2019 SEO Trends Your Small Business Can Use

In this day and age, it seems like we’re constantly bombarded with messages and sales pitches from so-called entrepreneurial experts and SEO gurus.

In reality, most of this messaging is confusing, contradictory, or downright wrong.
As a small business owner, you know you need to pay attention to your Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but you’re not sure where to begin. There are so many trends and ideas out there today. Which ones are worth your attention? It turns out some are more powerful than others. The world of SEO is moving quickly, so if you need a refresher on the basics make sure you read through A Beginner’s Guide to SEO Strategy 2019. Otherwise, read on to learn the best 2019 SEO trends your small business can use.

Growing Your Blog

Hopefully, you already know how powerful a blog can be in your SEO strategy. If you still haven’t established your own blog on your small business website, it’s not too late. Creating a blog gives you an opportunity to produce content relevant to your audience. These are sharable, informative pieces that position your business as a trustworthy expert.
Today, 48% of small businesses are focusing on creating high-quality content as part of their ongoing SEO strategy. Blogs aren’t a thing of the past, they’re the new normal. If you’re not already on the bandwagon, it’s time to join.

Rise of Voice Search

Hey Google, how do I optimize my website for voice search? We all are welcoming voice search into our lives, and now it’s time you welcome voice search into your website. According to a scientist at Baidu, by 2020, around 50% of all searches online will be conducted via voice.
While this statistic might be a bit overstated, it can’t be understated how powerful voice search has already become. Voice search is a bit different than optimizing for text search. You’ll have to focus on the user’s intent, aka what they actually mean. We’ll see more keywords featuring commonly asked phrases like “Where is…”, “How do I…”, and “What is…” in the near future.

Smarter Link Building

Link farming is finally coming to an end, and that means small businesses have to get smarter about their link building practices. Link building, when done responsibly, is a successful and effective way of growing your business. However, when done in a scammy, inauthentic way, you could easily get flagged for black-hat SEO practices by Google.
The first thing you need for a smart link building strategy is quality content. Quality content attracts links naturally. From there, build relationships with other bloggers, businesses, and publications. Network and find organic opportunities to link to your website.

Mobile-First Indexing

We’re in a mobile-first world, and that means your website needs to play catch up if it hasn’t already. As a small business, you can’t overlook the power of great design. We’ve all experienced the frustration of visiting a website that either doesn’t display correctly on mobile or simply fails to get its point across quickly.
In 2019, it’s all about mobile-friendly websites. Google announced they’d prioritize mobile-friendly websites over non-mobile-friendly websites in search engine results. Luckily, it’s becoming easier to make websites that display well on mobile devices, and you can even use a free theme or template.

Final Thoughts

How does your small business website stack up against the trends above? Are there things you need to change? If so, don’t fret. Just taking the initial steps to better your SEO will place you above the majority of today’s small businesses.
SEO is becoming even more competitive, but that doesn’t mean you can’t still make an impact online. Keeping an eye on the changing trends and ideas is the only way to push forward. It’s time to commit to a stronger SEO campaign to take your business into the future.