{"id":9783,"date":"2016-05-25T15:22:51","date_gmt":"2016-05-25T20:22:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/p8site.com\/oldp8\/?p=9783"},"modified":"2016-05-25T15:22:51","modified_gmt":"2016-05-25T20:22:51","slug":"ultimate-guide-to-seo-in-2016-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/p8site.com\/oldp8\/ultimate-guide-to-seo-in-2016-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Ultimate Guide To SEO In 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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A strong SEO campaign is crucial for 2016!<\/h2>\r\nThe importance of a strong SEO campaign can never be exactly measured, but there are definitive ways to tell if it\u2019s working or not. \u00a0Like most other industries, the rules and guidelines for search engine optimization change frequently. \u00a0However, unlike most other industries, the rules and guidelines for search engine optimization can change from week to week, if not day to day. \u00a02016 saw many dramatic changes to the landscape of internet marketing and in this article we will go over some of the most crucial ones that you may have not known had changed at all.<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n

Social media<\/b><\/h2>\r\nA strong social media presence that will benefit your website\u2019s search engine rankings is definitely attainable, but can take a lot of time for the desired results. \u00a02016 has seen an increase in the value of a brand\u2019s social media<\/a> presence. \u00a0This works both ways: a positive presence will enhance your SEO<\/span>\u00a0value, and a negative presence will diminish your SEO value. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nBefore 2016, search engines paid attention to the social signals of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others, but over the last 6 months or so, search rankings have better benefited from them. \u00a0Brands that are active on social media, have a consistent base of followers, post relevant content that people are sharing and liking, have positive testimonials, are the ones that see an increase in organic traffic to their site. \u00a0And while it\u00a0doesn’t necessarily contribute to a site’s SEO just yet,\u00a0Snapchat\u00a0can help with brand awareness<\/a> via storytelling! \u00a0This isn\u2019t to say that this wasn\u2019t true before, the fact of the matter is that 2016 will be a game-changer in the way that search engines evaluate social media trends.<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n

Mobilegeddon!<\/b><\/h3>\r\nMobile-focused SEO is on the rise! \u00a02015 was the first year that desktop traffic was surpassed by mobile traffic, and this number is only <\/span>expected to rise<\/span><\/a>. \u00a0Google\u2019s release of \u201cMobilegeddon\u201d was a powerful step because it now phases out any sites that are not mobile compatible. \u00a0And just last week, Google announced the second version of their <\/span>mobile-friendly update<\/span>. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nThe general public\u2019s reliance on mobile devices is not expected to decline and why should it? \u00a0It provides on-the-go access to information in a matter of seconds, so it only makes sense that sites unable to adapt are phased out. \u00a0It’s also important to keep in mind the disadvantages of using\u00a0cheap SEO<\/a> services; some of them are still neglecting the importance of a mobile website!<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nTags, tags, and more tags<\/b>\r\n\r\nIn the past, the best way to clarify bits of content was through the use of tags in order for search engines and readers to better understand. \u00a0But are they still as important? \u00a0The answer changes from tag to tag. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nMeta<\/b>\r\n\r\nFor example, the importance of meta tags have certainly lost their power on rankings over the last several years and beginning months of 2016 has been no different. \u00a0While they are still important for categorizing the content of the site, their power in search rankings has declined. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nTitle<\/b>\r\n\r\nResearchers from <\/span>backlinko.com<\/span><\/a> found that a keyword-optimized tag correlated to better rankings, but the number is significantly smaller than it used to be. \u00a0They still play a role in SEO, but title tags are long gone from the days of being the deciding factor. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nHeader<\/b>\r\n\r\nOn the brighter side of things, it appears the header tags are in it for the long haul. \u00a0In a study done by <\/span>SearchEccentric<\/span><\/a> with Motor Cars Ltd, the overhauling of their current header tags to become more SEO-friendly resulted in a jump from 320 in the SERP\u2019s to the number one spot. \u00a0In addition to this, web designers now understand the importance of header tags more than they once did. \u00a0This is a reflection of the <\/span>statistic<\/span><\/a> that the number of pages using h1 tags has increased since 2014. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nBlog Post<\/b>\r\n\r\nBlog post tags are a way of contextualizing your posts so that they are a part of the site\u2019s structure. \u00a0Categories and tags are the two main elements in organizing any blog post website. \u00a0Let\u2019s say you run a blog about aquariums, you might have categories such as \u201cFreshwater\u201d, \u201cSaltwater\u201d, or \u201cAfrican Cichlids\u201d which are very vague terms to categorize posts. \u00a0But you may have tags such as \u201cLoaches\u201d, \u201cAngelfish\u201d, or \u201cSharks\u201d which relate to specific types of fish. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nBlog post tags don\u2019t exactly get you ranked higher, but they still help you in the long run. \u00a0The main draw of these tags are to improve user experience, which in turn lowers bounce rates and makes your site easier to navigate. \u00a0And with Google\u2019s increased awareness of a website\u2019s perceived quality of experience only expected to increase as time goes on, it makes blog post tags, all the more important. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n

Write copy for people, not search engines<\/b><\/h3>\r\nContent writing<\/a>\u00a0may seem like a no-brainer,<\/span> but therein lies the challenge. \u00a0You may be thinking, \u201cI run a landscaping site, so I\u2019ll just cram my website with words such as \u2018landscaping\u2019, \u2018tree removal\u2019, \u2018grass cutting\u2019, and others, but search engine crawlers are <\/span>continuously getting better<\/span><\/a> at picking out the keyword stuffers. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nWriting appropriate copy for your website should be for the benefit of your readers, not the search engine. \u00a0If your site has low bounce rates and attracts the right crowd, the search engines will certainly take notice and enhance your rankings accordingly. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n2016 certainly has the potential to be a make-or-break year in terms of search rankings. \u00a0Knowing exactly what to put on your site, reevaluating certain sections after a few months of less-than-stellar reports, is a skill that needs to be improved upon in 2016. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n

Local SEO is here to stay<\/b><\/h3>\r\nLocal SEO<\/a> is becoming more and more prominent. \u00a0In 2014, the world saw perhaps the biggest leap in local search algorithms with the release of the Pigeon update and the creation of Google My Business. \u00a0People are looking for businesses, trade goods, or even just information that are located in their specific area. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nLocal listings with detailed business information helps Google narrow down each individual\u2019s potential decisions. \u00a0That being said, Google doesn\u2019t only rely on giving you the nearest business, it also relies heavily on giving you well-known and regarded businesses. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nAccording to <\/span>Google<\/span><\/a>, the percentage of mobile searches with local intent is 50%, and this lead to a growth in local businesses. What started in 2014 is still rapidly expanding to this day and the amount of local inquiries has grown astronomically. \u00a0Read more about<\/span>\u00a0our\u00a0<\/span>ultimate guide to local SEO.<\/a><\/span>\r\n\r\n \r\n
Final thoughts<\/b><\/h5>\r\nWe aren\u2019t even halfway through 2016 but already we\u2019ve seen a game-changing shift in the way search engines rank your site. \u00a0A strong social media presence builds a community of real people around your brand. \u00a0This enables the use of reviews, likes, shares, retweets, and other social functions in your sites ranking. \u00a0While this was a factor in 2015 and years prior, 2016 has surely stepped up its game. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nWe also saw in 2015 the dreaded \u201cMobilegeddon\u201d, and even just last week we saw Google\u2019s second version of their mobile-friendly update but moving forward, the ability to have your site accessible on every mobile device is crucial. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nTags have been around for years and while they don\u2019t all appear to have a direct relation to an increase in site rankings, search engines will take notice of your sites enhanced user experience. \u00a0<\/span>\r\n\r\nAnd in addition to tags, content is key. \u00a0Knowing what content to put up on your site and know what not to put on your site are ways that search engines categorize your site effectively. <\/span>\r\n\r\nAnd arguably the most important change the 2016 has brought about is the enhancement of local SEO. \u00a0Yes, it really took root in 2014, but it hadn\u2019t fully flourished until earlier this year. \u00a0So 2016 will be a demanding year for web designers, but staying ahead of the curve is just another part of the job!<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] A strong SEO campaign is crucial for 2016! The importance of a strong SEO campaign can never be exactly measured, but there are definitive ways to tell if it\u2019s working or not. \u00a0Like most other industries, the rules and guidelines for search engine optimization change frequently. \u00a0However, unlike most other industries, the rules and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":9786,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9783","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/p8site.com\/oldp8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9783","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/p8site.com\/oldp8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/p8site.com\/oldp8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p8site.com\/oldp8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p8site.com\/oldp8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9783"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/p8site.com\/oldp8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9783\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p8site.com\/oldp8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9786"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/p8site.com\/oldp8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9783"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p8site.com\/oldp8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9783"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/p8site.com\/oldp8\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9783"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}