Do you find it hard to keep up with the latest technological advancements? What about marketing and SEO trends?
It may feel like as soon as you learned one trend, it's over and something else has taken its place. Well, with the competitive world of online marketing today, it's more important than ever to stay on top of all the latest trends.
And we're here to help! If you want to get a head start on the competition, keep reading. We've outlined the top SEO trends predicted for 2019.
Mobile-First Indexing
Mobile-friendliness is nothing new. With smartphones integral to our lives, Google began rewarding those with mobile-friendly sites with higher SEO rankings.
But things are going to go one step further in 2019. Over half of all website traffic worldwide is accessed via mobile phone. That's almost a 10% jump from just two years ago.
This is leading Google to use mobile-first indexing. But what exactly does that mean?
Well, mobile-first indexing is when a search engine uses the mobile version of your website or page for ranking and indexing purposes. Now, there is still one index with both your desktop and mobile versions.
But once the site is migrated, Google will use the mobile version for ranking, instead of the desktop version.
So, for 2019, focus on improving the mobile version of your site.
Trying to Get a Featured Snippet
Think about the last time you asked Google a question. You likely got a little preview that popped up with the answer to your question.
These featured snippets are in high demand--everyone is fighting to get one. It brings your page front and center and will increase the number of page views you get.
Luckily, you don't have to be a big website to get one of these coveted snippets. Smaller sites still have a chance to be featured as long as they provide Google with what it's looking for.
You'll want to use a question and answer format on your page. Structured tables filled with valuable information also work well. These are the type of things Google is looking for to answer users' questions with ease.
Selling on Amazon
Do you sell products on your page? You may think that keeping all your merchandise only on your site will draw users in. After all, they have no other choice if they want to buy your products, right?
However, the internet makes it easier than ever for your customers to find alternative products through different sites. And with 55% of shoppers visiting Amazon first, you're missing out on a huge customer base.
Selling your products through Amazon can help boost your visibility and improve sales. You can even customize your SEO keywords to fit what shoppers will search for on Amazon.
Using Conversational Keywords
You've probably spent a lot of time deciding which keywords would work best. But when choosing these keywords, you most likely based them off of what users would type into the Google search bar.
While plenty of searches are done via typing, voice searches are becoming increasingly popular. Siri, Alexa, and Cortona are all helping users' search the web by speaking into their device instead of manually typing.
The change in input method alters the keyword trends for 2019. You may want to focus more on conversational keywords that would be common for people doing a voice search.
Marketing Through Influencers
Of course, social media marketing will remain important throughout 2019 and beyond. However, you'll want to think about updating your plan for the new year.
Social media influencers may become an important part of your marketing and SEO strategy. Influencers are people who have a strong social media following and their followers view them as being trustworthy and credible. This could include celebrities, industry experts, and bloggers.
This means that if you can get an influencer to give you backlinks and recommendations, you can increase your reach. Of course, the more people that visit your site and spend time on it, the higher your SEO ranking will get.
Think about who your target audience is and who they are likely to look up to. For example, if you sell kitchen gadgets, your audience may be influenced by a famous food blogger or a chef that's been on Food Network TV shows.
Then, use sites like Google, Hootsuite, and Buzzsumo to find influencers. Reach out to them and see if you can work with them.
Creating Quality Content
Alright, so this last one isn't exactly a new trend. But that doesn't mean it's not still important.
You don't want to find yourself so focused on all these new SEO trends for 2019 that you forget the basics. Creating quality content has been a trend for the past few years and it will continue to trend throughout 2019.
Continue to create content that is unique and offers valuable information to your readers. You may even want to go back through some of your older articles and update them, so they are relevant for 2019.
Focusing on Page Speed
Much like producing quality content, ensuring your website loads quickly isn't exactly a new trend.
However, search engines and consumers are becoming increasingly impatient with slow-loading pages. If you have any pages free of images and videos, consider applying AMP to them.
This will decrease the time it takes them to load and can help lower bounce rate.
Top SEO Trends to Follow for 2019
If you want to remain competitive, staying on top of the latest trends in marketing, advertising, and SEO is a necessity. Just follow our guide to 2019 SEO trends, so you can start creating your new marketing strategy today.
Do you need to update your website for the new year? Check out our custom website plans to get an SEO-friendly website.