Tech pundits had long predicted that SEO would have died out
by the close of 2013. However, that prediction as is notoriously so with many
other predictions in technology has proved to be inaccurate. By the end of 2013
it had become evident that SEO was evolving to meet new challenges in the
rapidly changing world of online interaction.
And based on emerging trends it is possible to postulate the
areas that SEO practitioners should focus on in 2014 and they are content,
mobile, social media, quality link-building and design for better usability.
Content is still king
Many have laid claim to the title “king”. On the internet
there is only one king and that is well-written and curated content. Marketers
will have to find new ways of developing content about their brands. They will
have to write cogent and compelling stories in a way that enables audiences
engage with them.
Mobile
A
recent study shows that there has been a 125% rise in the use of smart
phones, while 74% of mobile users use a search engine to make decisions on
shopping. Whether you develop a responsive website or a mobile-first/only site
it will become more important to cater to this mobile demographic.
Social Media
The recent IPOs of Twitter and Facebook confirm that the web
is increasingly going social. Businesses are going to have to be more adept at
using the features of each social media platform, for example knowing when to
engage with text, image or video.
Link-building
It was largely due to the introduction of the new and
updated algorithms by Google called Panda and Penguin that made many believe
that SEO is dead. The two algorithm updates wereaimed at making the ranking of
high-quality content more efficient. They are designed to do away with spamming
and other poor link building practices of the past, things that Google
currently penalize websites for.
Design for Usability
This one is likely to make web designers a little mad.
However, in the ever changing SEO scene, usability is going to tramp all else.
Designers will have to focus on designing for faster loading times, and do away
with features that may slow down websites like flash. There will be a need to
critically evaluate the value any extra feature may bring to the website, in
view of the high premium on usability.
