SEO Best Practices for 2018 - Strategies for Higher Rankings

Search engine optimization continues to evolve at a rapid pace as we move through 2018. Google's algorithm updates, changing user behaviors, and technological advancements are reshaping what it takes to achieve and maintain high search rankings. This comprehensive guide explores the most effective SEO strategies for 2018, helping you adapt your approach to the current search landscape.

The Changing SEO Landscape

Several significant shifts are influencing SEO strategy in 2018:

• Mobile-First Indexing: Google is now using the mobile version of websites as the primary index
• Voice Search Growth: Voice queries now account for 20% of mobile searches
• Featured Snippets Expansion: Position zero results appearing for more query types
• Machine Learning Integration: RankBrain playing a larger role in search results
• User Experience Focus: Engagement metrics increasingly influencing rankings

These changes require a more sophisticated, multi-faceted approach to SEO that goes beyond traditional ranking factors.

Technical SEO Fundamentals

A solid technical foundation remains essential for search success:

1. Mobile Optimization

With mobile-first indexing now rolling out, mobile optimization is no longer optional:

• Responsive Design: Ensuring your site adapts seamlessly to all screen sizes
• Mobile Page Speed: Optimizing load times specifically for mobile devices
• Mobile-Friendly Navigation: Creating touch-friendly, easily navigable interfaces
• Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP): Implementing for content-focused pages where appropriate

Best Practice: Use Google's Mobile-Friendly Test and PageSpeed Insights to identify specific mobile optimization opportunities.

2. Site Speed Optimization

Page speed has become a critical ranking factor:

• Image Optimization: Compressing images without sacrificing quality
• Code Minification: Reducing unnecessary characters in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
• Browser Caching: Leveraging browser caching for returning visitors
• Content Delivery Networks: Using CDNs to serve content from optimal locations

Best Practice: Aim for page load times under 3 seconds, with critical content visible in under 1 second.

3. HTTPS Implementation

Secure websites now receive a ranking advantage:

• SSL Certificate: Installing the appropriate certificate type for your site
• 301 Redirects: Properly redirecting HTTP URLs to HTTPS versions
• Mixed Content Prevention: Ensuring all resources load securely
• HSTS Implementation: Adding HTTP Strict Transport Security for enhanced security

Best Practice: Use tools like SSL Labs' Server Test to verify proper HTTPS implementation.

4. Structured Data Markup

Helping search engines understand your content:

• Schema.org Markup: Implementing relevant schemas for your content types
• JSON-LD Format: Using Google's preferred structured data format
• Rich Snippet Opportunities: Focusing on markup that generates rich results
• Structured Data Testing: Regularly validating your implementation

Best Practice: Prioritize schema types that directly impact search visibility, such as Review, FAQ, How-to, and Event markup.

Content Optimization Strategies

Content remains at the heart of effective SEO:

1. Comprehensive Content Development

Creating content that fully satisfies user intent:

• Topic Coverage: Addressing all aspects of a topic comprehensively
• Word Count Appropriateness: Writing content that's as long as necessary, not artificially inflated
• Structured Organization: Using clear headings, lists, and sections for scanability
• Visual Enhancement: Including relevant images, videos, and infographics

Best Practice: Analyze the top-ranking pages for your target keywords to understand the depth and breadth of coverage needed.

2. Featured Snippet Optimization

Positioning your content for position zero results:

• Question Identification: Targeting common questions in your industry
• Direct Answers: Providing clear, concise answers to these questions
• Formatting Techniques: Using appropriate formats (paragraphs, lists, tables) based on query type
• Semantic Markup: Implementing relevant structured data

Best Practice: Structure content with a clear question as a heading, followed by a concise answer (40-60 words), then supporting details.

3. Voice Search Optimization

Adapting content for voice queries:

• Conversational Keywords: Targeting natural language phrases and questions
• Featured Snippet Alignment: Optimizing for featured snippets, which often become voice search answers
• Local Optimization: Focusing on local queries for business-relevant searches
• Direct Question Answering: Providing clear, concise answers to common questions

Best Practice: Create FAQ pages that directly address common questions in your industry using natural, conversational language.

4. Content Freshness

Keeping content current and relevant:

• Regular Updates: Refreshing existing content with new information
• Publication Dates: Displaying and updating dates for time-sensitive content
• News and Trending Topics: Creating timely content around relevant trends
• Historical Optimization: Updating high-performing older content

Best Practice: Conduct quarterly content audits to identify update opportunities for your most valuable pages.

User Experience and Engagement

Google increasingly considers how users interact with your site:

1. Engagement Metrics Optimization

Improving signals that indicate content quality:

• Click-Through Rate (CTR): Creating compelling titles and meta descriptions
• Dwell Time: Developing engaging content that keeps users on the page
• Bounce Rate Reduction: Ensuring content delivers on the promise of the title
• Page Depth: Encouraging users to visit multiple pages per session

Best Practice: Use Google Analytics to identify pages with high bounce rates or low average time on page, then improve their content and user experience.

2. User Intent Alignment

Matching content to the underlying user need:

• Intent Classification: Identifying whether queries are navigational, informational, or transactional
• Content Mapping: Creating content specifically designed for each intent type
• SERP Analysis: Studying what currently ranks to understand Google's interpretation of intent
• Intent Mismatch Correction: Adjusting content that's targeting the wrong intent

Best Practice: For each target keyword, analyze the current top 10 results to understand what type of content Google considers most relevant.

3. Mobile User Experience

Creating exceptional experiences for mobile users:

• Thumb-Friendly Design: Placing important elements within easy reach
• Simplified Navigation: Creating intuitive mobile navigation structures
• Form Optimization: Making forms easy to complete on mobile devices
• Content Prioritization: Displaying the most important content first on mobile

Best Practice: Regularly test your site on various mobile devices to identify and fix usability issues.

Link Building in 2018

Link quality continues to outweigh quantity:

1. Strategic Content Promotion

Earning links through valuable content:

• Content Gap Analysis: Creating content that fills unmet needs in your industry
• Data-Driven Content: Developing original research and statistics others will reference
• Expert Roundups: Featuring industry experts who will share your content
• Content Repurposing: Transforming successful content into multiple formats

Best Practice: Create a promotion plan for each major content piece before publication, identifying specific outreach targets.

2. Digital PR Techniques

Earning links through media relationships:

• Newsjacking: Creating timely content related to trending topics
• Expert Commentary: Offering expert insights on industry developments
• Data Visualization: Creating shareable infographics based on original research
• Journalist Outreach: Building relationships with relevant media contacts

Best Practice: Monitor industry news sources and set up alerts for relevant topics to identify timely opportunities.

3. Broken Link Building

Finding and replacing broken links on other websites:

• Resource Page Targeting: Identifying relevant resource pages in your industry
• Broken Link Identification: Finding dead links on these pages
• Replacement Content Creation: Developing content similar to what the broken link pointed to
• Outreach Execution: Contacting webmasters with your replacement suggestion

Best Practice: Focus on resource pages within your specific niche for higher conversion rates.

4. Link Quality Assessment

Evaluating potential link opportunities:

• Relevance Evaluation: Prioritizing links from topically relevant sites
• Authority Assessment: Considering the site's overall authority and reputation
• Traffic Potential: Valuing links that can drive referral traffic
• Placement Quality: Preferring in-content links over sidebars or footers

Best Practice: Develop a link quality scoring system based on these factors to prioritize your outreach efforts.

Local SEO Strategies

For businesses serving specific geographic areas:

1. Google My Business Optimization

Maximizing your local presence:

• Complete Profile: Filling out all available information fields
• Category Selection: Choosing the most specific primary category
• Photo Optimization: Adding high-quality, relevant images
• Q&A Monitoring: Actively managing the Q&A section

Best Practice: Update your GMB listing at least monthly with new photos, posts, or other fresh content.

2. Local Content Development

Creating location-specific content:

• Local Landing Pages: Developing optimized pages for each service area
• Local Resource Content: Creating guides to local events or resources
• Community Involvement: Highlighting community activities and sponsorships
• Local News Coverage: Commenting on relevant local developments

Best Practice: Ensure local content provides genuine value beyond simply mentioning location names.

3. Review Management

Building and managing online reviews:

• Review Generation: Implementing systematic processes to request reviews
• Review Monitoring: Tracking reviews across all relevant platforms
• Response Strategy: Responding promptly to both positive and negative reviews
• Review Schema: Implementing appropriate markup for review content

Best Practice: Respond to all reviews within 24 hours, with personalized responses that address specific points mentioned.

Measuring SEO Success

Tracking the right metrics to evaluate performance:

1. Ranking Metrics

Monitoring search visibility:

• Keyword Ranking Tracking: Following positions for target keywords
• Ranking Distribution: Tracking the number of keywords in various position ranges
• SERP Feature Presence: Monitoring featured snippets, knowledge panels, etc.
• Competitor Comparison: Benchmarking rankings against key competitors

Best Practice: Focus on ranking trends rather than daily fluctuations, and prioritize rankings that drive actual traffic.

2. Traffic Metrics

Analyzing search-driven visits:

• Organic Traffic Growth: Monitoring overall organic search traffic
• Landing Page Performance: Tracking which pages attract search traffic
• Query Analysis: Reviewing the actual search terms driving visits
• User Behavior: Analyzing how search visitors interact with your site

Best Practice: Segment organic traffic by intent type to better understand which kinds of queries you're successfully targeting.

3. Conversion Metrics

Measuring business outcomes:

• Goal Completion: Tracking defined conversion actions from organic traffic
• Assisted Conversions: Recognizing organic search's role in multi-touch conversions
• Revenue Attribution: Assigning value to organic search traffic
• ROI Calculation: Comparing organic results to SEO investment

Best Practice: Create separate conversion tracking for different types of organic landing pages (product pages, blog posts, etc.).

Common SEO Pitfalls to Avoid

Even experienced SEO professionals make these mistakes:

1. Over-Optimization

Focusing too much on search engines rather than users:

• Keyword Stuffing: Unnaturally repeating keywords
• Excessive Internal Linking: Creating too many artificial internal links
• Manipulative Techniques: Using hidden text or other deceptive practices
• Thin Content Creation: Publishing low-value content just to target keywords

Best Practice: Always prioritize the user experience over perceived SEO benefits.

2. Neglecting Technical Foundations

Focusing on content while ignoring technical issues:

• Crawlability Problems: Allowing technical barriers to search engine crawling
• Indexation Bloat: Failing to control what content gets indexed
• Duplicate Content: Not properly handling similar or duplicate pages
• Site Architecture Issues: Creating overly complex or illogical site structures

Best Practice: Conduct quarterly technical SEO audits to identify and address emerging issues.

3. Ignoring Analytics

Making decisions without data:

• Insufficient Tracking: Not properly tracking key user interactions
• Data Misinterpretation: Drawing incorrect conclusions from analytics data
• Vanity Metrics Focus: Prioritizing metrics that don't impact business outcomes
• Testing Neglect: Making changes without proper testing and measurement

Best Practice: Establish clear KPIs for your SEO efforts and regularly review performance against these metrics.

Looking Ahead: Emerging SEO Trends

Several developments will shape SEO throughout 2018:

1. Mobile-First Indexing Expansion

Google's continued rollout of mobile-first indexing:

• Full implementation expected throughout 2018
• Increasing importance of mobile user experience
• Potential ranking fluctuations during the transition
• New mobile-specific ranking factors emerging

2. Voice Search Evolution

The growing impact of voice-activated devices:

• Voice search queries becoming more conversational and complex
• Digital assistants providing more direct answers from search results
• Local businesses particularly affected by voice search behavior
• New measurement challenges for voice search performance

3. AI and Machine Learning

Intelligent algorithms playing a larger role:

• RankBrain becoming more sophisticated in understanding content
• User behavior signals gaining importance in rankings
• Content quality assessment becoming more nuanced
• Personalization increasing in search results

Conclusion: Building a Sustainable SEO Strategy

As we navigate 2018's SEO landscape, success depends on creating a balanced, comprehensive approach that:

• Establishes solid technical foundations
• Creates exceptional, user-focused content
• Builds high-quality, relevant backlinks
• Optimizes for emerging search behaviors like voice and mobile
• Measures performance against meaningful business metrics

The most successful SEO strategies will be those that focus on long-term sustainability rather than short-term tactics, creating genuine value for users while making that value accessible to search engines.

By implementing these best practices and staying adaptable as search continues to evolve, you can build a strong organic search presence that drives meaningful business results throughout 2018 and beyond.

This article was written by Nguyen Tuan Si, a digital marketing specialist with expertise in search engine optimization and content strategy across various industries.