Trends And Developments In SEO in 2018

There have been more than a few critical SEO developments and trends so far in 2018, and as we are just over halfway through the year, it seemed like a good idea to take a look at these. One trend in 2017 was the way that quality replaced content, as Google made numerous updates to their algorithm, and that trend of cracking down on spam and low-quality content has continued during this year.

The constantly changing digital landscape means that SEO becomes more critical every month, almost every day you might say. It’s a certainty that there are considerable benefits to be enjoyed for any company that takes the time and trouble to improve their website and provides a better customer experience.

Matching the search terms used by those searching, to the information on a website is the primary aim of Google. One of the main focuses is coming up with quality content to match the user’s search, and Rankbrain, cornerstone and LSI content are all helping to make that happen. However, there are other techniques and innovations pending that are set to change the world of SEO even more.

Voice Search

The growth of voice search and virtual assistants seems to be assured, following on the success of some names that most of us are already familiar with, including Cortana, Siri, Alexa and Google Assistant. Using a voice-activated speaker as part of everyday life is essential to just over 70 percent of those who own one, according to Google.

Quality website content is more important than ever when potential customers are using voice search, as the technology typically searches for the closest match to the question when hearing a sentence. Also, voice search has the drawback of not being able to search using one or two keyword terms.

Video and Animation

As searches become ever more sophisticated, Google has the capability of distinguishing between good and harmful content. Video attracts most viewers, and its significant advantage is that it can increase audience interest and engagement, meaning that video is at the forefront of all of these SEO changes.

Google is then more inclined to believe that your website has quality content and can be trusted when users spend more time on the site. And of course, it increases your chances of a higher ranking for your site if Google has more trust in you. YouTube and other sites can also be optimized for SEO, allowing them to appear in those all-important search results.

Reviews

About 90 percent of customers will look at other user reviews before visiting the website for a specific business, making user reviews and comments extremely important. In fact, winning the sale or losing the customer can all depend on whether the customer was able to find positive and favorable reviews, indicating just how important these can be for any company.

Reviews by customers often contain your keywords too, and they can also be regarded as the primary source of user-generated content relating to your business. And because there is more trust in the brand or product, a site that is highly rated will enjoy a higher Google ranking. Trustpilot and similar sites optimize SEO by integrating their trust boxes.

Our in-house SEO experts make a point of keeping up with the ever-changing landscape of SEO, and any new trends that can potentially affect you. If your goal is to be on the first page of the search results, it’s a must to use SEO effectively and embrace any changes or new ideas. The rest is all about having accurate and complete information on your site. If you would like to find out how we can help with your search engine optimization talk to the experts at our SEO Vancouver agency and see how we’ve helped others obtain more leads and business with SEO.