Search engine optimization used to be easy. You just had to produce a website or landing page, toss on an SEO friendly title, add a few high quality images, and scatter the keyword you want to rank throughout the content a few times. Voila! You’d rank on top of a Google SERP (search engine results page) within a day or two. Times have changed. Over the years Google has continually made tweaks to their layout which eventually added up to significant changes. In this article we’re going to go over the features of Google’s new layout, how it influences the future of SEO, and what you can do to keep up.
Some of the major changes to Google’s new SERP page layout involve the following.
PPC Ads
You’ve probably already noticed that Google has changed how it serves up search ads. In the past, PPC ads were clearly identified (in a column to the right of the page), but today they blend in a lot more. Currently, 4 ads can show up at the top of the page – 3 at the bottom, forcing organic search results down the page. This is a positive side effect for those who use PPC advertising because more ads can show up at the top of the page. This means that those who use PPC ads can expect increased interactions with their target audience.
How Google’s New Layout Effects the Organic Traffic
It’s a lot harder today to get more organic traffic, and it doesn’t just come down to Google’s complex algorithm or the hundreds of other factors that mattered in the past. It’s all about giving users what they want in 2019, improving the user experience.
Google is focusing more on answering a users’ questions and meeting their search intent directly on the SERP. In some cases, users don’t even need to click on links to have their search questions answered. Listings these days may have a map, the components of their knowledge graph, more images, videos, and anything else Google senses users may want. Because organic listings are being pushed down the page, and user’s questions are answered without needing to click through, organic listings can end up with fewer clicks over time. That said, it’s still important to go after organic search ranking, because people are conditioned to bypass ads, preferring to click on organic listings.
Featured Snippets
So why do some websites or pages appear “above” the initial search result? This is referred to a “featured Snippet”, or “position zero” in the SEO field. Featured snippets appear above the traditional list of 10 links on Google’s SERP. Snippets are an important feature because of the increasing popularity and use of “voice search”. Google uses the featured snippet result for their “one true answers” response to voice searches.
There are several forms of featured snippets, consisting of content collected from third-party sites. Google typically gives attribution to the site the content is gathered from. As time goes on, you’ll see more versions and variations of snippets integrated in future Google layouts to provide users with answers faster.
Featured snippets are highly coveted, presented on 10% to 15% of search queries. It’s important to note that most of the sites that earn a featured snippet have already achieved a 1 through 10 position in the organic results. So, this means you need to be ranked in position 1 through 10 as well.
Voice Search
Because of its already prolific use, Google and other search engines have placed a much higher focused on voice search optimization. Because voice search drastically improves the user experience, industry leaders have predicted that by 2020, approximately half of online searches will be made via voice search.
When considering search terms for voice, it’s recommended that you come up with search terms that your target audience would more than likely say/ask (question phrases are the most frequently used search terms on voice). Keep the question phrases as short and simple as possible.
Omnichannel SEO Approach
Google defines omnichannel as “ensuring [retailer] marketing strategies are geared toward enabling customers to convert on any channel.” The best way to achieve great results with your SEO efforts is to take an “omnichannel” approach instead of relying on one tactic. An omnichannel SEO approach makes it possible for you to meet your audience wherever they are on the customer journey. Offer consumers multiple ways to reach your business (PPC/Snippets/Organic/Social Media, etc.). With the PPC route, your ads need to be exceptional so that you get the most out of your efforts and investment. To gain and hold the top organic spots, you need to continue to improve upon content (message) and SEO efforts. It’s also important to keep in mind that consumers expect their experience to be seamless, regardless of the platform or search engine they’re using to interact with you.
Google’s new page layout may bring new challenges, but those who work hard and invest in SEO will continue to rise to the top.
Mixed Digital is a Google Partner agency with over 20 years experience, $5M+ media managed, and over 1,000 campaigns executed. We are also industry recognized for our SEO work with over 12 years experience in the arena. If you want more out of your search efforts, let’s talk. We’ll even conduct a limited audit on us!
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