In this SEO podcast episode, Rebecca talks about the changes that occurred within the SEO industry in 2018. It was a very busy year for SEO and Rebecca walks through the highlights so you know what is important. She then wraps up with a list of SEO takeaways you should use to compete in SEO in 2019.
Overview of SEO Themes in 2018
- Positive User Experience
- Trust and Authority
- Topical Keyword Focus
- Customer Journey Mapping With Keyword Alignment
- User Intent in Search
- Semantic Language Usage
- Ongoing Technical SEO
- Performance and Speed
- Security (SSL & HTTPS)
- Accessibility
- Structured Data and Schema
- Voice Search
SEO Challenges That Arrived
- The Knowledge Graph truly changed everything and anything about organic search.
- Google became smarter and this entirely changed SEO strategy, planning, and execution.
- What worked before in SEO, may still work and you may still rank in search, but actual website traffic and conversions may have completely different results.
- No click search results are becoming more and more prevalent.
Today’s Takeaways
- Own your E-A-T
- Map the customer or patient journey
- Rethink on-page optimization efforts (i.e. stop talking about keyword density)
- Renew, refresh, and revisit outdated content
- Perform ongoing website audits with tools like SEMrush
Links and Mentions
- Pumpkin pie search results
- Google CTR in 2018: Paid, Organic, & No-Click Searches
- Rebecca’s full 1-hour webinar on SEO in 2018 and 2019
Today’s Episode Sponsor
Ahrefs is Rebecca’s go-to SEO tool for all things backlinks. She uses it for reviewing client backlinks, as well as deep diving into their competitor’s activity to discover new linking opportunities.
As mentioned in the show, Ahrefs is offering an exclusive giveaway to podcast listeners.
Every 4 shows, one listener will win a Lite Annual account to boost their own SEO performance! Send a tweet @ahrefs and @rebeccagill to tell us why you’d like to win this giveaway.