We are only one month into the new year and there is already a lot of speculation in the SEO industry about which SEO trends are awaiting webmasters and website operators in 2019.
Search engine optimization is a constantly changing process, which is why we strive to keep you up to date on all the latest news.
You will not be able to avoid the following SEO topics in 2019:
1. Voice Search
You have surely noticed that the names Siri and Alexa are dominating our daily lives and our households more and more. But does this also affect SEO?
The answer is yes. When searching for keywords, queries from Voice Search should also be included in order to get a comprehensive overview of the search queries made. The Google Keyword Planner is a big help here. Identifying search queries that appear to be from voice search helps us to optimize the content on Voice Search and ensure that no traffic is lost here. Voice search queries can be recognized by the language and the fact that they are usually long-tail search queries and usually entail an action. For example, “What’s the weather like? ” or “Which restaurant is open in the area?”
2. Quality Content
In 2019, the world of SEO would be inconceivable without high-quality content. Because the following still applies: without good quality content there can be no long-term search engine rankings. Your website should be structured by so-called content-clustering into topic areas and be displayed meaningfully along the user journey. Media content such as images and videos can positively support the content and thus provide more relevance. Displaying user-friendly and valuable content on one’s own page is an increasingly important quality indicator.
3. Featured Snippets Form the Basis for Relevance
Featured Snippets answer some questions directly in the search results. This is the so-called position 0 and thus the best placed result for organic search queries. Nevertheless, when creating the content for the featured snippets, you should make sure that you make the content on your website interesting enough that the users still click on the link and get to your website.
4. Targeted Search Intention
User behavior is becoming increasingly important for Google because it can be used to find out how relevant a search result actually was to the searcher. Since the increasing importance of Google’s Rankbrain, ranking factors have changed a lot. The ranking is no longer only influenced by rigid influences such as meta-descriptions, but also by dynamic influences such as content design.
It is also obvious that Google uses information such as click through rate or a user’s search history to place search results. Google wants to create the optimal user experience. This should also be targeted by website owners. In order to create an optimal user experience, the user must be addressed positively through design, functionality and performance features.
The user should not only reach their goal quickly and smoothly, but should also experience positive feelings such as fun or joy during use.
A good user experience and usability also impacts the success of SEO. Especially with the increase in mobile use, these points will become even more important in SEO optimization in 2019.
For this reason, website operators should consider the following checklist for 2019:
- The design of the website should be appealing and aiming at the target group.
- Usability-optimized also means SEO-optimized.
- Landing pages should be conversion-optimized and contain a clear structure and call-to-actions.
- The focus should be on the added value for the user (user intent).
5. Mobile First
Google switched many pages to Mobile Indexing in 2018. In Switzerland, approximately 60% of search queries now originate from mobile devices. This means that the SEO strategy and measures should increasingly focus on mobile devices. The Google AMP offensive and the official confirmation that page loading speed is an official ranking factor mean that website operators have to add to the list.
To ensure that there are no disadvantages in Mobile Indexing, the following questions should be considered:
- Is my content suitable for mobile use?
- Is all important content also available on mobile?
- Is the page loading speed in the green range?
- If possible, is structured data embedded?
- Can AMP be used?
- Is the internal linking implemented correctly on the mobile version?
The year 2019 will bring some exciting innovations in the SEO sector, which will certainly develop differently in some sectors. Some challenges will be of technical nature because a satisfactory page loading speed on mobile devices will pose major hurdles for some website operators.
User Intent and Usability are still a vital topic in any SEO strategy. Therefore, not much will change in the Content and on-page SEO area. The focus here continues to be on relevant, search engine optimized content, which speaks to the Customer Journey.
Do you have any questions or need help with search engine optimization? Then send me an e-mail.
