2012 has officially come and gone and we welcome a new year. The year 2013 holds many new things for all of us. Most of us have our own predictions of what 2013 will be like. The world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will definitely change in the coming New Year (even though some of us don’t want to). Many SEO professionals have a number of SEO predictions in 2013. So, before you jump start on planning your 2013 SEO campaigns, it is best to have a glimpse of how the SEO landscape will change and be like this year. By knowing some of these possible SEO changes or updates in 2013, you will have ample time to determine what these predictions mean for your business and how these can help you improve your business brand and visibility online.
Why Is It Important to Be Updated With the Future Changes of SEO?
But, before we take a look at how SEO will be like in 2013, let me first remind you of why it is necessary to be updated with the future changes of SEO. Since SEO is every webmaster’s moving target, why is it important to know the SEO projections by SEO experts for 2013?
Search engine optimization is one of the aspects of the online industry which is ever-changing. Of course, as entrepreneurs and SEO practitioners, we need to be fully aware of the nature of SEO. In addition, we are expected to keep up with the changes and updates in major search engines, especially Google.
In 2012, Google has always been active in revolutionizing the world and landscape of 2012. Google made big impact when it released the Panda and Penguin. It may have affected most websites and their SEO campaign progress, but the updates have certainly guaranteed more credible search engine results. Google has penalized many websites for poor quality or meagre value to readers. Low quality and duplicated content were eradicated. With brand new analytics and quality metrics, Google wiped out spam blog sites which are exaggeratedly stuffed with keywords. The algorithm changes have paved the way for Google to remind webmasters to focus on creating articles with keystone content. Since then, there was a rise of content (whether text, image, or video) packed with originality, uniqueness, and 100% high quality. Webmasters, bloggers, promoters of any online content, online entrepreneurs are directed to abide by these new search engine rules and follow fresh standards in ranking in SERPs.
Yes, there were many changes in SEO world this year. However, there will be more changes in 2013. Since there is over 400 million internet users globally which perform 11 billion searches every month, there certainly will be at least one SEO change next year. This is why it is best to always think ahead.
The bottom line is you need to always remember that what may have worked to this year might not work for you next year. If you want to survive in the SEO world in 2013 and beyond, you need to know what might come up next year.
SEO in 2013
SEO professionals and marketers are jostling to prepare for the new trends of SEO. With Google making further alterations to its algorithms and as social media platforms updating their policies, 2013 will definitely be the year of SEO and marketers.
Here are some of the predictions and potential trends of SEO in 2013
- Businesses increase SEO spending. It is predicted that 6 out of 10 organizations or businesses will likely plan to increase their SEO spending in 2013. More than half of executive teams have better understanding of SEO metrics than a year ago. More marketers assert that natural search is influencing more their revenue strategy than a year ago. Since 66% of marketer’ budgets are increasing, marketers will likely spend much next year on SEO.
- The rise of Google’s AuthorRank. Google+ has launched AuthorRank which base search engine-measured content quality on the authority and reputation of the contents individual author. This “Author” markup or score will allow you (as an author) to link up all the articles you have published. When this code is added to your blog and content, your Google+ profile photo will appear beside the search results.
Google is not looking at reliable links coming from the same author source. It is predicted that instead of Page Rank, Google’s AuthorRank score will become the basis of search engine ranking come 2013.
Authors are ranked based on:- social endorsements and influences + bearing of endorsers
- comments on social networking sites and influence + relevance of comments
- the experience of the author writing on a particular topic or subject
- Google will devalue guest posting. The Panda and Penguin updates have changed the original concept of guest posting. Google has configured the algorithmic weights of guest posts. Since there are a number of spam guest posts online, Google is in favour of guest posting. Google see these “post exchanges” only as a manipulator of search engine results.
- Search results will be highly affected by social media signals. As there is a high level of online traffic in social media, Google will more likely make better use of these social channels to position content and brands in search engines. Sharing of content and brand information on social networking websites will continue to grow, as well as the social media’s influence on site authority. Creating a shareable brand with a strong and wide following will become even more significant to continued success in SEO.
- Google will come up with personalized search results. Even before, Google has provided relevant search results to web users. However, Google will be offering more personalized search results. Google will take into consideration your location. Location-based search results from Google will prioritize web pages from your country by show them on top of SERPs. You will have different set of results coming out on the first page of your search results when you change your location.
However, even today, there are many problems that are identified with this personalized search results. Optimizing meta tags and descriptions with keywords that are relevant to your business will only do good locally. If you are targeting clients abroad, businesses in other countries will likely defeat your rank in SERPs very easily.
- Content is STILL the King!! Ever since, content has been considered as one of the significant aspect which can make or break one’s aim of SEO success. In 2013, creating meaningful, timely, and expansive content is even more important and will always remain relevant in the future years.
Spun articles with poor grammar will be ignored by Google. Articles or blog posts with dull-witted titles and page descriptions will be considered useless. Google will hunt down those websites that are purely dedicated to promote brands without effective user engagement.
In developing content, you have to do a solid research, have a thorough understanding of your target audience, and do regular and timely updates.
Most of these predictions are based on the progressions of Google activities, such as algorithm changes and updates. For marketers, SEO professionals, and webmasters, keeping up with the changes of SEO algorithms is very overwhelming and daunting. However, with these predictions, you will be guided. You will be able to think ahead and employ your SEO plan with a futuristic mindset. You must stay agile and responsive to any changes and updates in SEO practices as you integrate it in various avenues.
So, is your SEO strategy ready for 2013?
