SEO is still alive and kicking and… is even more so this 2016. Whoever tells you otherwise is either uninformed or is not aware of the several evolutions Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has gone through in recent years – evolutions that affect billions of web searches worldwide and shape the future of search marketing, social media and digital marketing as a whole.
But before you even begin to learn how to become better at SEO in 2016 by absorbing all the details presented in the Infographic below, you must first learn about some very important aspects of search and the virtual environments it belongs to first. As a general summary to all these evolutions in search, it can be described that SEO has evolved from mere keywords, cute graphics and tons of articles, into fully understanding the user’s intent – finding out exactly what they are searching for.
The first step in your journey is to fully comprehend and understand what works for search in 2016 and what works not, particularly in understanding more about search ranking factors that really work. Once you get an understanding of these search ranking factors, you will also gain insight and understand that higher rankings are not influenced by the heavy use of keywords anymore. Search algorithms have evolved, changed and rolled out and are now more inclined towards understanding user intent.
With user intent becoming a major search factor that is coming into play, you should also understand that this can be achieved more readily by creating articles that are longer and more information-laden that the short 200 to 250 word articles that contain no more than repetitive sets of keywords. Search users now want answers to their queries as accurately and closer to their intent as possible. This includes information that caters to local attributes – bringing search results closer to home.
And then there’s these stuff about harnessing modern technologies, like in the case of the emerging digital giant that is mobile search. 1.2 billion internet users getting online through their mobile devices is no joke, and if you really want to become better at SEO during these present times, then you’d better be ready in making your site and all your other search attributes mobile-friendly.
There’s also great discussion nowadays about site security and as to how Google prefers that the websites they are ranking for have added additional site security protocols like the migration into HTTPS, where “S” stands for – you guessed it – security. You can blame Google and others, though, what with all the horror stories about hacking, site vulnerabilities and identity theft flooding the social media airwaves.
And if you think that becoming better in SEO in 2016 only goes for the written word, then guess again for search is moving out of the boundaries of text and graphics and moving towards the most audible realm of voice. Thanks to recent developments in smartphone and gadgets technologies, search users can now also harness the power of their voice when making searches.
It’s really an exciting digital world out there and business owners, marketers and others wanting to gain a better foothold in the digital landscape should learn how to also evolve with the times and this include getting down and serious with new advancements in the search marketing and SEO areas. New conventions, new focuses and the technologies that go with them are changing the digital landscape and many can barely keep up with what’s ahead in 2016 and beyond.
There are SEO tools available that will put everything in its proper perspective, like this “How to Become better at SEO in 2016” infographic that is filled with a detailed array of information and instructions that you can learn within its sections.
