The changing landscape of search practices, both in the way they run and the devices they run on, is changing rapidly as technology advances. In the past, Google’s known changes to its algorithms were mainly text-based for desktop and mobile.
Now we are experiencing a change in search trends as speech recognition gets better and more devices make it possible, as well as social media turning into a complete search and information platform.
Google, Apple and Amazon have all released their own little personal assistants for the home. So how will this change the way search engine optimization works?
Increasing search traffic is still a top priority for inbound marketers, but it’s important that adapting to the changing momentum of the market is also paramount. As of 2016, 66% of marketers agree that growing SEO is their top priority; however, blog content creation is not far behind at 60%.
Automation and visual content are becoming increasingly popular and this is reflected in Google’s Algorithms because they are moving to a more user-friendly classification system.
Social media
Social content has had a major impact on the way SEO is performed. Social media use is on the rise and this means companies need to change their channels and move marketing efforts into uncharted territory to reach the growing market.
Facebook and Google now receive 2 billion and 3 billion searches per day respectively, demonstrating the rapid and competitive growth of social media in search results. Furthermore, overall social media use has increased by 57% on Facebook, 25% on Twitter and 21% on LinkedIn.
Mobile search
The increase in mobile search is also very evident in the changes Google has made to its ranking algorithm, as websites now require a different website for desktop and mobile to properly play images, video and animations on both platforms.
Mobile is now a primary device of online look for a third of people, which means sites need to be mobile compatible and notifications play an increasing role in customer retention and acquisition.
Studies have shown that consumers now use a tablet or mobile device for search purposes 44% of the time and this number is only expected to increase. Digital media marketing experts predict that mobile-friendliness will have the biggest impact on Google’s search algorithm and therefore SEO strategies in the next 12 months.
Voice & Personal Search
According to SEO Shark – the SEO company based in SydneyAs voice search becomes more reliable and the ability to interpret accents, slang and other word variations increases, voice and personal search will become more popular.
Already, 19% of people use Siri every day to perform some voice function, and Amazon’s Alexa and Microsoft’s Cortana are also on the rise.
Voice search and the increasing use of personal assistants such as Siri is no longer a trend but a part of society. These conversational devices allow consumers to perform tasks without having to hold a screen in their hand or even in front of their eyes.
Convenience is becoming a dominant trend in society and search engine providers are now taking this into account.
Kieran is an editor at Best in Australia and has written for many well-known companies. Whatever his job, he always writes from his heart! He has a passion for different areas including the digital world, sports and all things news.
