New trends in search engine optimization

Crafts 4.0: Current trends promise higher rankings in search results like Google. But how can craftspeople improve their position in search engines?

This article is part of the special feature on digital craftsmanship.

When customers and skilled workers move online, smaller search engines have little chance: According to the statistics site StatCounter, Google's market share in Germany was 90,5 percent in January 2022. For tradespeople, it is therefore particularly important to rank highly in Google's search results – because this is the only way for businesses to survive in the long term in the competition for customers and, above all , for the best skilled workers.

To maintain or improve good Google rankings, regular optimization of your website is recommended . Google changes its algorithms for ranking websites several times a year , meaning that tradespeople can sometimes drop hundreds of places overnight for important keywords. Furthermore, competitors are also doing everything they can to improve the ranking of their own websites and online shops . Businesses can either outsource the ongoing search engine optimization ( SEO ) to specialized agencies or handle it themselves with basic programming knowledge.

Focus on speed

Currently, Google places particular emphasis on optimizing websites for mobile use . For example , all pages must load quickly and display optimally even on small screens – ideally through automatic design adjustments . But Google also consistently prioritizes speed in search results on desktop devices : The search engine evaluates, for instance, the loading time of all immediately visible content , as well as the time until the first possible interaction with the website. Ideally, these times should be just a few milliseconds.

User interaction is crucial

Another important criterion for Google is user interaction with a website. Many clicks on a search result contribute to better rankings in the medium term . The more time a user spends on the page, the better. Google always evaluates this time in relation to the content provided. Furthermore, the search engine checks how many users leave a page without interacting with it (the " bounce rate ") – and progressively penalizes search results with a high bounce rate . Therefore, tradespeople should anticipate the needs of customers and professionals when optimizing for search engines: Only a user-friendly design and truly interesting content can attract potential customers to their website and keep them there for as long as possible.

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Arouse interest with videos

According to experts, video will play a particularly important role in search engine optimization in the future: many users search the internet for moving images , and these are an effective way to keep potential customers on a website longer . Videos can be used to showcase products, services, or testimonials, for example. Furthermore, videos are valuable for recruiting skilled workers and trainees , as they offer authentic insights into the company. To spark the interest of potential trainees, a trainee diary is also a good option, where current apprentices share exciting glimpses into their daily work.

Photo: © Thomas Busch

In the future, a multitude of seamlessly interconnected criteria will be crucial for achieving good Google rankings . To achieve a high position in search results, craft businesses should therefore ensure that they not only adhere to standard SEO rules , but above all provide high-quality content – ​​and simultaneously ensure a positive user experience on their own websites.

Checklist: Criteria for user-friendly websites

1. Loading time: The entire website, including videos and images, loads and displays quickly (test: developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights).
2. Layout: The layout of all pages can be optimally displayed on any display size and adapts automatically – without zooming or horizontal scrolling.
3. Navigation: All navigation elements and links are immediately visible, intuitively designed, and easy to use with a mouse and touchscreen.
4. Text: All texts are easy to read at all times thanks to optimal font sizes, font styles, colors, and line spacing – without zooming.
5. Structure: Text and other content, such as photos and videos, are well structured and include headings and subheadings.
6. Interaction: There should be exciting interaction options on as many pages as possible so that users click on further content – ​​for example, videos, photo galleries, news/blog posts, online shop offers, surveys, downloads, configurators, online tools (e.g. for calculating prices, sizes, products, services), links, social media or contact forms.
7. Links: Links and external links are easily recognizable and clickable.
8. Search: A search function is available on all pages so that users can quickly find the content they are looking for throughout the entire website.
9. Plugins: All websites largely do without plug-ins.

Important technical terms

• Backlinks Links from external websites to your own website.
• keywords The keywords are components of the meta tags and contain search terms under which a website should be found in search engines.
• On-Page Optimization All optimization measures on a website itself (e.g. page titles, formatting of headings, keyword density).
• Page Rank The search engine Google uses Page Rank (PR) as a measure to determine the importance of a website.
• SEM Abbreviation for "Search Engine Marketing." This term encompasses all measures aimed at using search engines to acquire customers.
• SEO Abbreviation for "Search Engine Optimization." This term encompasses all measures aimed at improving a website's ranking in search engines.

Further links : seobility.net - sistrix.de - rankingcoach.com - de.semrush.com DHB now also digital! Simply click here and register for the digital DHB!