In the past, search engine optimization was fairly simple: use keywords, boost page linking and basically just improve on-page optimization. However, as search engine technology gets increasingly sophisticated, the same tactics SEO experts used in the past may not be as effective in the coming years.
As such, it’s important to keep up with the times and adapt new strategies to make sure that your content always stays on top of organic listings. Here are five simple tips that will help you shine at the very top of those search results this 2017.
5. Create Great Content
First of all, there’s just no substitute for great content. Well-written, well-researched content that is practical and useful to the target audience is hard to beat. This is because once people figured out how to hack SEO to put their pages on top, low-quality content begin to skyrocket and dominate the internet. As a result, people kept getting search results that were less and less relevant and useful to what they actually wanted.
Fortunately for the average person, and unfortunately for SEO wizzes of the past, search engines began to develop superior methods of analyzing page content. As such, you must never forget to set the bar for quality.
4. Use Keywords Wisely
All that isn’t to say, however, that keywords are now obsolete. They’re still as useful as ever in website ranking, although perhaps in a more elegant way. It’s important to have the right balance of keywords that flow smoothly through the text. Too little and the page may not rank as high in the results, too much and it may seem too much like spam.
Make sure, also, to include the main keyword in social media snippets. This ensures that your content appears not only in the average search engine, but in social media searches as well!
3. Harness Social Media
Speaking of social media, this is an excellent tool in boosting your organic search listings. After all, well-written, well-designed content is inherently shareable and can easily garner thousands of links once it goes viral.
It is important, therefore, to include social media sharing buttons in the content. Encourage participation and engagement from followers. A dynamic following is certain to attract even more people to your content.
2. Go Mobile-Friendly
If you haven’t built your content to be mobile friendly, chances are that your rankings have already begun to fail. As smart phones become more and more accessible, an increasing number of people use them regularly to browse the internet.
The catch of this, of course, is that screen resolutions and specs can vary. You want your content to be viewable and legible on a wide variety of devices. Since search engines can now distinguish between sites that are mobile-friendly and those that are not, you’re likely to get better rankings this way.
1. Keep on Top
When you’ve managed to get stellar organic search listings, don’t stop there. Make sure you consistently keep on top of things by monitoring search terms linked to your site, as well as the rankings. This way, you can easily find new niches on which you can base new content.
Finally, be sensitive to changes in search engine algorithms. These change rapidly, after all, as search engine machinery gets more and more sophisticated. You want to make sure that your content stands the test of time and changes with the times when needed.