Prepare Now to Avoid SEO Heartburn Later

While Google can sometimes be cryptic, the company has been dropping a few hints at what the next search algorithm will contain. No one knows exact detail. There have been some clues though. In recent blogs and conferences, representatives are stressing a few main factors. You can bet on these items to be considerable factors in your site’s ranking.

Industry insiders noted this summer that a smaller update occurred unannounced. This one built on the previous update, providing a bit of a balance. There was a larger emphasis on content quality.

Why the new focus on quality? Isn’t quality already a factor? Yes, it is, but the goal now is to provide fast results that are extremely relevant. The best way to make sure this happens is to focus on quality. No one wants to click on spam or unrelated content, especially on a mobile device. If the search results are highly relevant, everyone wins.

Design for the Mobile First World

We need to be ready for the mobile first era. This mantra is one where Google gives clear, unambiguous direction. The next big update will get rid of the current two index systems: desktop and mobile. Instead, mobile site will be ranked first. On the webmaster’s blog, it states,

“…while our index will be built from mobile documents, we’re going to continue to build a great search experience for all users, whether they come from mobile or desktop devices.”

Any site that’s not mobile friendly will not get a top ranking. Use this tool to see if your site passes the test.

Do you have a mobile site? Don’t rely on it. Websites with a responsive design will reap a greater reward over m-dot sites. In fact, Google is pushing for responsive designs since many mobile sites are scaled down versions of the desktop site.

How Can You Prepare for the Update?

Avoid the surprise when the update rolls out.  Follow these steps to make sure you are ready for mobile first search.

1. Move to a Responsive Design. As mentioned earlier responsive designs are the preferred choice. These sites will scale to the user’s screen size, making them feel the same on a phone, tablet or desktop, creating a seamless user experience. If moving from a m-dot site to a responsive site, using 301 redirects is a must.
2. Use a Secure Site (https://). Now more than ever, users want a secure experience. Using this type of encryption allows for it. Remember to use 301 redirects to direct users to the new secure URL.
3. Help Your Site Load Faster. Google prefers you to use Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) or develop an app-like experience using Indexable Progressive Web Apps. If this type of programming is too costly for you, consider using a CDN (Content Delivery Network). Cloudfare offers a good one as well as security features. This process caches your page, allowing a lighter version to be served to user. You can cache just images or text, images and code. Ultimately, this should make the site load faster.
4. Make Sure All Elements Are Crawlable. This step should be central to any SEO strategy. Search engines cannot see certain elements such as text in images. Also, check to make sure areas are not blocked with robots.txt.
5. Develop Rich Content When Applicable. Using schema.org markup is essential. There are several plugins that provide this data for WordPress sites and other content management systems. For more information, view this guide.
6. Create Actionable Content. Anyone can find any kind of content on the web. How do you make your site stand out among the others? Answer the questions that prompt people to search in the first place. If you are providing a solution to a problem, you are creating quality content that people will use and share.

Mobile First Is Already Here

If you wait until the next update is announced to make these changes, you could be losing out on leads and customers. Think about your own behavior on a phone. We do not have patience to wait for a site to load. Instead, we click the back button and move on the next search result. The average person loses patience after three seconds. That’s not a lot of time. Because of this fact, making these changes is important not just for your SEO but for the user experience as well.

Are you looking to revamp you SEO efforts? Let us help you. Contact us today for a free quote on your SEO consulting needs. Call us today at 404-750-4352.