Marketers, at one time, predicted SEO would decline in popularity. The opposite is taking place; SEO is dominating the marketing world. There are more interesting trends happening now, in 2016, than ever before. SEO helps websites gain more traffic, boost their branding, give their businesses more credibility and increasing their search engine result ranking.
If you are watching the world of SEO, here are some trends you may be noticing throughout the year.
- Social Media Content is Important
Marketers and website owners are finally seeing the importance of using social media to gain visitors. The ability for users of social media, such as Facebook, to share posts and websites they enjoy is changing the way people reach sites.
They are spending more time than ever trying to rank higher with their tweets, Facebook posts and hashtags. Also, every business has to have social media sites. They need a twitter and Facebook accounts; Google will display their accounts when their business name is searched.
- Mobile Optimization is Key
If your website isn’t designed for mobile devices, you will lose a huge percentage of your viewers. Your viewers are now using smartphones, tablets, laptops, and more to view your website. In 2016, mobile optimization will slowly become the norm, as more companies used that it is a necessity.
A large percentage of people shop, read emails, visit websites and social media all from their smartphones, without ever picking up a laptop or using a PC. When they reach your site and it isn’t optimized, they aren’t likely to spend much time there. You just lost out on a potential sale and a potential client.
- Local SEO is Gaining
It is becoming more important to have a clear SEO process and let Google know where you located and what you offer. You need to increase rankings on search engines. This is why local pages that include the name of your business, along with your address, is important.
Mobile users want to know where you are located. There is an increased chance of a mobile user visiting your store within a day when they search for you locally. People want to find local stores and businesses to frequent. To increase your business, using local SEO is important.
Another important aspect of local SEO is gaining reviews. Searchers will see those reviews; increasing your use of social media can gain you more reviews from previous clients. Good reviews will build a wider audience who will trust your brand.
- Videos are Still Vital
Videos do more than just keep your viewers entertained; they also increase your rankings on search engines. Google gives attention to websites that have blended results.
Content that contains videos will get higher organic page ranks, giving their website more credibility. Throughout 2016, we will see more videos being used on websites and being shared on social media to gain more viewers.
- More Mobile Apps Than Ever
Mobile apps take up a huge amount of time for mobile users. Most users will spend a majority of their time using an app, whether for social media, playing a game, or searching through Amazon. There is an app for nearly everything.
More and more companies are realizing the benefits of mobile apps. Apps make things easier for the user. Some people prefer to use apps over the regular website.
Having an app increases the users a business will reach on a frequent basis. It is important for developers to make sure their company name and logo are clear and visible. Google will display your app and link to download the app with their search engine results.
These are just a few ways SEO is trending in 2016. We are sure to see more trends developing as the year progresses, as well as previously used SEO tactics decreasing in popularity. L