The internet and the industries attached to it can change quickly. That’s certainly the case with digital marketing. A study conducted by Adobe shows that more than 75% of marketers believe that their industry has changed so much in the past two years. In fact, they believe that the changes that happened in that short time span outweigh the changes in the last 50 years.

Aside from the major changes that have been well publicized, there are others that we don’t even know about. For example, Google makes changes to its algorithm hundreds of times each year.

When SEO started, the focus was on on-page optimization and on link building. Things have changed now to place the emphasis on providing the best user experience. The search engines are now becoming centered around ranking systems that are based on behavior.

In the past, there were ways of cheating the system. As the technology used for search engines are developed, using black hat strategies become more difficult. In order to succeed now, marketers should be able to match their content with the intent of users. That provides excellent user experience which then leads to higher rankings and then higher traffic.

Preparing for the Future

Right now, user behavior is not the main signal used by Google to determine a page’s ranking. There are other signals that are more important today, but that might not last. Google is continuously developing its algorithm and they are integrating artificial intelligence so it can be used to rank pages, just like a human would.

Google is increasingly becoming able to tell if a page is going to be liked by a reader or not. That ability is becoming evident in the search pages that are appearing. You have to be ready for the time when they have really improved the technology and a search engine can tell right away if a page is useful to a reader or not, just as if it’s the reader.

Knowing More about User Behavior

What are the metrics that you should be aware of when it comes to providing excellent users experience?  Here are some:

1. Click-through Rate
   This is the number of users that clicked on your page on the search results. A high click-through rate means that you are doing things right with how you use keywords, meta- descriptions, and page titles. You are aligned with the user intent.
2. Pages per Session
   This refers to the number of pages visited by a user on your site. It would indicate a high level of engagement.
3. Frequency
   If a user visits a website often, that would indicate a great deal of interest.
4. Bounce Rate
   This is the number that you do not want to see going up. It indicates that your content does not match the intent of the user. It is not really clear how Google can keep track of all of those. The important thing is that you know they are tracking.

Using User Behavior Search to Your Advantage

SEO is not just about keywords anymore. These days you have to be able to align your content when the needs of the users and what they are looking for in order for your page to rank.  The aim now is for you to create content that would get users to come back for more.

Here are steps that you can take in order to achieve that goal:

1. Analyze Your Pages
   Go through your pages and simulate how a user would check it. Is it answering the questions they have? How does it compare to other sites? Can it convert? Make changes to the pages that are lacking.
2. Keyword Research
   Put yourself in the shoes of the user. How will someone, who has never heard of your brand, search for something that your brand is related to?  You need to know what keywords they would be using.
3. Mobile is Here
   The number of people browsing the internet using mobile devices is increasing.  You have to consider them now. This means your site should be mobile friendly. Search engines favor those sites that are designed to be friendly to mobile browsing.
4. Site Navigation
   How easy is it to go through site? Can a user find what they are looking for with ease?  The most important thing for many users is that they should be able to find what they are looking for. That boils down to having a site that is easily navigable.

Providing great content and user experience has always been important, but it is bound to become even more a major player in SEO in the future. Be one step ahead of your competition now and start making changes to your site. If you need professional help, you should get in touch with The Ad Firm now.

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