Search engine optimization (SEO) has changed a great deal over the years. It is no longer enough to stuff as many key words as possible into a web page or blog post. With the frequently updated Google Algorithm, the way you are rewarded or penalized in rankings has evolved into a new system.
So what can you do to make sure your website makes its way to top of the rankings — and stays there? Make sure your website is following all of these best practices:
Mobile friendliness
As of April of this year, the newest search ranking factor is how well your website adapts to mobile formats. And with good reason: eMarketer reports that the mobile share of U.S. digital search ad spending will steadily increase over the next three years as consumers continue to choose mobile over desktop. Whether you go with a responsive or adaptive web design, what is most important is that Google recognizes your efforts and doesn’t give you the black stamp of a stagnate site.
Source: MarketingCharts
Quality content
Content created with the intention to provide readers with useful, relevant information gets a big thumbs up from Google. When you create website content that helps visitors find answers or solutions, you are more likely to rank higher than those with barren websites.
Use images
Including photos, infographics, or videos throughout your website can give you a boost. As we move towards more visual forms of communication, plain text articles will increasingly see penalties.
Social media
The sharability of an article has a great impact on page rank. If an article is shared a great deal or goes viral on social media, it will be more likely to show up on the first page of search results. Lots of inbound links from credible sources also falls under shareability.
Create a conversation
More sophisticated searches mean that you can now search for answers contextually. Creating an engaging, informative conversations with your readers will mean more long-tail keywords and will inevitably improve your rankings.
Black hat SEO tricks will no longer be able to sneak past Google algorithms. You need valuable, quality content that readers are actually interested in to attain high rankings.
