Prepping up for Google Algorithm Changes in 2019

Lets say goodbye to 2018., it’s about time that you start preparing for your strategies for the upcoming year 2019.

I’m pretty sure you’d love to start the year with a bang and witness all your B2C or B2B marketing goals accomplished.

How about finally grabbing the top three spots on Google for the keywords you wanted to get ranked on? – It’s like a “dream come true” for many!

Therefore, I’m about to share three essential power tips that can help you get prepared for the Google algorithm changes by following the SEO trends expected in 2019.

Important SEO Trends to Follow in 2019

Unsurprisingly, 2019 will be all about keeping up with the latest technology. In addition, your purpose to follow the latest SEO trends will be precise to either maintain your top rank or grab that position. However, SEO experts are always on the move, and if you want to be competitive with your efforts, then you’ve got to consider the following aspects.

Be Mobile Ready

March 26, 2018, the day Google announced the mobile-first indexing algorithm on their webmaster blog. Though this is something that every marketer should have worked on in 2018, we believe that more influence will be put on this update.

Previously, Google crawlers used to read the desktop version of your website’s pages and content to index and rank you. However, with this announcement, now Google’s crawlers will consider the performance and quality of the mobile version for ranking and indexing.

Why did Google announce this? According to recent studies we can see that in 2018, mobile internet traffic as a percentage of total web traffic was 48.2%. Especially in Asia, where the share was around 61%. – And tablets weren’t even taken into consideration.

These numbers are expected to increase considerably in 2019, and if you still haven’t worked on this Google algorithm then you better pull your pants up and start today!

Featured Snippets Rankings Should Be Your Goal

Have you noticed the featured snippets where the top-ranked sites used to appear every time you search on Google? Well, doesn’t it just make you wanna click on it instantly? Probably, that’s how every other person thinks! This position will only go to the most deserving webpages.

It’s pretty natural that you’d want to get your page featured on the top, but how?

Produce Content Worthy of Getting Ranked

Before you can even imagine your content being featured, you have to rank it first. According to Ahrefs, most of the featured content is picked from the top ten sites, or from the first page. Take a quick look at the most common ranking positions for featured snippets.

As you can see, only 30.9% have been chosen from the first position. That means, though the top five spots are more likely of getting picked, your goal should always be to get ranked on the first page. – After that, rest your case in the hands of Google!

Target Answers to Common Questions

A SEMrush/Ghergich & Co. study has concluded that only around 7% of generic keywords are chosen for the featured snippet spot out of 80 million keywords and 6.9 million snippets.

On the other hand, question keywords have proven to be the leaders by being shown 41.59% of the time. Therefore, if you can target your content towards a question people would ask on Google, you’ll have a higher chance of getting featured.

Listicles will Rule

If you want your content to appear in its list form in the featured snippet, then you have to make sure that you use the right kind of headings. By using H2 and H3 sub-headers, your content will look better organized and readable. Google often uses such content to showcase such lists in the featured snippets.

Don’t Ignore the Rise in Voice Searches

One more SEO trend from 2018 that is going to change the way people use Google is voice search. As innovations are helping our lives become more comfortable, we can’t ignore these updates if we really want to be at the top of the game.

As voice search technology becomes more accessible and improves, its users will increase. Here are a few aspects to consider if you want to optimize your web pages for voice search.

Make Sure your Site is Mobile Friendly

Now that you know the importance of having a mobile-friendly site let me give you another reason to work on it. Voice searches are made through a device where you can use Google or other voice search engines. Which is the first device that pops up in your mind? Yes, a mobile device! If your site isn’t mobile friendly, I’m afraid you may never experience traffic from voice searches.

Utilize FAQ Pages

If you want to get ranked for questions that people ask through voice search, what better way than to have a high-quality FAQ page that is filled with necessary questions and answers. With informative content, you already are more likely of seeing your page on the first page. However, with the right use of conversational keyword phrases, you can also appear at the top on voice searches.

Focus on Local Searches

The Bright Local’s Voice Search for Local Business Study has concluded that 46% of those who utilize voice search on a daily basis are looking for local businesses. If you want to capitalize on with this trend, we advise that you utilize geo-targeted keywords. Apart from that, you have to make sure that your address and contact details are consistent throughout your online business listings. In addition, make sure that you maintain positive customer reviews online so that whenever you are shown, you have a five-star rating to show.

Takeaway

With evolving technology year after year, many trends will come and go. However, if you really want to make sure that you are prepared before any Google algorithm in 2019 shakes things up, plan smartly and keep an eye on current SEO trends. To start off, focus on the ones listed above as they have the highest chances of determining whether your content is worthy of getting ranked or not. Your SEO efforts are what will guide your B2C or Online B2B marketplace towards success.