The Wonderful World of SEO

There is just one certainty about SEO: it’s always changing. It’s vital to stay on top of the latest algorithmic changes and updates to boost your rankings. Marketers who hold fast to old truths and outdated approaches will be quickly left behind in this ever-shifting landscape. We’ve compiled some important SEO stats for the new year; read on to learn some insider info that can help you to advertise better in 2020.

Google is Still King

In a recent analysis of search engine market share, NetMarketShare revealed that the ranking of search engines is exactly what you’d expect. Over 75% of all global desktop search traffic funneled through Google in 2019; Bing’s market share was nearly 10%, with Baidu (a Chinese search engine) ranking third with 9.34% and Yahoo fourth at just 2.77%. This means that in order to succeed online, you need to read up on Google’s guidelines. While these other providers can be considered, SEO best practices say that your customers are much more likely to be on the world’s largest search engine – plan accordingly.

Customers are Searching (and Innovating)

On average, 70% of a purchase decision is already made before a customer even engages with a company; this means that your potential clients are looking up reviews, rankings, and insider information before ever reaching out to your team. Of the billions of daily searches, 15% of them are brand new to Google; the opportunity to create new, relevant content is endless. Lean into this and shape your customers’ perceptions by providing accurate, positive information about your company and offerings online. Be sure everything is consistent in content, voice, and validity between platforms.

Content is More Important Than Ever

Over 50% of marketing executives said that on-page content development was the most impactful SEO tactic. Today, Google is run by an algorithm that sees right through keyword stuffing and shady SEO practices. Those who previously relied on archaic keyword-first titles and pages for every possible keyword variant may find themselves stumped in the SEO landscape of 2020. Fortunately, there’s one easy solution: write like a human. Providing high quality content that’s centered around a great user experience is possibly the greatest pointer we could give you on ranking well in the new year.

How Do You Rank?

SEMrush conducted a study on ranking factors and found the top four: number of website visits, time spent on the site, pages viewed per session, and overall bounce rate.

Two Key Inquiries

There are two new stars in the world of Google searches. “Where to buy” + “near me” mobile searches have increased over 200% within the last two years. Unfortunately, smaller businesses usually struggle to establish a significant digital presence, meaning that a lot of these searches route to big box retailers or national chains. If you’re a local business looking to boost your SEO (and your foot traffic), be sure that your offerings are adequately detailed online, either in informative pages or blog posts.

Searching for the Best

Millennials have created their own type of rigorous online research – they’ve started searching for “best” and “right now” at an unparalleled rate. Google found that searches with these terms have grown by more than 125% over the past two years. If these words are in your reviews or lists you’ve created, you can expect increased traffic.

A Recipe for SEO Success

If you’re unsure of how best to optimize your site, we encourage you to follow the links above for more information about the topics described. When in doubt, put the customer first in everything you do – that’s the best way to ensure success with your SEO strategy. Consider the user experience (issues such as load time, font size, and accessibility) and provided value (accuracy of information and depth of content). It’s hard to go wrong when you have a person-first mindset. If you have any more detailed questions, our managing partners are just a phone call away.

Webconsuls is a full-service digital marketing agency with offices in Nashville, TN and Los Angeles, CA.