Google has been adapting its search algorithms in recent years, an evolution that will continue to occur.
On one hand, we’re seeing content get more traction with long-tail keywords and semantic phrases, rather than shorter keyword phrases or single keywords.
This will have a big impact on how your content is written. Focus on investor leads writing content that answers a question, as these are the search terms that will yield the most relevant results.
Image search also needs to be factored into your marketing strategy: images should have keywords in their file names and alt text to improve SEO.
Voice search will also become a major player. Siri, Alexa, and Cortana are now widely used in text searches, which explains why long-tail keywords are becoming more useful in search.
This will also impact how brands create ads in their Google Ads Manager and how they target their audiences across search platforms.
Content marketers can use an SEO checklist to ensure they haven't missed any steps:
Include keywords in the “title tag”;
Include target keywords in the URL;
Make the image's alt text descriptive so that search engines can "see" the image;
Include keywords in the image file name;
Include keywords in the content, but pay attention to keyword density and keep them between 5% and 7% of the page content;
Include keywords in the meta description;
Create useful, informative, quality content that attracts traffic and backlinks;
An SEO checklist for content marketers.
Keeping these technical aspects of content in mind will help marketers create content that resonates with readers.
Brands will need to change their search strategy to adapt to these changes if they want their content to be seen by audiences