It's no secret that Google is constantly making 
changes to its algorithms. While their mission is to make the service more streamlined, intuitive and overall appealing to users, these changes undeniably make it more challenging for marketers and SEO experts to ensure their websites make the top of the ranks. Google now processes over 2 trillion searches every year and marketers that want to benefit from those searches need to adapt their strategy in order to achieve their SEO goals.
Consider the following 3 hot tips for how you can keep up with Google this year:
- Diversify traffic sources to keep bringing in Google-fed visitors. You know the old saying, never put all your eggs in one basket. It might seem counter-intuitive to attract Google rankings by focusing on non-Google traffic sources, but the more you prove you can attract users elsewhere, the higher Google's algorithms will rank you. Plus, you can prop up your revenue with these outside referrals. Experiment with syndicating content with back-links on sites like Medium and LinkedIn Publishing, update videos to Wistia and then YouTube and run marketplace ads on Amazon and similar online retailers.
- Take your keyword targeting strategy to the next level. Being in the first position on Google's search results page means big results, earning as much as 33% of search traffic and nearly double (18%) the click-throughs of the second position. So how do you make your way to this coveted position? By adapting and evolving your keyword targeting strategy so your content reflects how people search on Google. For this, utilize keyword research tools like Google AdWords to suss out the long-tail, conversational and intuitive keywords your audience uses when searching out a product, service, or other query. Next, plan out a series of blog posts, videos and Tweets reflective of those keywords and topic-clusters.
- Invest in a scalable link-building strategy. Think of link building as a long-term battle plan. Google algorithms rank a website by the amount, authority and age of backlinks directing to it. Good, higher rank-friendly inbound links also utilize natural anchor texts, meaning 'learn more' hyperlinked to your page is more valuable then hyperlinking the name of the website being linked to. You will find the most successful way to implement this tip is to combine it with the aforementioned tip #1 and remember it will take time. Do not try to shortcut this step by using black hat spammy strategies as Google algorithms are set to filter out such noise and as such, blackhat strategies could ultimately hurt you with poorer rankings.
Stay Engaged and You'll Stay Ahead
Top marketers and SEO analysists everywhere are adamant the only way to stay ahead in Google is to stay engaged with audiences and keep those audiences engaged with you. For more information about Google algorithms and other tips, contact us today and visit us our Facebook page to let us know about your experiences with Google and your favorite traffic sources.
