4 SEO TRICKS YOU MUST TRY IN 2017

TOP SEO TRICKS IN 2017:

Every second, Google handles more than 63,000 searches, which, according to Search Engine Land, accounts for over 2 trillion searches per year.  Seeing how so many people across the globe use the search engine, it’s no wonder why SEO is more important than ever.

However, the world of SEO is ever-changing. Search engine algorithms are continually being worked on and enhanced, in order to deliver superior search results. Consequently, techniques to get your site ranking high in search results also have to continually evolve.

To cut a long story short, you should never stop adjusting your SEO techniques to exploit the latest trends.

TOP SEO TRICKS IN 2017:

• PAY ATTENTION TO PERSONALIZED SEARCHES

Keywords are the foundation of SEO. However, with new technological developments, their use continues to develop and evolve. And in the next 12 months, you have to pay close attention to personalized searches. Because search results on Google now change based on your history location and even the device you use.

For instance, if you research a certain keyword on a desktop PC, you’ll likely see different results than someone who is looking up the same keyword on a mobile device. This might be good news for your average user, but it also makes tracking keyword rankings more difficult than ever.  

In order to accurately track the impact of your campaigns, you need to use the incognito mode on your browser and “de-personalize” the results, search for same KWs both on mobile and desktop and check geo-specific search results. All of this might sound overwhelming, but tools such as Rank Tracker can help you automate this process, and keep track of everything.

• FOCUS ON RANKBRAIN

If you don’t know what RankBrain is, here is quick explanation – basically, it’s a learning Artificial Intelligence system, incorporated in Google’s algorithm. And last March it’s been officially named Google’s 3rd most important ranking factor.

Simply put, this system helps Google evaluate the context for a given query and its main function is to go through relevant results when a user types in an uncommon or a never-before-researched phrase. And because of its self-adjusting nature, the system is far more difficult to exploit than other ranking factors.

Luckily, most of the content strategies from the last couple of years still seem to apply. And that means that you have to create content that focuses on authority, user-friendliness and authenticity, because RankBrain becomes better at recognizing low-quality content every day.

• EXPLORE SEO BEYOND GOOGLE

While Google still is the most popular search engine on the planet, you have to keep in mind that Bing accounts for one-third of all search traffic. What’s more, as Search Engine Journal reports, Bing’s search market share is growing faster than Google’s.  

Luckily, Bing’s optimization is quite similar to what you’ve used with Google. As a matter of fact, it’s even more straightforward. But there are some differences – for example, inbound anchor text, KW density and KW in domains are far more important. And while Google still shuns social impact, social shares are really important to Bing’s algorithm.

If you don’t have that much experience with social media campaigns, don’t worry, because, the Internet is luckily full of resources. So you could easily look up something like the Shopify guide for Facebook advertising, and learn the basics in a matter of minutes.

• OPTIMIZE FOR VOICE SEARCHES

The main cause behind Bing’s recent popularity is its status as the definitive search engine for some of the most widely-used personal assistants such as Cortana and Siri. In fact, according to Media Post, around 25% of Bing’s traffic is driven by voice searches.

In the last five years, the use of voice search has increased dramatically, mostly because voice-recognition technology has become more accurate than ever. Four years ago, Google had a 23% error rate, and last year, the rate decreased to mere 8%. And if the technology continues to improve, more people will definitely start using it to search the Internet.

Even though voice search optimization is still being explored, there are some techniques that can help you get started. You should use schema to provide context for your content, do some research on conversational queries and prioritize long-tail KWs.

FINAL THOUGHTS

When it’s all said and done, SEO in 2017 will surely be as just as surprising and as exciting as it was in the last few years. Both small and large businesses alike have to use their time now to start strengthening their sites and blogs for the trends of the future.