Google announced their January 2020 Core Update that changes the game when it comes to Denver SEO and website optimization. In general “content is king” when it comes to search and webmasters and content creators need to pay attention to the way they design their websites, what and where they are linking to, and what they are writing. Google’s algorithm revisions will have an impact on rankings so it’s important to keep up with the constant changes. In addition to reviewing the SEO Starter Guide established by Google, here are some tips for updating your website to improve your 2020 Google ranking.
Let’s Start With Quality Content: It’s all about really good content. Solve a problem and answer a question. It sounds simple but providing quality meaningful content posed in the search that makes the user’s journey easier is key to higher Google rankings. Creating content that engages the user and keeps them actively on your site for longer periods of time shows Google your content is valuable to them. Think quality over quantity. Quality content that meets the users needs include long form articles that answer the question or problem included in the search, naturally used keywords instead of keyword stuffing, and rich snippets (sometimes referred to as rich results). Content also includes the way your website is designed and how fast it loads. If users can quickly find what they are looking for and the information is easy to get to, Google will rank your website higher.
Securing Your Website: Is your website secure? Google wants it to be and if it isn’t it will alert visitors to your site. Updating your HTTP to HTTPS will greatly improve your Google rankings and potentially reduce your bounce rate (the percentage of users who visit your website and leave without going to a second page). Google flags HTTP sites as not secure that could result in visitors to your site leaving sooner than if it was a secure HTTPS one. A high bounce rate indicates to Google that your site didn’t solve their problem or answer their question.
Build A Mobile Friendly, Fast Loading Website: There are three main platforms for a website including mobile, tablet, and desktop platforms. More and more searches are made from mobile devices and websites must be optimized for mobile searches to rank higher in Google searches. It doesn’t matter is your website gets fewer mobile hits to your site or not. It must be optimized for mobile search to rank higher in Google. We recommend you take Google’s Mobile Friendly Test to review and analyze your website. Google also likes sites that load faster than others. The faster a page loads, the better the user experience and the higher a website is ranked. When updating your website, keep mobile friendly first in mind.
Think Artificial Intelligence: The intent of the search means more than just keywords so make sure content speaks directly to your audience. Siri, Alexi and other voice activated devices have changed SEO forever. More than 50 percent of searches are voice activated meaning SEO needs to be more conversational, chatty and casual. Keep in mind that voice searches typically include, “who, what, where , and when,” in the question just as they would with a conversation with a human.
The key to higher Google rankings is to continually optimize your website for an improved user experience in your 2020 marketing campaigns