Within the search engine optimization industry, one can find quite a few SEO trends that appeared this year and they continue to become more prominent with time. This article is going to examine the most important SEO trends, which are worth following for this year.
1. Voice Control and Virtual Assistance
The voice search technology can revolutionize the way users exchange information and process data. Growing popularity of digital assistance is changing the way users perform a search. As Google statistics reports, currently, 1 out of 5 search queries is performed by voice.
These processes are transforming the search market, and we expect that in 2018, there will be even greater shift towards vocal search. As for SEO strategy, this trend requires focusing on long-tail queries and the use of natural language, as communication with voice assistants is interactive.
As accuracy of voice recognition improves, more users will use the technology on their mobile devices to get quick and relevant search results.
A voice use expansion will also benefit through integration of this functionality in devices that are designed for smart homes. Being able to perform a search via devices other than smartphones will bring new opportunities for search engine optimization and digital marketing in general, as it will enable us to interact with others in a seamless fashion.
2. Link building
Building of links is not going to become outdated in the digital marketing world any time soon. Experts believe that getting reciprocal links of high quality is going to become vital. However, one should avoid acquiring links, which are of no value to your website, and as such do not increase its authority within the target niche.
Fortunately, you do need to get links from some highly popular websites. However, you need to double-check that you acquire links from websites that are similar to yours. For example, if you have a site about essay writing services, having an anchor link like buy custom essays here now from another similar service will be highly beneficial for you.
A successful SEO strategy in 2018 will require focusing on building relationships, developing useful contacts and obtaining links that are beneficial in the long term.
Regarding guest blogging, you should use it quite cautiously, as this spring, Google notified webmasters about in increase of spam links in such blog posts.
Given the abovementioned, SEO experts in 2018 ought to come up with a diversified link building strategy, which will involve creating a complex link profile. Acquiring reciprocal links hoping to get higher positions in SERP will not work.
3. User Experience
User experience will become even more important in 2018. Google made it clear that it will focus on the user.
A good UX increases the likelihood of users engaging with the pages they visit. Involvement indicators, in turn, help Google understand which pages are more useful to users.
To improve the usability of a site, you must, first of all, evaluate the site download speed, readability, and navigation structure. The study of patterns of user behavior can also become a source of useful information. For example, if after a transition from SERP, visitors spent on a site as little as 30 seconds, this may mean that the content or UX is to blame.
As more and more people consume content via mobile devices, it becomes increasingly important to provide a good user experience across all platforms.
4. Expanded and quick answers
The expansion of quick answers strengthened the competition between companies for more efficient positioning in SERP.
Based on the Stone Temple Consulting article, for 30% of search queries, Google sends back finalized responses. Meaning, SEO specialists need to come up with a strategy that would aim at optimizing website content to get a place in this niche.
The most common types of extended answers include various graphs, table, and lists. It may also be a good idea to produce Q/A content – this will make a job easier for Google to extract the content it needs and then display it when a user performs a search.
Furthermore, content optimization for ready-made answers in voice search is becoming increasingly popular. By combining the 2 growing trends in your SEO strategy can increase your company’s odds of reaching the SERP top.
5. Artificial intelligence and machine learning
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are already changing the way results are ranked. Machine learning also helps users find results that match the context of the request. This provides a more personalized experience with search interaction.
An expansion of voice control and virtual assistant technology may become the reason for the enhancement and popularization of artificial intelligence and the usage of bleeding-edge SEO strategies.
It is also worth noting that Rank Brain will continue to be an important aspect, which is going to be quite impactful as regards to Google. There are some contentious arguments regarding the need to optimize websites for artificial intelligence. As of today, however, there is no evidence that this matter ought to be looked into.
Next year, SEO industry is expected to have even more changes related to artificial intelligence and machine learning.
About the Author
Emily Watts is beginner freelance writer. She is a contributor for Write My Research Paper. She creates content on various topics, but mostly she likes to write about digital marketing and learn something new in this field. When she’s not doing that, she’s reading science fiction or looks for something new in Google.