Search engines are continually striving to improve your search experience. Marketing efforts today involve much more than simply understanding the science behind search engine optimization (SEO). They also involve adapting your website to meet their rules. This has been especially true over the past couple of years with all the changes to algorithms, techniques, and tools. However, many marketers are expecting there to be even bigger changes emerging in 2018.
Optimizing for Voice Search
In December 2017 Google took notice of a growing number of webmasters suddenly showing interest in voice search data. This is because these webmasters know that people are using voice search more now than ever before. Webmasters need access to this information so they can offer these searchers a better experience.
Statistics show that 10% of all global search volume in 2015 came from voice searches. This means that 50 billion people are performing this type of search monthly. Google itself admits that 41% of adults and over 50% of teens make these searches multiple times daily. These statistics have led many tech giants to invest in voice search. Many people are also buying home assistants like Google Home and Amazon Alexa for in their homes. Of course, there’s also Apple’s Siri and Microsoft’s Cortana for on your phone.
Since businesses rely on web search for traffic this trend has led to drastic implications. We can expect this competition to dominate this traffic to grow throughout 2018.
Completing the Shift to Mobile-First Indexing
Mobile devices are obviously growing more popular today. The rise in voice search proves this. For this reason, going mobile is vital now. It’s also something Google started working on in 2016. By the third quarter of 2018 mobile index will take a priority over desktop indexing though. As such, mobile websites will be crawled before desktop versions of the same site – the exact opposite of what’s happening now.
This is something that Google is already preparing for. They’re creating “micro-moments” – instant moments that give you an instant answer to your search. This is something that many brands are already fighting for dominance in. SEO marketers need to make sure these brands are there with the right results when these searches happen. In order to do so, they need to make sure that their website responds quickly and that it has high-quality content for visitors to read.
The RankBrain Algorithm
RankBrain is Google’s machine-learning, artificial intelligence (AI) technology that’s been around since 2015. Initially, people weren’t sure how it’d work and this hasn’t changed much in the years since. Nevertheless, it now handles all search queries. The only thing SEO marketers know is that it analyzes a user’s behavior about how long they spend on a page so they receive more accurate search results. This really shouldn’t have a major impact on SEO since marketers can’t control what their visitors do at other websites. Yet, it’s still important to mention because it shows how important it is for business owners to remain adaptable in regards to SERPs‘ constant, unpredictable changes when working with SEO.
The Bottom Line in 2018
It remains important for your business to be proactive as we watch these things unfold in 2018. With all the different hats you already wear as a business owner, you’ll undoubtedly need some help here. This is where we at Local SEO Tampa look forward to stepping in. You can trust in our years of experience to help you stay ahead of your competition now and in the future so contact us today.