Through the last few weeks, there have been multiple blog post on the SEO trends that you need to focus on for 2018. The main priority coming from multiple sources is Mobile First. Google has put priority on Mobile for 2018* in an effort to increase user experience on mobile, that will ultimately affect your rankings.

*Article on Mobile for 2018 is from 2016, however, the index is coming in 2018 from Google. 

When Research takes the Lead

Now, what the articles won’t focus on is what does that mean for the person that is doing much of their searching on a desktop, or laptop? In the AEC industries, there are multiple uses for mobile applications. In the field, tracking images, and ease of use to find answers. However, heavy searching (using Google, Bing, Yahoo) is not primarily done on a mobile device in this industry.

When you are really researching something, whether it be a new Management system like Procore, CMiC, Autodesk BIM 360, financial system such as Sage or Quickbooks, you are doing these hard research projects from the comfort of being in front of your computer. So you can compare and contrast, take notes, send quick emails to those involved.

Priorities for SEO, not just focusing on mobile

In my humble opinion, while mobile compatibility is extremely important, and should be focused on, it should not be an end all be all of your website and SEO strategy. There are multiple factors that are just as important. User Experience is extremely important. When someone comes to your website, whether it’s mobile compatible or they are visiting from a desktop, if the user experience is poor, they will bounce quickly, even if you were ranked higher because of your “compatibility-ness”.

Another factor is having good, basic SEO strategy (technical SEO). Correct title tags, meta descriptions and url structures are still, and will continue to be the back-bone of SEO. These will always be a priority in my mind, and in the mind of multiple SEO experts. Link-building is a third priority. Having good, quality links back to your website that identify you as an authority are pivotal in helping your rankings. Don’t be afraid to ask for those links from your sub-contractors, or business partners. They help you both.

Content, Content, Content!

And as always, adding good, fresh, quality content to your website that establishes you as an authority on your industry topic is key! Blog’s, new product and service pages, highlights of the business. These all can seem time consuming, but I would not recommend adding fresh content at least once a month, if it did not help return crawl efforts from Google. In the end, increasing your rankings!

In the end, mobile is (and has been for some time) important to focus on for your website and SEO efforts. For the AEC industry, and any large research based industry, just don’t put all your eggs in this basket.

For more information on SEO, or for a discussion on how to rank better, contact us!