It’s rapidly mutating.
Think we’re talking about a scary virus? Think again. Search engine optimization (SEO) is what’s constantly evolving, and as a marketer, we want you to be aware of the latest changes.
Recently, Rand Fishkin, the founder of Moz, talked about SEO strategies to future-proof your content. His argument? The best SEO comes not just from thinking about how search engines work today, but how they’ll work tomorrow.
Below are 5 trends he identified that will keep your eye on the pulse of SEO.
5 Future SEO Trends to Keep Your Eye On
- Content gap fulfillment: More than ever, people want to fully understand topics. Your content needs to answer their questions and give them enough information to complete your desired call to action. It’s also important to include both generic and recognizable keywords, like brand names of electronics or medications, to attract users.
- Completing tasks: Search engines are always trying to refine their algorithms to make it easier for people to get what they want. Recently, I was searching for info on how to do something in an app called Tripit. Instead of taking me to the app’s homepage, Google “reprinted” the relevant part of Tripit’s help section. Obviously, we want people to come to our content to complete certain tasks, like downloading content, making appointments and donating. Content that gets users to those places quickly will be rewarded.
- Short click vs. long click: The worst is when people click on your page and then click right off (otherwise known as a bounce). Make sure your site is long click-worthy—meaning users click on your content and stay there. Well-written content that answers people’s questions and keeps them engaged does just that.
- Click-through rates (CTRs): These show if people are clicking on your content within a list of search results. To up your CTR, make sure:
- Your page title is compelling.
- The date published is recent.
- Your meta description is juicy and click-worthy. (This one definitely has its share of detractors, especially since Google said they weren’t counting meta descriptions as much. But we decided to stay the course when creating custom content for our clients. Why? To practice the future-proofing we preach—meta descriptions help CTRs, which help search rankings in general.)
- Make it easy to share: While the use of social signals is still in question (estimated to be maybe a 5% share of the algorithm), sharing is still an important part of understanding how relevant and useful your content is. So make sure you are tracking those metrics, particularly on your strategic pages.
Want to learn more about creating findable content? Consider one of our digital writing workshops for your team.
