The Top SEO Trends of 2015
Search Engine Optimization changes constantly. As the technology advances, so do the methods. And the technology advances quickly. In 2014 alone, Google’s algorithm was updated thirteen times. And that isn’t counting the upgrades that roll out every day. While they may not be as newsworthy as the major updates, they number in the hundreds at the end of each year. Google is never the same from month to month or even from day to day.
Search engines hate being manipulated. And they have the resources to make SEO worst practices obsolete. This has led search engine optimization to develop a more holistic approach. In other words, SEO is returning to its roots in marketing and advertising. More than ever, it takes a deep, well-rounded skillset to succeed in the media. Things like content marketing can no longer be considered separate disciplines. Once again they’re simply part of a marketer’s bag of tricks.
1. Optimizing for Bing, Yahoo!, and DuckDuckGo
2015 could be the year that these three search engines take a bigger share of the market. Google is huge, but current developments indicate some serious competition. Yahoo! is now Firefox’s default search engine, DuckDuckGo is now an option for iOS 8 and OS X, and both Bing and Yahoo! are looking to become Safari’s next search engine. With these three catching up to Google, you need to make yourself visible to more than just one algorithm.
2. Cleaned-up content
Google hates spammy backlinks and spun content. By 2015 their algorithm will be refined to the point that black-hat SEO can only be counterproductive. In the past, the actual content was given a lower priority over the inclusion of keywords at a specific density. The major search engines have moved on, however. Now it’s even more important that your website regularly updates with articles that are well-written and attractively-presented. In short, your website has to deserve its high rank—it has to deliver content that is both relevant and good. If it hasn’t been doing that before, it may be time to raise your standards.
3. The Internet goes mobile
One out of every five people in the world owns a smartphone. One out of every seventeen owns a tablet. And the numbers are only going up: the 2012 ComScore forecast said that mobile traffic would surpass desktop traffic in five years. Ignoring mobile support is no longer an option. If your website isn’t designed for mobile searches (or smartphone screens) you’re going to miss a lot of opportunities.
Now is the time to include mobile platforms in your SEO strategy. Make certain that yours is readable and accessible on all major devices. Images and other content must accommodate slower processors and less memory. Google has always said that responsive websites provide the best user experience and their algorithms now account for behaviour such as the bounce rate. If your website looks awkward on smartphone and tablet, your ranking will suffer.