Five SEO Strategy Trends to Adapt in 2018

We know you've heard it before - 'new SEO trends to follow for the New Year!' - what you should keep in mind is that search improvement is the top priority for search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. Keeping up with updates and regulations should always be a big part in refining your overall SEO strategy. But playing catch-up can be frustrating; we suggest you discern SEO predictions that align with genuine improvement and avoid unprincipled tactics and hype to continually improve your company's maximum growth potential locally and online.

From the maturity of keywords to long-tailed keywords to the crackdown of fake news; the direction of search engine optimization follows a clear path to provide the user with the best possible search results. This simple truth is there is no magical formula, instead SMBs should focus on providing content with your industry-specific authority and insight to work hand-in-hand with search engines to give the user results they are looking for, whether that is your business or not.

Here is our list of five SEO strategy trends to adapt in 2018:

Search Intent

Once upon a time, not that long ago, keywords dropped here and there on site pages, in blog content and added to alt tags pleased the search bots. Today, keywords need to grow-up into a more mature long-tailed keyword to provide more specific, ideal search results. In fact, it may be a better fit to now call long-tailed keywords Search Intent to more accurately describe their SEO function.

Location Attributes

There is more to the value of your businesses' Google listing than you think. Location attributes like calendar events, bios, coupons or discounts and business hours, etc. are indeed rich snippets of information. These valuable little bits of detail allow Google to give the user exactly what they're looking for in local search results. For example, a local search for an events venue called The Depot located in Salt Lake City, Utah pulls upcoming calendar events directly into search results:

Intent and Context for Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Voice search on devices like Amazon's Echo and Alexa, Google Voice, and mobile apps like Siri and Cortana are continually improving by returning informational results from location attributes found in local listings and authoritative results all while polishing-up their conversational search abilities and so much more. Although we may see some less predictable search tactics, what we definitely know is that AI's intent includes deep learning to mimic the way the human brain works to be able to give the user the most accurate results to their inquiry. By providing content steeped with your wisdom and mighty authority in your field, you are giving AI the context it will be searching for.

Promote Multi-Media Content

Understanding the interests, needs and behavior of your potential customers will help you know what type of content will improve their experience with your business and your brand, thereby, increasing their desire to convert. Multi-media will provide your business with an advantageous cornerstone of consumer engagement with far-reaching results. Continuous development of visual search elements will gain the attention of your target audience and cement your online presence. Including quality, topic specific multi-media content in your SEO strategy is widely recognized by Google and other search engines as valuable search content, consider one or more of the following options:

• Social Media Pictures
• Helpful Infographics
• Instructional Videos on YouTube or Vimeo
• Informational White Paper or E-Book Publishing
• Expert or Advice Podcast Series

Never Publish Non-Authoritative Information, Ever!

Over the past year and a half Google and Facebook have each been embroiled in a very serious search quality crisis. The publication and promotion of fake news is currently being rooted out and dealt with accordingly. You have probably started to notice the addition of fact check tags in search results or heard about the banning the publishers promoting fake news ads. Users will also see new ways to report autocomplete suggestions that may be offensive and an adjusted algorithm to devalue information that is non-authoritative, thereby keeping fake news from gaining recognition online.

The online marketing and SEO industry is in a constant state of augmentation to provide clients with search supremacy. A comprehensive goal-focused campaign for local and online retailers and service providers must be detailed with your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and must also have the flexibility to adjust for both predictable and 'surprise updates'. Utah SEO Pros provides powerful methods to optimize your site with the solid attributes to keep your business relevant and amend our practices, as necessary, to make sure you have the advantage over your competition.  Experience the power of search engine optimization for yourself, contact Utah SEO Pros, a top ranked SEO agency in Utah, for a free website analysis today, or give us a call at (801) 413-7734.

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