Search engines are becoming much smarter as days go by. Earlier this year, Google has rattled the SEO world with their rebranded products and mobile-related updates. With the constant algorithm changes, marketers have to look for fresh ways to keep their business in front of the right people and maintain their rankings.
With 2018 wrapping up, it’s time to review your digital marketing strategies once again and plan for the new year. Face it with a bang by backing up your campaign with these top four SEO trends:
Page speed
Google is consistently pushing for faster and better user experience. Even though page speed has been a ranking factor for desktop pages since 2010, it was never a ranking factor for mobile versions despite the suspicions of SEO experts. It was only in July when Google made mobile page speed as an official ranking factor as they rolled out their Speed Update.
The Speed Update will only affect slow-loading pages and a small portion of queries. However, the intent of the search query remains a strong signal, which means that pages that deliver slow experiences may still secure the top spot if it has quality, relevant content.
Despite this, note that Google is still testing their new Speed metric. Sooner or later, the correlation between the page’s ranking and speed score might change. That said, it’s recommended to consider how your site’s performance influences user experience.
Brand mentions as ranking signal
Brand mention is one of the many digital marketing trends that will surely stay for good. The right online brand mentions can help your rankings skyrocket. This can be achieved in a lot of ways. An influencer might refer to your business in a blog post, for instance. Your customers can also talk about your brand through product reviews. In your case, you can mention your brand whenever you have the perfect opportunity, such as when you’re engaging with your customers.
Think of this as social proof. The more brand mentions you have, the more people will trust your business. And it’s a domino effect – they will spread the word about what you do.
Trust, reputation, and authority matters for Google and they use brand mentions to see if your site is satisfying these standards. Apart from linkless backlinks, you can analyse your competitors’ brand mentions to identify how they increase awareness.
Mobile-first indexing
There’s no doubt that mobile use has drastically increased over the years, and it will continue to soar high in the future. Because of this, it’s likely that most 2019 SEO trends will head in this direction. Google has already started using the mobile version of websites for indexing and ranking, and this significant change has been the talk of the SEO world this year. This is part of their efforts to reflect user behaviour trends.
Take note that mobile-first index doesn’t imply “mobile-only” since Google still has a single index for both mobile and desktop versions. Nevertheless, with the mobile version being considered as the main version of your site, it’s important to make your site responsive and mobile-friendly. We’ve compiled some handy tips to get you started.
Search intent
If you’re categorising your target audience based on demographics alone, then you’re missing a lot of opportunities. It’s time you forget about the linear marketing funnel and focus on user intent. It’s considered the present and future of digital marketing because it gives every customer a unique buying journey.
Each customer has their own needs, which is why it’s essential to meet them in “micro-moments”. This can be an I-want-know, I-want-to-go, or I-want-to-do moment. For example, if they are ready to buy something and need help with choosing, you can share blogs or videos discussing the benefits of your products. With this approach, there’s a high chance to convince them to convert. Always put buyer intent first when planning and executing your marketing strategies.
Bottom line
People are looking for solutions near them, and they want answers as fast as possible. They also specify what they are looking for in products and services. To get what they need, they quickly turn to their mobile devices.
This kind of consumer behaviour is why the trends mentioned above are likely to go big in 2019. Though these are still predictions, it’s best to fine-tune your online marketing strategies and tactics with these trends in mind to get ahead of the curve.
Make sure your business reigns supreme in the new year by partnering with DigitalMaas. Our online marketing platform comes with all the data and insights you need to future-proof your website. We also adapt to Google’s latest developments to keep your brand in the best position possible. We’ll work closely with you and keep you posted on the upcoming trends in digital marketing. Sign up today for your free site audit.
