5 Important Tips for Your SEO Strategy

Note (October 2026): I wrote this post in December 2017 as an SEO strategy for 2018. The voice search shares are forecasts from that period, not verified current data. Google's search results now also include AI-generated summaries (AI Overviews), as described in Google's AI features documentation.

An SEO strategy for 2018 needs five things beyond quality content and high-quality backlinks: search engine results page features, RankBrain, on-page SEO, voice search and channels outside Google.

As the new year approaches it is time to think ahead. Here I will go through the newest factors and how new technologies are changing search. I will also cover the tactics and trends you can fold into your strategy so you do not fall behind.

1. The SERP revolution and rising competition for visibility

In Moz's analysis of clicks on the search engine results page (SERP), Rand Fishkin notes that 66% of distinct searches query Google's results. The other 34% of searches receive no click at all. Looking at all queries, the ratio is closer to 60/40. I expect us to move even closer to Google over time.

Google answers informational queries itself on the results page: search for "how to remove an oil stain" and Google meets the user with a snippet, handing over the information faster.

Four recommendations for SERP visibility:

• Research the SERPs for your sector, your content and your keywords. Look at what kind of results each keyword returns: shopping results, ads, product details, images, knowledge panels. On those pages organic results can be nowhere in sight.
• Keyword analysis alone is not enough for the SERP. You need new strategies for search engine marketing (SEM), shopping results and snippets too.
• Use tools such as SEMrush or SEOMonitor to track your snippet visibility.
• Make sure Google fully understands your page for those SERP features. Use schema.org structured data for that.

Start by learning what users are searching for, in other words their user intent, then hand them what they want faster through snippets.

2. RankBrain and machine learning

If RankBrain is new to you, read this Moz article. Since 2015 RankBrain has been a significant ranking factor. Data such as click-through rate, time on site and bounce rate heavily influence UX signals. Update (October 2026): Google's guide to ranking systems describes RankBrain as an AI system that helps Google understand how words are related to concepts.

If users click the third result for a query and spend time on the page (reading the whole article, say), RankBrain will see it. If, for the same query, users click the first result and bounce immediately, Google will probably rearrange those rankings.

Three recommendations for RankBrain:

• Focus on improving your titles and descriptions. Make your content as appealing as possible for users rather than for keywords, and raise your CTR.
• Make sure the content on the page genuinely satisfies the user, that the page loads fast, and aim for a flawless experience.
• Competing sites now optimise their pages well too. You have to differentiate with creativity to stand out.

3. Let go of the "old" on-page tactics

SEMrush's ranking factors study found that 35% of the pages ranking for high-volume keywords do not carry the keyword in their title. That share shows how much better Google has become at understanding synonyms.

SEMrush also found that user signals and direct website traffic matter enormously.

Two recommendations for on-page SEO:

• Make sure your site gives users what they were looking for and more, and try to build affection for the brand. Good UX and good content are what bring people back.
• Do not rely on on-page optimisation alone (keywords or page speed, for example).

4. The growth of voice search

Voice search accounted for around 20% of mobile searches in 2017, when I wrote this post. According to comScore's forecast at the time, 50% of all searches would be voice searches by 2020.

Google Home, Siri, Cortana and Alexa recognise human speech with 92% accuracy. As these assistants improve, the popularity of voice search looks set to climb further. Update (October 2026): Microsoft retired Cortana as a standalone app in Windows in spring 2023.

Two recommendations for voice search:

• Optimise for conversational language and add the questions people would ask out loud to your content strategy.
• You can use BuzzSumo to find the questions users are asking.

5. Think beyond Google

Think about all of the results (the ads, the shopping units, the featured snippets), not just the organic rankings. Every result in the SERP adds to your brand's visibility.

Because winning visibility is more competitive than ever, widen your net: I would suggest working on Amazon, Bing, Alexa, YouTube and, for business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) alike, Pinterest.

All of this is worth keeping in mind for 2018. Remember too that quality content, a good user experience, high-quality links and a technically sound site remain 100% essential to any SEO strategy.