If you ask two SEO experts which SEO strategy will work for your business, you’re likely to get two different answers. The thing is, there is no permanent solution for all your SEO needs. This is because SEO is an evolving science and art. What worked 10 years ago, won’t give you very high page rankings in 2018.
It helps to know what the latest SEO trends are because the way Google ranks content has changed significantly over the past decade. The infographic below created by SEO Tribunal will guide you through these trends.
Let’s take a closer look at where SEO is heading in 2018 and beyond.
Not Just Google
There is no doubt about it – Google is the search king, accounting for about 93% of worldwide mobile searches and 73% of all desktop searches. Naturally then, Google search will form the core of your SEO strategy.
However, you don’t want to ignore other important search engines such as Baidu and Yahoo. In the US, for instance, Bing and Yahoo (which is powered by Bing) account for over 21% of the market share.
Organic Or Paid Search?
Most people are biased towards organic search results, but the paid search has its advantages. For one, it draws new customers quickly. That’s why in 2018 it makes sense to talk about organic and paid instead of organic vs. paid search.
In other words, a smart SEO strategy should also have a budget for paid search.
Content Is The Key
Both users and Google’s latest algorithms appreciate good content. In its earlier avatars, SEO search was heavily dependent on keywords, and the Google ‘spider’ scanned the title tag, URL, description tags, H1 tag, and image ALT text for keywords.
The algorithms are a lot smarter now, and simply adding a lot of keywords to your content won’t work. The content has to be informative, relevant, well-written, and in-depth. It should also have a pleasing structure and include images, pictures, and graphics that have a wow factor.
Mobile Powers Ahead
Let’s hear it from Google: ‘Get your website mobile-friendly or get out of search.’ The trend is unmistakable. Mobile went ahead of desktop searches in 2016. Today, 58% of all searches globally are on mobile devices. If users find it inconvenient or difficult to access your website’s content on their mobiles, your business will suffer.
Why RankBrain Matters
Google’s latest machine learning system called RankBrain helps in sorting out search results. RankBrain does this ‘smartly’ by measuring how billions of users interact with search results on Google. This information is then used by RankBrain to rank the search results.
For example, if it notices that thousands of users are spending more time on a particular search result (because the page has better content), it may rank this result higher in future searches.
If you are curious to see other fascinating SEO trends in 2018 and beyond, check out the infographic below.
Infographic URL: https://seotribunal.com/blog/stats-to-understand-seo/