SEO is an ever-evolving entity. What worked well in 2017 may prove to be completely ineffective in 2018. With new technologies and new rules being introduced all the time, it is essential you remain updated on the latest developments.

If you are ready to get a jumpstart on the upcoming trends for SEO in 2018, you’re in the right place!

Structured Data

Using structured data isn’t an official ranking signal according to Google; however, used properly, it can help enhance search listings.
Take, for example, rich snippets and graph panels. Rich snippets can help to increase your click-through rate (CTR) by as much as 30 percent. With the search results getting more and more diverse, you can’t ignore your opportunity to stand out.

If you need help with structured data, Schema.org is a great resource that can help with markup.

Increased Use of SERP Features

Many people believe that achieving the top spot in search engines — organically — is the best way to get consistent traffic. However, this isn’t necessarily true. Today, SERP elements, such as featured snippets, knowledge panels, local packs and so on, are stealing the attention of searchers and getting much of the organic search traffic.

The Relevance of Relevance — In Your Content, That Is

It is becoming more and more difficult to convince Google that your content is great when it really isn’t — and it is much more likely you are going to be penalized for trying to do this. There are several ways that Google assesses the quality of content, with one of the methods being latent semantic indexing. Google looks at billions of pages and the terms used to determine what content is “comprehensive” and what content falls short. Now is the time to create relevant content that is focused on solving a problem or answering a question rather than one that is low quality and full of unrelated keywords.

With 2018 right around the corner, businesses need to begin taking steps to improve their SEO efforts. While there are more changes that are likely to come, these will help you begin planning your New Year SEO strategy now.