What SEO Tactics Will Grow Your Business This Summer?
With the average startup SME potentially needing to spend up to 20% of their revenue on digital marketing every year, getting a strong ROI is a high-stakes game. The problem with spending money on digital marketing is that even experts don’t know the ins and outs of the best tactics. Knowing the best SEO tactics will lead you to improved Google rankings, a stronger sales quarter, and greater returns on your marketing efforts.
Search engines use a tool called a “web crawler” in order to search every single page of the Internet and rank it for how well it matches best Internet practices. They measure site speed, how organized pages are, and how well they use keywords. They even measure how often those pages are linked by other sites.
Search engine optimization changes as the internet grows and develops. These 10 SEO tactics will keep you ahead of competitors still using last year’s tactics!
1. Mobile Is Everything
With mobile usage solidly beyond desktop browsing, more people are accessing data via their smartphones and tablets than their computers. That means that every one of the SEO tactics you employ this year has to be optimized for mobile devices.
You’ll need to make sure your landing pages are responsive and that there are simple calls to action that are user-friendly. Mobile users like simpler and more intuitive interfaces.
If your site loads quickly with simple menus without the need for stretching the screen to read things, search engines will reward you with a higher ranking.
2. Great UX Matters
People need to have a comfortable experience online. Great user experience relies on being able to understand intuitively how a site works. The most important SEO tactics you can employ are ones that use current standards that improve how people are already using the Internet.
If users get frustrated or they can’t understand the workflow of your product, they’ll bounce off the page in seconds. Make sure you’ve created a series of user stories that have strong beginnings, middles, and ends. Cut out all the fat and ensure that every step smoothly and intuitively leads to the next.
Users who can’t understand how to navigate your site or your product will leave and probably never return. Whatever you spent on marketing to get them there in the first place will be flushed down the pipes.
3. Intention Matters
Because early search engines relied most heavily on keywords, the early results of searches were often spammy and irrelevant. As search algorithms have improved, understanding search intent has become crucial for modern SEO tactics, allowing algorithms to better align content with users’ motivations and expectations.
If you write a bunch of nonsensical sentences or duplicate information from somewhere else on the Internet, you’ll be penalised. While some developers try to take shortcuts with SEO tactics, algorithms will flag pages that look like spam.
When keywords are used with the obvious intention of buying, e-commerce sites will be prioritized. When the keyword seems more research heavy, journals and research sites will be put first.
4. Voice Search Is Big
In the last year, voice search accounted for nearly 20% of searches made by consumers. Whatever SEO tactics you implement this year need to take voice search into account.
With voice-activated speakers now available from every major retailer and tech company, marketers are finding ways to engage with these systems. Voice-activated hardware is now standard with every smartphone on the market.
Home speakers now allow consumers to play music, order takeaway, or look things up on Wikipedia without lifting a finger. This is a great tool for older people or people with disabilities. You can increase your accessibility while implementing great SEO tactics.
5. Featured Content
Most search engines now offer the opportunity to be included in top results by paying for a featured spot. They’re often the first listings that come up on search engine results pages and can even end up being promoted in potential customers’ inboxes.
Their click rates have grown 38% on search engines and come with the native advertising look of the search site your customers are using. Get that extra verification by paying for featured spots.
More clicks at that top result lead to an increased brand authority which ends up boosting your SEO profile. This is one of the SEO tactics that might cost you a little extra money but could be hugely rewarding in the long run, nonetheless.
6. Machine Learning
AI is set to become huge in the next few years. Machine learning can take into account what users like and search for in a more complicated way. Search results will become increasingly catered as search algorithms are updated in real time.
Rather than using a single algorithm to apply to every kind of search, algorithms will grow and change based on user information and engagement.
As far as SEO tactics go, this one’s a little more research-heavy (you can always find a specialist to help on sites like jooble). Watch what Alphabet does in the next few years for changes to the core algorithm they’re using. These iterative changes could end up saving you advertising dollars by allowing you a better level of microtargeting.
7. Beyond the Big Leagues
Search engine optimization is set to expand beyond Google search and other major search engines. While Google still remains the dominant search engine, Yelp, Amazon’s Echo, Apple’s Siri, and every other digital assistant is crowding their space.
Your SEO tactics need to consider the wide variety of ways people search for information and products. Consumers are searching for reviews of everything from lawyers, doctors, dog walkers, and delis on multiple search engines.
Nothing is permanent on the Internet, so don’t put all of your eggs into one Google-shaped basket. Make sure you’re optimized wherever your customers might be looking for you.
8. Local Is the Answer
Hyperlocal searches are going to become the wave of the future. AR and VR software will allow you to leave easter eggs or unlockable promotions for your customers depending on where they come across your products.
When you search for “Chinese takeaway”, you now get results that are catered to where you’re located. This will only get more detailed as search engines collect more targeted information about where your services are and where your customers are.
Local SEO strategies enhance visibility for specific search queries, especially those related to your neighbourhood or region. Add these terms to your keywords, metadata, and photo tags whenever possible. When people are searching for services like yours in your particular area, they’ll get your results first because of their proximity.
9. Better Image & Video Search
Did you know that search engines are now looking through video subtitles for content to match user searches? If you’re uploading videos, make sure you’ve uploaded subtitle files, as well. If you allow YouTube or Vimeo to generate subtitles for you, make sure your text isn’t garbled or misspelt so you don’t lose out on valuable SEO impact.
Image tags are also important. Make sure video and image files are named properly, as search engines will take into account filenames, image tags, and even content when returning results.
As search algorithms get more complex, they are able to even out search images themselves if they match other images in their database. Visual asset searches will get more sophisticated with time, so prepare by uploading quality images with solidly optimized data attached.
10. Blogging Is Big
If you haven’t started a blog related to your site, it’s time to set one up. Each blog post serves as an opportunity to create new web pages, rank for additional keywords, and engage users. Promotional content that offers real value and information to your users is starting to become accepted as a norm. If you have ways to inform your users about how they could be using your products and services in new or interesting ways, it’s time to share your information.
Video blogging is one of the best SEO tactics around. Even shooting videos with your phone or laptop will show your users that your company is run by real people with real concerns. Take a problem-solving approach to every video that you post and users will share and repost your content.
The more your content gets reposted on social media and across the web, the more you’ll build your profile online.
And don’t forget to have quality links. If you’ve got old blog posts, use a broken link checker tool to make sure all of your links still work. If you have the time, update your links to ensure that you’re connecting to the freshest and most relevant content.
SEO Tactics Make Money & Save Money
Smart SEO tactics are cheaper than many other SME digital marketing efforts. A well-implemented SEO strategy can be more cost-effective and, if you implement these strategies well, you’ll find that you can attract customers and close leads easier than most marketing strategies. Strong SEO will help your brand become a household name.
If you’re looking for more ways to improve your digital marketing approach, find out more about how our SEO strategies could help.