The rules of the SEO game have changed significantly in the last year or two. Google is now focused on the searcher, our customer, which means SEO is now a key part of everything we do online. This is actually great news for how to rank on Google in 2018.

Write About Topics Not Keywords

A few years ago, you had to force-feed them keywords. Now, “the machines” can understand natural language like never before. Of course, that means that ranking on Google has become quite complex. There are so many factors at play.However, there is a simple, topic-based approach you can use:

• Decide on a topic for your piece of content (via keyword research)
• Write the best and most helpful content you can
• Focus on your chosen topic
• When you are done, go back and “tune” your content to ensure the keywords are in the right places
• Create an enticing headline

Understand The Result Google Is Looking For

We always focus on the standard Google “result” and assume that all searches are the same. Remember, Google is trying to be the answer to the world’s questions. And in doing that, they are finding lots of creative ways of displaying the information they have available to them. Even if it comes from your website, without anyone visiting it.You can no longer assume that all your content will be displayed in the “standard” Google result.

So, next time you plan a piece of content, and before you even start to write a single word, take a moment to check what page one of Google looks like for that particular keyword. Is the first page crowded with images and maps? If so, your content will get pushed down the page and not get the attention it deserves!

Put Mobile First

How much of your traffic comes from mobile devices?

Depending on the industry, it can vary a lot. This is approximately what you can expect in your industry. If you are getting a large amount of traffic from mobile, it’s time to put mobile first. Google has rolled out significant updates in the last year that can penalize your website in mobile search results. That might mean you are losing significant mobile traffic. Understand where your website traffic is coming from by checking analytics. Then testing your website to see if it works well on mobile.

Your Visitor’s Happiness Takes Priority

Google has grown up recently and they now understand that keeping website visitors happy is the key. Why does this matter to your business? Google is watching how users behave when they visit your website. And if Google don’t like what they see, they can and will react.Imagine this scenario:

• You search for a pizza restaurant while visiting a friend in Boston
• You click on the first result (not the ads)
• The website is too slow, so you click the back button
• You try the second result, but you cannot find the opening times (back button again)
• Third try, the website is a dream. Fast, easy to use, mobile-ready, etc.

So, which restaurant would you finally end up at?

Google observes how users behave – through their access to such things as Chrome, Android, Search, Maps, Gmail and more. As a result, Google knows what people like (and don’t like) and prioritizes the search results accordingly. For them, that is good business. Because keeping you on search is how they make money. So, keep your customers happy online and it will make Google happy too.

To Sum It All Up

SEO is now something that affects almost everything we do on our website, which makes our lives somewhat easier.And in 2018 that means you should: write content based on topics, keep the user at the forefront of all that you do, think about mobile first and considering going secure (https) on your website.