6 SEO Trends That Will Dominate the Digital Landscape In 2016

Search engine behavior is highly unpredictable as it continues to evolve at a stunning pace. It has had a profound impact on businesses in the past decade and is likely to take over the traditional marketing approaches in 2016. The New Year is sure to bring a lot of changes to the fore and businesses need to stay prepared for radical SEO shifts in order to stay successful. Here are 6 online marketing approaches that will help businesses keep up with modern advertising trends:

#1 Interactive Content Will Take Over The Virtual Reality

Content marketing will take a social approach when promoting brands and businesses online. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google+, and Pinterest will gain prominence on Google search results as ranking algorithms have started relying on social media shares to gauge relevance. More than 70% of business owners have already integrated social media marketing in their promotional strategy to earn credibility and expand their online reach. Quality content publication that can be shared on networking platforms is an easy way to engage the masses. Interactive content can take any brand beyond boundaries overnight. Snapchat has become the fastest growing platform with millions of users who form a massive chunk of your target market. Brands are using new and innovative ways to interact with their audience in real time.

#2 Marketing Automation Will Emerge As The Undisputed Champion

As content continues to occupy a major chunk of every online marketing campaign, marketers are searching for ways and means to automate the process. Today marketing automation alone is landing more leads and nurturing new prospects as compared to other platforms. Marketing automation allows fast and easy scheduling of emails, instant segregation of contacts, timely updating of social media posts, and tracking of consumer lifecycle in the existing marketing funnel. For all these reasons, it is gaining prominence on the digital platform and is likely to remain popular in 2016.

#3 App Indexing Will Open Up New Avenues for Online Businesses

Google’s app indexing has made it possible for apps to rank and this why companies are now creating dedicated apps for enhancing their online visibility. While mobile-friendly websites continue to rule the cyber space, apps are likely to replace them soon. App adoption can take your business to a whole new level by offering customers convenient and easy access to explore your products and services.

#4 SEO will Go Mobile

2015 witnessed a sharp rise in mobile traffic and a big shift in online search patterns. As browsing habits changed, business owners were compelled to fine-tune their websites for easy loading on every device. Google’s mobile-friendly update mobilegeddon clearly indicated the end of the desktop era. The total number of online searches made through mobile devices increased by 40% in 2015 and today more than 1.2 billion people use their smartphones to access the web for online shopping, rating services, and reading reviews. More than 90% of smartphone users search for local services on their phones and 70% of the time, their searches lead to conversion. Before you decide to go responsive with your website, be sure to check that every element is optimized to echo with your audience.

#5 Digital Assistants Will Change The Way Information Is Accessed

Typing can be a real pain for those who are already juggling between tasks to meet their deadlines. Virtual assistance has changed the way people search for information. Today’s on-the-go lifestyle needed safe, easy, and instant solutions like Siri and Cortana. These digital assistants gained instant popularity and preference with their advanced features and ease of use. Voice search functions are highly preferred by all age-groups and genders and this why businesses are now integrating their own voice ordering options and optimizing keywords to rank higher on voice search results.    

#6 Video Will Become A Key Player On Social Channels

Video adverts are gaining ground on networking platforms and have proved to be a great medium for engaging the target audience. As the internet continues to advance, consumer preferences keep shifting. People now prefer videos over whitepapers when consuming content. Long form content and elaborate blogs are now giving way to visually appealing videos. They have a much higher rate of engagement and manage to leave a lasting impression on the viewer’s mind.

If your business hasn’t employed any of the above strategies, it is high time you adopt them to keep your customers interested!