Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) can appear to be a bit of a mystery to many clients who are seeking substantial ROI from online marketing. The digital dilemma, I call it, as many businesses find themselves trying to work out a marketing quandary they never sought in the first place. Websites and social media have been thrust upon business people who are more at home with traditional marketing. The tools of digital marketing can help businesses understand their market and reach sections of that market not normally accessible. Here then are the top ten trends and tips in SEO for 2019.

Research Your Potential Market

First and foremost, is understanding your market and the audience for your digital marketing. ‘Never assume anything’, is something that my dear old dad, always, used to say. This is true of internet marketing too. The user intent of keywords is a perfect example of this. Google has shifted its search intent emphasis toward a more comprehensive solution, going beyond targeted phrases.

Quality Content is Essential in 2019

Quality content is more important than ever before in 2019. Websites that provide exceptional quality content and have some depth to that content are out performing their competitors who don’t. SEO companies that outsource content creation to ESL writers in third world countries, so that they can profit from el cheapo writer rates, will cost their clients rankings in 2019. Google feels a responsibility to the internet as a whole, it wants the readability of the content online to be top notch. Content needs to answer reader questions, inform, inspire and connect with its audience.

 Expertise, Authority & Trustworthiness

Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness (EAT) continues to be the most important factors for Google’s search quality rating guidelines. Hire experts to write copy for your website and establish credibility for your digital voice in the online space if you want to rank well. Remember that Google was founded by the children of academics, they value solid research and quality information communicated artfully by skilled exponents of the language they are written in.

Invest in high quality technical SEO. This means ensuring that your website or sites are up to speed in their functionality. Make sure that there are no hindrances to their performance for viewers online. JavaScript driven website will be more to the fore in 2019.

On-page optimisation remains an integral part of the SEO conundrum in 2019. Ensure that your on-page optimisation is on the money, with every area covered.

Voice Search will continue to grow exponentially in importance in the digital sphere.  Think about a voice optimisation strategy, if you do not have one already in place.

Make sure that the content on your website answers all the common questions your audience may have.

 Check that the navigation and internal search functionality of your site is working. Never assume anything, check and recheck weekly.

 Optimise for Featured Snippets and be rewarded by spikes in organic traffic.

 Value your SEO accordingly – AKA don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.