When it comes to online marketing, SEO might be one of the most valuable tools for your business. Over the years, SEO has evolved greatly and it isn’t all about focusing on keywords anymore. With SEO constantly changing and improving, it can be hard to keep up. Here are some important factors to remember when using SEO in 2017.
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is basically the process companies use to get traffic to their sites from search engine results like Google and Yahoo. This can benefit a business greatly, especially since this is considered “free” traffic and it doesn’t cost a thing!
People use the Internet more than ever and there are billions of web searches every month. Using SEO in 2017 will help drive significantly more traffic to your site, especially if you learn to adapt to the changes.
Some SEO factors are going to have more of an impact on your company than others. One of those factors is having a mobile friendly site. About 88% of people are looking for sites that are user friendly on their mobile device. If you can optimize your website to display and function properly on a mobile device, you are going to see a lot more traffic and leads.
Optimizing your website for mobile searches is going to be one of the most effective SEO factors for the New Year. Each year, searches on mobile devices increase by 43% and 4 out of 5 consumers are known to use their mobile phone for searches and information on the web. Also, about 70% of mobile searches actually lead to action within an hour! So it is crucial to the success of your business to optimize your site for mobile device searches.
Another factor that has a valuable impact is the perceived value of your website. About 81% people look for websites that they feel have a high value. That means you will need to have a user-friendly site that includes testimonials and reviews from actual customers who have been happy with your service. Remember to keep in mind that 67% of people take into consideration the readability and design of your website and blogs. When you have a nice website then more people are going to visit and more people are going to trust your services.
It is still a good idea to reach out to the local community. Around 60% of consumers rely on finding local information in ads on the Internet. It is very helpful to be listed on the local section on websites like Google and Yahoo.
Keywords are still going to be relevant when using SEO in 2017, but you want to think about using long tailed keywords. You also want to focus on using more natural language and also on the entire content, instead of just the keywords. It is still wise to not go overboard on the length of your blog, and to remember quality over quantity. But when the content is good, you can get away with having longer posts because it will still keep readers entertained.
SEO is evolving, but little tweaks in your marketing plan can help you evolve with SEO. With the New Year just around the corner, you want to make sure you are getting your marketing plan ready. If your goal is to increase traffic to your site, then you want to make sure your marketing plan includes SEO in 2017.