5 Big Changes for SEO in 2012
Google’s Panda updates from February 2011 were the big search engine optimization news from the preceding year, when they penalized content farms and re-emphasized original content and blogging. Here are some of the changes that will most likely affect SEO in 2012.
1) Mobility passes desktop. With the increasing number of people who do a majority of their browsing via smart phone and tablet, the days of desktop and even laptop computers are waning. Internet companies are increasingly catering to these users by learning how to reach them while they are on the go.
As an addendum, the introduction of Apple’s SIRI has made voice searching a much-desired supplementary feature. Studies show that the newest iPhone users never even use Google anymore, or only use it in a limited capacity, suggesting where the future of search is headed.
Following in this line of thinking, localized and personalized searches will be emphasized. If you are located in Los Angeles, you will not receive search results for New York, and vice versa. And receiving results based on the recommendations of your friends will make searching more personal.
2) Tracking data is more difficult. In October of last year, Google changed how searches are handled from logged-in users. Analytics no longer informs you what they searched to reach your webpage, instead replacing it with a “No Keyword” message. Although this only impacts around 20% of searches, the lack of data is troublesome.
3) SEO is changing. It used to be that SEO was about ranking higher, but as Google (and other browsers) establish more data, they can include history into SEO. For example, acceptable click-through-rate (CTR), or the rate of speed which users stay or pass through a website, has been continually lowered. In 2006 it was at 42% but as of 2011 it is down to 18.2% and looks to decrease further. Google is focusing more on featuring established websites that already have good traffic, rather than additional SEO tactics.
4) SERP will be modified. Search engine results pages (SERP) will be adjusted from the contemporary notion that they display ten results per page. Instead, they will have a scroll down function that adds the following ten results on the bottom. Also, better descriptions of pages, called “snippets,” will become increasingly important.
5) Content still reigns supreme. As always, having well-written, intelligent content remains crucial to staying on top. Providing weekly or bi-weekly blog posts with original content will be important, as well as authorship.
SEO Marketing
SEO marketing is putting an emphasis on having fresh content rather than cookie-cutter websites. Trying to distinguish your brand, rather than fitting inside a Google-shaped mold, will make it easier for you to stand out and gain in rankings going forward. Find an innovative internet marketing company to handle your account and you will surely find your SEO rankings increase.
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