Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has seen a lot of changes in 2017. It is not surprising, though, since any marketing strategy online always makes changes depending on the needs of search engines. It is, therefore, crucial for online marketing to keep on improving and adapting if it wants to be successful.
There were a lot of SEO innovations published this year that were never seen before. Some of these strategies are foreseen to be still present this coming 2018; while other procedures are rather short-lived. What makes some of these tactics work?
For one, some strategies see the long-term impact, so even though it is more difficult to implement these tactics, it is worth the time, energy, and resources of the business owner since these tactics would most likely work. On the other hand, other strategies that are easier to implement may not cause a headache at the beginning, but may just be a waste in the end with the tactics not even slightly working out.
Transparency is also crucial to finding success in SEO because this is one thing that search engines value. Transparency is a common trait among reputable SEO professionals. A search engine may not notice it at the beginning, but its algorithms always change for the better. Dodgy tactics today will most likely not work out in the future, so it is still best to go on the safe and sustainable side.
Now that the year 2017 is coming to a close, let us recap what we’ve learned from online marketing this year:
1. Mobile optimization for improving your SEO rankings
Before 2017, having a mobile-friendly version of your site was optional. This year made it necessary for every website to have its mobile version. It just makes sense since many people these days use their smartphones to browse the internet. And if you are one of those still stuck in the years prior, you may notice that your SEO ranking never improves.
Users who visit your site and find that you only have a desktop version would most likely leave your site immediately. If your website does not have a mobile version just yet, now is the time to publish one.
2. Saying goodbye to tacky affiliate marketing
Before 2017, it was acceptable for entrepreneurs and bloggers to publish posts rife with affiliate links without even mentioning that these links are, well, a form of affiliate marketing. The year 2017, thankfully, brought in the need for site owners to be transparent enough to inform their audiences of the presence of affiliate links on their posts. This year, we saw concluding lines that go somewhere like this: “It will not cost you anything more, but purchasing the product (or service) from the links provided here help sustain this site.” This line brings in tactfulness to the world of affiliate marketing which has become unregulated and therefore, search engines had to take action.
3. Saying hello to high-quality content
Before, website content was all about publishing a bunch of texts that had a lot of “hot” keywords on them. It didn’t matter if the material made sense. All that was important was for the post to have these keywords and to have backlinks to increase the site’s traffic.
However, in time, search engines became smarter and penalized cheating sites that put in poor content and poor-quality backlinks. This year has made high-quality content even more important to improve the integrity of your website, and it will most likely be on this same trend for the years to come. Who doesn’t want to read high-quality content, right?
We’ve learned a lot of SEO lessons from 2017. This year taught us that quality and transparency is crucial to thriving in the online world, thanks to a path paved by reputable SEO professionals. It is good news for everyone who has been fed up with misinformation and over-information online.
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