Search engine optimization, commonly referred to as SEO, changes so rapidly that it is difficult to keep up. With digital marketing becoming more important to businesses every day, SEO becomes all the more important. Here are some SEO trends to watch for in 2019.
Voice Search
Some experts suggest that voice searches will represent 50 percent of all searches by the year 2020. Every year, the popularity of voice assistants continues to rise significantly. The problem with voice search though is it requires an optimization strategy that is completely different than optimizing for text searches. The reason is what a person asks in a voice search will not be the same as what they type into a search engine. Once businesses get past the optimization hurdle, voice search is a trend companies should keep an eye on in 2019.
Search Optimization for Amazon
According to recent statistics, nearly half of consumers in the United States start their search for a product using Amazon. With so many consumer eyes on Amazon every day, it goes without saying that companies will need to build an SEO strategy for Amazon. Although Amazon will be hard-pressed to compete with Google on general search terms, it must be recognized as one of Google’s biggest competitors. SEO specialists expect a huge spike in optimization for Amazon in 2019.
Mobile-First Indexing
Now that 60 percent of all traffic on Google comes from mobile devices, Google had to create something to account for mobile indexing. Less than a year old, the so-called “mobile-first indexing” requires SEO specialists to build responsive, mobile-friendly websites. The sites must move fast, and they must be user-friendly. However, it is hard to pinpoint how SEO and mobile-first indexing will correlate since the rollout is less than a year old.
Blockchain
Most people familiar with blockchain technology associate it with cryptocurrency. However, experts say that the foundation behind this technology will reach farther than digital currencies. The bottom line on blockchain is it creates a secure digital record, or “footprint,” of online transactions. The technology in turn then secures search engine transactions between advertisers and owners of websites.
This may not sound like much, but there is an awful lot of distrust between website owners and advertisers. With blockchain, Google can act as a broker, or “middleman,” between the two parties to help establish trust and help complete secure transactions.