Best Practices to Stay on Top of Google in 2019 and Beyond
We want to believe you are on top of the ranking with your industry keywords. As experts in the field, there’s one thing that we’ve observed. Staying on top is difficult that getting there in the first place. With Google answering queries directly on the search results pages and the upsurge in voice-activated searches, 2019 is getting trickier than we’ve ever seen. One thing that is also unusual is the number of “SEO How-To” and “SEO Guides” all over the internet. Most are focused on how your dream of being on the first page can be a reality. There’s huge neglect on sustaining the ranking after getting there, that’s what we’ll be doing here.
No need to narrate the story of how Google's first page can benefit your business. Let’s dive into how you can continuously be on the first page;
- Work on Providing Awesome User Experience on All of Your Pages
Google isn’t the No 1 search engine in the world by providing low-quality websites in their search results. Therefore, if you intend to be Number 1, you cannot be running a low-quality website.
You know what? If your site isn’t up to standard, you’ll experience a free fall from the top of the search result.
How will you feel if you are visiting with a website will a slow response rate in the search result? You’ll immediately get yourself out. Google reward excellence, you have to practice it all over your web pages.
- Voice Searching at Par with Text
More people are heading to Google, this time with a voice-assisted device. Rather than type out their search queries, they are “telling” Google to find them something.
In your SEO strategies, you need to consider the need and manner voice search is being carried out. For example, you see a text search with the query; BMI Calculation. When it’s a voice search, you’ll hear; how can I calculate my BMI?
Voice search will most times be question-based. Your SEO strategy must involve being an answer to these questions.
- A Shift From Keywords to Topic Cluster
What this implies is simple; keywords got you to the top of the search results, only topic clusters will keep you there. Looking at keywords alone isn’t advisable, you need to be well aware of the context around these keywords.
Put in mind the user intent when preparing the content. With a topic cluster arranged into themes, you are able to create content that meets the exact needs of your target audience.
With topic clusters, you’ll get a better visitor conversion while with keywords, it’s always lower. Keywords will bring you, 1000 visitors, converting only 10. Topic clusters will bring in 100 with 10 conversions. Google will go with the competitor with the 10% conversion.
- Not Just Google, Explore Youtube.
A quick stat;
YouTube has 3 billion searches monthly, making it the second most popular search engine.
On Google search pages, YouTube pages are always in the top 10.
Before now, SEOers are always neglecting YouTube while crafting their SEO strategies. It’s just like Google, YouTube works by understanding your content. From the file name, description and title of the video uploaded.
Make longer, engaging and interesting videos; you’ll be rewarded by YouTube.
Conclusion
SEO is always changing and you have to quickly adapt to these changes before it sweeps off your website from the first page. Learn to take a deep breath and understand the basics to the advanced of these changes when they occur.