Why You Won’t Recognize SEO in Years to Come

If you were to look back five years ago from today, SEO strategies would be the complete opposite of what they are now. So what can we expect in another five years? We can’t exactly answer that question, but what we do know is that it won’t look like it does at this moment.

As a marketer in today’s world, we must be able to adapt quickly to new SEO strategies, but experts predict SEO will change drastically in the future.

Today, we focus more on aspects such as mobile and social media sites that are still relatively new to us. Not long ago, Google introduced an updated search engine that was able to localize search results which, as you can imagine, really turned SEO upside down for everyone.

Let’s explore three emerging aspects that are responsible for changing up the game of SEO:

1. Mobile Search

According to comScore.com, roughly 60% of digital media use is on a smartphone. More than 75% of people in the United States now use both mobile and desktop devices, which is a 68% increase from 2014.

It’s no secret that smartphone internet usage takes the cake when it comes to comparing what Americans use the most for digital media. Everywhere you look, people are constantly on their cellphones and tablets.

That leads us to app usage. Apple introduced apps in July 2008 a year after the first iPhone was released. During the first weekend that apps were introduced, 10 million were reportedly downloaded. According to smartinsights.com, today 89% of digital mobile usage is spent on mobile apps. As you can imagine, the invention of apps was a huge revelation in the digital realm.

Here’s an example of the traffic for a Stream Companies’ client compared year over year. Although both mobile and desktop traffic are increasing, notice the difference in the increase between the two—WOW!

So what does this mean in years to come? It’s a given that better app search usage is in the works. We’re only in the early stages of apps and mobile usage and still examining and learning behavior patterns.

If you’re noticing a change in your site’s mobile views, it’s time to alter your digital marketing strategy to ensure that you’re reaching your buyers from any device they use.

2. Social Media Sites

Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram have been rapidly evolving, with plenty of exciting new features. Each year, more and more searches are targeting content, businesses, and places, just not people.

Scrolling through your Facebook feed, you now find the latest news stories and happenings in the world. Facebook is now not just a place to connect with friends but also a news source.

Because of this, we have to examine search results and the way we optimize for Facebook and other social media sites. Optimization of social media websites will definitely evolve into something different in upcoming years.

If your business doesn’t have active social media accounts, it’s time to get the ball rolling. By adding social media accounts such as Facebook and Twitter, you’ll be more likely to pull in new referral traffic to your website, which increases your chances of scoring more leads!

3. Voice Assistants

Within the last few years, we’ve been introduced to voice assistants such as Siri and Cortana created by Apple and Microsoft. Features such as these basically offer you your own personal assistant, making topics that you want to learn more about incredibly easy to access just by asking a question to your voice assistant. The way voice assistants scan the web and search for your answers is a method that we won’t recognize in years to come.

Users have been asking more and more vague questions, such as “What should I eat for dinner?” rather than “Best sushi restaurants near Malvern,” so how do we go about optimizing for this? Within the years to come, we’ll be able to adapt and have an answer.

How to Prepare for the Years Ahead

Whenever there’s a change in a behavior, there’s a newly developed strategy to go along with it. We shouldn’t be afraid but more so eager to explore and learn about the quickly expanding World Wide Web.

If you’re more interested in focusing on the present and want to learn more about the best SEO strategies for 2016 that Stream Companies offers, visit our free blog!

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—Tina DiSerafino is an SEO Content Strategist at Stream Companies, a Philadelphia-area full-service advertising agency.