Top 10 SEO Resolutions for 2014

The holidays may be over, but we're going to be eating (Humming) bird for a while; work on adopting these 10 SEO resolutions so you can watch your site rise in the rankings as you watch your waistline.

Stop relying on keywords. With Hummingbird, the structure of searches has changed from matching the words in the search bar to the words on a page to a far more precise match of intent.

Keep an eye on rank. Page rank still matters. Make sure to analyze by device typeas well as location to figure out what's performing best where, and with whom.

Make content conceptual. It's been popular to use tent pole pages for keywords; now that keywords have become more irrelevant, it's time to focus individual pages on concepts.

Don't stop link building. While search engines have tried to move relevancy away from linkage, they haven't managed to do so yet. Continue to cultivate quality links through social media and sharable content.

Get mobile. With 64% of people who buy online owning smartphones, you can't afford not to in 2014.

Go With Responsive Web Design. This kind of design automatically adjusts to accommodate mobile visitors as well as PC visitors.

Drop that code weight. If you're going mobile and responsive, optimize for load time. Code bloat can slow your site down immensely with responsive design, which results in abandonment.

Keep learning. With so many changes afoot, you can't afford to not be on top of sites like Moz or Search Engine Watch regularly to keep your mind sharp and your finger on the pulse of the industry.

Pay homage to analytics. What's happening with your traffic? Are you a part of Majestic SEO and Google Analytics? Are you looking at what's going on with individual pages to see what is creating your overall rank?

Be conservative when it comes to trends. Prepare yourself for a lot of new fads popping up in 2014 in SEO because of Hummingbird. Just like weight loss gimmicks, most will be worth a dime a dozen and the majority won't work. Slow and steady still wins the SEO race.