Following on from our highly successful post about the look, feel and functionality of social media in 2015, we have once again dusted off the Locally crystal ball and taken a look at what search engine optimisation (SEO) could look like next year.
The online landscape is constantly changing and evolving; just as we seem to get used to one aspect, it changes, morphing in to something new that in most cases proves useful – in other cases, it can be a complete flop.
There are many predictions in the horizon for SEO. It is one of the fastest-moving aspects on any online business and so here, after much arguing, debating and general discussion, we have come up with our predictions for SEO in 2015…
“It’s all gonna be mobile!”
The format in which people are now accessing the web has changed in a way that, years ago, no one could have predicted. The smart phone is here to stay and with it increasing in sophistication on an almost day-by-day basis, you need to be ready for the revolution… in fact, it is already happening but we think that the mobile phone really will become stronger in 2015 as THE way that your customers will be buying on the Internet.
What you need to do: make sure that your website is mobile ready so that the important aspects of the buying experience is no lost in anyway.
“We ARE going to be more social!”
If you are not on any social media sites, then you are missing a trick. No, really, YOU ARE! Even though some commentators suggest that suggest social media will take over the role of SEO, there are other who think this will never really be the case BUT, social media is a marketing channel all of its own and you need to be in on the act in 2015; other people agree…
What you MUST do: take some time to look at the social media sites, research where your clients are at and develop a solid presence on your chosen platforms through 2015. If you have not already done so, you must contact us to get the various widgets and buttons on your website!
“Email? Oh yeah, we still use that…”
If you think email is on the way out, think again! Here at Locally, we predict that email will survive but how we use it will change. People are overloaded with email, data and information… this means that any direct email marketing campaigns need to be spot on.
What you need to do: check out this blog and then get cracking on an email campaign strategy for 2015.
“NOW! Now! NOW!”
As humans, we have always been impatient; from tapping a finger, belying our impatience at how slow the final seconds of the microwave seem to be taking, to counting the days till Christmas, we are just not prepared to wait for some things…
… and we predict that SEO will start to be in real time, as it happens!
What you MUST do: develop a strategy that means you communicate with customers, via social media or any other online communication, in real time; in other words, if they tweet you, you respond. This could have big resourcing implications for online, local businesses so you need to be able to manage it!
“Context is King, not just content…”
Content is great. We love content. Google and other search engine like new content, and fresh stuff that regularly appears on website BUT, there is going to be an additional sophistication in our view during 2015 and that is context.
If the search engine cannot understand WHY that particular piece of content is on your website, you may find yourself bounced down to page 10.
What you need to do: tweak your online content to fit with your other online marketing activities, such as Twitter, Facebook, G+, Instagram etc.
“EVERBODY is doing it… and that includes YOU!”
2015 is going to be THE year for making sure that you are not left behind and so if you do not have an SEO strategy, then you website will drop off the teetering edge into the oblivion of lost websites. Sounds dramatic but it may happen.
What you MUST do: have a content strategy plan, if nothing else, to keep your website on the radar but, if you want your website up there in the top rankings, in front or on a par with your competitors, you NEED to be doing SEO.
“Streamline your website”
Is it clunky? Do you have to wait for pages to load? Then before the New Year hits you need spend some time streamlining your website.
What you need to do: spend some time reviewing your website, sorting any glitches and generally having a clean and spruce up.
“G+ it!”
We think that the power of Google will continue to emanate across the web and now that the Google Authorship program is discontinued, we think that the G+ profile will become more important.
What you MUST do: take a look at Google+ and what it could offer you, and how you would use it. If you do create a profile, complete it in full and then ask us to incorporate a G+ button on your Locally designed website.
“Content is most certainly not dead”
We’ll keep saying it until we run out of breath and are navy in the face – content is king, and will still be king during 2015.
What you need to do: take a second look at hiring a content writer. They will be priceless in 2015.
“Stay fresh”
As the saying says, today’s news is tomorrow chip wrapper (or have we made that up?) but freshness in terms of your content need to be current; anything older than yesterday is old news…