A new year means new content for your small business! But with so much ground to cover, where do you start? Our Santa Rosa SEO specialists and web designers at K2 start with the SEO strategy. It’s important to update your SEO strategy at least once a year to keep up with the always-changing algorithms Google uses to keep us on our toes.
As you prepare your digital marketing and content strategies for the new year, use the latest SEO trends to grow your business through digital marketing.
1.Page Speed - Google’s number one priority is to deliver the most relevant, user-friendly content as quickly as possible. While desktop page speed has been an important SEO trend for a while, mobile device page speed has quickly become equally important. Google has introduced a new speed metric, so it is to your benefit to optimize your website (improve your optimization score) to improve your page speed.
2.GDPR - The General Data Protection Regulation passed in the European Union is a relatively new rule that blew up your inbox earlier this year. The GDPR regulates who owns the data you provide online. Because of GDPR, users now own their data and can always ask corporations to see what data they have of them. While this is particularly important for businesses in the EU or do business in the EU, Google has adjusted its analytics with respect to GDPR. User’s data is now deleted after 26 days, and businesses can delete an individual’s personal data upon request. The little pop up that appears on websites asking you to accept cookies (data collection) is now a mark of credibility.
3.Hyperlocal Search - Most people search for locations through their mobile devices now. As a small business, attracting local customers is a top priority for you. Hyperlocal search marketing allows you to be more precise with your targeting and rank higher for “near me” searches. Proximity is a big factor for consumers when choosing brands. For local companies it could even mean losing prospective customers to a corporation simply because they are closer and have better SEO.
4.Mobile-First Indexing - Google now uses your mobile version of your page for indexing and ranking. Back in March, Google started migrating sites to this mobile-first index. This basically means Google will be prioritizing mobile when ranking websites.
5.Voice Search and Home Assistants - Half of global searches will be conducted through voice and home devices by 2020. That means your SEO keywords need to be compatible with this technology. Aim to use keywords that are between 7 and 9 words and include language that people use in regular conversation.
6.Use Your Brand as a Ranking Signal - Google now uses online brand mentions as a ranking signal. Google crawls for unlinked brand mentions to determine whether your brand is an entity. Then, it looks at the context of the brand mentions to see the quality of the mentions and to determine your brand’s value.
7.Amazon Search - Now more than ever, people head straight to Amazon to search for products. While Amazon is not a full search engine, it has quickly become the Google of e-commerce. In fact, according to a study, 56% of people defer to Amazon if they are considering shopping. As a retailer, it will be important to be selling on Amazon in 2019.
Need Help With Your SEO?
Optimize your website and see major growth in 2019 with help from K2 Santa Rosa SEO specialists. Our team can work with you to design, strategize and execute a better digital web presence so you can grow your business online.
