You are currently viewing SEO ranking factors 2018

SEO ranking factors 2018

We’re a few months into 2018 now and the GB Design Studio SEO all-stars have been keeping a close eye on emerging trends that could affect your SEO ranking factors 2018. Want to get (or stay) at the top of Google? Here’s what you need to know.

 

Backlinks still rule

Building backlinks to your website’s most important pages should still be at the top of your to-do list in 2018. But be aware, Google is getting tougher on spam and if you’re not building your backlinks in the right way, you could end up doing more harm than good. Quality rules over quantity, so make sure the sites linking to you are relevant to your niche and subject matter.

 

Responsive sites are essential

If your website isn’t responsive then not only do you risk losing the interest of half your visitors (research shows that over half of the UK population now browse regularly on their phone or mobile device) but Google will penalise you as well. For more information check out our blog post: The risks of not having a responsive mobile website

 

And so does speed

Basically , if you want your site to load as quickly as possible so ensure that large graphics and images or multiple plugins aren’t slowing your site down. Check out the Pingdom Website Speed Test to see how your websites load time measures up.

 

Content is king (still)

Blogging should still form a major part of your SEO campaign. Google love fresh content and if it’s quality, so will your readers. There’s a huge amount of content competition out there now so focus on creating the best, most informative, most useful content that you can. In a nutshell, write amazing content and promote the hell out of it.

 

Social Media matters

Google is paying a LOT more attention to you social media activity now so if you’re not active on at least one or two channels it’s time to make more effort. Using your keywords on social media can give your ranking a boost but the real goal is engagement. The more shares, favourites and likes your posts have, the more important Google thinks you are.

 

Vary your keywords

If you’re using the same keywords over and over again throughout your site, stop. Not only is this kind of SEO largely ineffective, but it can also lead to your page competing with one another. Think variations on a theme and use a different keyword or long-tail keyword phrase for each page on your site.