Where to Aim Your SEO Strategy in 2019?

Spending time on SEO and not gaining any ground? Maybe your SEO strategy needs to be realigned in order to trigger those ranking signals in a positive way.

More and more businesses are flocking to the booming online frontier. They are going to great lengths to ensure users and search engines can find them. In this day and age, it’s a matter of survival.

Of course, getting noticed in an ocean of websites isn’t easy. It’s certainly impossible without SEO as a digital marketing mainstay. The main problem here is there are more than 200 ranking signals in existence.

Every year brings forth new ranking variables where Google decides to give more or less weight to certain factors. It’s quite hard to keep track of all the changes and fine-tune your SEO strategy accordingly.

But, you needn’t worry because we got you covered. Some things never fall out of style and they pave the way to online prominence.

Here is your up-to-date SEO strategy roadmap for success in 2019.

1. User Experience (UX)

Google rewards sites that provide the best and most relevant experience.

Indeed, UX is the focal point of any winsome SEO strategy. It enhances visitor journey and leads to a desired outcome (such as a purchase). The issue is that this component has many moving parts.

For instance, you need an attractive layout and attention-arresting visual elements. Navigation has to be smooth and site architecture organized usability in mind. There should be a limited number of options given to users and internal site search functioning like a charm.

How do you know you are on right tracks?

Well, high dwell time is one of the main indicators of great UX. Make sure to monitor it.

2. High-quality content

Panda and Fred algorithm updates affirmed the importance of quality SEO content.

We are referring to content that is well-written, optimized for keywords, and of interest to users. It contains valuable information (matches the intent behind query) and is properly formatted for readability. This kind of content drives traffic to your website, help reduce bounce rates and improves customer satisfaction.

To make it happen though, you have to do your homework.

Conduct competitor, keyword, and market research. Come up with compelling topics and solve problems for your audience. Feature posts that have both depth and breadth. They are the long-term asset you absolutely have to leverage to maximum potential.

3. Technical Optimization

Technical SEO encompasses various “behind the scenes” factors.

Most of the list is populated by on-page staples such as title tags, alt tags, and meta descriptions. Rewriting them could give you a powerful boost in SERP.

Furthermore, schema markup is a crucial hidden element that aids your efforts. It allows search engines to better understand what your pages are all about. What is more, markup tends to significantly increase clicks and engagement.

It goes without saying this kind of on-page optimization has to be ongoing in order to yield results. In other words, regularly inspect for errors and glitches. Fix them promptly and you will gain SEO points that stick.

4. Link Building

Link building remains one of the most reliable SEO tactics of today.

In fact, some experts claim links top the list of the most important signals. This assessment rings true, but not for just any kind of link. Quality is paramount. Spammy and shady links harm your strategy while backlinks from authority sources to the opposite.

So, don’t try to cut corners. Great content is a surefire way to earn good links organically. You can produce case studies, expert roundups, infographics, and industry surveys. They will act as true backlink magnets. The same is true for effective outreach and influencer marketing.

And regardless of your specific approach, you need to track and evaluate how backlinks affect your ranking over time. The good news is there’s no shortage of excellent tools to carry out accurate measurements.

5. Mobile-Friendliness

Usage of mobile devices has surpassed long-reigning desktop computers.

Google has taken notice and ushered in the era of mobile-first indexing. In it, mobile-friendly websites are all the rage. They facilitate crawling and indexing and enable content to display properly on small screen sizes.

Opting for a responsive design is a safe bet here. It’s a recommended, easy-to-view format of mobile optimization, which automatically adjusts your content on the fly.

Alternatives would be dynamic websites or separate URLs. They have their pros and cons you would be wise to weigh. And one thing you cannot afford is having only a desktop version of a website. Your ranking would sink in no time.

6. Page Speed

Page speed is an official ranking factor and a key one at that.

If you are slower than the industry average, you are likely losing a lot of traffic and revenue. Even a fraction of a second makes a big difference. So, test your site’s average speed using one of many free tools.

Once that is sorted out, make an effort to speed things up. For example, trim file size and minimize HTML, CSS, and JavaScript baggage.

While at it, note that Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) plunged mobile page speed into the mainstream. You need to eliminate design elements that make your mobile site bloated and slow. Fostering a smooth experience for users is associated with massive ranking gains.

At the same time, you have a chance to bolster your conversion rates. It’s a win-win if we ever saw one.

7. Voice Search

If you have been sleeping on voice search, it’s high time to awake.

By next year, it’s estimated half of all searches will be voice-activated. Google is already laying the groundwork for this trend to take off. Your task is to understand how voice searchers’ habits and needs differ from conventional users.

That is to say that you should make adjustments to account for the way they use language in queries. Most importantly, write content around longer phrases and terms. Optimize it to reflect the question-based nature of voice searches. Employ structured data to claim coveted featured snippet boxes.

Do this and virtual assistants will read your information out loud to eager customers. The future is now: you are better off taking action sooner rather than later.

8. Ahead of the Game

If you really mean business, embrace a strategic approach to SEO.

Get familiar with major signals that profoundly impact your visibility and position in SERP. Make them integral to your online endeavour.

Yes, trends come and go fast, but you can rest assured ranking signals are only going to become more user-centric. So, make amazing UX your utmost priority. Focus on playing the long-term game instead of chasing immediate gains.

Make informed decisions and smartly allocate your time and money. Stick to white-hat tactics— black hat does more harm than good more often than not.

Conclusion:

Finally, remember SEO is not the set-it-and-then-forget-about-it type of strategy. You need to constantly evolve and keep up the pace with trends. Stay ever vigilant and drive a steady stream of organic traffic your way.