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“What movie should I watch”, “best travel deals to Europe”, “how to create a content plan” – people globally turn to Google with a variety of questions every second. According to a Bright Edge study, 53.3% of all website traffic comes from organic search. If you want potential buyers or clients to find answers on your website, you need to befriend the search engine. How? By setting up effective SEO optimisation for your site.
Today, the Brand-Aid team is here to help you understand the nuances and trends of search engine optimisation. Subscribe to our social media for insights on mastering digital marketing, enhancing your skills, and staying updated with our weekly posts.
SEO EXPLAINED
SEO, or Search Engine Optimisation, is a marketing tool and strategy that brings your website to the top positions in search results for targeted queries. In simpler terms, if someone is looking for your product on Google, they should land on your website.
The ultimate goal of SEO promotion is to attract more visitors, increase conversions, and boost profits.
According to HubSpot, 86% of consumers consider search engines the best way to obtain information. People of all generations predominantly use search engines to find answers online, as stated by HubSpot. Even Gen Z, seemingly the generation of social networks, primarily searches for information on Google.
SEO strategy is composed of several elements, including both on-site and off-site website optimisation. On-site optimisation focuses on enhancing content quality and site functionality, including:
Comprehensive audit of the site’s technical and SEO elements
Developing a semantic core
Content enrichment with quality materials, images, and meta tags creation
Enhancing user experience
Implementing hyperlinks for effective interlinking
Utilising micro-markup
Off-site optimisation, on the other hand, is all about enhancing the platform's reputation externally on third-party platforms. This involves:
Placing active links on directories and thematic online resources
Managing customer reviews
Crafting unique and valuable content for external platforms
SEO is not a one-off task but a sustained effort. Immediate results are rare; SEO is a long-term commitment. A website’s ranking may decline if SEO efforts are halted after achieving initial positive results.
RANKING: HOW GOOGLE CHOOSES "FAVORITES" AMONG MILLIONS OF SITES
After the user types a query in the search bar, Google activates its complex algorithms and displays the results. The system's task is to provide the most useful information. Ranking criteria are divided into:
1. Website usability. This refers to the page loading speed, mobile-friendliness, and other factors related to how easily content can be found on the site. By the way, Statista reports that 58.99% of global internet traffic is mobile.
2. Content quality. Factors here include content relevance, uniqueness, quality, and readability, as well as the website’s age, loading speed, and structure.
3. Context and past user experience. Local SEO optimisation plays a significant role. For instance, if you’re selling matcha in Melbourne, likely search queries would be “buy matcha Melbourne” or “matcha store in Melbourne.” Think with Google states that 30% of all mobile search queries are location-related.
4. Interaction with other platforms. The quantity and quality of external links, their relevance to search queries, and the authority of the hosting sites are also considered.
Based on these criteria, the search engine determines which pages best match the query and displays them in the leading positions (on the first page). Hence, the primary aim of SEO is to align your site with Google’s ranking metrics, securing a spot at the top of search results, attracting new clients, and elevating brand recognition.
5 SEO TRENDS FOR 2023: A GUIDE BY THE BRAND-AID
SEO is one of the most dynamic fields in digital marketing because Google constantly updates its ranking algorithm to make the search more user-friendly. As such, SEO specialists need to adapt and refine their strategies annually. Here, The Brand-Aid team shares five SEO trends to keep an eye on in 2023.
1. The new "E" in Google EAT. At the end of 2022, the popular SEO abbreviation Google EAT (Expertise, Authority, Trust) gained an additional "E": Experience. Now, when assessing the quality of content, the search engine also considers the author's experience. So, it's advisable to publish information about the creator alongside the material.
2. User-centric content. Google prefers content made for people, not just for the search engine. Content should be created to help and inform the reader, answering their questions fully and expertly. Using Google Search Console can help website owners understand what people are looking for and tailor their content accordingly.
3. Image optimisation. Images are crucial for attracting visitors. Only high-quality images and infographics are recognised by tools like Google Lens. Remember to use schema markup and alternative text to help Google understand the images. New image formats like JPEG 2000, JPG XR, and WebP are becoming popular because they use less data and load faster.
4. Video Content. Engaging and useful videos keep visitors on the site. With videos, they can quickly obtain a wealth of information. Pages that provide quick answers to queries always stay at the top of Google. Instructional and product review videos are particularly effective.
5. Voice Search. About 75% of voice search results are in the top three responses to a query, according to Backlinko. More people are using voice commands because it’s faster and easier than typing. To make a website voice-search friendly, use natural language and long, voice-friendly phrases that answer common questions.
Some trends from last year are still relevant, like SEO automation, optimising websites for mobile devices, and focusing on local SEO.
4 TOOLS FOR SEO SPECIALISTS: GOOGLE CHROME EXTENSIONS
1. BuzzSumo. This tool helps find popular content related to a specific topic. It allows you to analyse links and publications on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. BuzzSumo can assess the overall engagement level and determine the long-term relevance of a publication, meaning how fresh and appealing it is to the audience.
2. SimilarWeb. A fantastic and fundamental extension for SEO professionals. With SimilarWeb, you can quickly analyse user geography, ranking by country, and category. A tip for using SimilarWeb is to employ it for analysing competitors' websites.
3. Keywords Everywhere. This service gathers data from over 15 sites, including Google Analytics, Google Search Console, and YouTube. For instance, you can open any article and find out the key phrases used within it.
4. Spark SEO by seoClarity. An extension for content analysis on a website. It helps evaluate how well popular key queries are being utilised on your site.
Navigating SEO in 2023 means adapting to new trends and improving website content and user experience. By focusing on quality, relevance, and the latest SEO tools, your website can stand out on Google. Stay updated, be adaptable, and aim for content that not just attracts but also engages and informs your audience.
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Brand-Aid Creative Team