You may be freshly initiated to SEO or you may practically be a stranger to it, we are not here to judge. We are here to help you find a way to learn all there is about website optimization. SEO is not easy, because it is not foolproof. In addition to that, it is not static either. It is constantly evolving to keep in touch with Google algorithm changes.
What is the necessity of SEO?
SEO is constantly growing and so are the number of companies that deal with website optimization. SEO has several components including on-page and off-page optimizations. It is all about getting friendly with search engines and staying visible to your target audience.
All websites require some extent of search engine optimization. Any and all traffic that your website currently enjoys is a result of SEO. The better your website is optimized, the higher is the organic traffic. It is indeed a simple concept. However, getting the “job” done is not as simple. Several webmasters have been struggling since the Hummingbird update to get their websites on the first page of Google search results. However, only a handful of them have been successful.
Why is SEO challenging?
We have already mentioned that SEO is dynamic. This makes it extremely difficult to follow and update every single time search engines update their algorithms. However, here are some of the real challenges of 2018 that you will face unless you have a reliable agency to help you out –
It’s mobilegeddon and you need to be AMP-ed –
Google is done and dusted with testing for mobile-first index in the last fall. This means, now your website has to be more focused for mobile devices. Mobile users easily outnumber desktop users at the moment, and about 70% of your website traffic currently comes from mobile users only.
Very similar to desktop sites, mobile websites show an increased CTR with increase in responsiveness, and ease in navigation. We are not saying it is easy to get a website optimized for mobile usage. We are simply saying that you should have your website ready for mobile indexing once the feature goes live.
You must have already noticed the inclusion of an AMP tag that Google is using in its SRL. This tag stands for Accelerated Mobile Page and signifies a faster loading mobile site that your potential visitors might prefer. Competing with these updated sites is difficult right now and it will become rather impossible once the new mobile indexing kicks in.
HTTP is too passé, do HTTPS to stay trendy –
Riddle me this:
What’s common between speed, security and privacy?
It’s definitely not HTTP. It is HTTPS. And right now, it is extremely essential to perform well on the organic traffic front.
Most browsers, led by Google, have started flagging websites that are not HTTPS. These are deemed unsecured and slow. Users can clearly warned when then click on a HTTP link. Google is actively shaming the websites that do not bear a HTTPS encryption.
HTTPS is indeed a life-altering move that will propel your website towards better CTR. Websites that have an added layer of encryption often perform better because users feel more comfortable sharing their account details and other sensitive information. You cannot survive until the end of 2018 unless you have an added bit of protection.
Infuriating interstitials –
Come-on guys! Your users want to actually see what your website offers. They don’t want to click on a thousand “X”s before they can reach the real content. Besides, isn’t that a niche of dubious sites that offer pirated goodies and 90’s cassette decks anyway?
As a matter of fact, Google representatives clearly stated that websites that employ full-page interstitials will be penalized outright. This will soon become a ranking factor and Google won’t see if you just want your visitors and buyers to put in their email id or like a puppy GIF.
After the Panda content, you can expect any pages heavy on interstitials to be treated as web pages thin on quality content. They will not be favored by search engine spiders and they will not show up at the top of SRLs.
What’s the deal with JavaScript and Google?
Google has not declared their unequivocal love for JavaScript as of yet. However, we have heard from reliable sources that Google has updated their algorithms so that the spiders can now crawl through all JavaScript on web pages.
We think, it is high time that happened. Angular, Meteor, Backbone and React have been flooding the market with JS rich snippets and frameworks. Even until the end of 2015, we saw Google spiders struggle with JS. However, according to Google sources, those days are gone and all websites rich in JS will be as easily indexed as non-JS ones.
Right now, Google’s weakness is click and scroll. This requires significant levels of dedication from SEO teams to make sure that your website JS pages are viewed crawled and indexed by Googlebot correctly. We would not want you to lose out on website traffic simply because a bot does not speak the same language!
Everything you say is now a search-term–
We have all heard the rumors about how NSA and CIA are gathering info using Siri, Alexa and Echo. However, it is indeed true that if one could tap in a world of information is present right there thanks to voice searches. However, turning up on the SRL as a result of voice searches is really difficult.
This is a new game and the rules haven’t been defined yet. Voice searches are here to change the ecosystem of Google searches, as we know it. All webmasters are rushing to change their SEO tactics to stay at par with the evolving search methods.
Most websites are using the following hacks to help their ranks:
A. Content in the form of “how, who, what, where, when”…most people directly ask questions to assistants instead of giving them keywords.
B. Optimization for long-tailed keywords…people need content that is more specific since they are likely to access the voice searches on the go.
C. Adding FAQs and Q&A sections to satisfy the requirements of search engine bots looking for specific answers.
D. Working on schema markups.
E. What does real-time indexing even mean?
If your website features a lot of real-time events and time-bound actions, then real-time indexing is advisable for your website. However, at the same time, your dev team must be absolutely dedicated about following the Google RealTime API guidelines to the word.
We have seen multiple cases where websites that are not as easy to crawl lose traffic after entering the real-time indexing game. Unless you have, a lot of time for hit and trial, it makes no sense to take such a huge leap of faith.
2018 will be a year for real-time indexing; however, it will not be THE year for it. It is a trend that will require time to catch up. Although many SEO experts are taking this up as a personal challenge, we think you should wait a little bit before dedicating effort, time and money towards this cause.
How intelligent is Artificial intelligence?
We have been hearing a lot on machines learning how to speak “search”. Search wizard Rand Fishkin had quite a lot to say about SEO and machine learning as well. Most of his blogs highlighted how we have entered a two-algorithm world that is challenging the shape of SEO, as we knew it.
When spoke to many experts; learnt that 2018 is going to be a year of transition for most websites that were catering to just the desktop users.Earlier, website content was just for human users. Then came a time of keyword stuffing when it because just for crawlers. Right now, website owners have to satisfy the needs of both bots and humans at the same time. However, when it comes to machine learning, even most of the eminent marketing teams are helpless.
There is no proven theory, which states the perfect way to design a website that can satisfy both humans and machines as of now. Therefore, you need to research and test quite a bit before you can make the jump.
Cross-channel optimization is not dead yet –
You may have a faint idea about cross-channel marketing and multi-channel marketing. But, do you know what they actually entail? Very simplistically speaking, you are using multiple channels at the same time to market your products and services. That does not sound very new! Does it?
However, with a drastic increase in mobile browsing and native applications, you must know how to direct your users from a Google SRL to your website and ultimately to your app. Many international ecommerce sites, like Amazon and eBay are already doing it! According to our survey last year, almost 73% of all participants noted a drastic rise in conversion rates and dwell time the moment they perfected their cross-channel marketing strategy.
The biggest challenge of this strategy might include:
1. Knowing the right message for users who will come through different channels
2. Optimizing the correct channel
3. Finding the correct time to market your products
There are quite a few tools to help you out; however, none of them can make the decisions for you. You need an experienced team of marketers who have years’ worth of knowledge about marketing to help you optimize your website for mobile channels. We also predict that cross-channel marketing will be en vogue throughout the rest of 2018.
Local SEO optimization and Google Geolocationcan give you business –
Research shows that users who use Google to search for a store visit it within 24 hours. Currently, over 72% of your customers are looking for you online. Almost 93% of the internet users only visit stores that have a positive review online.
If you do not have a Google Business Account, you are losing out thousands of bucks each day!Every company has to start with their mobile-first policy right away. And a huge part of the same policy is local search optimization. Google Maps Geolocation API has been steadily helping local businesses attract more customers steadily based on location.
Getting your local SEO on fleek might not be rocket science; however, it takes quite a bit of knowledge about the Google Maps Geolocation API and about on-site optimization to get the desired results. We recommend the help of time-tested SEOs for this task.
Concerns about cost is real even in 2018–
Building quality takes a lot of effort and money. Most of the times, money becomes the deciding factor rather than effort and time. It can be especially challenging if you are new to the process and if you are alone. You will end up toiling from tool to tool and spending after the wrong boosts to get your website up in the first page of Google SERP.
One of the most suggested ways to perfecting your optimization game is to take time and practice. But, we understand how time can be a major constraint too. If you want the true value for your money, you must check out the most trustworthy local SEO companies that your contemporaries trust. There is no better security than reviews and recommendations when it comes to SEO services Baltimore. Full-time partners and advisors will cost you a bit more than remote consulting services, but you will always have your team at your disposal. Cost is sometimes the signifier of quality and the best services do not come for cheap!
SEO is not a matter of whimsy. It takes dedication, foresight and experimentation to get a marketing campaign ready and right.
