The online world is both getting bigger and intense. There is no looking back. Every day new trends make news and are assimilated in the huge abyss. There is a dearth of information and options. There are hundreds of websites rising every dawn with the aim to make it big. So, to stand out and mark your presence in such a heated and competitive space is not an easy task. You have to play smart with a clear strategy in place yet with ample room to bend yourself in line with current preferences without breaking apart. Google has been changing its approach in ranking websites with rapidly changing user preferences and experience.

Best SEO strategies for 2019

Search Engine Optimisation strategies are also adapting to the new environment which has shown a tilt towards mobile-first platforms. In addition, AI-first approach will soon hit the market and when it does, it will completely change the rules of the game. Thus, a sound SEO strategy is the need of the hour as you welcome 2019.

1). Value all Search Engines:

There are search engines beyond Google such as: Amazon, Bing, Apple etc. It is possible that these search engines might cut into the search dominance of Google in the future thus it is a wise step to twist your SEO in a manner that it is useful for people irrespective of where and how they search. It should also be able to build engagement in app stores, podcasts, videos etc. and not just websites. Thus, SEO will expand across platforms in 2019. It is just like big brands are multi-faceted so should the SEO be like. SEO in 2019 has to optimize for other devices as well. The whole search experience has to become optimized to produce highly engaging content which is the answer to the core problems stated by the user.

2). Mobile-First Optimisation:

As per the latest trends, people are turning to mobiles for most online searches. The ease of access and use has made it the preferred mode of search and internet usage. Google is already focussed on the mobile-first indexing and any kind of lag in your strategy to match the change will throw you into uncertain territory. 2019 will largely be marked by mobile indexing as a priority i.e. it will start indexing with the mobile version of the content to decide the place in SERPs. The approach eliminates the weak point in indexing which was seen by Google in indexing desktop content. It does not, however, mean that the sites which are not optimized for mobile usage will be delisted.

3). Content will Rule:

This is no alternative to good content. Content will still continue to rule the web but the only difference will be the content has to be complete, engaging and well-researched. Simply loading the content for keeping the website afloat or bombarding it with keywords which are used in searches will no more bring traffic or revenue. Google has redirected its strategy to churn out content which has enough depth. Contrarily, websites which were poor in research will likely be ranked poorly on Google. The content should strike at the root cause of the problem at hand, it should not leave them wanting for more information. Simply using SEO will not help but a properly researched content tailored to suit the user needs will make the difference.

4). E-A-T Guidelines by Google: 

You should work towards improving the Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. This will be a leading trend in 2019. The underlying principle is that the content quality cannot be overruled. You need to be an authority on a subject to win a good Google ranking. Google will be looking at the expertise and the credibility of the entities from which you leverage data. The bottom line is that in 2019 you have to ensure that your website is not dry on content as in latter case only SEO or other digital marketing services will not be able to push you to the top.

5). Voice-Searches and Digital Assistants:

It has been found that in 2020 nearly 50 percent of all searches will be done via voice commands or digital assistants. Voice-enabled devices will be more popular as nearly 30 percent of searches will be done without using a screen. It is generally seen that voice searches are more worded than the ones which are done with a keyboard. Thus, the SEO should focus on using keywords which are 7-9 words in length preferably the ones which are more likely to be used in conversations. There will be a general increase in voice search commands basically because of the rise in the sale of devices which are based on artificial intelligence. People are becoming more used to devices like Alexa, Homepod etc. There is a huge demand of such devices which work on voice command. Thus, SEO strategy in 2019 cannot afford to ignore the voice search optimization.

6). Website Security:

The new GDPR or General Data Protection Rules came into full effect in May 2018 primarily to step up data privacy in the EU. The steps were targeted to restrict various businesses to take liberty with user data. Even the Google 2018 security update which was directed at non-HTTPS all point to the fact that website owners need to get serious about website security and data privacy of users. Google is also taking steps to make sure the internet is secure. Thus, if you ignore such updates, your ratings can significantly fall. Also, it will lead to a high bounce rate.

7). The logic behind the ‘RankBrain’:

RankBrain is an artificial intelligence technology used by Google to process and organize the search results. It is used to analyze dwell times and click-through-rates. Thus, right titles with attractive phrases and keywords will attract searches to the pages. Web-design also has a great role to play to increase the dwell time. It can also impact the SEO strategy of the website.

8). Video Optimization:  

Videos have a preferred source of information over the years. People are resorting to viewing information rather than reading the same. So you need to have your videos in excellent shape in order to bag a great rank on YouTube. It has been predicted by some online surveys that videos will form 75 % of all Internet traffic by 2020.

Conclusion

Thus, SEO strategies in the future have to embrace the mobile and AI interfaces, factor in various guidelines by Google on content like E-A-T, website security etc. Content still rules but quality will surpass quantity. SEO has to take into account voice and digital assistants.