The SEO industry has evolved rapidly over the last decade. While SEO continues to play a vital role in the success of websites, there are other important factors to consider. These less-known factors significantly impact the number of visitors your site gets and must all be considered to achieve the best possible results.
But what are these factors, and how can you use them to your advantage? We'll dive into this below.
Engaging Content
We hear it all the time – "content is king." High-quality, engaging content cannot be overstated. Using videos and infographics in your content may also be beneficial as they tend to rank well on search engines and social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. Videos and infographics help you engage with your audience, giving them a chance to quickly learn about your business or subject matter without having to read through long articles.
User Experience
Top-notch user experience is critical in today's competitive online world. User experience can be broken down into several sub-groups, including load speed, design/layout/navigation, ease of use, and content relevance. Ensure that your site is easy to navigate, aesthetically pleasing, and fast to load. Google PageSpeed Insights can be a helpful tool for determining how well your page loads and what you can do to fix any issues.
Expertise & Authority
As people are increasingly relying on the internet to make decisions, you need to ensure that your site visitors know that you are considered an authority on the subject matter at hand. Write knowledge-based articles that correspond with their intent and provide them with valuable content. When you provide visitors with valuable content that matches their search intent, they'll be more likely to engage with you in the future.
Mobile-First Indexing
Google has launched an initiative known as "mobile-first indexing," in which the search engine will rank mobile-friendly websites ahead of non-mobile-friendly sites. What does this mean for you? If your website isn't mobile-friendly, you could be at a significant disadvantage when it comes to organic search rankings. If you haven't already switched your site to a mobile-friendly version, consider doing so.
Social Media
Where do people spend their time on the internet? Social media sites. It makes sense, then, to make sure your website is optimized for social media. Add share buttons to your website so users can share any content they find valuable with their friends and followers. Interact with users on social media sites to build relationships and drive traffic back to your website.
Geo-Targeting
Google differentiates between websites in your local area and those that aren't based on where you're accessing the internet from. A search engine user outside of your targeted area will not see you in the results unless they run a search that's very relevant to your business. The bottom line? You need to be targeting your local area if you want to show up for searches relevant to your business.
Thinking Outside the SEO Box
Search engine optimization is important, but it's far from the only ranking factor you need to consider when growing a website. The more factors you can improve, the better your search engine rankings will be, and the more likely you are to attract the traffic you desire.
At Cureight, we specialize in helping companies drive more traffic and leads – and this doesn't stop at increasing keyword rankings. We audit each of our client's sites for additional factors, such as those mentioned above, so they can make the most of their website and skyrocket their rankings.
Ready to breathe new life into your online presence? Contact us today.
