2015 Predictions: Google In The Year Of The Goat
Its that time of year when people seem almost instinctively compelledto simultaneously reflect back on and look ahead tomultiple areas of life. As SEO professionals, were in no way an exception to the rule.
No one can dispute that 2014 has been a year of pretty big changes almost upheavals at times for SEO. And while the dust is still settling from those changes, were preparing for what is around the next corner.
While there is no crystal ball, we can learn a lot from thosewhohave been watching and measuring important trends. At this point, 2015 looks to be a year most noted by an evolution of existing trends rather than by completely new directions.
Following are some thoughts as to what SEO will look like in the coming 12 months.
How many times have you heard about mobiles projected overthrow of desktop in terms of search? Whetherthishas happened already or is yet tohappen, the importance of a mobile SEO strategy cannot be understated. Google has been putting ever greater emphasis on themobile user experience, potentially even incorporating mobile-friendlinessinto its search ranking algorithm.
In October, mobile usability reports came to Google Webmaster Tools. Last month,Google officially launched a mobile friendly label in mobile search results, along witha tool for webmasters that evaluatesa websites mobile-friendliness. AndEric Enge notes that things like the elimination of author photos and reduced emphasis on video snippets point to Googles emphasis on providing a mobile-friendly experience.
In short, if you havent put much effort into your mobile experience thus far, youd better start now.
Content marketing, that buzz phrase that sounded so radical and new just a couple of years ago, is now a mainstream concept to any marketing professional. However, in some organizations, it has more or less lived under the overall umbrella heading of SEO.
As this part of our industry matures, look for content marketing or content SEO, as it could be called to stand out on its own, separate from the more technical elements of SEO.
Read the original here:
2015 Predictions: Google In The Year Of The Goat