Introduction:
Search engine optimization (SEO) has become a crucial factor in driving business success. Since the introduction of search engines, more people have flocked online to find answers to their questions. Now, business owners are harnessing SEO to gain sales and eventually secure consistent growth.
But What Does SEO Do?
Think of it this way—if you are looking for a nearby Chinese restaurant to dine in, you can look up on Google: “Chinese restaurants near me.” Then the search engine shows a list of Chinese restaurants within your area. You will browse through that list and pick one that you think offers the best value. But what if your business does not appear on the results page? Of course, you are less likely to gain organic clicks from potential customers. As a business owner, you don’t want that.
SEO involves strategic planning to boost your website’s online presence. The goal is to make your site more visible to your target market. So, you research the right keywords to include in your content, fix website bugs, and keep up with Google’s algorithm.
Changes In Algorithm
Google’s web crawlers (or spiders) undergo regular maintenance and, sometimes, updates. For instance, many websites lost a significant amount of traffic overnight when Google updated its mobile indexing years ago. As such, you need to keep your SEO strategy up to date not only for your customers but also for search engines. Whether you are selling products, or marketing to other business owners, among others, ranking high is key in a fast-paced world.
SEO expert UK Paul Hoda says that is also vital to get a good freelancer that can oversee your SEO project closely. As such, SEO agencies maximize their resources to keep updated with SEO trends. Meanwhile, how about those who do SEO by themselves? Below, we have summarized practical avenues to keep up with SEO trends.
1. Build Your Professional Network
Regardless of business size, networking is an effective approach to getting your organization off the ground. Look for SEO networking events and sign-up! You can also join business-related groups on social media platforms, attend webinars, or sit down with other business owners in your area. Building a professional network provides valuable business advice and guidance.
However, you should never stop expanding your network no matter how much success your business has achieved. Attending events aimed at search marketing can significantly help you find influential people whom you can learn from. You can also meet SEO professionals like yourself, where you can gain more knowledge and experience to improve your own SEO strategies.
2. Pay Attention to Your Competitors
Most likely, if you are working to keep yourself updated with the SEO trends, so are your competitors. You are not alone in the industry, and any business owner understands the essence of keeping an eye on competitors. This allows businesses to take one step ahead of the competition.
Hence, if you can, hire a team of researchers to analyze your competitors and identify what they’re doing with their SEO strategies. If you notice any recent changes, ask yourself: Was it worth it? Should I follow those steps?
3. Create a DIY SEO Tool
If you have enough resources, you can create a DIY tool to keep up with the latest SEO trends. You can refer to multiple DIY tools online for guidance. Or, with your network, you can seek help from other SEO professionals to build your tool.
By creating a DIY SEO tool, you don’t need to spend more time researching the newest SEO trends. Your personalized SEO tracking system can guide you through every task every step of the way. So, if search engines, like Google, change their algorithms and disrupt your standard SEO process, you will know in real-time.
With ease, you just have to follow your SEO protocols, which update right away to reflect the latest trends. This way, you are not wasting time or money and eventually promote business efficiency at significant rates.
4. Set Up Webmaster Accounts
Nothing can keep you updated with SEO trends better than working with search engines themselves. Hence, do not hesitate to set up an account in Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster, whichever you prefer.
The abovementioned tools will help you directly communicate with search engines. As soon as Google or Bing (and other search engines) release SEO announcements, you are ready to receive them.
Furthermore, these tools make it easier for you to get notified in case of crawl errors, submit your sitemap, or determine potentially malicious activities. Don’t worry! These are free to use, so there’s no reason not to sign up!
5. Subscribe to Industry News
A part of building your professional network is to keep in touch with industry news. You can follow reputable marketers to hear the newest SEO trend changes. Whichever medium you choose, you can find several digital marketing resources, may it be through podcasts, blogs, email digests, or videos.
Keep in mind that the goal here is to be informed, not to get overwhelmed. If you are not sure which news, blogs, or podcasts to follow, you can always start small. Choose a marketing resource to follow one at a time. As you go further, you can then add more to your following profile.
6. Use of Social Media
Nowadays, there are billions of active social media users. Surely, some of those users are business owners, SEO experts, or influencers. For example, Twitter is abundant with SEO “nerds” and marketers who share valuable tips and advice for the benefit of others. On Facebook, you can join several groups that share similar interests as you.
Moreover, social media allows you to chat with professionals. If you are struggling to understand a recent SEO trend, you can always leave a message to an expert online. Those who know can provide you with a breakdown of digestible ideas or, in some instances, suggest how to implement certain SEO trends in your organization.
Don’t be afraid to ask and interact!
7. Browse Through Renowned SEO Bloggers
Apart from industry media, SEO professional bloggers are also keen on the latest SEO trends. With one click, multiple SEO-related sites will show up on your screen, and you have the discretion to choose which blog to follow. Meanwhile, SEO experts may also initiate forums to discuss planned or recent algorithm changes, helping you learn insights and tactics to adjust your SEO strategy.
If you’re into audio-visual learning, you can also find reliable SEO news on YouTube. SEO vloggers cover various topics regularly.
Takeaway
Running a business indeed requires patience, leadership, tech knowledge, and other vital qualities. Especially in this age of information, more consumers maximize the use of technology to find ease and convenience in their daily lives. As such, the significant changes in consumer behavior will also affect how businesses promote their brand, products, or services. As more products become “one click away” for consumers, businesses also compete to get these clicks.
Whether through search engines or social media, business owners can greatly benefit if they work on improving their online presence. And as consumer behavior continues to shift, search engines and tech giants also update their algorithms to provide better services to the public. In turn, businesses will have to keep up with these inevitable algorithm updates to maintain online traffic and be consistent with what their consumers want.
To put it simply, if you want your business to thrive, you need to join the current wave!
Wrapping Up
Keeping updated with SEO trends and updates can do wonders for your business. Falling behind these trends will most likely result in disastrous effects on your search engine ranking, leading to potential loss of sales and revenues. But that should be the least of your goals.
Also, we’d like to reiterate that you, as a business owner, should know which of those tips is best for your company. Analyze your profile, current website performance, or sales data. Each organization can expect varied results, depending on how they implement their strategies or what their needs are.
The tips above provide only a general guide for business owners. If any of those seem unattainable, you need to identify what your company needs, your goals, or your profile. Every business has its specific goals and unique set of needs. What are yours?
Author Bio:- I am Louise Savoie Digital Marketer at Proweaver, a web development company specializing in Custom Website Design which helps sole proprietors and small companies increase their sales and grow their business. I am responsible for Content Marketing and Social Media Marketing. You can find us on Facebook: @webdesignproweaver and on Twitter and Instagram: @proweaver.
Thank you so much for sharing this valuable information. This website is very helpful to learn SEO.
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Thanks, Dude!
Thank you for a very interesting article.