SEO is arguably the most important element of your company’s digital marketing strategy — and yet, the field is constantly changing. Effective SEO strategies need to integrate concerns about user behavior, Google’s algorithm, brand marketing, website design and more, and all of these components are constantly shifting and evolving. While there is no single SEO strategy that will stand the test of time, there are a few practices that tend to be more reliable than others. Here are some of the most sable SEO strategies that your business can take advantage of today.
Emphasizing User Experience
Google builds its algorithm to serve its users, and its users benefit when the internet is chock-full of value. Thus, Google rewards websites that offer a high-quality user experience, and it penalizes websites that are barely putting in minimal effort to be usable in the 21st century. By focusing on user experience above any other goal, a website is likely to remain attractive to users, and therefore, Google is apt to continue rewarding pages on that site with high rankings within the search results.
There are various methods a website might employ to improve user experience. Functionality on mobile devices is one — though we will get into more depth on that issue later. Websites should put significant effort into improving their speeds, and any content on the site should be extremely relevant to users’ interests and needs. It may sound simple, but user experience is the essential ingredient to any and all SEO success.
Optimizing for Mobile Search
It was 2019 when mobile devices first surpassed traditional computers in generating web traffic — and that was many years ago. Now, mobile is by far the dominant method for accessing the web, which means that it is imperative for websites to be focused on SEO strategies that prioritize mobile browsing behaviors. For example, because mobile screens tend to be smaller, websites should seriously consider simplifying their layouts, which will make it easier for mobile users to navigate links, consume content and more. Because mobile users have much less patience, websites need to be as efficient at delivering value as possible. Mobile devices are not likely to go away in the near future; in fact, it is traditional computers that could be facing extinction, so pivoting SEO toward mobile is a winning strategy.
Working With Zero-click Searches
Zero-click searches are endlessly frustrating to SEO professionals and businesses alike. This type of search provides web users with information they seek directly on the search results page, which negates any need to navigate to a business’s website. For years, SEO strategies strove against zero-click results, trying to optimize for keywords less likely to create rich snippets. However, the rise of AI chatbots threatens clickable search results entirely, which means it is more important than ever that businesses learn how to work with zero-click search pages rather than against them.
The key to optimizing in a world of zero-click search is to generate high-quality, valuable content that is likely to be pulled for use in a rich snippet featured on the results page. Delivering this kind of content requires understanding web user interests and intents, which is perhaps best done with the help of an experienced Phoenix SEO agency.
Tracking Competitors’ SEO Strategy
A business doesn’t need the absolute best SEO strategy on the web; it only needs to outrank its direct competitors. To that end, a timeless SEO strategy requires paying close attention to the SEO techniques utilized by the competition and evolving a business’s own SEO practices to stay ahead. Finding a business’s competitors should not be difficult; research should expose the businesses vying for a similar market share, and relevant search queries can identify which organizations are having the greatest SEO success. Further aid from SEO professionals can help a business better understand competitors’ content and linking strategies while revealing weaknesses in a business’s own. Continuously comparison should keep SEO practices updated and keen.
Google releases updates to its algorithm every week, and sometimes multiple updates happen every day. By altering your SEO strategy to focus on the less changeable aspects of online behavior, you will see greater success into the future.
