Do you need more traffic, more quality backlinks and higher search rankings in 2017? That’s what new SEO priorities could do for your business! And best of all, your sales will probably hit the roof!
Enjoying the benefits of an effective SEO strategy is the easy part, the hard part is finding what works for you and your business. Playing around with keywords, analyzing site metrics and keeping an eye on SEO trends is no fun, but that’s how the work gets done. So you’re all in and thinking, “which is the right way to set SEO priorities?” Don’t worry, we will show you how to do it.
Making a change, even in life, begins with identifying what hasn’t worked for you. In SEO, we play the game by the same rules.
Begin by evaluating your current SEO strategy to pick out ineffective elements. For example, look at what your customers are saying about your blog posts. Are they relevant and engaging? Are there duplicate posts? Is the keyword density of your web pages too high? If it’s greater than 20 percent, search engines will consider it spam and knock it down the rankings.
Other elements to analyze include internal and external linking, site speed and ease of site navigation. After figuring out what you’ve been getting wrong, make changes accordingly.
Staying ahead of the game is the best way to beat your competitors and keep your customers hooked. But SEO moves fast. There are always new techniques and better tools to help you optimize your website for search. Internet users are also changing the way they browse the web and consume content by the day. Here are the trends to look out for this year.
80 percent of all internet users go online using a smartphone. This means one thing: Your website must be mobile-friendly, otherwise you lose out on millions of users accessing the web from their hand-held devices. Ensure the navigation fits mobile screen size and that users can access all types of content on your site. Also, switch over to accelerated mobile pages. These pages are built for mobile search, and can make your pages load up to four times faster.
Users are getting more security-conscious, and browsers like Chrome are marking out unsecure sites. Using HTTPS delivers a secure experience to your customers, and it can also increase site speed.
Written content is still supreme, but online video is emerging as a new favorite among consumers. Online videos deliver 40 percent more traffic to websites, and 30 percent of adults watch videos on their smartphones. Thus, you must include quality, entertaining and engaging videos in your 2017 content strategy. Other trends to watch include personal branding and dense content (content that provides relevant information using the least space possible).
Search engines regularly tweak their algorithms to improve search experience. A single change can deal your website a killer blow. As such, keep algorithm updates in your sights when setting your SEO priorities for 2017. Keep tabs on top industry blogs like Search Engine Land, because they often have insider-information on potential updates across major engines. Sure, they may not always give the exact details, but staying alert and preparing for the changes can make a big difference.
2017 year is well on its way, but it’s never too late to rethink your SEO priorities. Audit your current strategy, identify mistakes, and then draw new priorities. However, getting everything right can be challenging if you lack the necessary expertise. If you need help, drop us a line at hello@thinkaor.com to get a project started.