SEO, Social Media, and the Future of Search Media
What Next for SEO?
Web technology seems to have been accelerating in recent years; however 2010 seems to have been a fairly quiet year when held up against preceding years. Will this trend continue into 2011? Being a webmaster myself I will certainly be watching carefully for any upcoming changes, if you operate in the same area – you would be wise to follow suit.
Perhaps one of the most exiting areas where change might well be afoot is search engine optimization (SEO). Without this technology, pages with content worthy of attention from countless web browsers would slip away into darkness, never likely to be uncovered. Social networking has been a powerful cog in the machine driving SEO from a little known method into a definite marketing necessity. This article will make known some of the changes you are likely to see unraveling before your eyes in 2011.
Social Media Optimization (SMO)
For many this is a term is becoming more and prevalent when thoughts bend toward marketing on the internet. The boom in popularity of social networking sites has sent shockwaves rattling through traditional internet marketing methods. It is clear things will never be the same again. SMO may not be a direct replacement to SEO, but it is certainly a powerful complimentary marketing method – one that should not be ignored.
SMO has many incarnations. Marketing can be done by the development of back links from social media sites, creation of a credible product profile – not to mention successful product trials, and or course as a target toward searching. By using SMO carefully and wisely you will boost your SEO prospects.
Site Speed and On-Page SEO Behavior
Search engines such as Google will now rank pages lower if their load time is excessive. It will therefore be important to ensure your site is optimized to enable the fastest possible load time. Meta-tags will also be scrutinized more by leading search engines; improper use of meta-tags will have a negative effect on page ranking.
It will also be important to move some focus from off-page optimization toward on-page optimization. On-page optimization may have been neglected in the past, but webmasters should dedicate more time to this type of optimization or site ranking might suffer.
Access the Net on the Road
Portable devices are becoming more and more popular, as technology becomes more and more sophisticated it is becoming easier to surf on the move. Let us face reality, we are now a race with very little time on our hands, in many cases it is more convenient to access the internet while traveling or out-with the office etc. This is why Smartphones and netbooks have become so popular.
Due to this increasing trend toward mobility, search engines such as Google are now giving priority of rank to mobile results as opposed to desktop results when the search is being performed on a mobile device. Clearly mobile optimization is going to become increasingly more important. Applications such as the mobile keyword tool in Adwords and Google’s own Mobile search service will have to be catered for.
Video is the Future
Your site’s visibility will increase tenfold if you include a relevant video from YouTube. YouTube is incredibly popular now, and this popularity has been recognized by search engines and should be noted by web masters. Including a clip from YouTube connected with a search engine keyword will increase the likelihood of a higher rank.
YouTube has become so popular it has even overtaken Yahoo as the second largest search engine behind Google. By including a video from YouTube you not only enhance your site’s visibility in Google – but in YouTube itself.
Personalized Search Results are the In Thing
Personalized search results are likely to become a more prominent search engine player in 2011. In Google, personalized search results are now the default option on site. If you wish results to be displayed as before, you will have to opt-out of personalized search results. It should be noted a large section of the population will not opt-out, so take heed of the effect this will have on search results.
Site popularity is going to be the key that will help unlock this new development in search result behavior. Site branding will become more prominent as webmasters try to ingrain their site into the minds of browsers. If you neglect this area, your site is less likely to appear in search results and your site will take a tumble into unpopularity – a very dangerous place land.
Local Search Results
The movement toward local search results is a trend which is likely to skew directly into 2011. More of an emphasis is being placed on the origin of your business and where you are advertising that business. If a search is being performed in the USA, it makes sense for businesses operating in America to have priority over businesses operating somewhere else.
It is advisable to advertise your business in local search listings and optimize your site for those listings. Most are unsure of the outcome of this new development and its effect on search results and ranking. However, it would be prudent operate and advertise in the same country.
