In the development of SEO marketing, the ways to generate more users are continually being revised. It has been an ongoing study, with the industry adapting to those strategies that produce greater growth than others at the time.
In 2018, we see more use of mobile devices than ever. Optimization for mobile has been essential for years now, but as of 2016, just over half of web access was done through a smart-device. Google has hence started using mobile sites as the primary index.
In light of this, there are some agreed upon pillars to optimize SEO marketing, claimed to be most effective at the current time…
#1. Short URLs
SEO marketing is all about efficiency. This is why the aim is to convey the target in as little words as possible. Research indicates the first five words in the URL are most important, with words beyond this not adding great value.
#2. User Experience
Metadata needs to be optimized for the selected keywords, to be the ‘trailer to the movie’. Viewers must be engaged and enticed to click-through. This means a powerful first impression, and…
#3. Longer Dwell Time
Making sure they stay. The longer the user is kept from closing that tab, the better. Longer dwell time indicates they like what they see, and means more conversions into, for example, subscribers. It also means an improved SEO marketing performance.
#4. User Intent
In line with the above, SEO marketing should optimize for user intent. What motivation does one have for reading up on the chosen keywords and phrases? Considering this can be informative for both traffic and conversions.
#5. Semantically-connected keywords
It isn’t just about finding a few keywords to plant intermittently throughout SEO marketing content. Keyword research shows the value of terms that are meaningfully related. Subsidiary parts of the concept is a good way to go about this…
For example, in a blog post about car mechanics, the article will appear more comprehensive to Google if essential components like ‘battery’ and ‘brake’ are mentioned.
#6. Speed
With the explosion of mobile device usage, it’s become even more important for SEO marketing to provide fast-loading websites. Lag will deter users, making content redundant.
#7. Topical authority
Another crucial focus point in SEO marketing is on depth, breadth, and comprehensibility of content, over how long and how many keywords it contains.
#8. Local optimization
Local search is highly relevant. If there is a local component to the company or business, there must be optimization for this search as mobile devices are increasingly becoming the place to turn to for products, information, and services.
#9. Voice search
Of course, with increased smart-device use, we see an increase in the use of voice search. And as the accuracy of speech-recognition technologies improves, this will only happen more. This means a need for SEO marketing to optimize content for not only written but a verbal search.
#10. Intentional link building
For years now, as confirmed by various studies, links are recognised as a key determinant of rank. They make all the difference if SEO marketing content is relevant and competitive.
#11. Mobile friendly design
As most searches are done on a portable smart-device, SEO marketing must be mobile friendly. This includes ensuring the design is responsive, rather than making a separate mobile website – this will deter from the primary domain.
#12. Micro-tech issues
Last but not least, don’t overlook avoidable issues like broken links, redirection issues, and duplicate content. While these may seem minor, they can make for negative user experience.
