As an online marketer, you are likely keen on keeping up with the latest industry development. That’s a good thing because it is the only way to stay ahead of the curve. In this article, we will highlight some of the game-changing SEO trends that dominate 2019 and will continue to matter even in the coming years.
The content is designed to help you make well-informed decisions about running your online marketing campaign. But first, let’s have a look at some figures.
The world marketing share percentage with regards to search engine uses highly favored Google, averaging at 74.54% in 2017, according to a Net Market Share survey. This survey emphasizes the fact that Google is a leader but also showcases that “others” like Bing, Yahoo and Baidu still command a following and would be absurd to ignore them.
Another study by Statista revealed that more than 4.33 billion people were actively using the internet as of July 2019. This is about 56% of the world’s population. The US, India and China rank on top of other countries when it comes to internet users.
Here are the top six trends that dominate Google SERPs in 2019. You will need them because statistics reveal that 93% of all traffic used to come from a search engine.
Again, research by Hubspot shows that the #1 position on Google SERPs gets 35% click-through rate for mobile and 34.36% for desktop. So, basically, if your site doesn’t feature at the top results, you are losing clicks, traffic and sales to your peers.
Trends.
1] Voice search is gaining popularity
About a decade ago, voice search was more of a novelty than a feature that people depended on. But enhancements in voice recognition technology has pushed the concept to greater heights.
In fact, voice search from Google has a 95% accuracy rate, and the company (along with other global companies like China’s iFlytek with 98% accuracy rate) are working on perfecting the tech.
Recent statistics reveal that 41% of adults use speech query at least once every day. By 2020, voice searches will account for at least 50% of all online searches, according to projections. The world movement to enhance the voice tech means you will need to adjust your SEO strategy to optimize for speech query routinely.
2] Mobile-first indexing as a work in progress
In March 2018, Google announced the shift to websites that adhere to the best practices for mobile-first indexing. Mobile-first indexing means that mobile versions of sites become the starting point for what Google adds to their index and the benchmark for how they rank.
This is in an attempt to help the primary mobile users find whatever it is they are looking for. So, as a marketer, it’s essential to ensure that your website is not just desktop-friendly, but mobile-friendly too.
3] Beyond Google Search
Experts believe that Apple and Amazon could cut into Google’s search dominance. As a marketer, you want to show up however and wherever people are searching. So you have to learn how to attract eyeballs and interactions for things other than just sites.
If a prospect is searching for applications, you need to appear at the top spots in app stores. If they are looking for videos or podcasts, you need to appear where users search for that stuff. Industry leaders are becoming multi-faceted, ranking sites, apps, videos and so on. You need to follow suit.
4] Content is still king
Content has and will continue to dominate the online world. Google 2018 update revealed that the company is emphasizing on analyzing content quality as well as the breadth and depth of a site’s content.
Platforms that offer exceptional depth in valuable content coverage literally ranked higher across the year as opposed to those that had weaker content depth.
5] Technical SEO continues to reign
Even as sites grow in complexity with each passing year, technical SEO still plays a crucial role in 2019 and will continue to do so in the coming years. Some integral areas of focus include speed, JavaScript, and Progressive Web Apps (PWAs).
6] On-Page optimization
Links are still critical, but On-page SEO brings the most ROI because it is an on-going strategy. It’s therefore essential to ensure.
- Your content address the common user queries.
- Internal site search provides relevant results.
- Return clients can restock commonly bought stuff with ease.
- Customer support is up to par.
- A short conversion process.
- You integrate chatbots to help clients.
- You offer clients with their stage fulfilment funnel.
