2017 was a relatively quiet year, at least in terms of major Google algorithm updates. In 2016, we saw the advent of Penguin 4.0, Possum, a major mobile-friendliness update, and big changes to AdWords, to name a few. This year, Google has been relatively quiet since the “Fred” update Image Manipulation in March. What we have witnessed, however, is an increased focus on creating the best possible user experience. Trends like mobile optimization and machine learning aren't going away anytime soon, which is why you need to understand these five critical SEO concepts as we Image Manipulation prepare for 2018. 1. Mobile-first indexing You probably know how important it is to have a mobile-friendly website. Over 55% of all web traffic comes from mobile devices, and that number is only expected to grow. What you might not know is that having a mobile-friendly site is no longer enough - now you need to be mobile-first.
Google announced late last year that mobile-first Image Manipulation indexing was going to be the new normal. This means that your ranking signals will now come from the mobile version of your site, not the desktop version. Advertising Continue reading below In other words, it's time to stop thinking of mobile as an add-on to your desktop site and start prioritizing your mobile SEO. think mobile first Here are some practical ways to improve your mobile SEO: Take the mobile compatibility test. Fix broken links and incorrect redirects. Compress all uncompressed images. Remove unreadable content and blocked resources (e.g. JavaScript, CSS, some images). Eliminate intrusive pop-ups and interstitials. Improve mobile friendliness (g., text size, window configuration, tap target size). Run Image Manipulation an audit of your mobile site to find any additional site elements (eg, structured data, title tags) that you can optimize for mobile. 2. Semantic search The goal of the 2013 Google Hummingbird update was to improve search accuracy by better understanding searcher intent.
Today, semantic search has evolved even further, and Image Manipulation search engines are better than ever at understanding query context and word relationships. Advertising Continue reading below The goal of semantic search is for search engines to better understand natural language queries. So if a user asks Google "what's their rating?" and they stand in front of a French bistro, ideally Google could know that in this context 'it' refers to the bistro and the searcher wants to know a star rating. There are many subtle nuances to the mechanics of semantic search, but ultimately Image Manipulation what this means to you is that one authoritative page that dives deep into a specific topic will generally rank higher than dozens of pages built around different keywords. This is because a comprehensive resource is more effective at giving Google (and, by proxy, its users) all the context it needs to satisfy searcher intent.