Introduction

SEO is constantly changing year after year, and it can be quite daunting to keep up with all the new changes. Afterall, Google makes anywhere from 500-600 changes to its algorithm every year!

No need to sweat it. We have put together a list of key ranking factors you should be focusing on in 2019 including RankBrain and the E-A-T method.

 

Increase Dwell Time & Raise Rankings Through RankBrain

RankBrain is the machine learning system that tweaks Google search results pages (SERPs) to better fit users’ needs. It has been around since 2015 and became the 3rd most prominent ranking factor right behind links and content.

Skip ahead to 2019 – now RankBrain has become much smarter and closely monitors how we interact with SERPs. It is responsible for showing us extremely relevant content for our searches and removing irrelevant content swiftly.

Provide An On-Point User Experience

RankBrain analyzes metrics such as dwell time (how long a user stays on the page) and bounce rate (how fast a user leaves without visiting other pages on the site) to effectively make decisions and shift rankings.

So one of the top strategies going into 2019 for SEO will be increasing dwell time and reducing bounce rates.

Here’s a few ways to raise dwell time:

 

 

• Catchy Titles

 

Everyone knows to make a catchy title/article headline… but this is crucial.

Put some time into your titles and create something that truly stands out.

 

2. Present the problem to your user and agree with them

Not everyone knows about this one!

Get personal with your user and agree with the problem that originally brought them to your page in the first place.

 

3. Offer a solution and guide them to it

Show what you to have to offer briefly and guide them to the solution over the course of the page/article

Rope your visitor in and keep them there. Their interest is KEY to raising your rankings.

 

Update Your Old Content

One of the best things you can to help your overall user experience is begin to update all of your old content and “refresh” your articles.

Start to update content that is over a year old and has been around for awhile. These pages already have a bit of authority, and you just need to tell Google that this is fresh content now.

 

E-A-T: Expertise, Authority, Trustworthiness

Credibility has become a big issue in today’s digital ecosystem.

In order to maintain a powerful presence online it is important to demonstrate your expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.

This is also known as the E-A-T acronym, and it’s what your website’s content thrives off of.

When you create fascinating content that serves a purpose for the user and begins a conversation; you are providing value – showing you are an expert with a high level of authority that can be trusted.

Different websites need to worry about different factors of E-A-T more than others. But ultimately, every site should have some sort of E-A-T baked into their marketing strategies.

E-commerce websites need to focus on being a trustworthy entity that customers will trust giving their credit card information to.

A plumber needs to hold some sort of credibility and show he is an expert in his trade.

See where we’re coming from?

 

The Big Deal About Search Intent

Let’s talk about search intent for a second.

Search intent is the action the user is looking to perform after they complete their search. Such as purchase a product or look up information.

What stops qualified buyers from purchasing services or products? E-A-T does.

If a visitor doesn’t trust your website or find you to be a professional… good luck selling to them!

No matter how many #1 rankings you have – you will see a drop in conversion rates even if you are still making sales.

 

Optimizing For Voice Search

Have you ever searched for something on your phone? Or used a voice command system in a vehicle?

Voice search is starting to become more and more popular over the years and it has made a huge impact on the way we optimize for search in 2019.

Just check out this predicted stat:

“Nearly 50% of all searches will be done by voice in 2020” – comscore

And now that it’s 2019… we need to start thinking in a voiceful manner more than ever!

This means going from keywords like:

Best steak spices

To

What are the best spices for seasoning my steak?

 

And don’t try to take this as some sort of long-tail keyword jazz.

This is the accumulative work done by Google to shape their algorithm around user experience.

Using RankBrain to help sort through all of these brand new voice search queries (which is one of its many full-time jobs), it can align users with the best possible results.

 

Rankings Through Social Media Signals

Social media signals are set to be a hit in 2019 being more important than ever.

We know that social media signals aren’t a direct cause for raising your rankings in search…

But here’s the thing:

There is a strong correlation between pages with high social signals and high rankings in SERPs.

It’s just as the former head of webspam at Google, Matt Cutts said:

“it’s correlation not causation”

The key is to create evergreen content that resonates with an audience strongly. Whether that is emotionally or technically. Content like this naturally gets shared on social media because people want to express themselves through your piece to their friends.

Going back to the E-A-T strategy – by building your social following you will inherently grow your authority and trust.

 

Conclusion

In this article we went over 4 ways to change your overall SEO strategy, and how to implement them into your digital marketing techniques.

Here’s a quick summary of what we talked about:

1. Using RankBrain to raise rankings through proper user experience
2. E-A-T and how to apply it to your website/business
3. Optimizing your website for voice search
4. How to raise rankings through social media signals

Do you think we missed anything or would like to add on to the conversation? Leave us a comment below and we’ll be sure to read it.