One of the reasons search engine optimization is so challenging is because it’s a tactic that’s always changing. If you want to stay ahead of the curve, here are the SEO tips and tricks you need to know for 2015:

#1 Make Your Site Faster

Google knows that if a visitors has to wait forever for a site to load, it’s almost guaranteed that they’re going to abandon that site. Because Google doesn’t want to send visitors to sites that don’t properly serve their needs, Google has made site speed a major element of their ranking algorithm.

#2 Links Still Matter

While social media marketing is an important component of an overall online marketing strategy, it’s separate from SEO. Although there was a time when some people thought social media signals would replace links, Google has made it clear that they still use links as their primary ranking signal and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Although obtaining quality links in a manner that’s not scammy can be a challenge, it’s definitely still worth the effort.

#3 Focus on Mobile

Since mobile accounts for over half of many sites’ traffic, it’s important to make a user’s mobile experience a top priority. This includes everything from fast loading times to responsive design to the possibility of mobile app development. Taking these steps will ensure your site receives the mobile-friendly label Google recently added to their results pages.

#4 Optimize Your Images

Google Images can send a lot of traffic to a website. There are two keys to increasing the amount of traffic you receive from it. The first is to give the images you upload a descriptive filename. And the second is to use the alt tag to provide even more information about the image. Both areas are great spots to utilize keywords in a natural manner.

#5 Give Pages a Clear Focus

A common mistake that many websites make is trying to have a single page do too much. Since this can be confusing for both visitors and search engines, auditing your key pages to see if they need more focus is a great way to improve your site’s user experience and rankings.

#6 Properly Structure Your Pages

This web design and web development tip ties in directly with the previous tip. You want the H1, H2 and sub headlines on your pages to be properly optimized with your target keywords. This approach will help Google understand exactly what a page is about. It will also help grab the interest of visitors who start by simply scanning down the page.

By putting all of the tips we covered into practice, you’ll be able to make 2015 a great year for your website.

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