2014 was a year of great reckoning for Organic Search Traffic and in a lot of other areas, too. SEO is not dead and it’s not going away. It’s also probably not getting a lot easier. Some might argue, though, that it’s a little bit more fun.
For people searching for things on the internet, Google arguably got their backs, and for that, the internet itself is a lot more fun. Were it not for a lot of the changes that Google has made, the Internet would undoubtedly have collapsed under the weight of so many hot air filled SEO consultants convinced that what they’re doing (sometimes on behalf of their clients and sometimes not) is not spam. Technically, maybe it’s not spam, but just about every SEO way of tricking Google has gone under the bus, and the bus keeps rolling on.
If you’re running, or continuing your website in 2015, here’s the most important SEO points you should know for keeping and growing that essential Organic Search Traffic.
1. Every Page is a Topic
There should be a lot of pages and the full range of keywords and keyword phrases for each topic. Most competitive websites are regularly adding pages. Know the topics relevant to your sales – or hire someone willing to devote themselves to those topics to develop your pages.
2. Use URLs for Categories
That probably sounds more complicated than it is. (We can help). A good webmaster will use relevant keywords in the URL structure, and these are some of the most important places for keywords. They also need to be easily crawl-able. Keep them short and sweet.
3. Page Titles & Headings
… are not just titles and headings. Optimize for people reading them (not for search engines). Title tags appear at the top of the browser window, and in search results. Heading tags (like <h2> and <h3> tell search engines and people the level of importance of within the topic, so use them judiciously. But do use them.
4. Mobile-Ready Sites are Faster
And that matters. Faster sites are favored and mobile-friendly are favored in mobile searches. Both of these things seem to have stripped down a lot of “ye clumsy olde Internet” but their two factors (page-load time and mobile friendliness) that are going to keep us all busy for the coming year. Images and embedded media and lots of plugins are all on the chopping block as factors in slow you down, but they’re also relatively easy to deal with.
5. HTTPS for 2015
Some will tell you that this one is just on the horizon. Especially for anyone selling anything directly from their website, Google is increasingly emphasizing the importance of HTTPS as opposed to more common and more insecure HTTP. Hyper Transfor Protocal Secure (HTTPS) is designed to ensure that you can’t be hacked and that the site is encrypted. Taking care of it is usually beyond the scope of armchair webmasters or small business owners, but we’re expecting it to play a bigger role in the year to come.
Is there something we missed or that you think is really going to rock the SEO world in 2015? Just let us know in the comments below. Of course if you’d like to know more about any of the above, we’ll be happy to hear from you.