Business owners target different goals to keep their companies thriving. But what do you do when what you are aiming for is a moving target? This is the case for Search Engine Optimization or SEO. The strategies that marketers, webmasters and business owners use to get good results constantly change with the times, or more specifically, with Google’s algorithms.
Because Google does not fully disclose the criteria it uses to select the websites displayed in search results, SEO specialists test different tactics to determine what can pull their website to the top of Google’s SERPs (search engine result pages). This trial-and-error system for hitting an elusive, but much-coveted, target has kept the interest of webmasters, marketers, and business owners over the years. It has challenged people from different sectors that both the business and marketing worlds stay tuned every year to hear predictions about the latest SEO strategies.
Top SEO Tactics for 2017 according to some experts
1. Choose Social Media Influencers over Banner Ads
Internet users, especially the younger generations, are experts in dodging ads. It is almost futile for companies to pay thousands of bucks to buy ad spaces from different websites when users will just click on the exit button without so much as a glance at it.
How do you market to such an evasive audience?
According to digital strategist Shane Barker, business owners have a better chance of connecting with their target market by outsourcing their advertising efforts to social media influencers.
Influencers are akin to celebrities in the realm of social networking sites. These are ordinary people who have accumulated a multitude of followers on social media through their content. Regular users seek out influencers not only for entertainment but also because they value the opinion of these social media personalities. When influencers publish a post or mention you in one of their photos, videos, or blogs, their followers are sure to check you out.
2. A Web of Articles over One Subject is More Useful than Various Posts about Different Topics
When you are a regular internet user scouring search engines about a certain subject, finding one website that gives you in-depth discussion about it is like hitting the jackpot. Just imagine: you won’t have to try out different search terms to pull up results that answer your question.
This tactic which is brilliant in its simple logic is coined by SmartSites marketing director, Oleg Korneitchouk.
The idea of this strategy further adds that websites which comprehensively cover a topic with a series of articles about it will be deemed as an authority in its line of business. If you want to stand out among a throng of rivals, you must be the voice of authority in your industry.
3. Invest in Social Media Search
Social networking sites have risen astronomically, thanks to smartphones. Now, the influence of social media has extended to search. Because of this significant shift in the SEO landscape, Google has integrated data gathered from Twitter and Pinterest in its search results.
It’s high time for business owners to ensure that their companies have a social presence that is strong enough to provide relevant search results, advised Jen Van Iderstyne, the SEO specialist of Overit. Consumers have started to use Facebook, Twitter, and other social platforms as a search engine when they want to research about a product or company. When they look for your service or brand name, make sure that your social profiles deliver.
How you choose to adapt to keep up with SEO will have ripple effects on your business for years to come. If you fail to evolve with the changing times, your brand will cease to be relevant. The good news is, you don’t have to carry the burden of transformation all by yourself. There are reliable resources for highly skilled writers if you need people to fill your website with creative content or build your social networks to help your search rankings.
Now that you know the top SEO tactics for 2017, what great things can your customers expect from your brand next year?
See also: 7 Simple Ways to Boost Your Website’s Organic Traffic
