2015 was an exciting year for the SEO industry. We experienced changes and improvements that included the Mobilgeddon update, which was one of the first times Google announced a change before initiating a change and penalized website that did not optimize for mobile devices. Additionally, Google released approximately twelve different updates in 2015.
In the SEO marketing world, there’s one thing you can count on; change. With the focus on 2016, we can we expect to see from our friend’s at Google? We’ll break it down:
Mobile-Optimization will bypass desktop
Is your website mobile friendly? If you’re not sure, testing your site is simple and free. Google provides a mobile friendly test to use at your disposal. The mobile friendly test will even give you tips on how to make your site mobile friendly. Considering mobile friendliness is Google ranking factor, if you’re site is not mobile friendly, I would consider converting as soon as possible. In 2015, we saw a 43% increase in searches on a mobile device. Optimizing your SEO strategy is critical to stay competitive in 2016.
Do you own a local business? If you’re still not convinced that mobile should be on the top of SEO priority list, according to Adwords.Blogspot.com, 95 percent of smartphone users have searched for local information.
Structured data for SEO is the way of the future
Have you noticed a change in your search results lately? One big change we can expect in 2016 is the rise in structured data for SEO in search results. Structured data allows the user on both mobile and desktop to receive direct search results on Google without clicking through to a particular website. Below is an example of how Google uses structured data when displaying local Denver restaurants:
A great way to stay on top of your structured data is through Google Webmaster Tools. If you don’t have Webmaster Tools setup, click here to get started. Once you login to your account, head over to the structured data section and test for any errors associated with your account. Marking up your structured data takes time and skill, so you may want to consider a web developer or digital marketing expert to help out with this task.
More social media content will be indexed
In 2016, Google and other search engines will pull content from social media channels such as Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin in the SERP (search engine result pages). Google already tested and has added tweets to the search engine results in 2015 and, if successful, expect them to expand tweets for mobile in 2016. If you are not on social media or have put your social media marketing strategy on the back burner in 2015, it’s now more important than ever to get out and get social.
To conclude, in order to stay competitive, you HAVE to get active on social media, get familiar with your Google Webmaster Tools, and make sure your website is mobile friendly. The good new is, a Denver SEO expert can help. All of the tasks take precious time and we can help you get back to what you do best- running your business.
2016 will be an exciting year for SEO and Social Media Marketing. Happy new year, everyone!