We are already halfway through 2018, and it is the time to look on the prediction made at the end of 2017 to find out what really works for search engine optimization in 2018.
There are many changes that can be made to the website to improve SEO like encouraging backlinks, keeping heading and subheading relevant, including hashtag, mobile optimization, etc,. There are so many changes that need to take into consideration. If you are a beginner and do not know much about the above terminologies used by me, I would recommend you click here to learn from the experts.
Here, we will discuss some of the less common factors to take into consideration when working on search engine optimization in 2018 and beyond.
Mobile-First Indexing
As we all know by now that Google is changing to make themselves more mobile friendly. This is due to an increase in the smartphone users and user using a mobile phone for searching. Google isn’t excluding desktop-only websites and will continue to rank these in the result page, but this means pages will be more mobile-friendly interface result in higher ranking even if the other person using a desktop for searching.
These changes are slowing rolling out to websites that Google believes are ready for the change. This, no doubt will continue to roll out over most websites as time goes on.
Voice Search
With the technology advancement and rise of personal digital assistants, voice search is becoming an important factor to take into consideration when dealing with SEO.
According to Location World, 40% of adults used voice search on a daily basis. Nowadays even old age people use voice search, it is more convenient than typing on the keypad. When asked a search request, digital assistants will take the answer from position zero, also known as a featured snippet. A featured snippet is a short answer to a searcher’s question. During the second half of 2017 and now the first half of 2018, optimizing for featured snippets has increased and over the past year articles explaining how to optimize for featured snippets has increased by 178%
RankBrain
In 2016, RankBrain is considered the third most important ranking signal as per Google.
RankBrain is the AL algorithm that Google uses to sort the search result. RankBrain can make changes to the algorithm without any human interaction. If the bounce rate of a search page is high, it will then be pushed down the rankings and a new algorithm tried, if this has better user satisfaction it will remain that way.
It is not a technical factor that you can optimize by following the certain practice, but it is something that should be kept in mind when working on your SEO strategy and trying to get that top placement.
Comment on Blog Post
User-generated content on Google can be very effective and can do a long way when it comes to ranking. Having an active community on your webpage build your credibility. Useful, responsive comments show Google that you are doing something right and making your users happy and engaged. Which means it will then want to show your content more often, for the same response.
Searcher’s Intent
Searcher’s intent is something that a person search on Google.
In order to reach to your audience, you have to understand what the user means by their search. There are basically three types of queries: navigational, informational and transactional.
- Navigational search refers to a search when someone looking for a specific page.
- Informational searches are the ones that cover a wide range of topics, including ‘How To’ posts.
- Transactional search is when a user is searching for something with an intention to buy it.
Make sure you have a blog on all this or on content your audience could search for.
Optimizing your pages based on searcher’s intent can be a great way to improve user experience and reduce your bounce rate; something that RankBrain is watching for.
Do you have other tactics to boost your SEO? Share your tips in the comment, we will be glad to hear from you.
