Since SEO is essential for people finding your website and accessing your content, it’s important to be aware of the current SEO trends. There is a lot that goes into having a strong SEO ranking, and Google can be very picky about who it ranks at the top. Here are 5 tips essential for having a strong SEO presence in 2021.
5 Tips for a strong SEO presence
1. Usability & User Experience (UX)
When creating your website or adding content to it, you should always be thinking of how you can make the optimal user experience. 88% of online shoppers will not return to a website after having a negative user experience (Small Biz Genius)
Here are a few things to consider in this area:
- Optimize your website for mobile, making sure that your text and images are the appropriate size for mobile.
- Is your website easy to navigate? Can the user easily find what they are looking for?
- Does your page layout make sense? It’s essential to ensure that your pages are structured properly, and don’t appear cluttered or out of order. This includes using proper tags. Only use one H1 tag per page, and use the h2-h6 tags to organize your content and provide a hierarchy on your page.
- Fast page speed. Remember, this goes for both your desktop and your mobile site. People are unwilling to wait an extra two seconds for a website to load when unsure if your content is worth reading or watching.
- Monitor bounce rate and average session length on Google Analytics to better understand how you can improve your website.
2. Local SEO
46% of all Google searches are local (Search Engine Watch). The "near me” searches have grown exponentially over the past few years. You want to ensure your business is easily found in a local search. - Create a Google My Business (GMB) account and stay active. Having a GMB account shows Google that your business is authentic, and it will be more likely to share your content. Once you have the account, it is crucial that you optimize your profile, and remain active by posting frequent updates, new offers, or sales that your company is having.
- Use local keywords.
- Collect (positive) customer reviews. Encourage your customers to leave a review after working with you or purchasing a product. You could collect reviews on Google, Yelp, Facebook, or whichever platform makes the most sense for your business. Not only does it improve your search ranking, but having many positive reviews shows other potential customers that your business is reputable and worth their time.
3. Video marketing
Video is becoming the preferred method of consuming content for many people. If you aren't already using video in your marketing strategy, you should start immediately to avoid falling behind your competitors, who are likely already implementing video marketing. There are many different styles of videos you can make, including tutorial videos, education videos, live videos, IGTV, Reels, or TikTok. Videos can boost your SEO in several ways: - Using videos drives a 157% increase in organic traffic, and using a video on a landing page increases conversion rates by 80%. (Wordstream)
- Videos lower bounce rates: people will stay on your site for twice as long!
- People may share your video, which gives you more backlinks
(Lemon Light)
4. Voice search optimization
With the increasing use of smart home devices such as Amazon’s Alexa and Google Home, voice search is becoming increasingly common. The reason for this is mostly for convenience - people can usually speak much faster than they can type, and it allows for a hands-free option. Here are a few things to consider when optimizing your website content for voice search: - Consider the questions that people are likely to ask about your business, and make sure that you have answered them. For example, do you have your full address and hours listed?
- Target long-tail keywords. People will use more conversational, specific language when speaking instead of typing their questions.
5. Provide valuable content
Whether it’s a blog post or a video, you want your content to answer the questions that your ideal customers have, and establish yourself as an authority that encourages your viewers to return to your website. - Be consistent. Google favors fresh content and frequently posting content shows Google that your business is relevant.
- Long-form blogging (upwards of 2,000) performs better than shorter posts. Plus, you are keeping your reader on your site for longer which is good for your SEO.
- Use relevant keywords in your title, description, meta tags, and the post itself.
- Remember to update your content continually to keep it fresh, and make sure your links are working.
Now that you know what you need to do, it's time to actually start implementing these tips into your everyday marketing strategy so that your search engine rankings will soar in 2021.
