SEO Tricks for 2016 – Our Digital Version of Yellow Pages

AAA Plumbing.

AA Electricity.

Aarons Autobody Repair.

Did you know that it was common for many businesses to choose a name that would place them at the top of the list alphabetically in Yellow Pages? In the past, a company that was conveniently located at the beginning of a long list of options would get called first, out of sheer convenience for the people searching. The less time it took to find a valuable resource, the better. Fast forward to 2016, where Yellow Pages are almost nonexistent, and web searches are used now more than ever. Prominent placement of businesses in our world of online directories can be challenging, and not as simple as being ranked in Alphabetical order like the former Yellow Pages catalog.

Today, SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is more important than ever, considering how competitive the market has become. Having a search engine optimized website can put your business ahead of the competition by attracting more clients. SEO helps a business to drive quality traffic, get visibility, boost their brand, and give it the credibility that it needs to be successful. Check out our blog for five simple tricks that you can apply to your SEO strategy this year to achieve better results for your business!

1. Social Media

Social media should definitely be used as an integral part of your SEO strategy. Content from social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn have been gaining more importance on Search Engine Results Pages (SERP). SERP is the web page displayed by a search engine in response to a query of its search. For brand names, social media profiles are already amongst the top results in search listings. According to Impactbnd.com, 76% of marketers use Social Media to support and boost their SEO. More marketers are taking advantage of social media and doing everything possible to increase their social media activity influence on search rankings.

2. Local SEO

Local SEO is crucial for businesses and will only get stronger over the years. Local SEO focuses on providing results that are relevant to the searcher based on their current location. For example, if you are searching for a restaurant, Google would provide results that are nearest to you. It is advised for businesses to create and claim a local profile on Google and have other local pages, which have the name of their business, address and phone number. Having accurate listings can increase consumer engagement with your business and ranking.

3. Mobile Optimization

Most consumers in 2016 are using a variety of different devices throughout their day; smartphones, laptops and tablets just to name a few. Since users are no longer in one place, more businesses have become mobile-friendly. Mobile optimization is becoming more of the norm. By taking advantage and creating SEO strategies for mobile searches, traffic to your business will be increased. According to Neilpatel.com, the total number of searches on mobile devices has seen a 43% increase year-over-year. Since more people are using their smartphones to surf the internet, Google has released a new mobile-friendly algorithm this year which gives an additional ranking boost for mobile-optimized websites in the mobile search results. If you would like to stay ahead of your competitors, make sure that mobile optimization is included in your SEO strategy.

4. Videos

Videos are not just a great way to keep people entertained and engaged, but they can also be utilized to improve the ranking of your page on SERP. According to a report by Marketing Land, videos make for 62% of all Google searches universally. Since Google has started giving more attention to blended results and searches, it is a good idea to include engaging videos as a part of your SEO strategy. Videos get 50 times better organic page ranks in Google, compared to plain text results.

5. Voice Search

A lot of people who are on the go prefer to use the voice search feature on their smartphones or other small web-enabled devices. Voice search is a convenient feature for many mobile users who are driving or multi-tasking since they do not have to type keywords to run a search query. Major companies such as Microsoft, Google and Apple have launched their own versions of voice responsive assistants. According to Marketing Land, there is an estimate that by 2020, a full 50 percent of all searches will be done by voice. Since voice search will continue to experience growth over the years, it has potential to affect how local businesses are found. It would be smart for a business to make sure that their content is easily searchable through voice searches.

How Can Bigfin.com Help?

Search Engine Optimization can be a time-consuming process and takes practice. Here at Bigfin, our SEO work can increase traffic to your website, converting clicks to calls and calls to clients. Contact us if you are looking for assistance in growing your brand awareness in 2016, and we will help you create and implement strategies customized to your business.

Bigfin.com  is an industry leader in SEO, online advertising, and custom web design. Our comprehensive digital marketing solutions include social media management as well as social media advertising on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other social outlets. Looking for mobile website solutions or help with search engine marketing? Contact us online or by phone at (425) 822-8200.