30 Jan SEO Trends that Drive Website Traffic

Having a digital presence across various platforms is required today to keep you ahead or even with your competitors. Here are some SEO trends that can help to drive more and better website traffic to your website to increase your conversion rate.

Is Social Content Really Important?

Social media marketing can substantially increase your brand recognition and brand loyalty, and in turn increase traffic to your website. With increased traffic, there are more opportunities to convert a visitor to a customer.

There are an astounding amount of users just on social media sites alone. According to The Statistical Portal, as of April 2016, these are the number of users (in millions) for some of the top social media sites:

• Facebook – 1,590
• Instagram – 400
• Twitter – 320

Every blog post, video, or comment you share is an opportunity for a person to react. Those reactions can turn into a visit to your website and lead to a conversion. The key is discovering what outlet(s) work best for your organization – and that comes down to knowing who your buyers are and where they frequent. Read more about finding your audience online.

So ask yourself – are you maximizing your efforts to push your social content to have a site visitor convert to a customer to ultimately become your company’s brand ambassador?  

Video Is King

Let’s face it Google rules the online world with YouTube becoming the second largest search engine. Video content can be quite powerful as well as more engaging for your customers. For any new visitor to your website, it’s another way to gain more information and be entertained at the same time. In our current age of information overload, businesses can offer content that is easy to digest through the use of video.

A great example of this is GoPro’s “Fireman Saves Kitty” video. Originally, the video came from a firefighter out of Fresno, CA who had rescued a cat while wearing one of GoPro’s HD Hero3 cameras. In the following weeks that he released his video, it attracted 1.5 million views. GoPro recut the footage, added their branding and rereleased it on their own YouTube channel and their new clip garned 5 million views in just one week!

As the saying goes, if a picture paints a 1,000 words, just imagine what a one to two minute video could be worth!

Google is rewarding you with Mobile Optimization

This trend will only increase as the use of mobile devices increases. Your audience is no longer in just one place as more and more people are using all sorts of devices such as phones, tablets, laptops, and now phone watches to browse the internet. A mobile-friendly design is already a ranking factor for Google’s search engine algorithm. Websites that aren’t optimized for mobile will soon become (if they aren’t already) irrelevant.

Therefore, ensure that mobile optimization finds an important place in your company’s SEO strategies to stay ahead of your competitors. Responsive design of your website will become the norm, rather than the exception.

Local SEO Presence

Online reputation management is no longer just about having a website – by creating a presence on any and all web properties, you can gain visibility in search engine results when someone is looking for the services and products you provide. Your company should, at the minium, have a Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn, and Google+ accounts.

Consumers are using the internet more and more to do a simple search for a local business. If others are posting about your business on social media, for instance, those items could rank for your business name searches as well. But, if you are proactive about handling online criticism of your organization, the impact of one or two complaints can be reduced, and you may be better able to respond effectively and quickly to minimize monetary impact.

Final Thoughts

Following these tips may help to push more “foot” traffic to your website but it is up to you to ensure you continue to maintain these practices and are consistent with them. Remember to audit and review your efforts, make adjustments where necessary, and you will begin to see the fruits of your labor with your online reputation management.

This is one area where a bit of proactive preparation will almost certainly always pay off in the long run!

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