Friday, June 29, 2018

How you can embrace the SEO changes in 2018?



Google is constantly evolving, regularly updating its algorithm to make it an amazing experience for searchers. If you want your website or blog to maintain (or even grow) its Google rankings you need to look at the changes in SEO search engines and be adaptable.

Here are a few of the changes already made in 2018, something you really should be thinking about for your website:

Get MOBILE FRIENDLY
Did you know that almost 60% of all Google searches are done through a mobile device? This number has meant that Google has changed their algorithm to focus more on mobile searches so now when you Google something, you will be served by an algorithm which recognizes a single mobile database first.

What this means is if you site shows selective content on mobile, with a “read more” button hiding the rest of the text, then Google’s spider bots will not read the rest of the page. This hidden content will then have a significant impact on your website’s ranking.

Unsure if your site is mobile Friendly, you can check how suited your website currently is to mobile browsing with Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.

VIDEOS are the best content
Almost all top-ranking search results contain some video content. From this we can believe that Google uses video form of content in a post as a ranking factor.

It is a fact that Google owns YouTube, we suggest the best way to set up video content is to create YouTube videos and embed them into your blog posts.

Raise your VOICE….
Millions of people use voice to search Google. And the number is just going to increase
to be the dominant factor which sends your website traffic in a couple of years.

To help your site voice search rankings you will need to look at your page load speeds first as Google won’t pull your website if it is slow to load.

Then, you will need to look at comprehensive content is now a must do on your site!  A short post say less than 500 words will not rank in Google’s voice searches. Your posts must be around 3000 words to come up as results to queries performed by voice.

HTTPS vs HTTP?
Firstly, to explain HTTPS is the next version of HTTP (a more secure version) which allows web viewers to browse more safely and without having the risk of getting their personal information stolen.

Whilst it was originally warned by Google, that not changing to HTTPS would negatively affect your sites Google rankings, it has been found that this is not the case.

However, if you use Google Chrome as your browner (used by most online users), you will have noticed that Chrome actually marks sites without HTTPS, as “not secure”.

It is deemed not relevant to move to HTTPS to maintain your search rankings, although it is certainly worth considering that if you have an e-commerce website, or handle sensitive data like your viewer’s phone number and credit card details, HTTPS will provide higher security.

Google’s RankBrain
Google has shared its three most important ranking factors: Quality Links, Comprehensive Content and RankBrain,

What is RankBrain? Well, it is a feature which allows Google to scan through a viewer’s user data and find the most relevant search results. Search results will in turn, look a little different for each user.

RankBrain can looks at your Click Through Rate (CTR). If you would like to be picked up, simply use a compelling title tag, which makes users want to click on your website’s search result! If RankBrain sees that your site receives a high click-through rate, and a low Bounce Rate, your site will be seen in higher rankings. 

As we all know, Google has been and will always be changing its algorithm. This means embracing the changes and taking small steps to move forward and get the best results out of your sites search engine optimisation – There are a few extra quick tips we think can be very helpful:
-       Use Responsive design when setting up your site, this allows your site to load a different format that is perfect for each and every device
-       Make sure you have a good Page Load speed – this can be really significant when google is combing your site.
-       Don’t Hide Content with Read more buttons. The search will stop reading and your information wont rank.
-       Use Links to other sites. It is not about loising traffic to these other sites, it is actually a great SEO tactic.
-       Be sure you have an About Me, Disclaimer, Privacy Policy Page, whilst you may not have the time to create, or think your viewer are reading, it actually shows your site isn’t spam.


Whilst these are only a few on the changes each website can incorporate to increase its  SEO results, not every single change is the be-all and end all. Start small and work your way through. Think about what you need and start from there….

If you are feeling confused, need support or really do not know what you need or where to start when it comes to your website and SEO - Then we at Adloyalty can help, call us on 6344 1931.



References
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2018/03/13/12-seo-trends-heating-up-2018/3/#62140b4b624d
https://twitter.com/searchliaison