Search engine optimization (SEO) isn’t an exact science. Google, Bing, Yahoo and even some of the lowered tiered search engines are constantly updating their algorithms. So, what kind of SEO trends can you expect to see in 2016?
Increased Focus on Visitor Behavior
Search engines use hundreds of different ranking signals, including visitor behavior like average time spent on site, average number of pages visited during a single session, bounce rate, etc. Many search marketing experts believe this ranking signal will become even more influential as search engines look to improve the quality and relevance of their results.
Mobile Optimization is Critical
It’s no secret that mobile-friendly websites have an easier time ranking in the search engines than their mobile-unfriendly counterparts. Both Google and Bing have acknowledged the use of mobile compatibility as a ranking signal. But search engines will likely continue to hammer down on mobile compatibility, giving an even greater boost to websites that load and function on mobile devices. So if you haven’t done so already, make sure your website is mobile friendly, because failure do to so could send your site plummeting in the search rankings.
Video
There’s also a growing push towards more video in the search results, which could indicate a stronger SEO influence for video. In terms of traffic, YouTube is ranked as the second most popular search engine, attesting to the power of video. Webmasters and business owners should use this to their advantage by publishing relevant videos online.
Longer Content
The only days of publishing short articles and blog posts are almost over, as long-form content tends to rank higher in the search engines. This is where the mantra “quality over quantity” comes into play. Publishing a single well-written, long article will provide far more SEO value to your website than a dozen shorter, low-quality articles.
Social Media
Don’t get me wrong, social media has been a ranking signal for many years now. A recent study found that 76% of marketers currently use social media to improve their search rankings. You can expect search engines to place an even greater focus on “social signals” like Facebook likes, Twitter retweets and Google +1s in the upcoming months. Social media is tied directly into SEO, meaning websites with stronger social signals will have an easier time climbing the ranks for their respective target keywords.
Backlinks
Even with all of the changes that search engines are making to their ranking algorithms, one of the most influential ranking signals is still backlinks — something that’s unlikely to change anytime soon. This doesn’t necessarily mean that more backlinks translates into higher rankings, however, Search engines pay attention to the quantity, quality and relevance of a website’s backlinks.
