What’s New in SEO: 4 Search Engine Optimization Game-Changers

SEO is a fickle thing – now you know it, the next second you don’t. It’s all due to the ever-changing nature of this marketing practice, which exists both to serve and to challenge Google’s algorithms. SEO and Google shape each other with each new update; it’s up to us, marketers, to keep up the pace.

Most of the time, that’s not as easy as it sounds.

To help you stay in the loop with what’s currently going on at the Google-driven SEO front, we’ve created a rundown of adjustments already made and trends yet to come. As change seems to be the only reliable constant in this unreliably dynamic relationship, we’ve named them the game-changers.

The following 4 will reshape SEO all over again.

1. SERPs Are Becoming Less Organic and More Personalized

Not so long ago, Google SERPs were nothing but ten-item strings of blue links. Today, they are enriched with amazing features that help users get answers more quickly, but also equip businesses with new visibility tools. New SERPs are all about featured snippets, knowledge panels, and local packs.

At the same time, they are becoming increasingly personalized. If you are googling search engine optimization tips from Sidney, for example, you no longer have to type in SEO Australia. Since Google knows your location, interests, and search history, the SERPs you see are custom-tailored just for you.

• What Does This Mean for SEO?

Keep doing the thing you’ve been doing thus far since your goal is still to appear as close to the SERPs top as you can. Once someone clicks on your link, your website will keep returning to their SERPs as a preferred result for a given keyword. To see how you rank, use Rank Tracker or an Incognito mode.

1. Google’s Crawlers Are Today More Meticulous than Ever

This means two things – your website must be extra fast, and your content must be super relevant. Google’s mission is not so much to improve your searchability as it is to help its users find wanted results in the most convenient way, so it’s only natural that its crawlers will grow even more thorough.

• What Does This Mean for SEO?

In short, that SEO experts must become very careful with how they distribute keywords and use backlinks. Content creators, on the other side, must keep delivering 10x content in order to enable SEO to do its magic. Also, technical SEO must go an extra mile in improving both UX and website speed.

1. Both Google and Its Users Have Turned Mobile-Obsessed

Google has 2 billion users on Android alone. Mobile search is the new standard of the industry and implies both mobile-responsive Google SERPs and voice-activated search bots like Google Assistant. 55% of teens use voice search every day, and this number will certainly continue going up in the future.

• What Does This Mean for SEO?

This is another good reason to start using Rank Tracker. It can help you research keywords and questions that mobile and voice searchers are likely to ask. Furthermore, the popularity of mobile search means that you need to start working very hard on providing effortless and mobile-friendly UX.

1. SEO Experts Foretell a New Era of Fully Linkless Mentions

Even though backlinks are still the foundation of successful SEO campaigns, “linkless” mentions are becoming more and more influential every day. Google has recognized them as a signal for authority too and now treats them as a reliable tell-tale sign that the website in question is worth the spot in SERPs.

• What Does This Mean for SEO?

Engaging in social listening will allow you to track mentions of your brand across multiple channels. Find the best social monitoring tool and use CRM strategies to nurture your good name and alleviate bad reputation. This off-page approach to SEO might soon become just as important as link building.

 

Your SEO campaign might be running smoothly for now, but it may start running amok any day soon. Stay tuned to SEO-related news to prevent that, but also keep monitoring your performance on SERPs. Make every detail count, since it may be of crucial significance for your business success in the future.