The Top 5 SEO Trends of 2016

SEO2016 is almost over. It’s a good time to look back at some of the most dominant SEO trends of the last 12 months. SEO is always changing and evolving, so by looking back it’s possible to see what’s happened and perhaps gain some insight on what might happen in SEO during 2017.

Accelerated Mobile Pages Rolled Out

AMPs were introduced at the end of 2015. Google wanted to make it easier for users to navigate and gain access to information via mobile. AMPs have been developed further and now you can make sure all the content on your website into an AMP. Pages load quicker on mobile devices and you can gain a higher rank in the SERPs.

Video Content Continues to Dominate

Video content is big news and we predict it will continue to grow in 2017. Facebook now allows for native videos and those that use it receive an increase in visibility. Users are enjoying video content, whether they’re looking for news, information, advice, solutions or entertainment.  Videos can also be shared on YouTube and other social networks such as Instagram and Snapchat.

Google Updates in Real Time

Google released the Penguin 4.0 update. This algorithm update has now been integrated into the main algorithm that determines the position in the search engine results pages. From now on, Penguin will update in real time, resulting in faster penalisations for anyone using dodgy link tactics. It also means you’ll be able to recover faster from penalisations.

Long Form Content

Long-form content has been one of the most popular forms of content marketing. It’s still effective, but the use of short-section long form content is on the rise. Breaking up the long form content into user-friendly short sections helps you to provide better value to readers by making the information easier to read on mobile.

Featured Snippets Grew in Popularity

Featured snippets are now displayed more in the search engine results pages, appearing as rich snippets. They provide you with the option of making your website easily digestible by Google.

These are some of the top trends we saw in 2016. Let’s work together on your search engine optimisation in 2017. Contact us and ask about how our search engine optimisation services can benefit your business.