Search Engine Optimization is a key component of any website’s marketing strategy. No matter what the ultimate goal of your online presence is, without proper search engine visibility, your online projects are not likely to succeed.

This is primarily why even though social networks are rising as popular sources of traffic, search engines still remain the de facto standard for seeking information and browsing through content on the web. As such, what SEO trends should you be aware of presently? Any special ideas that you need to bear in mind to get the top rank in Google? This article provides you with all the answers to these questions.

1 Mobile Search is Rising Even Today.

Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets have been around for quite a while. It is common knowledge now that a good chunk of traffic comes from mobile devices and, in turn, mobile search.
Naturally, webmasters have been responding to the trend. I’m pretty that if you are reading this blog post, your website is already responsive and mobile-friendly. However, there is more to this than just a responsive WordPress theme.

First, while AMP was announced way back in 2015, it has still been gaining traction and it is only now that its importance is being felt. Websites and blogs having AMP enabled pages are getting better response amidst mobile users. Luckily for WordPress users, there is a plugin that makes your site AMP-ready without much efforts.
Second, mobile search means your website needs to adapt to mobile devices. This requires UX considerations — your social sharing buttons should have WhatsApp and Telegram as options for mobile users. A good comprehensive SEO strategy requires such deep planning, after all.

2 Voice Search!

Google has introduced voice search on its mobile app. Bing too has had it for sometime, and assistants such as Cortana work mostly via voice search.
What does this mean? Simple! Voice search is a recent phenomenon and it is ever on the rise. Consider this: as many as 40% of voice search users have started using it only in the past six months. This means that voice search is still a relatively newer concept and is gaining traction nowadays.

How can you frame a good SEO strategy for this? Voice search is especially important if your website has content in a specific language. Speakers of the said language are more likely to speak and search in their own tongue, thereby giving your website a possible advantage in terms of search results. Here is an example: you are running a news site in Georgian. Now, Georgian language speakers might conduct a voice search for a specific phrase in their language. Obviously, your website can be preferred over a non-Georgian one as far as your content and all other factors are in order.

Thus, you need to re-evaluate your keyword strategy and try to make it more “natural language” based. Gone are the days of machine-based article spinners and content generators. Voice search relies almost entirely on natural speaking abilities of humans and your content should be modelled around that.

3 Bing is Not that BAD.

When it comes to internet search, Google has dominated the scene for so long that many users tend not to even think about alternative search engines. This is practical though — with a majority share of the search market, Google is almost synonymous with internet search.
However, Bing is a worthy option and you should take is seriously when framing an SEO strategy.
Why? Put it this way: Bing is the default search engine for Cortana and Microsoft Windows. Plus, Bing is also part of Alexa.com search metrics. Now, count the number of Windows users around the world. Obviously, it is not an audience too small that you can afford to neglect it.

Furthermore, Bing works well with voice search, and as mentioned above, websites that work with natural language-based keywords can have a greater chance of performing well in voice search results.
So if you have not done so already, consider signing up for Bing Webmaster Tools. It does not have to be the main aspect of your SEO strategy, but be sure that Bing is taken into account when making SEO decisions for your website.

4 Local Search is Useful Too.

Lastly, depending on the nature of your online business and website, you should consider the importance of local SEO.
Considering the rising dominance of mobile devices and stuff such as maps and online reviews, local SEO has become very important of late. Irrespective of the nature of target business, be it doctors and dentists, or restaurants and hotels or even plumbers, local search results with ratings, reviews and even contact details are a vital entity nowadays.

If your business is location-dependent, be very sure that you have your contact details updated. Rich snippets in the form of reviews and ratings can also prove useful. Local search visibility has become a necessity and every decent Search Engine Optimization technique must take local search into account.

Conclusion

So there you have it, some of the latest search trends for you to consider and bear in mind to help you get a better pagerank in Google.
Any other specific SEO trend that you noticed? Share your views in the comments below!