Search engine optimization is the field that is constantly changing, as Google continues to update its algorithms on a day-to-day basis. In this article, we are going to take a look at some WordPress SEO trends for 2018, so you know how to improve seo in the future.
1. Voice Search
How To Prepare For Voice Search
Voice search accounts for 20% of all online search requests. By 2020, this number could well reach 50%. We are at the junction of huge changes on the Internet, which means that there will open up some new opportunities for SEO experts dealing with the WordPress CMS.
Optimizing for voice search may require new methods because it differs from the usual way of working with Google. Instead of incoherent words and incomplete phrases, users, as a rule, use relevant, correct questions, with which the search algorithms will have to work. In other words, to market your WordPress site, you will need to start optimizing it for a new kind of “voice keywords”. Long-tailed keywords that fall into one of six different forms (“who”, “what”, “where”, “when”, “why”, “how”) and a question mark are keywords that are worth looking into to optimize for voice search.
2. Focus on user-friendliness
As always, Google will continue to support sites that provide visitors with a quality user experience. Conversely, WP sites that are uncomfortable for visitors will have a low rating. As the quality of sites improves, the expectations of users will also grow.
Using Google Analytics to analyze the behavior of users on your WP site, you can get an idea of how much they like the site. A high bounce rate may indicate that you need to change something and implement some seo tricks. You can improve UX on your site, increasing download speed, making it user-friendly, solving technical problems and, of course, creating better content for your visitors.
We recommend you use a site usability assessment tool from Plerdy to test the usability of your site for visitors, while also keeping track of their behavior. This tool is quite popular, and we hear that most big platforms such EduBirdie essay services make use of it.
3. SEO-content for visitors
Google’s Direct Answers: How to Keep Visitors Coming to Your Site
Content will remain one of the main seo techniques 2018 and ranking factors. However, Google’s policy is to provide users with the best of what is on the Internet, so the content requirements should change again in 2018.
The best way to surpass competitors’ WP sites, which at the moment occupy the first positions in search results, is to provide visitors with better content than your competitors. The content that gives users answers to their questions and helps solve their problems is the kind of content that Google values the most. If you want to surpass other WordPress sites in the TOP-10 SERP, create topnotch content to compete with them.
And, of course, your content should be optimized for search engines taking into account the latest seo techniques. This means that it is necessary to place keywords moderately in:
- Title tags
- Meta description
- H1-H4 tags
- Image names and alt tags
- Articles and texts
Last but not least, think about how to diversify your content with LSI keywords, semantically related to the keywords that you use. This gives search engines a better understanding of what your content is about and helps earn authority.
4. Be careful when acquiring backlinks for your WP site
Backlinks and off page optimization are among the most important factors for WP website promotion and will remain so in 2018. However, you need to be more careful about how you acquire backlinks. Earlier in May, Google noticed an increase in spam links from guest posts, and now it is likely to closely monitor such posts in the future.
Of course, this does not mean saying goodbye to guest posts, but you just need to keep them within the permissible limits not to damage the reputation of your brand (make sure that a guest’s publication does not contain more than one link to the WP sites, which it wants to promote). Instead of choosing one way to get links and use it until you get penalized by Google, get links from different sources (look at your competitors’ back-link profiles) and Google will appreciate such a link building seo strategy 2018 much better.
5. Monitoring and conversion optimization
To have an idea how well your WordPress pages are converting, you will need to attach the UTM tracking code to each of your main links and carefully study things in Google Analytics.
Tools for monitoring the behavior of users on a webpage is exactly what you need to supplement Google Analytics. You can analyze your WP heat map and immediately see the weaknesses in the design of your site. Perhaps your calls to action do not get enough clicks simply because they go unnoticed! They may even not look clickable, or maybe your calls to action are not effective enough and need to be improved. This should be taken into account when promoting your WordPress site.
Keep in mind that no tool can solve your conversion problems, but they can point you the right direction and save a lot of time.
6. Improving the CTR to compete with the “position zero”
How to rank for ‘position 0’ in 3 simple steps: A featured snippets primer
“Position zero” offers a lot of space for advertising and extended snippets. However, this causes problems for organic SEO. If a WP site does not occupy “position zero”, it can be quite difficult to find it, even if it is in the first position in the SERP.
Thus, the goal is to increase the CTR of your site in search results. You need to make it more attractive to users, so much so that all these quick answers do not seem relevant enough. Here are some useful tips for high-quality WP website promotion:
- Optimize the titles and descriptions of your pages. Do not make them long so that they are cropped when displayed in SERP. Put keywords in them, but also consider using amplifying words that cause emotions (for example, “amazing”, “best”, “tested”) and promise fast solutions (“fast delivery”, “24/7”, “now “).
- Optimize URLs. The string of random letters and numbers at the end of a URL looks chaotic. A readable URL that describes what the page is about is much more likely to attract users’ attention and earn trust for your content.
- Use numbered lists in your content, as well as the numbers in the headers. A study conducted by Conductor showed that numbers increase the CTR by 36%.
- Use the schema markup on your WordPress site. An additional HTML code on your pages turns into additional bits of information next to your site’s link in search results. Therefore, it looks more reliable.