The Future of SEO

Regardless of what some marketers said a few years ago, SEO is not dead. It’s actually what can take your business from being unsuccessful to successful. If an agency can’t deliver an SEO strategy to its clients, then it’s likely those clients will switch to an agency that can.

With Google voice searches making up to 20 percent of Google’s mobile app searches and the ever-changing algorithm updates Google enjoys surprising everyone with, it’s apparent that search engines are changing and the stakes are getting higher. So what does the future of SEO look like in 2017 and beyond? And how can marketers prepare for the changes that are ahead? Let’s take a look.

The Secret Behind the “SEO Switch”

The marketing world is not static, and the secret behind the “SEO switch” is that there is none. With search engine algorithms shifting frequently, SEO and marketing strategists must be on their toes with ears open and eyes peeled for what marketing strategies could work best; as the best SEO tactics shift, your marketing strategies should switch along with them.

Many common SEO strategies are now being woven into a larger and broader search engine structure. What good marketing has consistently shown us, and will continue to show us in the future, is that SEO is all about content. Not just any content, but good content.

Relevant content. Content that doesn’t just draw the reader in, but answers their questions and makes them go to you with future questions they need answered. So, when you’re thinking SEO, you can’t just think in the now, you have to think about the future. SEO can get people to your site, but relevant, useful content will keep people coming back. And that’s what we want.

I’m sure most marketers have heard the phrase “Content is King.” Well, SEO’s future is pointing toward a different phrase: “Users Rule.” Although SEO has been focused on what users want in the past, search engine algorithms have amped up their expectations of what a quality user experience looks like. Instead of basing a website’s quality on volume, clicks and keywords, search engines are now focusing on the overall user experience (UX)­—the interaction users have with your content and website.

To have an effective marketing strategy in the coming months, your content must interact with the user, and they must interact with your content. You can’t just provide content; you have to provide a user experience that is enjoyable and easy to navigate. This means that visually appealing infographics, easy-to-spot information, clickable links and downloads are some of many tactics that marketers can use to enhance UX and boost SEO.

The recent changes in the search engine world mean one thing: SEO will continue to be acknowledged as a powerful marketing approach. Google’s machine-learning artificial intelligence system will only gain more authority moving forward. Every piece of content, every user and every link counts—and they all must interact with each other. When it comes down to who are the pros in marketing and who falls flat, only SEO will tell.

Ref: digeratimag.com