In the interest of retaining relevant results and discouraging unethical techniques, search engines are continuously re-formulating their SEO formulas. Google has updated their SEO standards as recently as the end of March making it harder for online marketing consultants and business owners to keep up with the latest and greater SEO standards. Here's a look at some of the top SEO trends in 2014 as reported by some of the experts in the industry to help you to optimize your online resources and highlight your business.
Mobile Optimization Matter
Increased importance is being placed on mobile devices and websites that are optimized to accommodate any type of web browsing. Google's Hummingbird update released towards the end of last year has shown that sites that have not made these changes have been met with consequences in their search engine standing. Studies show that responsive web designs and CSS patterns that permit different browsers on templates, laptops, and mobile devices to display information in a variety of ways is now an important factor in 2014 SEO.
Google Asks the Customer
What appears to be a desperate attempt to increase the number of individuals using Google+ now also seems to play a part in the latest SEO trends. If your company has a Google+ page, web crawlers are accessing reviews left for your company by customers to determine whether or not you are a quality candidate for their search results. This could develop an entirely new standard for customer hospitality and service, especially if customers could have such a big role in determining your online success.
For example, you could have the best and most optimized website in the world; however, if a customer comes to your business and experiences poor quality service, they might choose to leave a review of your company online with Google+. Enough of these poor reviews and your website could start to drop in the ratings. How significant of a role this will have on the rankings has yet to be determined.
Content Marketing is Key
Keyword stuffing and writing content to fit search engines is starting to be phased out. In exchange, content marketing is playing a larger role in determining your SEO success. Content marketing includes:
• Quality of Content
• Content Update Frequency
• Authority in the Field
• Content Sharing
Based on these categories, content will need to be developed to a higher standard than ever before. Social media also plays an incredibly important role; the more individuals that share your article online or through their social media channels, the more likely search engines might act favorable to your site.
Google is paying attention to the authors of content and how reputable that source really is. If that same author or site is sharing or posting low quality written articles around the web, Google is going to flag that content. When delivering and marketing any content, these four criteria have to be met and developed with quality in mind instead of quantity.
Pamela Wigglesworth, CSP, is an entrepreneurship and marketing consultant, international speaker and the author of three business books. A resident of Asia for over 20 years, she is the CEO of Experiential Hands-on Learning. She works with organizations across multiple industries to help them increase brand awareness, increase leads and ultimately increase sales.
To learn more about Pamela, visit the Experiential website at www.experiential.sg or email her at courses@experiential.sg