There is no better spot than number one. Second place, in life or within Google, doesn’t cut it. You need to ensure that you are aiming for the spot of top dog in 2018. SEO has been the way to do this for years. There is no sign of that changing anytime soon. But, now it’s time to get your eyes on the prize. Number one and higher rankings are the way forward for the coming year. Of course, every business, marketer and SEO Expert all have their eyes on the lucrative prize. But, there are some savvy ways that you can ensure SEO success. Whether you are new to the game or a world hardened marketer, there are some excellent tips and tricks that you can use. This is imperative when honing your new SEO strategy for 2018.

Entrepreneurs, bloggers and marketing gurus all want to know two fundamental things:

How can I achieve more traffic?

How can I make sure that I don’t get attacked by Google’s animals? Namely, Penguin, Panda and Hummingbird?

SEO Tips And Tricks

Avoiding penalization and securing the top spot within Google doesn’t have to be a difficult task. On the contrary, there are some savvy ways to reign supreme within Google. You can ensure maximum success. But, do be prepared to put in the legwork. This will take time and success cannot be attained overnight.

Let’s take a look at seven SEO tips and tricks that will guarantee rankings in 2018.

1. It’s Time to Hit More Traffic and Focus on the Local

In life, no one wants more traffic, aside from the SEO whizz. So, now it’s time to make sure that you are focussing on attaining more traffic to your site. Your website needs to be optimised for success. This means that you need to include your location on your site. Hit directories. Use citations. These are all fundamental ways of growing your business and making sure that you are getting on board with local SEO. Local SEO is one of the best ways of making your rank higher. What is more, it’s going to be a key way to ensure higher rankings going into 2018.

2. Optimise Your Site With Mobile in Mind

Mobile optimisation is not just user-friendly, it is Google friendly too. So, if you want to make sure that you are ranking higher than before, you need to devise a strategy with mobile in mind. Apps and responsive design are vital to your success. Google has stated that it loves responsive design as it feels that it has the customer in mind.

DO YOU KNOW THERE IS A GOOGLE TOOL TO CHECK THIS FOR YOU? Use This Google Tool To Check Whether Your Website Is Mobile Friendly

Google has some mobile-friendly tests that you can take to ensure that your site is hitting all of the right notes. If your site is not as responsive as it should, or it does not pass the Google mobile-friendly test with top marks, it’s time to devise a new site. Yes, this can be expensive. But, it’s a keen way of ensuring success in 2018. Do bear in mind that mobile traffic is paving the way to a brighter future.

3. Don’t Forget About Bing and Yahoo (Yes, Really)

Okay, so covering the top spot on Google is the ultimate dream. But, you need to think outside of the Google box. With this in mind, consider the other search engines. Yes, there are others. Bing and Yahoo are used widely by a lot of people. While Google is a great place to start thinking about rankings, you need to make sure that you are thinking about the other search engines too. These options are becoming more commonplace with internet users, so don’t alienate a potential customer or viewer base by solely focussing on Google. Not just this, you can also turn your focus to Baidu, China’s largest search engine. Even little things matter the most in this field.

4. Take a Look at ROI Metrics

Keywords are vital. But don’t forget to take a look at your ROI metrics. In the coming year, this is essential that you do this. You need to ensure that you are looking at metrics so that you can see what is working for you and what is not. This means that you can look more closely at conversions and viewership. Then, you can ascertain whether this has seen a definite return on investment. You can then hone and adopt new keywords to ensure that you are targeting the right people.

5. An Integrated Social Media Approach: Make Social Media Your Focus

Social Media is so much more than merely sharing content. Of course, we should never forget the importance of content. But, you need to make social media your focus in 2018 if you want to get ranked. According to Jacob Maslow, social media is a positive marketing channel. But it can also be used as a customer service focal point. You need to engage with your brand and talk to your clients and viewers. Without this, you are just another faceless business. It’s time to get personal. Focus on the main social media sites. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Don’t sign up to every social media site under the sun and spam relentlessly. A loyal customer base is vital. But, you can also generate more revenue from doing this.

6. Earn Your Links

Earning links is now going to be the best way of ensuring that much-coveted number one spot. Inbound links are essential. You need to ensure that you are earning your links. This should be done on high authority sites. Do ensure that you are not spamming or using too many links all over the place. This is not the way to achieve success. What’s more, you may incur a Google penalty in the process.

7. Keywords, Keywords, Keywords!

Keywords are still a mainstay for SEO experts. But, you need to ensure that you are researching your keywords in a more robust way. You need to understand traffic patterns, buying habits, and purchase patterns. This helps you target people in a more robust way. What is more, you can guarantee more success from using this kind of in-depth keyword research.