In today’s world, where almost every business is conducted online, searching engine optimization (SEO) is considered a necessity. A website cannot achieve access to its target audience without the right strategies in place because it won’t be found. But as SEO best practices are ever-changing, you must always be aware of the shifts that are happening so that you won’t fall far behind your competitors. 

To help guide you in the right direction, here are five SEO best practices to know and master in 2021:

Implement Mobile-Friendly Websites

You might already know this – you won’t find your website on Google’s search engine results pages (SERPs) if your website is not optimized for mobile use. Keep in mind that most of your audience today uses mobile devices to access information and look for services or products. It is even predicted that by 2025, about 73% of all internet users will access the Internet from their mobile devices only. So, if you don’t want to be left behind, make sure that your website is responsive on any screen size.

You might want to first test your website to know for sure that it’s mobile-friendly. There are many free and paid tools available that can show you whether or not you need to make some changes. Try Google’s free mobile-friendly test for starters. 

Incorporate Engaging Long-Form Content

Over the past years, you might have thought of forgoing long written articles because people prefer shorter, more concise posts. However, you might be losing opportunities if you’re missing some long-form content. Now that people have more time to spend reading and looking for information, you want them to find that information on your website. Otherwise, they’ll go elsewhere to get the info they need.

Of course, your long-form content must be informative, well-written, and engaging. This is why you must provide value to your audience and keep them interested. Keep in mind that long-form content also helps establish you as an authority in your industry.

Create Snippets to Gain Prominence

At the opposite end of long-form content are featured snippets. Featured snippets are an excellent way to land your site on the first page of search results. All you need to have on your snippets are short but meaty info, preferably written in bullet-point form or a Q&A style. You also should put enough info into those snippets to catch users’ interest but not enough that they wouldn’t click and read the rest of it. 

Update Your Google My Business Profile

This is crucial if you have a brick-and-mortar business. Google takes note of companies with frequent activities on a Google My Business Listing, and anything that would get the search engine’s attention is good for you. 

When you sign up for Google My Business, make sure to provide all the essential details, including:

  • Physical address
  • Contact number
  • Business hours
  • High-quality images
  • Website 
  • Ratings and reviews

Be Ready for Voice Searches

Assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant have changed the way people make search queries. To ensure that your website is optimized for voice searches, you have to reconsider the keywords you are using in your content. 

People tend to use long-tail keywords and phrases that sound more natural when they do voice searches instead of short ‘robotic’ or abbreviated searches that they key in. For instance, instead of saying “Kansas City web design,” people are more likely to say, “Who offers web design services in Kansas City.” Make sure you consider this when coming up with keywords and content.

Conclusion

Although SEO may be more complicated than it was years ago, it’s not impossible to ace it. As long as you are aware of all the current trends and that you follow the best practices that we’ve shared above, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t achieve results with your SEO efforts!

Fox Web Creations is the go-to web design and marketing team of businesses that need help with SEO in Kansas City and other areas. From web development to branding, content management, be sure to connect with us today to see how we can provide top-notch services that will get your business thriving in this digital age!