10 Focus Areas For SEO in 2017

Search engine marketing is showing no sign of slowing down as more businesses turn their attention to are taking part in the online customer acquisition methodology. Through the use of search engine optimisation, many have been rewarded and word has spread about how fantastic organic search has been for their businesses, however, not everyone is finding this an easy path to follow on the road to success. Some have opted for paid search or social media instead and letting SEO pass them by.

How to get the most out of SEO in 2017

In 2017, it is no longer enough to just optimise your website by using keywords that are related to your industry. Keywords can't simply stand on their own and there is now a host of other checkboxes to tick before you're SEO really begins to kick off. There are many old-school techniques in SEO are now phased out and the new search engine algorithms have introduced techniques SEOs and website owners should be aware of and kept in mind while creating a website design.

As a responsible business owner or industry expert, you are expected to keep up with every latest development within the industry and if you not, I've taken the time to some it up for you in this list below. So have a look and I hope you find it useful.

1. Focus your strategy on future growth

Keep an eye on where the industry is going, mobile, bots, voice search are all key factors in SEO at the moment, but have not fully matured yet. So constantly educate yourself on the way the industry progresses to make sure your practices are not out of date and you're never doing anything that may be constructive now for short term gains but prove to be destructive to your website in the long term.

2. Incorporate voice search optimisation

Voice search is becoming an increasingly popular trend in the organic search spectrum. Devices have become smarter and users can now input search terms by speaking directly to their device or to search engines and letting algorithms do the work in executing the commands. Voice search queries continue to grow month on month and those sites who choose to ignore it may fall behind very quickly.

For more on how to optimise for voice search check out our article 8 Ways To Optimise Your Content For Voice Search

3. Site load speed

Speed has and always will be the factor above all factors. You can get everything right but if your site takes too long to load its bound to be a flop. Optimise your site to load completely within 5 seconds time and you can enjoy up to 20% more conversions and a massive decrease in bounce rate, which will definitely improve your rankings.

For more on how to boost site speed check out our article Simple Front End Changes That Boost Page Speed

4. Be completely Mobile friendly

Search engines continue to provide more weight-age on mobile friendly sites and the more mobile friendly the better. When coding your site to be responsive, AMP, dynamic or a stand alone mobi site it's important to make sure all screen sizes and all mobile devices get a similar experience. Mobile devices and mobile search are now a large portion of search, so large that google has begun splitting its desktop and mobile index. So show your site some mobile love and reap the rewards.

For more on how to be completely mobile friendly check out our article How Fast Should Your Website Be For Mobile

5. Keep producing high quality content

Impress your customers, drive trust and show your authority in the subject you specialise in will really go a long way in winning customers over online. Creating content that is well researched, provides solitons to visitors problems and keeps them engaged will not only keep them on your site longer but keep them coming back for more as well as bring their friends along with them.

For more on how to create quality content check out our article How to craft the perfect blog post

6. Have a strong social media presence

Posting your content on social media, getting your content in front of the right audiences who are interested in this kind of content is a great way to generate amplification. If you get your targeting right social media can generate user signals like shares, likes, increase awareness, drive visitors and even cause viral appeal.

For more on how to be a social media legend check out our section of social media articles here

7. Build quality links over many links

Creating quality backlinks from sites with audiences you have identified that are similar to yours, would find a link from that site valuable is important. A link needs to not only pass equity and enforce keyword strength but also be a solid provider of referral traffic. Combine these 3 when building links and your organic listings will have no problem being in the top 3 or 4.

For more on how to build links check out our article 4 Types Of Links That Drive Real Referral Traffic

8. Make the most of long-tail queries

Narrow down the needs of your target audience by using descriptive long tail keywords, FAQs and QandAs that speak directly the way different people use search engines. These non-competitive long tail keywords will not just see you sitting pretty on top of search results but can also be a consistent driver of traffic that your competitor isn't getting.

For more on how to do keyword research check out our article Structuring Your Keyword Research

9. Switch to HTTPS

Switching from HTTP to HTTPS not only provides improved safeguards against malware but provides a trust factor for your visitors as well as now being an organic ranking signal boost. Did you know that over 50% of results listed on page one of search engines are now being served on HTTPS?

For more on how to be switching to HTTPS check out our article HTTPS Migration Check List For The Best Results

10. Continue to improve user experience

Continue to watch the way your users interact with your website, where they get stuck or drop off and encourage them to find what they need easier. Consistently enhancing the user experience of your website and providing value to the user faster than before will not only bring and keep customers happy but give you a ranking boost in organic listings.

For more on how to be a user experience champ check out our section of social media articles here

Bring your SEO into 2017

Are you taking advantage of any of these 10 tips at the moment? Which of these will you be implementing ASAP after reading this article? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Tags: SEO, google, organic search