6 SEO Trends You Need to Know in 2017

The Future is MobileIt was in 2015 when Google announced that mobile searches had already surpassed desktop searches.

In 2016, Google started indexing mobile-friendly websites first.

If your website was not made to be browsed on smart phones or tablets then you will most likely find yourself at the bottom of the search rankings.

In 2017 and beyond, it seems that this will become mandatory for all website owners.

Site Speed is a FactorAccording to Google, websites lose about 58% of its audience the moment its pages take longer than 10 seconds to load.

Rich Answers and Google SnippetsEvery looks into Google for answers and you are probably no exception.

Google’s search results used to be limited to links to relevant websites and blog posts but it has now transformed by a whole lot.

In 2017, you will definitely be seeing more of these schema markups for search results on movies, recipes, reviews, events and many others.

Social is not a FactorAlthough social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are treated by Google as regular web pages (thus the reason why they also appear in SERPs), they are not considered as a factor when ranking your site for particular keywords.

However, it is important for marketers to keep in mind that digital marketing strategies should not just be limited to making Google and other search engine bots happy but, most importantly, the readers.

Multi-Channel Marketing

In 2017, we see brands becoming more and more invested in multi-channel marketing, creating content in different forms (articles, photos and albums, videos, etc.) to cater to different types of audience.

The Local SEO SceneBefore you go ahead and start your local website marketing campaigns, hear this first.

These will be the things that you need to focus on if you want your business to be right at the top of Google results when your customers come looking for you.

Properly optimize your Google My Business page by having it verified.

Don’t forget to add essential business information including:1. Business name2. Email address3. Address4. Phone numbers5. Website URL6. Hours of operation7. Category

Add in photos to create an appealing virtual tour as well as an introduction to your business.

Once you have completed your profile, your business should appear in Google Maps!

2017 is a big year for business owners and digital marketers.

Increasing and maintaining user engagement using various forms and platforms remain a challenge.

Internet marketers need to be very critical in figuring out where they need to exert their effort and focus on if they want to stay on top of the game.