What SEO do I need in 2015?

It’s the middle of 2015. Have you begun your SEO campaign? Despite the predictions you might have read in the past year, Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is still alive and kicking, and in fact, remains as one of the best ways to boost your traffic, get more from your website and raise returns for your business.

What is SEO?

Let’s do a short recap of what SEO is all about. It is the process of identifying the keyword phrases that potential customers use in search engines to find products and services. SEO helps ensure that your website faces little to no obstacles in capturing the maximum possible volume of relevant incoming traffic.

SEO revolves around the idea that by giving your website a boost, you are providing your business with distinct advantages in an Internet-driven business environment. It helps get your business found more easily. Through this, you gain more leads, better chances at conversions and greater potential to make sales, among others.

Organic traffic is a key element in search engine optimisation. It is the type of traffic that is derived from natural search engine indexes, as opposed to traffic bought through search engine marketing (SEM) campaigns such as Google Adwords. To achieve organic traffic, pages in your website have to be optimised so that they conform to search engine algorithms and as such, get ranked in the search engine results pages.

Needless to say, algorithms can vary from one search engine to another. Google’s ranking criteria may differ from that used by Bing. SEO seeks to optimise your website for any algorithm so that you are guaranteed a good ranking in any search engine. Additionally, search engine algorithm changes periodically—keeping up with the changes and ensuring the best results every time is part of the aims of SEO.

SEO for 2015

A lot of things have changed for SEO over the last couple of years alone, thanks to shifting demands and Google’s changing algorithms. That, however, does not necessarily mean that it is too late to engage in SEO. Here are a few pointers to remember for SEO this year:

·         Google’s goals remain unchanged.

Google may have gone through many algorithm shifts but their purpose has always been to provide users with the best search results. The search giant has always considered user experience a priority and as such, has consistently rolled out algorithm updates that moved towards accurate, informative search results in websites that are easy to use.

That said, your SEO campaign must have user experience as its foremost goal as well. Put yourself in the users’ shoes and imagine what would make your search easier and much more fruitful. Will you benefit from a website that loads quickly? If so, then ensure that your own site loads fast. Would you, as a user, benefit from having more pictures in a site? If so, then add more images to your own site. Obtain the assistance of experts to ensure that the steps you take are in line with current search engine standards, but putting the interest of your site visitors first is a great way to start.

·         Never underestimate content.

As it turns out, one of the best ways to provide optimal user experience is to make information readily available through content.  Blog posts and other forms of web content are now considered as key elements of most content marketing campaigns, and are religiously integrated into many businesses marketing strategies.

To maximise results, make sure that your content is high-quality. Readability and comprehensibility are huge factors for users. They can affect how they see you as a potential resource and how often they return to your site for your content. Boost your web content with SEO strategies to increase their effectiveness and their visibility.

Moreover, content is a great way to spread your links and strengthen your backlink portfolio. Users searching for resources will be more than happy to link back to your content and your website if your posts are informative enough. This is just another reason to invest in well-created content.

·         Go mobile.

Google reported that a large percentage of search queries nowadays are sent via mobile devices. Consequently, the search giant rolled out a mobile-friendly update last April. The update rewarded websites that have adopted a mobile-responsive design.

As more and more users surf the Internet through their mobile devices, it is within reason that your SEO strategy this year should prioritise mobile optimisation. A good start would be ensuring that your website is mobile-responsive. This would mean that users would be able to use it conveniently and comfortably even through the small screens of their mobile devices.

That said, you should be careful about potential errors, especially as the technology is relatively new. This should, however, not discourage you from taking the path to mobile-responsiveness as, with adequate preparation, the benefits far outweigh the potential risks.

The year 2015 is not too late for you to get started on your SEO campaign.  The Internet offers plenty of insights into the many steps you can take, as well as the many ways you can enhance your online marketing campaign. Get started now with Vorian Agency – a Google Partner, Bings Ads Professional company and a Hootsuite Solutions Partner.