Expected Trends For Online Marketing And SEO in 2014
In the world of online marketing and SEO, it’s never too early to start thinking about the future. Every year search engines update the algorithms they use for ranking websites and the mediums by which people share information change. Keeping up with the latest updates is important, but it’s even better to try and predict where trends are headed and keep ahead of the pack. Here’s some areas that are being talked about:
Facebook Graph Search – A new search feature on Facebook that combines a search engine, geographical proximity and social functions. It tries to take what Facebook knows about you into account, so for instance it’s more likely to return results to a restaurant that a lot of your friends like. It’s not expected to impact SEO, but has huge potential for local businesses with a product to sell.
Hummingbird – Google’s largest update since 2001, Hummingbird changes the Google algorithm to provide more localised data and take into account previous search history. This is almost certainly going to continue to affect us throughout the coming year as the industry learns more about how it works and as Google continues to fine tune it. The major changes revolve around providing specific, accurate results that take into account the user’s identity and experience.
Conversational Searching – The constant presence of Google in our lives has meant that most people now use an informal style of searching, almost as if they were asking an actual person. Instead of a string of computer-friendly keywords, we now expect that we can type in “what’s the best way to bake bread” and Google will find the results for us. Google has done a lot of work to get to this stage, and are likely to pursue this in future.
Synonymous Keyword Optimisation – An important new method of onsite optimisation is ensuring Google understands the theme of your website. In addition to focusing on main keywords with targeted content, a latent coverage of related terms ensures that your site is seen as having the right theme for searchers in that area.
Content Relevancy – More targeted, more specific. The aim is to get away from large sites with lots of link power hogging heaps of results, more towards results that meet exactly what the searcher wants. Narrow your keywords by region and use specific phrases.
Though the future is never certain, through experience and paying attention to what the major search engines are saying we can make informed guesses about what trends will feature in 2014. Get a head start on the competition by keeping an eye out for any major changes and looking for opportunities on how you can capitalise on these changes before the pack picks up the scent.
