There is no doubt that the complex and ever-changing field of search engine optimization (SEO) can be a challenge to keep up with. Trends come and go, and the techniques that work today may not work beyond 2022.
The tactics that may be working now may just not work anymore beyond 2022. And even the most experienced SEO agency needs to stay up to date on the latest trends and changes. If you want to make sure your SEO strategy is futureproofed, here are seven tactics you should consider using.
1. Optimize for voice search
One of the biggest changes in SEO over the past few years has been the rise of voice search. With devices like Amazon Echo and Google Home, more and more people are using their voices to perform searches online. And as voice search continues to grow in popularity, it is important to optimize your website for this type of search.
Here are a few tips for optimizing your site for voice search:
Use natural language. When someone performs a voice search, they are likely to use natural language instead of keywords. For example, instead of searching for “pizza near me,” they might say “What’s the best pizza place near me?” As such, it is important to use natural language on your website.
Optimize for long-tail keywords. In addition to using natural language, you should also optimize for long-tail keywords. These are longer and more specific keywords that are more likely to be used in a voice search.
Use schema markup. Schema markup is code that helps search engines understand the content on your website. This can be helpful for voice searches, as it can help your website appear in featured snippets.
2. Publish evergreen content
If you want your SEO strategy to be future-proof, it is important to focus on evergreen content. This is content that will remain relevant and useful for years to come. Evergreen content is the cornerstone of good SEO services and strategies, as it can help you attract organic traffic long after it is published.
Here are a few tips for writing evergreen content:
Choose a timeless topic. When choosing a topic for your article, try to choose something that will be relevant for years to come. For example, a post about the history of SEO is more likely to be evergreen than a post about the latest Google algorithm update.
Write comprehensive articles. Evergreen content is typically longer and more comprehensive than other types of content. As such, it is important to include as much detail as possible in your article.
Use images and videos. Adding images and videos to your article can help make it more evergreen. This is because these types of media are less likely to become outdated than text-based content.
3. Perform keyword research
Keyword research is an essential part of any SEO strategy, and it is something you should continue to do on a regular basis. By doing keyword research, you can identify the keywords that people are using to find your product or service. You can then use these keywords in your website content, helping you attract organic traffic from search engines.
There are a few different ways to do keyword research:
Use keyword research tools. There are a number of different keyword research tools you can use, such as Google Keyword Planner and SEMrush. These tools can help you find relevant keywords for your business.
Look at your competitors. Another way to find keywords is to look at your competitors. By looking at what keywords they are targeting, you can get an idea of what keywords you should be targeting.
Use Google Suggest. Google Suggest is a feature that suggests search queries as you type. This can be a valuable resource for finding relevant keywords.
4. Optimize your website for mobile
Mobile optimization is another important aspect of SEO, and it is something you should focus on if you want to future-proof your strategy. This is because more and more people are using their smartphones to access the internet. In fact, mobile devices are now responsible for over 50% of all web traffic.
As such, it is important to make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices. There are a few different ways to do this:
Use responsive design. Responsive design is a type of web design that makes your website adapt to the screen size of the device it is being viewed on. This is important for mobile optimization, as it ensures your website will look good on all devices.
Use Accelerated Mobile Pages. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is an open-source project that allows you to create lightweight versions of your pages for mobile devices. AMP pages load faster than traditional web pages, which is important for mobile users.
Use a mobile-friendly theme. If you are using a content management system (CMS) such as WordPress, you can use a mobile-friendly theme to make sure your website is optimized for mobile devices.
5. Improve your website speed
Website speed is another important factor for SEO, and it is something you should focus on if you want to futureproof your strategy. This is because people are increasingly expecting websites to load quickly. In fact, 40% of people will abandon a website that takes more than three seconds to load.
There are a few different ways to improve your website speed:
Optimize your images. Images can take up a lot of space and slow down your website. As such, you should optimize your images by reducing their file size. You can use an image compression tool like TinyPNG to help with this.
Use a content delivery network. A content delivery network (CDN ) is a system of distributed servers that deliver content to users based on their geographic location. CDNs can help improve website speed by caching your content and delivering it to users from a server that is close to them.
Minimize HTMl and CSS. HTML and CSS are the code that makes up your website. If this code is not optimized, it can slow down your website. As such, you should minify your HTML and CSS code to remove any unnecessary characters and whitespace.
Use a caching plugin. Caching is a way of storing data so that it can be accessed more quickly in the future. If you are using WordPress, you can use a caching plugin like W3 Total Cache to cache your pages and improve your website speed.
6. Improve your user experience
User experience (UX) is another important factor for SEO, and it is something you should focus on if you want to future-proof your strategy. This is because Google is increasingly taking UX into account when ranking websites. In fact, Google has said that UX is a key ranking factor.
There are a few different ways to improve your UX:
Make sure your website is easy to navigate. Your website should be easy to navigate so that users can find what they are looking for quickly and easily. You can do this by using clear and descriptive titles and labels, as well as adding search functionality.
Use high-quality images. Images can help improve the UX of your website by making it more visually appealing. As such, you should use high-quality images that are relevant to your content.
Use easy-to-read fonts. The font you use on your website should be easy to read so that users do not have to strain their eyes. You can find out which fonts are easy to read by using a tool like Google Fonts.
Use responsive design. Responsive design is a type of web design that makes websites look good on all devices, including mobile phones and tablets. This is important because more and more people are using mobile devices to access the internet.
7. Monitor your results
Finally, you need to monitor your results so that you can see how well your SEO strategy is working and make any necessary changes.
There are a few different ways to do this:
Check your organic traffic. You can use Google Analytics to track your organic traffic and see how it is changed over time. If you see a sudden drop in organic traffic, it could be an indication that something is wrong with your SEO strategy.
Check your rankings. You can use a tool like SEMrush or Moz Pro to track your rankings and see how they have changed over time. If you see a sudden drop in rankings, it could be an indication that something is wrong with your SEO strategy.
Check your backlinks. You can use a tool like Ahrefs or Majestic to track your backlinks and see how they have changed over time. If you see a sudden drop in backlinks, it could be an indication that something is wrong with your SEO strategy.
SEO is always changing, and if you want your website to stay ahead of the curve, you need to be prepared for these changes. These seven tactics will help you future-proof your SEO strategy and make sure it continues to work well for years to come.
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