Top 7 SEO Trends in 2015/16

This is the time of the year when strategies are thought of and plans made in the boardroom for the next year and beyond. So what are the top 7 SEO trends you can expect to prevail in 2015-16 and beyond?

Let’s find out!

1. Organic Search Will Always Be Critical…

Regardless of how effective your Pay-Per-Click strategy may be, you cannot ever afford to ignore organic search. Organic search will always be the vehicle that drives the most visitors, conversions and potential customers, across all internet properties. The companies that are able to use this well will make the most profit as they will own a disproportionate share of the digital space.

2. Higher Value Given to Quality Links by the Search Engines…

Inbound links have always been the currency on which the entire edifice of Google search has been built on. While other factors are taken into consideration by Google while deciding a site’s ranking, inbound links will always remain the most important. They are the ultimate indicators of a site’s value, trust and authority. In 2016 and beyond, you can expect the Google algorithm to be sophisticated enough to recognize quality inbound links from authority sites. A citation from an authoritative publisher or influencer will carry a lot of value and will have a great impact on your site’s ranking. Quality of inbound links will be just as important as the quantity or the number of these links.

3. Having an Effective Mobile Strategy will be of Paramount Importance…

Any business that didn’t take the mobile seriously enough, will have been forced to so since April, 2015, when Google made a site’s mobile compatibility a critical ranking factor for its search engine with its Mobile-Friendly update. 2016 is likely to witness mobile becoming the cornerstone of everybody’s SEO strategy as consumer behavior has fundamentally changed because of it. For a brand to grow on the search results, it is important to quickly and effectively deliver mobile experiences of the highest quality.

4. SEO Won’t Be Just About Google…

The fundamental change we expect to see in SEO strategy is that, search engine optimization won’t be just about doing well on Google. It will be about doing well on a variety of platforms and online channels. It will be about building a presence on Yelp, Amazon, Wikipedia and other platforms, and not just on Google. This is expected to create a slew of SEO specialists with expertise in each of these platforms and channels.

5. More Effective Social Media Engagement for Better Branding…

For long, establishing a position of authority in a particular niche was considered to be the Holy Grail of SEO, and the only way to achieve this was through effective content marketing strategies. Today, it is quite clear that achieving leadership in a niche won’t happen just through content marketing – a high level of engagement on the social media is also essential. This has made businesses work hard tat revamping their social media strategy and hire social media consultants. Social media strategy will now go hand-in-hand with SEO for better results.

6. Long-Tail Search Keywords Will Make All the Difference…

It has been clear for a while that one or two word keyword phrases don’t help a site rank well and don’t do much for conversions either. Long-tail keyword queries are far more relevant and much more effective when it comes to optimizing conversions. They offer a much more effective blend of specificity, purchase intent and relevance, which short keyword phrases can never match. The most powerful brands will be those that make the best use of long-tail search keywords. In fact, there are several studies that suggest that a large number of daily keyword queries – up to as much as 16 to 20% – are those that have never been seen before. That’s why it is important for businesses to be creative and make the best use of long-tail search traffic.