SEO changes all the time and is one of our main focuses when it comes to planning new SEO strategies. We conduct all the necessary research and stay abreast with any of the changes that Google makes. As we head towards the end of 2017, it is a good time to start considering the year that lies ahead and what we can expect when it comes to SEO in 2018. This year has experienced several search-industry trends that will become even more important as we head into 2018.
Here are a few of those trends to be aware of so that your business is up to date with these changes.
Rankbrain
This machine-learning system is what sorts through the Google search results. In more simple terms, it translates to the time a user spends on one page. This has to do with whether the content is relevant that it is able to keep these users on a specific page, or does the search result in bounce rates when the content is not associated with the original keyword search that was typed into Google search.
For example, if a user had to type in the search term “Indoor Cycling” and they choose from one of the top 10 results, it is important to the user to find out how engaging each one is. If one of these search results only lands on the contact page, this doesn’t offer information on the type of classes that are on offer or the times for these classes. When this happens the user typically leaves the page (bounce off).
However, when the user lands on a page that offers images, detailed descriptions and comprehensive lists of each class, and perhaps even a short video, they are more prone to spending more time on this web page. This time spent translates into positive interactions from RankBrain. At the same time when too many users click on the top result and it results in bouncing off, then Google will move this ranking off the top spot. The importance of this is that websites need to be relevant and offer content that is engaging so that user stay on the webpages for longer.
2 Essential Items Are Of Importance:
- Dwell Times
The is the duration of time that a user stays on one page.
- CTR (Click Through Rate)
This a metric that measures ratios of the users that click on specific links compared to the amount of viewers for this link.
Dwell Time
We have conducted our own research on dwell time which has to do with the time that the viewer spends on a specific page. RankBrain pays significant attention when it comes to this aspect and is what has the potential to really cause harm to your SEO efforts. Longer dwell times, translate into better results when it comes to RankBrain. The pages that achieve the dwell times that are longer, end up ranking better overall. When more and more viewers continue to spend more time on your website, the more your rankings boost up. The SearchMetrics has shown that 3 minutes and 10 seconds is regarded as the average when it comes to dwell times. Google Analytics can be used to check on your own average dwell times. Using Google Analytics is one of the best tools you can use when you work actively on your own SEO.
CTR (Click Through Rates)
CTR plays a significant role when it comes to achieving a SEO strategy that is successful. Below are a few important tips that we suggests to achieve higher CTRs. When you develop social-media posts, ads and titles for your blog posts, the importance lies in achieving headlines that are catchy. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
- Stay away from title tags that are keyword focused.
- Become emotional, by attracting viewers with words that are emotional.
- Relate to your audiences in the way of using catchy headlines.
- The use of number lists and numbers can boost your CTR by up to 36%.
- Use Power Words such as Dramatically, Discover, Significantly, Proven and more.
- Make use of URLs that are descriptive. These achieve 25% more clicks compared to when you fail to update your URL from a generic.
- When you create your ads, try out several different ads using the same terms. Now change each of the headlines and then analyze how each of them performs. In addition, add the same headlines to the posts you use on social-media. Once again, check on how users engage with each. The Higher Facebook Engagement Rates translates into Higher Organic CTR. Each increase of 3% in CTR, is able to increase the organic ranking by one position. When you get your users to become excited about clicking on your listings, it benefits your overall SEO.
In Depth Content Always Wins
When you write content, the longer this content, the better. Even though most people will only skim through this content, Google still prefers content that is relevant and longer. Google still considers the same important items from previous years, but today they consider a lot more.
Google, now aims to find the very “Best” results for users, which is a lot more than one page, filled with keywords. You can think of Google that crawls pages and stops on the page that contains everything. These are the pages that are considered to be the One-Stop shops.
Consider these tips from the expert SEO agency:
- Use content that has a minimum of 2,000 words, that features keywords that covers your topics in depth.
- Use a keyword finder that chooses relevant terms for your company that are often searched.
- It is advisable to search the targeted keywords on Google. Look for the “searches” which appear in related search areas.
- Ensure that your website is compatible with mobile. Google looks at mobile versions before it moves onto the desktop versions.
- Use videos on your site. Are you aware that the online videos will constitute for 80% of all the online traffic by the year 2021? Do you think your site is ready for this?
How You Can Get Started
- Add in YouTube videos, this happens to be the 2nd largest of the search engines and it is still growing.
- Embed your video content into your blog posts.
- Optimize your videos.
- Make sure your content is unique, which means avoid duplicating content that already features on other websites.
- Encourage viewers to leave comments on blogs.
- Create Podcasts when it comes to link-build.
This may seem like a lot of different changes to consider, but our Houston SEO Agency, NEXTFLY can assist you with any concerns or questions you may have about SEO. The above-mentioned tips are a fantastic way in which to help you prepare for your 2018 SEO strategy, contact us today to help you get started.
Author Bio
Grace Lee has been practicing in the field of digital marketing for several years now. She has already brought numerous sites in search engines’ first pages in search results. In her spare time, she loves listening to podcasts about Google algorithm updates and other matters related to SEO.
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