With the ever-changing landscape of search engine algorithms, SEO has been both an art and a science.
The art is in developing the content for a site that both humans and search engine algorithms will enjoy, while the science is having the tools to help you execute this content.
But, as the search engine environment changes, so does the best SEO practices.
To help you prepare and adapt to these changes, here are three of the most effective strategies for SEO in 2020.
1. Link Building
While backlinks are still an important part of SEO, the strategies around them have changed. Gone are the days of blog comment spam and building hundreds of low quality directories.
Today, the most effective links for SEO are coming from social media, especially Twitter.
In fact, a study done by Moz found that links from Twitter (and to a lesser extent Facebook) have more impact on ranking than the homepage of NYTimes.com.
If you haven’t been paying attention to your company’s social media accounts, now is the time to start. Not only are you improving your SEO, but you’re also getting your brand in front of potential customers.
2. HTTPS
Google has been very public about their push for a web that is fully encrypted by default. By the end of 2020, Google plans to give a ranking boost to all websites that have implemented HTTPS.
This doesn’t just mean installing an SSL certificate and calling it a day, though. As of October 2020, more than 40% of domains with Google’s HTTPS indicator had no encryption whatsoever.
3. Voice Search
The next frontier of the web isn’t another form of input like touch or motion control, it’s voice. Just think about how much you use voice commands in the car on your way to work or even at home with Siri or Alexa.
This trend is already starting to bleed into the browsing experience and will only get bigger. If you aren’t optimizing for voice search, you could be seriously hurting your SEO by 2020.
Regardless of the SEO strategies you use in this ever-changing landscape, make sure you know what the current best practices are and that you’re utilizing them.
To help make sure you’re up to date on everything SEO, check out this guide on how to hire an SEO company.
