Search engine optimization has been around for a long time. Perhaps because of this, many small business owners are questioning if SEO is still a relevant form of digital marketing. As it happens, the majority of internet marketing experts believe that, yes, SEO still incredibly relevant and there is so much more to learn in this upcoming year. Here’s a rundown of the next year in SEO.
The relevancy of SEO best practices
More and more people are searching for things online nowadays. The brick and mortar store has forever changed; gone are the days of shopping at the mall and here are the moments of instant gratification and buying with the simple click of a button. This is why a good SEO strategy is more important than ever before.
Even though search engines are constantly changing their algorithms and updating them with new features, there are a few SEO best practices that can reliably boost a small business’s visibility online. Luckily, they’re not going anywhere soon. Here’s a few of them:
- Content is still king. Keyword optimization is still used as a primary way to bring potential clients right to your website. Even though high quality content is quite the investment, it makes all the difference when it comes to converting a shopper that may be on the fence.
- Backlinks prove reliability. The more websites you have in your niche that link to you, the more likely it is that Google bots will see you as a thought leader in the industry and a relevant source of information.
- Social media is bigger than ever before. Internet users aren’t just going on social media to talk to family and friends like they have in the past — they’re looking to discover new products and companies and spend their money. Any business owner can use social media to advertise, promote brand awareness, and interact directly with their customers.
- Everyone is still continuing to shop on their phones, creating a bigger need to make websites optimized for mobile.
New strategies for SEO
With these ideas in mind, there are some SEO trends to keep an eye out for in this upcoming year.
Understand your audience. Yes, your audience is anybody that likes to buy online, but how do they like to see a business promote their brand? Are they fans of video, text messages, email marketing, or how-to blogs? Knowing what your audience is expecting when they come to your website is pivotal in converting the right lead.
Invest in the backend of your website. Known as technical SEO, this is when you take care of the technical aspects of your website. This includes making sure any apps on your website are up to date, all HTML is clear and concise, and your CRM is running smoothly.
Onsite optimization. While keywords are still especially important, you need some extra factors on your page to ensure your customers get what they are searching for. Some details you can include are a FAQ, a way to respond to customer queries, a chat bot for immediate onsite service, easily locatable content information, and a fast response time per page.
Protect user data. With more and more online security breaches coming to light, consumers are increasingly worried that their online data will be leaked. Do what you can to create a secure website, especially if you’re creating a platform for e-commerce.
Use influencer marketing. Social media influencers are a wonderful way to increase your brand awareness and reach. If you don’t feel comfortable reaching out to them, agencies like Search Atlas are here to help.
As you can see, SEO is still relevant and not going anywhere in 2019. With the right strategies in place, you can continue to see traffic come to your website through search engines.
