SEO is making evolutionary strides as businesses strive to stay aligned with Google's new algorithm updates. Present-day SEO no longer allows you to add keywords into URLs and titles to see results and rank above competitors. You must put in the effort to implement quality, original content throughout your website to see the SEO results you dream of.
Businesses must recognize the importance of SEO tailored specifically for the local market. If you are still operating on outdated SEO practices, it may seem that search engines aren't as useful as they once were. However, updated SEO practices are currently emphasizing the different ways that search engines are being searched by users. Every business must develop into the future with the introduction of new technology at every turn, and the need to stay on top of trends in order to satisfy target users. SEO will continue to evolve, just as every field does, to stay alive in our digital world.
Content Marketing – The Foundation of SEO Strategy
According to Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, all content on a website should be created to help users, with no intent to harm or deceive. Low-quality websites, in terms of content, will be given the lowest PQ rating, making it harder for them to show up in search results. In the past, SEO and content marketing were often described as two separate elements. This isn’t the case today. To satisfy Google’s SEO requirements, content must be based on what people want to read, backed up by research, statistics, and original information. Digital marketing, and SEO in particular, revolves around more than just keywords, headings, and alt-tags. Consistency in value, effective website optimizations with strong link profiles, and creating attention-grabbing content should be the foundation of every SEO campaign. If you are missing one of these components, your SEO strategy won’t survive.
Things to focus on for effective SEO content marketing are:
- Your brand’s authority
- Ensuring your content connects with user's needs
- The use of high-quality resources
- Facts and statistics from reliable sources
- Supplementary content, including blogs
- Well-written, long-form style copywriting without “fluff”
- Keep your articles straight to the point and on topic throughout
On top of earned backlinks, keywords, and alt-tags, the voice of your content should always be created with the goal to engage users, provide value, and educate. If you incorporate all of these elements with a goal-oriented mindset, you’re on the right track.
SEO Stop Words for Search Engines
To save disk space, decrease server loading issues, and allow for quicker search results, search engines disregard hundreds of common words, known as stop words. These stop words include, but are not limited to, "a," "cannot," "necessary," "the," "useful," "either," etc. It’s important to note that if the meaning of the phrase changes completely when a stop word is removed, some stop words are considered as part of the search. Search engines analyze the main keywords in search queries to ensure the meaning remains the same. For example, in the search query “The Revenant: movie” the stop word “the” is considered since it’s part of a movie title. If “the” wasn’t taken into account in this particular query, the search results wouldn’t be accurate.
It’s not necessary to remove stop words from URLs because it can make them hard to read, which can actually hurt your SEO. For example, if you write an article about growing up with brothers, the original URL would most likely be, “/growing-up-with-brothers/.” Without stop words, the URL would read as, “/growing-brothers/,” which is misleading and doesn’t relate to the article’s theme. While it’s important to remove stop words whenever possible, if it changes the context of the page or decreases quality, keep it. Creating quality content that is easily digestible and doesn’t deceive readers is the top priority in SEO.
Voice Search Optimization
With new technology such as Amazon’s Echo, Apple AirPods, and more, the need to use a keyboard to search Google is becoming less common, especially for younger generations. Voice search is changing how SEO experts create content because it now requires a conversational tone rather than keywords alone. Since people are able to search longer, detailed keywords using bots, such as Siri, SEO is actively accommodating to this change. SEO experts are well-versed in the latest trends like voice search and create high-quality, consistent content with in-depth research, sources, and on-topic themes that connect with voice search users on a deeper level.
User Experience Design
Imagine your website is ranking on the first page of Google. It has high-quality on-page SEO strategies implemented, including links, backlinks, meta titles & descriptions, and well-written content. Users are accessing your site more than ever before. However, you notice a high bounce rate, which means users are exiting your site quickly without exploring other pages. Why is this happening? It’s simple. Your web design isn’t up to par with your SEO quality. Good web design starts with page speed. If your website takes 3 seconds or longer to load on mobile or desktop, 53% of users will abandon your site. Optimizing images, videos, and other content can greatly increase your page speed.
Elements of high-quality user experience web design in SEO:
- Quality calls-to-action (CTAs) that lead to conversion-based web forms, email funnels, or contact pages with clear information about next steps
- Internal links to related pages on your site
- Crisp images that are in line with the theme
- Condensed copy that doesn’t clutter the page
- Most importantly, create a responsive, clean, and uniquely branded design that stands out and loads faster than your competitors
- Prioritize web design because it is key to conversions. Always put users' needs before your own
Mobile-First Indexing
We live in a mobile-first world. Everyone accesses websites, search engines, social media, emails, and text messages from anywhere, at any time. In 2009, less than 1% of people accessed the Internet through a mobile device. Up until 2013, mobile phone Internet use was still below 20%. Between 2016 and 2018, mobile traffic increased from 43.6% to 52.2%. The high spike in mobile usage in present-day search engine use has created new challenges for SEO, but it will always continue to evolve with new trends and technology. The term “mobile-first indexing” does not mean mobile-only since people still access the Internet on desktops and other devices. However, it is crucial that SEO-optimized websites include a mobile-friendly version of every desktop version. If a mobile website has low page speed, bad user experience, and is less valuable than the desktop version, it will negatively impact your SEO and rankings.
Should I Invest in SEO?
If your business is nearly invisible online or you want to boost visibility even more, working with a qualified SEO company, such as Peaks Digital Marketing, can significantly enhance your online presence. Increase your conversions and stay on top of trends. Effective SEO starts with a high-quality SEO expert who understands the importance of content marketing, user experience, mobile-first indexing, and more.
