It’s no secret that digital marketing is an absolute must in today’s tech-heavy world. “It is more important than ever for a digital marketer have a real plan to drive traffic and revenue,” says Tim Wing of Blue Matrix Media. “Without the ability to drive traffic, an agency is in trouble.”
But is there more that you could be doing to drive this traffic to your company’s website and content? What can you do to improve your online marketing game in 2019? We asked some of the industry’s leading experts on what you need to focus on, and here’s what they had to say.
Take Advantage Of Tech
In today’s modern world, technology is advancing at an unprecedented pace, and that can greatly impact how you market yourself online. “Scientifically based SEO is where it is at right now,” says Kurt Schell of Lithium SEO. “Using tools like Cora and Page Optimizer Pro to make analytically based optimizations instead of guessing is the focus […] going in to 2019.”
You’ll also want to keep an eye on other major websites beyond just Google. Andrew Arnott of Seller SEO says that Amazon’s A9 algorithm is evolving, and marketers will need to pay attention to keep up. “Track your keyword ranks so you know what’s working and what’s not,” suggests Arnott.
Technological advancements aren’t just helpful for predicting Amazon and Google’s ranking algorithms, however. Sarah Malcolm of the Content Funnel suggests that tools like chatbots, personalization, artificial intelligence, and programmatic advertising are changing the game for online marketing. “We just have to be smart on how we use those tools and know when to utilize and trust the experts in each of these categories,” says Malcolm.
More Than Just Link Building
“SEO is no longer about just great content and link building,” claims Yosef Adelman of Falcon Marketing, and most industry experts agree. Grayson Kemper of Clutch weighs in: “Think about creative ways to engage people in your industry about publishing content that links back to your site – one way to do this is to offer to write that content yourself.” Personalizing the link-building and SEO experience can help you get an edge over your competitors and keep your rankings high.
Keyword research can go a long way in your SEO strategy according to Eric van Hall of CopyRobin. “SEO is more than ever before a winner takes all game. The top 5 positions get almost all search traffic for any keyword. Therefore, strategic keyword research is crucial. Be realistic and choose your keywords carefully. Better to rank in the top 5 for a low volume search phrase that nevertheless connects with your target audience, than to end up on page two or below for a sexy, high volume search query.”
Keep Up On Quality
While you’re updating your SEO content and tactics, don’t forget to maintain what you already have. Jas Saran of G Web Pro suggests that any broken links, duplicate content, and so on “should be checked and resolved” in order to maximize the effectiveness of your SEO. This also goes for any pages that are especially slow to load on your website; even site speed can impact your rankings.
Be Patient
Most importantly, when working on your SEO and digital marketing tactics, don’t panic if you don’t see immediate results. Charles Yan of Van Whistle Media weighs in with his own experience with the waiting game: “Google doesn’t always work in favor to us. A blog post we wrote about SEO last year, took Google three months to recognize it. SEO takes time. Be patient!”
Digital marketing and SEO can be complicated to figure out, but with the right advice from the top industry experts, you’ll be able to make the most of your online marketing and web content to draw in new website visitors and future potential customers.
