8 SEO Trends Heating Up 2018
Google and other search engine giants are constantly refining their algorithms to serve people better. That is why there are new trends that we can expect every year when it comes to search engine optimization.
Here are just some of the trends that are heating up in 2018:
VOICE SEARCH
Part of a good SEO campaign strategy is for you to create content like written articles and blog posts. There are many different ways you can write articles, but in 2018, expect to see more written content that is structured in a more conversational way.
That is thanks to the emergence of voice search. It encourages content creators to write articles or posts that are more in a light and conversational tone because this relatively new feature focuses more on the searcher’s intent and not on the actual keywords.
MORE USEFUL CONTENT
Piggybacking on the last point, content creators should also be mindful about what they write. It shouldn’t focus more on the keywords now; it should focus more on how it can provide useful information to satisfy the searcher’s query.
MORE SECURE SITES
Just a few years ago, Google has announced that a more secure website with SSL certification will rank higher than those who don’t. Just recently, people who are using the company’s own internet browser actually blocks access to sites that are deemed to be unsecured or lacking this particular security certification.
Although it is an added expense, companies and business owners should be mindful of getting an SSL certification so that they won’t be flagged as “unsafe”.
VIDEO SEO
As of now, written content along with some pictures and videos, for good measure, is still the king. However, a survey conducted by Cisco revealed that video content might be the one that is taking over by the year 2021.
Whether that prediction is true or not, we are seeing more and more people consuming that particular media content over others. So perhaps, we should focus more on creating video content as opposed to using the written word?
FEATURED SNIPPETS
Have you ever noticed those small snippets that are always featured on top of the search engine results pages? We might be seeing more of that in the near future. Essentially, you are given a snippet if your content satisfies the user’s search query the most.
SOCIAL MEDIA HOLDS POWER
Social media is no longer just a platform to help you connect with others; it is also now used as a criterion to help search engines rank websites accordingly. The more likes, shares, or retweets a website gets, the better their ranking will be.
EMPHASIS ON SITE LOADING SPEED
Google has actually announced that site loading speed will affect a website’s SEO performance. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to employ measures that will ensure that your website loads quickly.
A PUSH FOR MORE MOBILE-FRIENDLY WEBSITES
It is probably not news by now that more and more people are consuming digital content with the use of their smartphones. That is why websites who are using responsive design will get more traffic than ones who are still not adopting the new standard.