It is estimated that SEO experts trying to rank something high on Google need to take about 200 different factors into account, all of which have a say in determining whether a piece of content will rank well or not.
Further complicating this situation is the fact that a vast majority of these SEO factors is subject to regular changes.
This dynamic fluidity of rules is the main reason why SEO gets such a bad reputation – constant tinkering of search engine algorithms has the unfortunate tendency of leaving an impression that the field is too overwhelming to master.
However, in reality, things are surprisingly more simple than that. Sure, coders behind search engines do change algorithms on a regular basis. Google, the golden child of all the SEO practices out there, has a devoted team of coders whose only job is to create new and expand current algorithms.
After all, about 67K searches pass through Google every single second, so it’s hardly surprising that they need to work around the clock in order to keep the entire machinery up and running.
However, no amount of code tinkering, either at Google or anywhere else, will ever change the main goal of what these platforms are trying to do. Search engines always aspire to deliver the most relevant results to their internet users. And all the changes to their algorithms are always made in order to reinforce this agenda further.
The Importance of SEO Basics
Although the technology behind search engines is always evolving and new features are added on a daily basis, certain fundamentals of ranking content will never change. These basic principles come down to successfully answering the following four questions:
- Are search engines able to find your content?
- How is your website organized and how is its content prioritized?
- What is your content precisely about?
- How can search engines be sure that your content provides trustworthy information?
For those of you not yet quite familiar with optimizing websites, answering these four questions will solve the four biggest factors of SEO: crawlability, website structure, keywords, and backlinks.
Chances are that, if you’ve made sure these four aspects of your website are accounted for, you’re well on your way to ranking well on all relevant search engine platforms. This remains true no matter what changes are made to search engine algorithms.
Nonetheless, Keeping up with SEO Trends Is Important
While the aforementioned basics of SEO will continue to be the main pillars of ranking well on search engines, keeping up and aligning with the most important trends in the field can have a tremendous effect on your ranking.
In fact, staying up to date with trends is what separates top-of-the-line SEO experts from their less successful colleagues. The following infographic will help keep you out of the latter category. It will do so by providing you with a list of the most prominent website optimization trends that gained momentum during 2018.
The infographic comprises of a vast assortment of topics, like how long it currently takes to rank on different platforms, who dominates the search engine market, how big of a role mobile phones play in this day and age, what’s the difference between organic and ad-driven traffic, etc.
All in all, you’ll be given practical advice on how to boost your website optimization abilities, as well as become informed about what your SEO skill set needs to have in order to remain competitive in 2018.
References:
https://seotribunal.com/blog/stats-to-understand-seo/
