Dominating the SERPs. It’s where every business owner with a website wants to be. And those with a robust SEO strategy can get there (or maybe already are). But the competitive game of SEO is constantly changing and what worked 5 years ago – even 1 year ago ain’t gonna work as well as it may have.
So how do you play your cards right in 2020 and up your SEO game? Here’s a few trends and tactics to think about.
Get on top of voice search
We know with more people using mobile search every day, and Google prioritising mobile first indexing for new sites that optimising for mobile is a must. Now add voice search to the mix, and getting it all right on mobile devices is even more crucial.
Most mobile device users will perform searches while on the go and increasingly through voice search (thanks to virtual assistants). There’s no time to scroll, or like a voice search you’ll only be read one result, making that top spot on the SERPs even more valuable.
When you consider voice search, longtail keywords are more important because the query is conversational and mimics this. Your content should cater for longtail queries and start to address questions behind queries triggering featured snippets.
Optimise for featured snippets
There is a spot higher than #1! Dubbed position 0 or Rank Zero, featured snippets is where the competition is.
Featured snippets refer to Google search results found at the top of a SERP showing a summary of a webpage, which directly answers a query. With featured snippets you don’t need to rank #1 to earn this spot (although securing both is a major boost for your conversions).
Structuring your web content with quality answers about frequently asked questions is the way to go. Start by researching current featured snippets for your top queries and build it into your SEO strategy.
Prioritise semantic search and intent
If Google prioritises search intent, so should you. These days Google goes beyond the exact string of words typed into a search box and focuses on the context of the search and possible user intent to achieve accurate results. Google wants us to create content that solves problems, so let’s do it.
If you want to get an idea of how this works, perform your own search and see how Google interprets it. Speak to an SEO expert like Cloud Cartel to discover how you can optimise for search intent.
Structure your data
Many SEO experts share the common belief that the key to improving your ranking in 2020 is to get your structured data right. Why? Because it helps Google understand your content better.
Structured data is code written in the Schema.org format, that effectively provides detailed info about your webpage to Google in a way it will understand. Google then uses this to create rich snippets in your search results. You don’t need technical knowledge to implement your structured data, but it does help to have someone who knows what they’re doing to give you the best results.
Need help optimising your site? Get in touch with Perth’s SEO experts at Cloud Cartel to boost your search rankings.
