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The Top 2018 Trends for SEO: Strategies to Incorporate into Your 2018 Marketing Plan

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Staying on top of SEO trends can be challenging as they’re constantly changing. But, optimizing your SEO strategy should be a top priority in 2018. This is important to keep in mind since the new year is just around the corner. Implementing the latest SEO trends and strategies can lead to increased brand awareness and consumer conversions. Let’s look ahead and discover what many experts have already figured out – the top 2018 trends for SEO.

1. Look for Voice Search to Ask More Questions

More than 20% of Google queries are voice searches and voice search is preferable by more than 50% of smartphone users. Conversational phrases and long tail search keywords are the SEO trends to incorporate into your marketing plan as Voice Search continues to gain momentum. While Google changes its algorithms, as a digital marketer, you should update your strategy to gain a foothold in 2018. To best achieve results, consider implementing Q&A type content that will answer the type of queries a user is likely to ask. Optimizing for local search should also become a priority as nearly ¼ of voice searches include local queries.

2. Mobile Will Continue to Take Over

Mobile phones and tablets are favored as primary tools for internet use over desktop computers. Entrepreneur notes that mobile phones account for nearly 60% of Google searches and the trend keeps growing. Optimization for mobile solutions has to be a priority as it’s estimated that by 2020, there will be 2.87 billion smartphone users. In 2018, SEO professionals must develop websites with mobile interfaces that offer fast loading and an enhanced user experience. Those will have the highest visibility; otherwise, if you don’t meet the challenge you and your clients can expect search rankings to decline.

3. Expect User Experience Optimization to Grow in Importance

UX and SEO have merged.User experience continues to grow in importance across all devices. Web design should be such that navigation is easy to avoid high bounce rates and encourage the user to convert. Targeted, accessible, and high caliber content is also important to engage audiences on and offsite. A stellar user experience will lead to an audience who will return to your client’s website and grow traffic over the long-term. Consumer engagement is ultimately more important than Google’s algorithm. If a website has 15,000 visits a month, but experiences abandonment by visitors after a few seconds, the bottom line is affected.

4. Rich Snippets to Drive More Traffic with High Click-Thru Rates

Rich snippets have become increasingly vital to SEO strategy. Users are busy and want their search experience to be short and engaging. Therefore, people are attracted to snippets that stand out above the rest. Incorporating structured data in web content is a great way to boost a website’s Google rankings and have a higher click-through-rate. When implemented correctly, structured data help search engines understand a website’s content better so that it can better target search queries that are relevant. Increased click-through rates will result in more traffic from search results.

5. Mentions are the New Links

While high-quality backlinks will continue to play an integral part in SEO strategy, brand mentions are quickly becoming the new links. Brand mentions are becoming more recognized by search engines and help to improve a site’s search rankings over the long-term. They also help to cultivate new relationships with consumers as well as help to manage brand reputation. Think of brand mentions as word-of-mouth referrals to a brand or business. Once a brand makes its rounds across the digital landscape, it boosts its relevance to search engines. As a top 2018 trend for SEO, utilizing brand mentions can lead to a better SEO ranking.

SEO is an Evolving Industry

We’ve reviewed some of the new SEO trends to expect in 2018. SEO is an industry that is constantly on the move. Some trends, like voice search, are still in their inception, while others are more traditional tools that are constantly evolving. Knowing what to expect can help you optimize your digital marketing goals and strategies.

Let 24 Seven Talent connect you with talent that understand the future of SEO.

https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/305596

https://searchengineland.com/8-game-changing-seo-trends-that-will-dominate-2018-286023

https://searchenginewatch.com/2017/10/13/seven-seo-trends-to-watch-in-2018/

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesagencycouncil/2017/09/28/five-trends-to-consider-in-your-new-seo-strategies/#4be8c34a41e7

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2014/08/01/implied-links-brand-mentions-and-the-future-of-seo-link-building/#2036daf35761

https://www.quora.com/What-will-the-2018-SEO-trends-behttps://www.entrepreneur.com/article/303427