With visual search starting to dominate the web, you have to keep up by optimizing your pages for SEO. This way, you can increase your page’s visibility and you can have a better standing at Google’s Image Search listing. Although it may not contribute largely to your rankings, SEO-optimized images will surely give your website a big favor.

Here are seven ways on how you can optimize your images for better search:

Mind the format

One thing that you have to check is if you’re using the ideal image format. There’s no right or wrong format, though. You just have to consider if it’s ideal for the purpose. For example, if you need a high-definition photo with a small file size, a WebP format will be ideal. On the other hand, smaller images can be used in JPEG format.

Consider relevance

There’s no point in using a photo that doesn’t relate to the topic of your post or your niche in general. Also, it’s best if you use original photos instead of stock photos. This will give a more authentic feel to your pages, not to mention that it will also make your website unique.

Reduce the file size 

Take note that image files can get really hefty, which will impact the loading speed of your website. So as much as possible, cut down on the file size without compromising the quality of the image. There are many applications that allow you to trim file size while retaining the visual quality of the image.

Include Alternative Text

Alt Texts work by projecting a text definition to the image if it fails to load properly. This way, your visitor will know what the image is about, making your website more inclusive. Aside from that, you can use the Alt Text area to optimize your keywords for search. Just take note that you’re not supposed to use the same keywords on all your images. Always pick different query strings that correspond to your niche.

Structure the image data

Structured data is more technical, but it pays a lot when it comes to Image Search listings on Google. This helps the search engine to index pages. With that, your pages will show up easily on image searches, which is a good way to prepare for the visual search trend. Also, more and more site visitors prefer looking up an image than reading an entire copy.

Put captions

Like Alt Texts, the image caption area is another avenue to utilize your keywords. Based on YoastSEO’s findings, image captions are 300% more likely to be read than the whole text of your post. This is why you have to utilize this area well by writing brief captions with your keyword integrated naturally.

Use a decent filename 

This may seem harmless, but random filenames are no-nos. Although it will not show directly on your pages, Google will still read your filenames. So if you have the DSC111.jpg filename, expect that someone with SEO-optimization-logo.jpg will have a better edge than you. This is just a small detail that will make your website shine even more.

Google has long been cracking down on fake Google Map listings. As an effort to make their platform a fair and useful for all its users, they are encouraging business owners to flag suspicious listings. This process will also help you rank higher on the local pack and gain better visibility on your target audience.

Here’s our quick guide on how to report a spam listing:

Step 1. Search for a keyword

First, search for a keyword that you’re using for your SEO. Also, make sure that your location is set to the actual location of your business. This way, you’ll see the results of the keywords as if you’re an internet user looking for a service or product.

Next, check the results on the local pack. If you’re not in the top 3 results, click “More Businesses”. This will open the Local Finder, which is a long list but still bears the same ranking as the local pack.

Check where you rank and what listings are included. After that, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2. Identify which listings are spammy

At this point, you should look for spammy listings that are preventing you or other businesses from ranking. The first thing you have to check is the NAP of the businesses. If you see two or more that have the same phone number or address, mark it suspicious.

To confirm, this you can phone the business to ask for their address and name. You can also raise it to them that they have spammy listings.

Next, check the Google Streetview of the address. If it’s somewhere in an empty desert or the middle of the road, you can consider it a spam.

Step 3. Report the listing 

Once you confirm that the listing is spam, it’s time to report it to Google. The basic step here is suggesting and edit. Make sure that you choose the right edit option and that you attach a screenshot of your proof. After that, you can send it to Google and wait for a response.

However, if you didn’t get a response or if Google didn’t take down the spammy listing, you can use the Google Redressal Complaint Form. Google created this form specifically for reporting spammy and fake listings on Google Maps.

You can report multiple listings you find spammy. However, make sure that you have enough proof to support this.

Step 4. Monitor the results 

After sending the edit suggestions, you’ll receive an email from Google confirming that they received the request. Wait for 24 hours for Google to act on the edit suggestion. Usually, they will remove or edit a listing within the same day. With that, you can rank higher on the Local Finder and even make it to the local pack.

Feel free to repeat this process for other keywords. This is so you can remove spam listings that prevent you from being on the local pack. Still, you should know that even if you removed the fake listings, you may still fail to make it to the top three. This is where further optimization comes in.

As the year 2020 approaches, website owners aren’t just busy preparing for the holidays. They are also busy prepping their website for the new decade. Some are placing new strategies to boost their rankings while others are fixing technical problems.

Whatever you’re planning to do before the year ends, make sure that you include these eight tasks to your to-do list:

Site audit

A site audit will give you a clear image of where your website stands. This will reveal various problems: from technical issues to on-page SEO problems. By diagnosing the problems, you can fix it before another year starts. Always fix technical issues first dealing with less urgent problems like on-page SEO and the likes.

Competitive analysis

Aside from spending your time scouring your website for problems, you should also peek on what your competitors are doing. Conduct a competitive analysis to see how your competitors are doing in terms of traffic, search, and click-through rates.

The aim here isn’t to copy your competitors. What you need is to do better than them.

Privacy policy update

If you haven’t touched your website’s privacy policy for years, this is a perfect time get it updated. The GDPR updates have rocked the web last year and it’s best to check yours before penalties flood in. Also, updating your privacy policy will ensure that it corresponds well to the needs of your visitors.

CTA clearing

Call to actions that have expired should be removed before the year ends. Although expired links won’t affect your rankings, it may confuse your visitors. So if some of your CTAs have already been expired, it’s best to remove it right away. Replace it with new ones so your website will also be updated.

Video content production

About 80% of internet search is video content. This is seen to increase by 2020. So to make sure that your website will be prepared for this, focus on creating more personalized video content.  Take note that internet users are seeking visual content. With videos, you can satisfy this while boosting your brand.

Ditching Flash

Flash Player is set to be shut down by 2020. So if your website is still using this application, it’s time to switch to a more updated technology like HTML5. This way, your website will remain functional once Adobe closed Flash. Also, it’s best to create videos instead of pure animations alone.

Content planning

The best time to perform content planning is before the year starts. This way, you are all set once the New Year starts. Make sure that your editorial calendar has been updated. You can also spy on your competitors to see where you can do better in terms of content.

Customer concerns 

Most of all, you should give time to address customer concerns. It could be a problem with your service or how they access your website. Find solutions to complaints and brainstorm how you can improve the navigability of your website. You don’t have to perform a major revamp right away. Small changes done regularly over time can make a big difference.

In the first week of December, Google confirmed the roll-out of its November 2019 update. It’s the neural matching algorithm, which will change how the search engine interprets local search queries. With this, businesses should expect a change in rankings and traffic.

Should you panic? Below, we discussed what you need to know about this newest update and what you have to do about it.

What is the November 2019 update?

The November 2019 update is the roll-out of the neural matching algorithm. From its testing phase that started sometime in 2018, it is now rolled out globally to all countries where Google can be accessed.

Basically, the neural matching is a “super synonym system” that interprets queries and detects its local intent. This way, even if the query doesn’t have an indicated location or business name, Google will attribute it to an improved set of results. This is where local businesses feel the change.

This process translates to a change in local rankings and a noticeable decline or increase in traffic. Still, it’s a positive change as traffic will be given to the business, which is most relevant to the search query.

Should I panic?

Of course not, Google highlighted that this is just one of their ongoing efforts to make its platform a better place for both users and website owners. There’s no need to fight it out or set a full-force campaign to combat the initial effects of the algorithm update.

What to do 

According to Google, nothing. The search engine encourages website owners just to keep on optimizing based on their guidelines, which were published a long time ago. Although it can be tempting to make major adjustments on your website, it’s best to wait for the aftermath of this update. Although you’re noticing a change in rankings and traffic, it’s best to plan your next move first.

Unless the decline in traffic is massive, you don’t have to worry about potential revenue losses. The traffic you’ll lose is a chunk of visitors that are not converting. Also, this will likely be replaced with better leads as long as you continue optimizing for SEO.

Why you need to be aware

First of all, if you’re a website owner, it’s your job to stay abreast of any Google updates. If it affects your rankings, it should be your concern.

Still, there’s no need to panic or change plans right away. As much as a new SEO strategy might help regain your rankings, your current campaign can be left as-is. The neural matching algorithm will change the course of search query interpretation, but it’s also for your benefit as the website owner.

Aside from that, it will also benefit internet users as they will get better local results.

Final words 

The November 2019 update is a big thing, but it shouldn’t stir panic to website owners. You can adjust your SEO strategies to regain your rankings. Other than that, you don’t have to make a major revamp on your website. Just follow Google’s recommendations and you’ll be fine.

From its U.S. roll-out back in October, the BERT update is now launched globally, according to Google. The largest search engine has announced via Twitter that BERT is now working globally wherever Google is accessible. So far, BERT is available in 72 languages, though it may still be exclusive to 10% of all searches.

What is BERT?

BERT is a Google algorithm that stands for Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers. It’s a form of deep-learning technology that interprets search queries based on each word’s relation to each other.

That way, Google can provide better search results based on the relevance of web pages to the entered query.

Take note that Google said back in October that it will only apply to 10% of all searches. It’s expected to stay that way even on its global roll-out.

Overall, BERT improves the interpretation of search queries. This benefits both the website owners and its users.

How will it affect international searches?

With BERT working globally, your pages may not rank the same for some keywords. Still, this also means that the quality of search results will be improved. Also, traffic will be directed to the most relevant web pages.

For website owners, this means that they will receive highly-converting traffic by losing low-quality traffic.

Also, BERT will affect international featured snippets. If your website has rich snippets before, it may not be generated now that BERT is in place. Still, you can optimize your pages better to increase the likelihood of regaining the snippet.

Anyway, this only applies to countries where rich snippets are available.

BERT brings in positive change

Google updates could be daunting, but most of it brings positive change. This is the same thing with BERT. Since search results will improve, internet users will be offered results that they are more likely to patronize.

Aside from that, BERT can learn from other languages as a way of making improvements in the English language search. This is the same thing for different languages.

It improves how Google interprets the context of each search. With this, your web pages will rank better on searches where it’s deemed the most relevant by BERT.

What should you do?

Now that BERT is in full effect, the question now is, what should we do about this update? Nothing, actually. BERT is an algorithm update. It doesn’t aim to penalize any website. Although your ranking or snippets may be affected, you can optimize just the same.

There’s no preparation or response needed here. BERT is directed to Google’s platform and not to specific websites. Also, BERT doesn’t give benefits to a specific group of websites.

If you want to keep up with this update, the only thing you have to do is to create unique, high-quality, relevant, and compelling content.

Final words 

Google considers the BERT update as one of the biggest strides in search for the past five years. It’s a big thing, but website owners don’t need to panic. As long as you’re producing high-quality content and optimizing your website well, there’s nothing to be worried about.