Howdy! Dear readers, let’s face it, that for pertinent Google rankings, SEO is the key! AND to achieve a higher ranking, this logical SEO tactic should be utilized; it will turn out to be a true game changer for your online world.
The year 2016 left us with many questions and bets on SEO and its effect on Google rankings. It seems that it was just yesterday when we were talking about the penguin and panda updates hitting the websites and their content to scrutinize the search engine rankings. AND then the beginning of 2017 came with new hopes and strategies. Wondering what are we talking about here? Keep reading:
When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), it isn’t easy anymore. In fact, it has now been tough to grab and behold the rankings. Not to disappoint you, but it is quintessential to stay updated with the trends in SEO so that you don’t lose open ends. To understand this, let us go through the core changes in Google algorithms recently.
The search interface is increasingly changing and varying in nature, as the real-time Penguin algorithm updates. Panda also has been drastically changing its rules and flowcharts to keep a stringent eye on the websites. With New Year 2017 rolling in – now the penguin and the panda have been introduced as integral parts of Google’s core algorithm. From artificial intelligence system to RankBrain, everything is shaking things up in the online world.
With this, the danger hovering over businesses is quite high and they might lose Google rankings overnight. If they fail to keep them up-to-date with new SEO trends, they might end up losing a huge chunk of money and visibility to a great deal. The key to gratifying Google is to build thought-leading, everyday (conversational) content that is besieged with semantic and related potential keywords. ALSO, incomparable user experiences must be the first thing kept in mind.
Let’s get to the real business of knowing the hottest SEO trends for the year 2017 that will certainly boost the creditably and Google rankings in the online world.
ACCELERATED MOBILE PAGES (AMPS) ARE LIFE-AND-DEATH
The world is going mobile and so are the algorithms of Google. Accelerated Mobile Pages are pretty fast and quick to load and in turn, stipulates a set of high technical criteria websites that need to follow and grant this ever-increasing speed. In accordance with recent studies and surveys, more than 60% of Google searches are now coming via mobile in the analytics. This infers that you can no longer afford to close the eyes of the potential mobile users. One fact to note here is that AMP is not yet a sole ranking factor…however, it makes logical sense to implement it for several reasons. Google has already discovered that mobile speed and usability will be the main indexing metrics while calculating rankings and this will become ever more rampant as more and more people will use mobile devices for searching.
Some research shows that slow websites show lower engagement (up to 40% of the visitors will leave the website within 3 seconds if it doesn’t load quickly). Implementing AMP is a vast opportunity to take a leap ahead of your competition. So don’t waste time – validate AMP in Google Search Console and then enable AMP tracking in Google Analytics.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE – AI IS FUNDAMENTALLY THE NEW FACADE OF SEO
Google has now been into artificial intelligence, for this RankBrain has evolved. So what is it? RankBrain is another name for Google’s new innovative and machine-learning artificial intelligence algorithm that’s helpful in the search process to gain good results. 2017 will see a huge increment on RankBrain – the official Google’s 3rd most crucial ranking factor.
It is a computer’s ability of machine learning to teach itself and enhance on technological advances without human input. Well, this seems a bit scary, but it’s also incessantly intriguing. One of the primary principles of RankBrain is to sieve through what it reckoned to be pertinent for the search results; this happens when a user enters into an all new interface, which Google initially in the past has faced difficulty to read. Moreover, it is continuous learning on how to best dish up the visitors with the most appropriate, reliable, and dependable results on Google.
YES, RankBrain actually hits the “golden age” of SEO dark arts on Google that is actually dead. Therefore, SEO on Google need a shift in the strategy to house increasingly smart machine intelligence such as AI.
RICH SNIPPETS MIGHT RULE THE SERPS IMMENSELY
Do you remember the blue links on Google page 1? We used to be happy about it! Certainly, it is a great thing for a business to flash with blue ink on Google page 1. But luckily we have come a long way from the 10 blue links to the rich snippets on Google. This Knowledge Graph has hugely crammed the SERPs with lucrative content that consist of review stars, images, pointers in the form of bullets, and accordion-style elements and even more. These further can be clicked right there on Google itself and can be expanded to know more.
How is it done? What is it? This type of Google search result is Structured Data markup implementation on your website. This structured data is communally referred to as Schema or Microdata. Albeit Rich Snippets and Schema are different in meanings! But choosing an unnecessary click is a waste when you have all the visible details in front of you. Now, you know what you will click…
Some facts – The number of search results on Google depicting rich snippets has tremendously doubled in the last two years, and to our surprise it doesn’t look to be slowing down. There have been many studies that show a huge increment in the CTR post applying Schema for Rich Snippets. Basically, when you implement Structured Data you are in turn supporting Google to get a deeper understanding of your content, and as a result Google can offer appropriate search queries. Certainly, Rich Snippets are keen to stay as the hottest SEO trend for Google Rankings in 2017.
HTTPS IS HIGH-PRIORITY AND SHOULD BE DEDICATEDLY AND SYSTEMATICALLY IMPLEMENTED
Security was the main concern for Google, and it is still crucial. Considering this fact, Google gives precedence to the websites that use or apply SSL certificates or the newest version TLS encryption – HTTPS. To give more boost, in January 2017, Google’s most prominent and widespread web browser Google Chrome has come up with an update of flagging the websites starting with an “HTTP” mark as “not secure”. These websites are the ones that broadcast passwords or ask for debit or credit card details for your online transactions.
Yes, you understood it correctly! These are the signs from Google – the giant, to further intensify trust and security. So, turn to HTTPS, methodically plan your website’s redirection from HTTP to HTTPS. There may be some downsides or complexities involved, but issues can be sorted out.
Bottom Line – implement Google’s UTM tracking for your digital marketing campaigns to accurately monitor the incoming referral data. It is also important to preserve the outgoing referral data using the Meta referrer tag in the HTML of your site.
To wrap up, Google will be giving prominence to specific content and will also be utilizing voice search mechanisms for the perfect Google rankings for your business. The list is huge, but the above 4 are the critical ones that will be the game changers for the SEO trends in 2017. If you still have any questions left answered, please get in touch with us… We will be happy to assist you!
