SEO is hardly a well-defined science. Even after all these years, it remains unpredictable and it evolves over time. And I always think like, there is no point in predicting the outcome of your SEO practices unlike or unless you find the right strategies that can push your results. After all these evolutions underwent by Google search engine, one thing is sure as anything, an effective SEO strategy is no longer about keyword stuffing and link counts but about quality in everything.

This article will cover the 10 best SEO strategies that will benefit in your quest for adaptable Digital Marketing ideas.

Optimize Your Website For Mobiles

Mobile optimization has been important for years and it is a known fact that more than 50% of Internet users prefer mobile devices for web browsing (Reference: As per the survey conducted on Oct 2016). Followed by this survey, Google launched their Mobile-first index on Nov 2016. However, with this update, Google took a strong stand that, they began using Mobile version of any website as its primary index. This seemed to be a sudden change of course but it was nothing but understanding their most important aspect, the users. This refers to the significance of a mobile optimized site.

And I personally suggest implementing Structured Data in your mobile websites, because Google admires that.

And in order to optimize your website for mobile and tablet environment successfully, I suggest using WordPress Mobile optimizer. It will help automate your website by automatically adapting to the environment as it senses the kind of device it is being viewed on or else you can create a mobile friendly website by your own. Either way, it is worth spending your time and money on it.

Google Featured Snippets

It’s been two years now since Google launched snippets and still for many marketers it is more like a mystic puzzle. If you are not yet convinced that the Google Featured snippets can be helpful in your SEO, then today is my opportunity to change your perspective.

There are few important facts regarding the snippets. First, Featured snippets always come before organic results. And that’s why I used to call them ‘#0 ranking position’. In this scenario, the first organic results itself will be pushed downwards below the ‘people also ask’ box.

Moreover, You will always get two listings in the result page for a single page. Remember Featured snippet may not always come from the first organic result but definitely, you will get two listings.

Now the question is, How exactly Google is choosing the snippet to feature?

Obviously, Google isn’t picking it manually. It’s an algorithm.

So, what really is the criteria for picking the content when it comes to the algorithm?

The answer is simple “Right Format”, which may vary in accordance with the specifications in Google Algorithm. Featured snippets may be:
Text
Lists (Ordered or Unordered)
Images
Charts
Tables
Knowledge Graphs

And without any disparity, any website can achieve Google Featured snippets. Now, that is the brighter side.

There are also certain disclaimers regarding Featured snippets, You can do a search and find snippet now but it may not be there after an hour or so. And also, just as it can improve your CTR, it can reduce it too. Because the searcher already finds the answer, no need to click your link. Cheeky isn’t it?

Optimize For Voice Search

The way people searching for information online is changing and so do Google SEO. Recent studies have shown that there is a rapid increase in the use of Voice search feature, all because of the accuracy it can impose to the desired results.

When optimizing their website for SEO, people usually go to Google keyword planner to find out the keyword volume and the frequency of the search but when it comes to Voice search, people won’t say things like they would write them. This is the very basic understanding and this is why you need to listen to the way people reference you, your business, product or services. It may seem silly but you definitely need to talk with your customers, vendors, prospects, family, or anyone else who might enquire about your business. observe the words they use.

Think about your keywords in more conversational context than a written one. And always remember Long tail keywords are the key to Voice search optimization. Believe, it works.

Optimize For Local Search

You may wonder why I choose this as a significant SEO factor. Well, this is because I finally realized the hike in the use of Voice search feature. According to Google four out of five customers use a Search engine for local searches. And till many businesses have not tried a single local business listing online. A huge missed opportunity, I would say.

It is very important that you should list your business in top online business directories like Yelp, Merchant circle, City search and more.

Another important thing is to Google my business. It is claimed to be a directory, but trust me, it’s huge. It is absolutely free and you will get excellent exposure if you optimized well enough.

Local structured data markup is the yet another beneficial factor in my opinion. It can be added to your website code which will provide more information about your business, like products you sell, services you offer, reviews you got and lot more.

Only 31% of websites use Structured markup now. And by using this feature you can definitely make your website stand out. And Google also wants you to add Structured markup because it will benefit their spiders to determine what your site content is about. Google even offers Structured Data Testing Tool to check whether you have implemented the markup properly or not.

Adopt Quality Link Building Strategies

Links shares the top three ranking position along with Content and Rank brain from years now. And there were times when I heard people saying that link building is no longer A relevant SEO strategy. But I consider those statements more like blind ones because links are still alive. The only change is, Google now prefer quality over its quantity. The number of relevant external links to your website still matters. Google’s most recent update claims link quality to be the most critical SEO factor. So now, conduct a link audit, analyze every single link for quality, remove all the low-quality ones, gain more relevant quality links. If your content is competitive and your links are relevant, it will drive some results.

Do Not Compromise On Content

As always, it is easy to predict the future of Content Marketing. And I would say Digital Marketing in 2017 would be Content driven. With quality Content one could push their marketing limits, the possibilities are always limitless.

Now, why Content Marketing is important? The answer has a direct relation to, how capable the content can be. Well, there are few areas where it can drive unmatchable results. For instance, think about the situation where you need to improve your customer satisfaction. You can try lot many methods in order to achieve it but the most effective path towards it will be always Content because the content can let them believe that they have cared, they are valuable.

Moreover, the most admirable thing about Content Marketing is that it can work with any industry, no disparity. And it is very cost effective too. What more you can ask for?

Website Framework And User Experience

Website performance on multiple devices are essential but it is more critical for mobile devices alone because users may be looking for answers anytime and they want it quick.

I will suggest few things that may direct you towards a better website performance:
Minimize server response time.
Avoid redirects to boost mobile page speed.
Measure Round Trip Time frequently.
Optimize and minify CSS and JS files.
Reduce file size using gzip compression

In recent years the word Landing page optimization has acquired some attention due to its effectiveness in improving the desired results in terms of CTR and Conversions. There are several factors you must consider when dealing with an SEO friendly landing page . Here are some quick “Do Must” factors for a perfect landing page :
Publish your page to a custom URL
Focus on your Keywords
Include your keyword strategically
Implement an effective link building strategy
Keep your landing page online
Speed up your page
Make your content shareable

This may seem like an outdated SEO factor but User experience still holds a vital role in SERP rankings. Anyhow, the relation between User experience and rankings are indirect.

Also, it is proven fact that there is some connection between your ranking and CTR. Imagine you have better ranking in search engine but your CTR is low when comparing with other competitors, believe me, you may not hold onto your rankings for long.

Redefine Your Video Marketing Strategy For 2017

Videos are the well-known sources to keep your customer engaged and entertained. But do you know Videos as an SEO factor that can improve your rankings in search engines? This part of the story is the most explicit one. A report (from Marketing Land) says that 62% of universal Google searches are video searches. Sounds inspiring right?

So what’s stopping you from implementing an effective Video Marketing Strategy?

Apart from that, Google has begun considering blended results or searches. And according to quicksprout.com videos obtain 50% more organic page ranks when considering plain text content.

When it comes to the way to get your videos listed in search results, it can be possible by uploading your video to YouTube or through video SEO. And put more dedicated effort on the targeted keywords, so that Google will be able to find and index you. Results are on your way.

Cross-channel Marketing

I am sure that most of you people are well aware of Multi-Channel Marketing and are a bit confused about the dissimilarity of this with Cross-Channel Marketing.

Well, it’s perfectly okay, I will give an idea of how it works.

Multi-Channel Marketing occurs when you elaborate your presence on multiple platforms. For example Email, Google ads, Social Media ads etc. Now, Cross-Channel Marketing is the advanced or extended version of this. Perfect instance for this will be the “You may be interested in this” section in many platforms like Amazon, Facebook and so on.

The successful Cross-Channel Marketing takes a perfect plan and perfect execution. I would suggest 3 major points where one should perform an intense research before getting into core Cross-Channel Marketing. Here it comes,

Right marketing message and call-to-action.
Timing for your marketing practices
Relevant marketing channels

Most significantly, tracking of your marketing efforts is very important, especially for Cross-Channel Marketing. Because Cross-Channel Marketing is more about customer behaviors across online as well as offline channels. So it is very important to make use of all analytic tools you have access to.

However, Cross-Channel Marketing is still in a growing phase. Even Google analytics requires more improvement to measure and optimally implement the strategies. But obviously, its future is safe as a more targeted Digital Marketing Strategy.

Focus On User Intent

Unlike old days, there is a massive shift in the keyword trend. At first, it was all about finding right keywords and right strategies. But today, you must admit that things are ready to change and is changing as we speak.

The basic reason behind this is, search engine’s user knowledge has increased.

What does that mean?

It’s simple, search engines know their users better now. In Fact, it has been evolving all these years. People no longer search for specific keyphrases, they prefer more informative and complete phrases. This is why Google is now optimizing their search engine to find out User Intent and not keywords.

So in 2017, I expect marketers to conduct more thorough research on User Intent, user experience, and a lot more before they can start creating an effective Digital Marketing Strategy.

Closing Thoughts

However, A successful SEO strategy is not just about the above-given ideas but an integration of many more intuitive practices which may, in fact, take lot and lot of efforts to master. Even though these ideas may benefit you in bringing results, I suggest implementing all the well-defined SEO practices for more efficient and sustainable outcome.

Thank you.