4 Key SEO Trends to Follow in 2017

The key SEO trend of 2017 will be the domination of Google. While there are other search engines out there, most Internet users stay loyal to Google. Because of that, present and future website owners should shape their SEO policies in accordance with the rules set by Google.

The masterminds behind this powerful search engine want to serve Internet users in the best way possible. As a result, they keep introducing new rules pertaining to content and search engine optimization all the time. The next points should be taken into consideration when creating your SEO agenda for 2017.

Observing users’ behavior

The extent to which your website succeeds in engaging its visitors will play an important role in its optimization. User engagement can be tracked through several different parameters. Firstly, you should pay attention to your bounce and conversion rates. The former indicate the number of people who visit your website and immediately leave it (bounce back). The latter shows how many users stayed and completed the action you wanted them to (made a purchase, subscribed to your mailing list).

You can’t improve engagement features unless you have data about user behavior on the website. Using a heatmap will help you gain insight into the habits of your visitors. The color scheme of this feature will indicate where visitors most often, or rarely, click. That’s how you’ll know which design features need to be improved. As for the most practical tools for this purpose, CrazyEgg and Google Analytics are two convenient options.

Written content features

Google is working hard to reduce the number of irrelevant articles published online. Moreover, there are also signals that they’re already using machine learning to improve search experience. One of the current trends is the extermination of junk content and blacklisting the creators and publishers of such content. Because of that, you need to pay even more attention to the quality of the texts you publish on your online platforms in 2017. So, you should cover the following points.

• Double check every source of information. Moreover, quote only reliable sources and influencers from the niche your write in.
• Invest all your energy and creativity in making captivating titles and subheadings.
• Break up visual monotony with bullet points. Lists, facts and stats should be presented that way.
• Opt for shorter sentences. They will have a better impact. Try some of these writing-enhancing tools.
• Use calls to action when introducing important facts or bullet points (just like we did for these bullets).

The arrangement of visuals

Your impact on your online audience will depend on the quality of your visual content features and their arrangement throughout the website. This is one of the crucial parts of contemporary SEO. Nowadays, visuals are much more than mere images. Videos and their use in online media channels has revolutionized the visual aspect of SEO. Here’s how you should optimize your images:

• Adjust their size for Web use. Some software tools, like Photoshop, have special features for that purpose.
• Make unique image titles. They’ll affect your rankings. Hire a copywriter if necessary.
• Include metadata, keywords and alt text in every image description.
• Don’t overload your pages with images. Distribute them evenly.

Apart from images, a well-optimized website will publish engaging videos or link to such features on YouTube. This video service is visited by more than 1 billion users every month, which makes it a real gold mine for SEO. Use the following guidelines to optimize your YouTube videos.

• Create a catchy title. Use puns and witty strings of words, but keep them short. Also, include your keywords.
• Add a detailed description to every video. Google’s tools will place your videos in SERPS on the basis of those descriptions.
• Choose video thumbnails carefully. Many users will click on a video with a compelling thumbnail. Still, avoid clickbait thumbnails that may mislead users about the content of your videos.
• Don’t go under 720p, resolution-wise. Make longer videos, since they’re more trustworthy.

In addition, study some other YouTube ranking factors and include them in your SEO-strategies. Finally, place links leading to those well-crafted videos on your website. They will add to the value of on-site SEO elements.

Improving speed

The claim that time is relative has found itself a perfect context on the Internet. For instance, an average 100m race lasts a few blinks of the eye (less than 10 seconds). However, Internet-fast means that website load speeds shouldn’t exceed 3 seconds. If loading lasts for more than 3 secs, users start feeling impatient.

Since they have gotten used to fast loading speeds, it’s crucial to improve the speed of your website. The aforementioned image optimization and smartly organized content will reduce loading times. Also, don’t overload your website with videos. For instance, publish only the ones crucial for your business on the website itself. All other videos should be placed on YouTube.

Moreover, if you’ve made all these adjustments and your website is still loading slowly, you should check the speed of Internet providers near you. Try different options to prepare your website for public use.

Search engine optimization is the most important concept of the modern Web. Due to its power, thousands of companies worldwide depend on getting listed on the first few pages of Google’s SERP. Therefore, if you want to stay a relevant member of the online community, stick to our guidelines and improve your online status. Apart from that, follow any new changes in the Google algorithm in 2017 and use them to keep your SEO-tactics up to date.