Have you enjoyed your SEO ride in 2014? Did you enjoy the changes and learning or was it a bumpy one that you won’t forget and don’t want again?
Well here at Growth Factory we thought we would throw out there our thoughts, opinions and what we are planning for. We have clients for some of the hardest phrases around (Including our own site), along with beating the ACCC and ATO for one client. We have certainly been kept on our toes but we love it, we came out on top and every update we were prepared for and nearly all clients’ sites went up in rankings and stayed there.
We have noted in recent times many picture heavy, low content and slow loading sites dropping off the face of the Google earth. We are working with many new small and large companies to get them back where they below or push them up to number 1.
Content is king again.. for now
We believe content is king again. Don’t run off and create useless content, don’t keyword stuff and don’t fill sites with text just for the sake of it. What we think you should do is create easy to read, informative, creative and relevant content and have it readily available and easy to find. Write for your customers, not for google.
Write a blog and keep it easy, don’t try and use big words to sound smart or show off your PhD. Write as if you were speaking to a friend, stick to your point and keep some detail about it. We say over 400 words if not more but don’t ramble on.
Duplicate content
Use a duplicate content checked, make sure you aren’t saying the same thing over and over and keep it interesting. There are plenty of great duplicate content checkers out there so go find one you like and do the research.
Spelling
CHECK YOUR SPELLING! And don’t use caps like I just did. It is so easy to proof read your own writing, use a spell checker and make it read well. I always recommend that you write a document, leave it for a day and then re-read it from top to bottom. I also highly recommend you do this with angry emails and text messages but that’s a different story.
Grammar
Use grammar, check check and check again. Nothing is worse than an article someone is reading to learn from and it’s full of bad grammar.
User experience
Make the website easy to use, make it easy to navigate and straight to the point. Make sure there is branding, a slogan to ensure your main product or service stands out and an easy way to call or contact you. Once all the basics are done and customers can get hold of you quickly then provide lots of other information for those clients or potential clients who want to read or learn about your business.
Mobile Mobile Mobile
Majority of searches on the web are now done with mobile devices and I have read predictions that by the end of 2015 that over 60 to 70% will be on mobile devices. If your website isn’t mobile friendly, fast and easy to use on a mobile then you really should do something about it.
No longer are people building mobile websites in most circumstances, they are building responsive websites that work across all desktops, browsers and mobile devices.
White hat only!!!
Forget tricks, grey hat and black hat. Google are getting better, faster and more aggressive at tackling bad practice, SEO cheats and people who don’t rank using their guidelines. They will catch up with you and by the time you rank you are probably in line to be punished or delisted. Be good.
Voice search
Siri will be queen one day, as voice search grows at an unprecedented rate you will need to keep that in mind. I’m sure there will be code, tricks and tips and ways Siri and all other sites will be able to search your site to ensure you rank and be the first recommendation. Keep your voice in mind or fall behind. A tip is to write some of your content as if you were talking to Siri.
Harsher penalties
Google will not let bad websites rank one day, they won’t let sites that don’t display on mobile sites rank and if you have a site with just pictures and little words then kiss your rankings goodbye. We believe that penalties will be handed out quicker, more of them and you will suffer.
Apps
Apps will eventually rank, search engines will rank these with feedback, popularity and by score. Ranking your app in search engines will be a part of the future and Google will ensure your app is just as good quality as your website if you want it ranked.
Products ranking
Next year we will see lots of products appearing in our searches, we have seen glimpses of it throughout 2014 and next year on the right-hand side you will see the top ranked & most relevant products. I guess paid for product placement also.
Backlinking still plays a part
– Use relevant, niche related links
– No spam, automated linking
– Ensure the links use the correct balance of anchor text
– Quality, not quantity. Links from high-authority, trusted sources are best
– Google looks at the links pointing to your links. Ensure they are clean also
– Ensure your backlinking content covers all the points raised above.
We think it will all settle down a little next year for all those sites that do the right thing.. it will be a fun and rewarding year for all those white hat SEO experts and we look forward to working with many new and exciting companies.
