SEO Strategies to Focus on This Year

The year is fresh, which means that there will be increasing Google updates. Most SEO strategies we’ve implemented in 2014 will no longer be relevant in the new year. Are you planning for 2015? Here are the SEO strategies you should focus on.

1) Mobile Traffic Optimization

In 2012, ComScore, an analytics firm, predicted that by 2014 desktop traffic would become second and mobile traffic would be more important. ComScore was right.

What we witness now is the plight of website owners from the dynamic to responsive platform. Even Google strongly believes that the best user experience can be provided by responsive sites. Bing also followed suit, saying that it prefers single responsive URLs.

2) ROI Metrics Prioritization

Keyword ranking as a metric is irrelevant these days. Conversions created by high ranking positions in search engine results pages (SERPs) are what matters more. Target and rank on useful keywords, and understand what these keywords translate into investment-wise.

3) Non-Google optimization

We’re talking about Bing and Yahoo! Some Internet experts say that even DuckDuckGo will be an important search engine in 2015 and beyond, but we shall see. The premise is Google only occupies about 65% of the market share, and the rest is divided. Would you risk the remaining 35%?

In line with this, just recently, Yahoo! had taken over Google to be Firefox’s default browser. Bing and Yahoo! are also attempting to seal the same deal with Safari. Did you know iOS 8 and OS X feature an option to switch browsers? Yes, you can easily switch from Google to DuckDuckGo.

4) Precise Keyword and Key Phrase Usage

Targeting broad keywords will fizzle out this year. Ranking for them is too expensive, and despite having huge search volumes, attracting highly targeted (almost ready to forget) traffic is difficult. Precise long-tail keywords are making a comeback because they have less competition and attract highly qualified traffic.

Doing keyword research shouldn't include merely looking for the useful and relevant keywords and key phrases. The keywords must reflect the purchase patterns of your target market. Why don’t you put yourself in the shoes of your consumers? What keywords will you use in your query?

5) Link generation

Google considers inbound links as one of the most important signals of a site’s authority and trustworthiness. Building links, that is, through chasing a large quantity of links, will only do injustice to your SEO efforts. The focus today is earning editorial links.

Editorial links are not directly requested; these are given willingly perhaps because your website is viewed as an authority site and has high-quality content. Earning an editorial link from a reputable site is more valuable compared to hundreds of links from irrelevant blog networks. The process not only builds brand exposure, but also attracts referral traffic.

With that being said, it would be a good idea to coordinate SEO and public relations (PR).

6) Targeted Social Media Marketing

Social networking sites are becoming more of a marketing channel with the consistent rollout of publishing and promotion platforms. These sites become an extension of your customer service. You have a social audience that you must build, nurture, and take care of. The audience expects that you engage with them, not just on a business level.

Of all social media networks, choose two or three to focus on that best caters to the nature of your business. Stay active on the social networks and have the goal of introducing your brand to as many people as possible. Accommodate to your audience, and generate more leads and conversions in the process.

Social media platforms allow you to share valuable content to your audience. The process may even present linking opportunities that may not be possible otherwise.

Bottom-line, organic traffic still rules. Your SEO must be geared towards driving such. On a lighter note, times are changing at a rapid speed, especially algorithm update-wise, so it’s best to keep up with the changes.