SEO Trends for 2018

SEO Trends in 2018

>With 2018 right in front of us, we turn our attention to the top search engine optimization trends. Like every facet of digital marketing, SEO is constantly changing. What worked this year may not work or be relevant next year. Here is our list of trends we see changing SEO in the coming year.

Link Building Once a key factor in search engine optimization, link building is not as influential as it once was. Google has always checked link quality to other sites. A site with many affiliate links will rank lower than a site with non-affiliate links. If you use a backlink building software, your links arrive all at once. Google sees these links as spam and will penalize your site’s search ranking. In 2018, this trend will continue as Google will inspect links carefully.

Mobile-first Index Appealing more to mobile is not a new topic. This year, it could have far greater implications for SEO. Traditional web design considered desktop first and mobile second. Mobile-first web design began taking hold a few years ago. There is speculation that Google could add a “mobile-first index” to its ranking procedures. Then, many companies must overhaul or replace their old websites for mobile-first sites to keep ranking on Google.

Relevant Content Everyone thinks they have great content on their site, but does Google think you have great content? As Google compares billions of pages and terms through its searches, Google learns which phrases relate to each other. In 2016, Google revealed its machine learning artificial intelligence tool called Rank Brain which helps Google index its search results. Rank Brain compares your content to the best-performing pages from Google’s user satisfaction metrics. Only winning content will get the best points with Google next year.

Artificial Intelligence We’ve touched on how artificial intelligence affects Google web page ranks, but that is only the beginning. In a Forbes article from last year, an SEO expert named AJ Agrawal once thought it silly that AI could create human-quality content. Now, AI is coming close to creating human-quality social media and blog posts. Chatbots are close to speaking on the human level. There is also speculation the Associated Press is using algorithms to create 3,000 articles every quarter. Businesses could produce content much faster than humans can. The argument is that AI will streamline search phrases and make keywords more accurate.

Voice Search According to some experts more than half the total searches are now voice searches. Voice searches are usually in the form of a question. Part of your content should answer the most likely questions asked for your topic. Voice searches are also longer than typed searches. Website owners must use long-tail keyword phrases to rank higher in voice search.

Business owners must make search engine optimization a priority for their sites or pay the price in lost search traffic.

Confused about what direction to go in next with your search engine optimization strategy? Get in touch with the experts at 445 Media to show you the way and help with your search results.


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