should also think about website security. For example, Google requires websites to use HTTPS, to label them as ‘secure’ in Chrome browsers.
These were some of the elements that come under the umbrella of technical SEO. We can’t go through all of them here, but here are some other features you should consider:
Rich snippets
This is a markup, which makes your pages stand out in search results by adding extra information to them.
Website architecture
Designing your website properly will allow crawlers to easily index and catalog pages, which will help improve your rankings.
Duplicate content
Search engines impose penalties on websites that have the same content in multiple locations. You should ensure that you don’t re-use or repeat the same text.
Understand the Impact of Blockchain on SEO
You’re not alone if you’ve never heard about “blockchain”. It’s a relatively new concept. While it’s too complex to fully explain, we are going to simplify it a bit over here. The blockchain is a list of records that can’t be altered. Each item or block in the chain is preserved and recorded forever.
This technology has an impact on SEO, since using blockchain will change the relationship between website owners and advertisers. By using blockchain, you can guarantee that all clicks are valid and there will no longer be any bot visitors. That will improve verified data as websites won’t be allowed to improve their rankings artificially with automated clicks.
You should put in more time and energy to learn about the blockchain and the impact it can have on your business and your website. It is a nuanced and complex topic, and the key is being prepared. You can even think about hiring an expert if you’re thinking about blockchain implementation.
Don’t Rely Only on Google
Google remains the most popular search engine, and it isn’t going to relinquish that position any time soon. However, as a business, your sole focus shouldn’t only be on Google’s ranking algorithms, especially when it comes to developing your SEO strategy.
For example, Amazon’s search engine is also getting more significant with every passing day, since more than half of online shoppers are searching for products on Amazon instead of on Google. YouTube is also the second largest search engine in the world.
So, if you want more visibility for your products, you should think about Amazon. If you have plenty of video content on your website, you should think about YouTube and other similar platforms.
Incorporate Social Media Channels in Your SEO Strategy
One of the most important aspects of online marketing is to have a strong presence on social media. This should also apply to your SEO strategy. Even though shares on social media don’t affect your rankings, there is a link between social signals and rankings.
The way it works is complicated, and we don’t have the time to dive into the details here. The only thing we will highlight is that the more your content is shared, the more traffic your website is going to generate from search engines. It also allows you to build brand awareness and backlines since more people will talk about and view your website.
This is the reason why it’s important that you incorporate your social media presence when you’re developing your SEO strategy. Pay attention to the main platforms and build a consistent strategy for interacting with your followers and sharing content online. This will have an impact on all aspects of your online marketing.
TAKE THINGS TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Search Engine Optimization shouldn’t be a one-time endeavor. The internet is changing every day, along with the parameters that determine your website rankings in search engines. That means you must stay updated with all the current SEO trends to ensure your business is successful for many years.
So, what do you think the state of SEO is going to be like in 2019 and the years to come? Share your answer with us in the comments below.