March 26, 2024

Must-have SEO tactics in 2018

There are many changes taking place in many spheres of marketing, and SEO is no stranger to change. Some of the best marketing strategies that worked last year may not work today, and may even hurt your business. It is paramount to be at the top of your game so that you can match your competitors. SEO is dynamic and demands constant review necessitating new strategies for the realization of maximum return on investment (ROI). This article delves into some key SEO techniques that will skyrocket your site’s ranking in the search engines result pages (SERPs) and increase the number of visitors to your sites. Here are some techniques to help improve your ranking:

  1. Improve your website for Google RankBrain

This is Google’s first machine learning algorithm, or simply put, it quantifies the way visitors interact with the search results on the first page. When users type a keyword into a search engine like Google, the RankBrain converts it into ideas and then generates results for that idea. Then it measures how visitors interact with the search results. RankBrain checks if a page that was listed in the search satisfied the user or not. If it did, the page is up ranked. If it did not help the user, the page is dropped in ranking and another site put in the search result the next time the same keywords are used. The happier your site makes users, the higher it will rank. RankBrain is among the top three search signals, together with content and links.
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Methods of improving your site for RankBrain

Increase your organic click-through-rate (CTR)

Once your CTR is increased, RankBrain will ‘think’ that many people love your site, and hence it will take it to the top of SERPs, making it even easier for the next user to find. A very practical and simple way to increase your organic click-through – the rate is to include numbers in your title and description tags. Studies have shown that people online have a high likelihood of clicking on contents that contain numbers.

Enhance your site’s bounce rate and “Dwell Time”

How fast do people leave your site? That’s the bounce rate. Google RankBrain thinks that if people leave your page too fast, say 3 seconds, they do not like the content there. The length of time users spend on your site is the “dwell time.’ Sites with a low bounce rate, that is, enjoy a longer stay on the page, generally rank higher than those with high bounce rate and a short stay on the page. The longer the dwell time, the higher the rank will most likely be. One way to improve bounce rate and ‘dwell time’ is to write great introductions that encourage visitors to take action such as reading on and stay longer on the site.

  1. Put more weight on content marketing and social media

Potential customers have adopted a new marketing attitude. The traditional ways of marketing yield very low returns on the invested resources (ROI.) On the other hand, content marketing is becoming more popular and giving better ROI. This is most likely because it assists customers to make a better decision due to supplying them with key information. There is a higher likelihood of getting more potential customers visiting your site if you combine content marketing and SEO. The following are some ways in which you can make content that will produce more useful leads for your site in 2018:

  • Offer informative content.
  • Craft infographics – they are still very popular and are big link earners.
  • Develop interesting videos
  • Publish research backed by data.
  • Produce white papers – convincing, authoritative, detailed reports on specific subjects that present the problems and provide solutions. Marketers generate whitepapers to inform their audience about a particular matter, to make clarifications, or endorse a certain methodology.

In addition, marketers and SEO experts will need to focus strongly on social media which will be beneficial to the company, even if most benefits are indirect to the brands. Social media has the ability and power to drive people in big numbers to your website. Some social media platforms you should use, but not limited to, are Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  1. Capitalize on mobile SEO

Mobile users have multiplied over the past few years and are expected to increase even more. The majority of searches are being done through mobile devices. It is envisaged that most sites’ mobile pages will soon become their main pages. Therefore, it is crucial that your website is optimized for mobile. Below are some tips to help you shine in mobile SEO:

  • Ensure your website is mobile friendly.
  • Avoiding using pop-ups and Flash.
  • Utilize structured data.
  1. Optimize voice search

Voice search is anticipated to be the next big thing that will feature a lot in 2018. According to an article in Search Engine Journal, Google indicated that 20% of mobile searches were voice searches. Here are some tips on how you can optimize your site for voice search:

  • Consider how people speak and keep that tone in your content.
  • Have question phrases as part of your content.
  • Place a lot of emphasis on semantics.
  • Put more focus on mobile pages and improve site speed.

Author Bio: Steve Patrick is a freelance writer with a wide experience writing articles in various niches. He is passionate about writing great content that converts prospects into clients to enable organizations and businesses achieve their objectives. He is a writer at Seoanalytics.pro.

As the Founder of SocialPositives.com and AndroidConnections.com, Mohammed Anzil has demonstrated an unmatched passion for keeping readers informed about the latest Social Media, Android developments and innovations. Their keen insights and in-depth knowledge have made them a trusted source for tech enthusiasts worldwide.