EPP 097: How To Do Search Engine Optimization in 2017

In this week’s episode of the Extra Paycheck Podcast we are talking about Search Engine Optimization strategies that will be important in 2017.

Also available on: iTunes | Stitcher | Tunein | Google Play

Every single January the world of internet marketing starts talking about SEO. Right now it’s all about Search Engine Optimization strategies in 2017.

First and most important thing that will matter in 2017 is content. Surprised? Over the past few years I have mentioned the importance of high quality content over and over again in my blog and podcast. The truth is that Google has been paying attention to content since forever.

Here is an easy example. Go to google.com and search for your main keyword phrase. Look at the top 10 results and make sure to create content that is better and more in depth then all the other content out there. This will not guarantee the number 1 spot in the search results but it will surely give you a chance to rank well.

Next is backlinks.

Backlinks still matter in 2017. However Google got a lot smarter about it. You can’t simply go on Fiverr and buy 1000 links for $5. If you do that, chances are google will blacklist your site and ban it from the search results. You can accelerate your backlink creation by reaching out to influencers. Head over to Episode # 94 for more details about that. It’s important to mention that you should not be concentrating on your backlinks creation but rather on your content, links will come as a by-product.

Third thing that you should think about is engagement.

Google keeps talking about the importance of engagement. However they don’t explain what it really means. Do people comment on your posts? Do people spend time on your pages and click on your internal links? Are you tracking your site through Google Analytics? Create engagement and lower your bounce rate.

Forth thing is mobile.

In October 2016 mobile traffic over-passed desktop traffic for the very first time in history. Your website should be responsive. At the very least it should have a mobile version. Google announced that they will give more importance to mobile search results over desktop results.

Folks, it’s 2017. Most themes are responsive. There are hundreds of plugins to help with that task as well. You honestly have no excuse.

#5 Accelerated Mobile Pages or AMP.

Going alone with mobile, Google has created a new project called AMP. In short, they ask you to strip your site to a very basic version and serve that to your visitors. Don’t worry, there are plugins to help you with this task. More detailed information on AMP is explained in this episode so scroll up and press the play button. I will also link to AMP plugins at the bottom of this show notes page.

#6 Enable HTTPS.

I completely forgot to mention this in the podcast so if you are reading this show notes page then you are getting a free bonus 😉 Google has been encouraging webmasters to move away from http to a more secure https format. Initially it was incredibly important for websites that collected user’s information (such as payment details). However, it’s very possible that Google will require this format from all pages.

Most web hosts will require an extra payment for https. The Extra Paycheck Blog is not on https yet but I assure you it’s coming soon.

Besides these topics I also mention a few rumors that make a lot of sense when it comes to search engine optimization. Once again, scroll up and press the PLAY button where I explain everything in depth.

Resources mentioned in today’s episode:

EPP 094: How To Create Viral And Profitable Blog Posts

Mobile Friendly Test by Google

Here are the 2 plugins you need to install and activate to enable AMP:

AMP by Atomattic

AMP for WP

Accelerated Mobile Pages – official resource

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If you have any comments or question feel free to post them in the comment box below and I’ll reply to every single comment 😉

– Alex