SEO Strategies to Consider for 2019
Search engine optimization is an ever-changing field. What worked two years ago won’t be the best methods today. And with 2019 rolling in, you have to ensure that your top spot on the SERPs remains solid.
It’s a fact that the top result will get more exposure, clicks, and conversions. So when it comes to optimizing your website, you need to use the latest techniques on your sleeves.
SEO can become confusing and a pain to do. But if you want to earn the coveted spot in the search results, consider these five strategies this 2019:
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Focus on making your site mobile-friendly
Last year, Google rolled out its mobile-first indexing algorithm. What does this mean? It means that their crawlers will give more ranking favor to sites that are optimized for mobile.
Mobile compatibility also increases conversions due to the improved user experience. With more and more internet users opting for mobile devices, a mobile-friendly website has a lot of perks.
You can choose a separate mobile website, a responsive design, or an adaptive design. All of these come with a few pros and cons.
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Don’t forget the image type
Humans are visual beings which is why images are timeless elements in ranking a website. About 28% of SERPs contain images due to the fact that internet users want more elements that they can see.
However, you should pay attention to the image type you’re using. Basically, you have three options: JPEG, PNG, and GIF.
JPEG is the most common and widely used format since it’s compatible across all devices. Meanwhile, PNG is a little bit on the newer side which means there could be compatibility issues on the side of the users.
Lastly, the GIF format has become a craze. Still, it’s a bit limited on the colors and size.
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Speed is the name of the game
Time and again, website speed dictates whether a visitor will stay or close the tab. And in 2018, Google has finally recognized website speed as a ranking factor.
You can create Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) to make sure that you have an edge on mobile speed. Also, Google crawlers like the use of AMP since it speeds up the delivery of content to the visitors of your site.
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Consider hreflang implementation
If your website is designed to be accessed in multiple languages, you have to exploit hreflang implementation. Some think that this is redundant, but there might times that Google crawlers may find it hard to sort your pages.
With hreflang tags, your website adjusts its preferences based on the location and language from where it’s accessed. It’s crucial to display accurate content for your international audience.
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Pay attention to your XML sitemap
Creating an XML sitemap isn’t a hard task. Also, submitting it to Google makes it easier for the search engine to crawl your pages. A plugin in WordPress lets you generate a downloadable XML sitemap.
When creating a sitemap, don’t include pages you’ve blocked with the robot.txt file. In the case of very large websites, you should include your best pages that are well-ranked and well-constructed.
These are just some of the crucial strategies that you should apply on your website. SEO algorithms are constantly changing. But if you know how to keep up, optimizing your site should be easier.
