Creative SEO Strategies in the Time of Dynamic SERPs
Improving your company’s revenue often boils down to a numbers game. You must drive more traffic to your site, more people who are interested in what you offer and convert them into paying customers. While there are many factors involved, coming up with creative SEO strategies can put you ahead of the competition in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
Over the years, SERPs have become more dynamic. You must focus on rich snippets, different types of content and position zero if you hope to rank on the first page of search engines.
Why Should You Worry About SEO and SERPs?
Data creation now happens at the speed of light, with about 40 times more digital data than stars in the universe. Since counting the stars is next to impossible, the idea of that much data, with more being added every day, is a bit mind-boggling.
If you don’t tap into the power of available information and do your best to compete against the other brands using the information, you’ll likely fall behind your competitors. Here are some creative SEO strategies to ensure you rank for dynamic SERPs and meet user expectations at the same time.
Pick the Right Keywords
Even though some people will tell you keywords are dead, they aren’t. People still have to use specific terms to search for certain things. However, keyword stuffing is definitely a thing of the past and will harm your rank in search engines.
You must be strategic in choosing keywords that make sense for your brand and the content. Also, you’ll want to do some backend research to see what terms are trending and figure out what your customers look for.
Optimise Images
With Google Lens ramping up its capabilities this year, expect more people to search for information by utilising images. Experts point to how Google Lens has been mentioned repeatedly at flagship events such as SearchOn and Google I/O. Lens is now in the search widget for Pixel, Android phones and Chrome's mobile searches.
Make sure you’re fully filing in alt tags, meta descriptions and using appropriate titles. Show products from a wide range of angles. Make sure your images are optimised by using the new image type from Google WebP.
Hone Your Content Pages
You will never win the SERP position you want if your content isn’t stellar. You must compete with all the other sites out there offering something similar to what you do. Start by analyzing what you have on your page and optimizing it for search engines. Is the layout conducive to answering the question at hand?
Next, analyze competitors’ pages. How does your content measure up against theirs? Be brutally honest with yourself about what needs to change.
Point Other Pages to Yours
Backlinks still matter. In fact, when you don’t quite rank where you want on a SERP, you can still bring in traffic from social media mentions or links from relevant websites. Hone your skills and get some other bloggers to link to your site.
Google does consider backlinks in its ranking equation. No one quite knows the exact formula that allows one page to rank over another, but there are some common factors in top-ranking pages.
Fill the Gaps
If you want to outrank your competitors, you have to take a multi-pronged approach. Look for gaps in content as well as multimedia options to get you in front of audiences your rivals may have overlooked.
For example, if they cover everything about how to change a tire, maybe you can add a few pieces about how to avoid changing a tire, what to do after a flat and the financial impact of a flat tire. Look for windows of opportunity.
Make sure your multimedia content is backed up by sitemaps, unique images, and everything is formatted correctly.
Focus on Social Media
Social media platforms give you an opportunity to rank on their pages and also help with the backlinking you need to gain notice from search engines. What does a social media approach look like for small businesses looking for creative SEO strategies?
Again, start with amazing content. Come up with a strategy to share the content to social platforms and enlist the help of your family, friends and loyal customers. The more links to your content, the better it looks.
Probably one of the biggest advantages of getting your name out on search engines is an opportunity to rank on the platform’s SERPs. For example, someone seeking advice on older glass, might join a group on vintage art glass. When you constantly post about vintage art glass and someone searches the topic, they’re likely to see one of your posts.
Check Out Local Results
People often start their search for small businesses via local SEO terms. Take the time to Google “near me” and the likeliest search terms for your brand. See what pulls up. You may be overlooking online opportunities, such as Google Maps or a review site.
Figure out what ranks for local searches and then put your name out there on the platform with the appropriate keywords.
Get Creative
The key to finding the right SEO strategy in the time of dynamic SERPs is to keep experimenting. Try new things, use landing pages, track results, and repeat.
When something works, keep it until it doesn’t and copy it into other campaigns. If something doesn't garner the results you wanted, ditch it and try a different approach. Over time, you’ll attract highly targeted traffic that brings you the exact target audience you want.
Eleanor is the founder and managing editor of Designerly Magazine. She’s also a web design consultant with a focus on customer experience. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and dogs, Bear and Lucy.