6 Practical SEO Tips you Should Know and Apply for 2020

Whether you have a start-up or a big business, you should learn how to properly apply the best Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices.

Without a doubt, SEO is fundamental for every online marketing scheme. With it, you can consistently rank on search results and attract more traffic to your site. The more users are coming in, the higher your business' chance for converting prospects.
But to be honest, the field of SEO is continually evolving as search engines like Google continuously modifies their algorithm. That means the best SEO practices in the previous year may no longer remain significant in the coming years.
In 2020, new trends in online marketing will emerge, and that includes SEO. Therefore, you need to level up and learn the latest strategies in SEO. With that in mind, let’s look forward to the coming year and examine SEO tips for 2020. Here are some of them.

Optimize your Website’s Speed!

Imagine a subscriber type a keyword, and your content appears first on the search results. The user then clicks on it to seek answers to his queries. To his disappointment, your website is taking quite too long to load. Eventually, he retracts and looks for other sites to give him quick answers.
That analogy spells the importance of loading speed. You need to make sure that your website can load in a few seconds. It should not take it a minute or worse, a few minutes to load. Otherwise, you could lose high-profile prospects. Your products and services may be useful, but since users cannot quickly access them, you’ll lose valuable customers.
In 2018, Google made mobile speed a priority, and speed for desktop sites was given an equal level of importance. That is because Google wants to provide the best customer satisfaction, and efficiency and speed play a vital role in that.
Recently, Google published a chart showing bounce rates, which showed that as load times go from 1 second to 3 seconds, the bounce rates surge to 32 %. Pass 5 seconds, it increases to 90%. As it reaches 10 seconds, the bounce rate would have reached 123%. Google’s findings show that you should prioritize speeds as you develop and improve your site.
In optimizing your website’s loading speed, there are best practices you should apply. Among these include the use of lighter images, premium and responsive themes, external JS and CSS files, and caching systems. You should also defer loading content when possible, stop using images to display text, and do load JavaScript at the end of your article.

Lean on a Local Focus

Google is putting a premium consideration on local products. Therefore, anything that impacts your local listing will play a significant role in pushing your business forward. Today and in the coming years, local SEO will offer you various benefits as Google places a growing emphasis on geo-targeted searches.

Reviews Matter a Lot

If you’ve been buying products from giant online retailers such as Amazon and Alibaba, then you should know that reviews play a significant role in influencing your decisions. If a product has consistently good reviews and recommendations, you’re more likely to buy. If it gained mostly negative reviews, you would feel doubtful about the product and the company.
The importance of reviews is not something new, but Google and other search engines will continue to place a growing emphasis on them. The more positive reviews your customers give, the higher your online visibility becomes. That leads to more traffic and prospects to your business.
As Google also grows its focus on local SEO, reviews will come to play a significant role in ranking your site on top results. That is why you should learn and apply ways to increase and improve customer reviews as part of your SEO strategy. Besides, earning good reviews will lead you to higher recommendations, and your customers themselves will market your products to other prospects.

Integrate Long-Tail Keywords

As more and more websites emerge to the scene, competition becomes higher and higher. That also spells the need for longer search queries as these become increasingly important. That is, in terms of targeting precisely what users are looking for. After all, more than one-third of Google search queries are now at least four words in length. That is likely to grow in the coming years.

Optimize for Voice Search

In recent years, voice search has been rapidly gaining popularity. More and more users are now using it as a regular means of search, as even smartphones are keeping up with the trend. Therefore, it is something that every business should keep watch; otherwise, they will get left behind.
Voice search complements the use of long-tail keywords, as mentioned above. With more voice search taking place, there is now a lower abbreviation in search and greater normal conversation. Instead of entering one or two search terms, people are now searching with questions. Google also reported that voice search tends to focus more on local queries. That is why you should put premium importance on voice integration strategies as part of your SEO strategy as you inch close to 2020 and beyond.

Content Remains King

You must have heard of different online gurus saying that content is getting less and less relevant. But no, content is still king! But we’re not just talking of having lots and lots of content on your website. We’re referring to quality, user-friendly, and responsive content. That is why Google has been ranking quality on top search results to improve user experience.
In the past, websites could focus on producing content regularly, mostly every day. But now, Google prefers quality over quantity. As Google thrusts forward, Google’s algorithms will better discern expertise and trustworthiness on a given topic. It’s no longer enough to attach the right keywords on poor quality content.
Indeed, SEO never settles, and neither should you. By innovating your SEO practices, you can sustain a better user experience, which, in turn, boosts your SEO results.
These tips are easily done by anyone without the need for a web designer - But to really take your SEO efforts to the next level you may want to look for a local SEO agency in your area - Try a google search for example searching for SEO Agency In Birmingham and find an SEO agency who can help you get even more out of your SEO efforts.