Surefire SEO Strategies That Are Here To Stay

The SEO industry is ever-evolving and highly volatile. Every year presents a new set of “Best Industry Practices” that compel SEO experts to re-evaluate their priorities. The best practices of the previous year hold no significance in the coming year. 2016 is fast approaching and it’s time to figure which strategies will stay consistent in your SEO campaign beyond 2015.

What Is Likely To Change In The Coming Year?

Starting from Panda 4.2 and RankBrain to Mobilegeddon and Phantom, The SEO landscape witnessed dramatic changes in 2015 and the same is anticipated for the coming year. As Google priorities continue to change, the SEO industry needs to figure out the factors that will gain prominence over time.

 Social Signals Will Become Significant For Staying Visible

 Social media may have a minimal role to play in boosting the domain authority of a website, but it can surely help in ranking high. Social networking platforms engage a massive user base that spans across the globe. It is an incredible channel to expand your reach and generate inbound traffic.

Search engines are working out ways to integrate social media posts in certain search results and this indicates that social media will continue to play a prominent role in SEO campaigns throughout 2016.

Mobile-Focused SEO Will Make Its Way In 2016

The global share of mobile web traffic in 2015 surpassed desktop traffic and this compelled Google to release a new update – Mobilegeddon. This brought about the rise of mobile-responsive websites. Business owners who wish to stay competitive and enjoy online success should adopt a responsive framework as this trend will continue to dominate the digital landscape even in 2016.

Oversaturated Content Will Cease to Exist

Websites need to shift their content marketing strategy from generic to specific. Online content is getting saturated due to technical advancements. Digital assistants like Cortana and Google Knowledge Graph now deliver information at your fingertips and this is forcing companies to go niche and creative with their content.

Newer Forms of Link Building Will Emerge

External links are fast shrinking in significance as new forms of link building continue to rise. Off-site reviews and explicit linking are the new forms of authority building. Linking specific sections of an app, publishing eBooks, testimonials, and allowing users to link editorially are the new traffic generating tools for 2016.

Local SEO Will Continue To Evolve

The introduction of local 3-pack was the biggest blow of 2015, but owing to advanced technology, increasing awareness of local businesses and growing needs of consumers, SEO experts found tactical ways to lessen the impact of this new display format. Reviews, ratings, and local citations will gain prominence as location-specific searches narrow down.

What Stays Consistent

Certain SEO practices will remain relevant even in 2016 as they see no imminent risk of being phased out in the near future. Here is a brief rundown of practices that will continue to dominate the digital landscape in 2016:

• Content Is the Undisputed King

Information-based content may be losing out in the race, but people still seek insights and entertainment value. If the content is unique and high-quality, it will continue to provide tangible results even in 2016.

• User Experience Still Remains the Focus of On-Site Optimization

Website security has become a major concern, but the focus still remains – End User Experience. Websites continue to evolve and ensure that they load faster, work efficiently, are easy to navigate, safer to use, and offer a seamless end-user experience.

• Off-Site Signals Are Still Significant For Building Domain Authority

Social signals, consumer reviews, brand mentions and inbound links play a crucial role in building reputation and will continue to do so in 2016 even as new off-site authorities evolve over the year.

Given the ever-evolving and fast-advancing nature of search engines, there will always be some degree of uncertainty surrounding the SEO industry. There are several unseen variables at work and they will definitely trigger changes in the existing trends, systems, and practices. SEO companies need to stay updated, aware, and informed of industry-related changes and be willing to adapt. Keeping pace with the latest developments is the only way to stay ahead of your competition.