Five SEO Trends That Can Be Expected To Rule In 2017

Search Engine Optimization For Business

Search engine optimization, at the end of the day, is entirely about staying ahead of the competition.

Among the most effective ways of establishing dominance over competitors is to be aware of how search engine algorithms are changing so that you can include appropriate content, tweak your SEO strategy, and take a lead before the competition realizes that the rules of the game have changed. Since the SEO sector is extremely dynamic, it is vital to be aware of how it is evolving. Some anticipated trends for the next year:

More Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMPs).

Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMPs) protocol enables webmasters to develop web pages that load very quickly on mobile devices. With just a few changes in the structure, the pages can load four times more quickly while consuming data that is astonishingly eight times less.

It has already been observed that Google is favoring sites with AMPs; it gives them noticeability in a carousel and also displays their AMP status with an icon of a lightning bolt. While many more brands will switch over to AMPs, it can be expected that Google will continue to play favorites in the search results for sites that have AMPs.

More ‘Dense’ Content

When people search for information on a subject, it can be very frustrating for them to encounter the same information written in different words again and again. In the early days of content marketing, there was a focus on the production of content that was as brief as possible, which later changed to articles that attempted to be comprehensive in their coverage.

In an environment that soon became flooded with the content of both types, it seems likely that a new trend will set in; that of articles that give the maximum information in the minimum number of words, or in other words, dense content that will appeal more to readers.

Personal Branding May Drive SEO

Personal branding has been hailed as the next big thing in SEO. Though it has been around for several years now, it has started gaining more traction in recent times. Personal branding has a number of advantages; guest posts are now easier to secure as is building the trust of users and driving website traffic.

However, a lack of appreciation of the concept has meant that not too many brands have leveraged it for SEO. Even as social media continues to refine algorithms to favor personal posts over branded ones, it is quite likely that more and more brands will jump onto the personal branding bandwagon.

Since the growing competition will definitely open up more opportunities, it is a good time to get the SEO strategy in order, observes the CEO of a top social media marketing Mumbai services provider.

Machine Learning To Impact Algorithm Working

With the release of Google RankBrain, the doors to machine learning algorithms have been opened. The Hummingbird extension enables Google to learn gradually how users phrase their search queries and automatically update its algorithm.

It is very likely that Google will be launching more updates for machine learning in the times to come. It is also a distinct possibility that machine learning techniques may also be applied in other areas such as marketing automation and data interpretation.

Difference between SEO and User Experience Optimization to Become Minimal

To a certain extent, SEO has always been vital for a good user experience. There is sufficient evidence of Google’s bias for mobile-optimized sites, websites that load quickly, or sites that are sticky with users spending a lot of time on them.

In the coming year, it is very likely that user experience will receive an additional boost, especially in areas relating to mobile devices such as AMPs that have already been initiated. There will be plenty of other ways in which Google will give an advantage to sites that offer a better user experience.

Conclusion

It can be difficult to predict with any precision what Google has in store in 2017, however, given the early indications; these are some trends that can be reasonably expected to be in vogue. While there’s no need to make any knee-jerk reactions, it is very useful for the webmaster to be aware of how the environment is changing and know how to react with an effective SEO campaign.

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