Is your digital marketing ready for 2019? Search engine optimisation (SEO) never sleeps, and if your small business’ marketing strategy isn’t on top of the latest SEO trends, you could get left behind. Luckily, the Redline team have gazed into our crystal ball to find out what the rest of the year might hold. Check out five of 2019’s biggest SEO trends and get ready to bump your small business to the head of the pack.
1. The rise of voice search
In 2019, people are getting over those HAL 9000 vibes and embracing voice search en masse. More and more users are talking to their phones rather than through them, and voice-enabled devices like Alexa, Homepod, and Google Home are pouring off the shelves. Experts estimate that by 2020, half of all web searches will be spoken, as opposed to typed.
Spoken questions tend to be longer and more precise, and are giving algorithms better understanding of user’s intentions. On the other hand, search results tend to be brief – so remember keep your information concise and able to capture people searching using either method.
You can prepare for this paradigm shift by thinking about the kind of questions your audience will ask: general ‘what’ questions, instructional ‘how’ questions, decision-closing ‘when’ and ‘where’ questions and probing ‘why’ questions. It’s also important to make your copy conversational.
2. Mobile-first indexing
The proportion of web browsing done on mobile devices swells each year, and 2019 will be no exception. The tap of touch screens is replacing the clack of keyboards, so it’s no wonder Google is prioritising the versions of sites people use most.
Enter mobile-first indexing. Well, this shift is currently in its early stages, but the general gist is quite simple: When Google’s spiders crawl the web, they’ll now crawl a website’s mobile version first, then its desktop equivalent. So if your website isn’t optimised for mobile, you may be marked down in the all-seeing eyes of Google. Make sure your business’ website has a mobile user experience in mind, because it’s now more important than ever before.
3. The need for page speed
Speed is the essence of SEO. The growth of on-the-go browsing means that more of your users won’t have at-home or in-office broadband on tap. Google has adjusted for this by making mobile page speed a major ranking factor.
You can adjust to this change by analysing the loading time of every page of your business’ website. Then fix or ditch any component that’s making things lag. You might be surprised at how quickly you shoot up in the ranks.
4. Quality content reigns supreme
There’s no substitute for quality. As algorithms and users become less tolerant of dodgy SEO shortcuts, content’s crown is getting shinier by the day. Google has three main criteria to assess content quality: expertise, authority and trustworthiness. You need to focus on all of them if you want your digital marketing to perform.
At the end of the day, customers always reward companies that provide the richest user experience. Content is at the heart of effective SEO strategies.
5. Steep competition
SEO is more competitive than ever, and solutions are getting more and more creative. The best way to stay ahead of the curve is to work with a trusted digital marketing agency.
Redline Digital offers a great range of cutting-edge creative services for small, medium and large businesses. Get in touch with us today to find out more.