A new year is upon us and with it a plethora of updates and algorithm changes to make you second guess your ranking methods. From Google’s surprise, mid-december Maccabee update to the FCC’s net neutrality repeal, 2017 was full of web-related shifts. So to help, we’ve compiled a list of some the best SEO & digital marketing articles covering the 2018 trends to look out for.
The rise of Voice Search
Image courtesy of NDB Photos. Licensed under Creative Commons 2.0.
With the increase in smart speaker sales like Alexa and Google Home, there may soon be a shift in the way people search online. Though the impact of new voice search related keywords is unsure, it seems likely this’ll be a factor in the coming years.
- SEO in 2018: Optimizing for voice search and SEO without SERPs is here with Google Assistant, Home and Amazon Echo. Here’s how to survive. by Bryson Meunier
- OK, Google: How Do I Optimize My Site for Voice Search? By Dan Shewan
- How to Optimize for Voice Search by Sherry Bonelli
The push for Featured Snippets
Google’s continued focus on user friendly experiences means featured/rich snippets or knowledge boxes are becoming the norm. In fact, back in 2015 Ben Goodsell reported that the CTR on a featured page increased from 2% to 8% after it was placed in an featured snippet. And the number of these featured snippets in search engines has only grown – meaning that optimizing for them now could mean a huge boost in organic traffic.
- Google’s latest search updates brings more content to Featured Snippets & Knowledge Panel info by Amy Gesenhues
- Featured snippets: Optimization tips & how to ID candidate snippets by Brian Ussery
- How to optimize featured snippets for voice search by Jessie Moore
The start of Mobile-first indexing
Following the trend of users searching mostly on mobile, Google announced in November that it planned to move towards indexing the mobile versions of sites first. This means that Google will consider the mobile version of your site before the desktop version when ranking. So more than just having a responsive site, it’s key to have a truly mobile friendly version.
- Google’s Mobile First Indexing: Tracking When Google Moves Your Site and Preparing for the Switch by Vanessa Fox
- Google Begins Mobile-First Indexing by Moving M-Dot Site to Responsive by Andreea Sauciuc
- Mobile-First Indexing: Everything we know, and how it could affect you by Sam Underwood
The increase in meta-description length
For anyone doing SEO, the 155 character limit is all too familiar. However, the frustration of crafting a tempting summary with a targeted keyword in the limited character length is about to be a thing of the past. Google recently boosted their snippet limit to 300 characters!
- How Long Should Your Meta Description Be? (2018 Edition) by Dr. Peter J. Meyers
- Google officially increases length of snippets in search results by Barry Schwartz
- (Update) 5 Tips for Google’s New Meta Title Guidelines in 2018 by Adam Fifield
The growth of video content
Youtube is the second largest search engine after Google, and the growth in video search is only projected to continue. After all, watching a video is more engaging than reading text. And the use of visuals, voice, and written text to explain ideas is a lot easier for people to understand.
- The 3-Part Secret to Video Marketing in 2018 by Anthony Helmstetter
- YouTube SEO: The Ultimate Guide by Brian Dean
- 4 Exciting Video Marketing Trends for 2018 by Michael Brenner
And for all you All-In-One Guide fans –
- How are you changing your content marketing program in 2018? By Rachel Lindteigen
- How to Rank in 2018: The SEO Checklist – Whiteboard Friday by Rand Fishkin
- Digital advertising in 2018: 5 trends to watch by Ginny Marvin
- 29 Experts on the Most Important 2018 Social Media Trends by Danny Goodwin
Anything we’re missing? Let us know!