The field of SEO and internet
marketing has witnessed a tremendous change in 2013. Google has come out a long
way in eliminating most forms of web spam. The Black hat SEO industry has
been blown away. This was good for genuine inbound marketers and white hat
SEO’s. There is an increased demand of knowledgeable, creative, passionate,
results driving SEO’s and inbound marketers in 2014. Moreover, an
increased pay is awaiting the SEO industry due to the increase in the
quality of work. So, what are the special skills that SEO’s will need to
sustain in 2014. Here are the top 10 resolutions SEO’s and inbound
marketers need to take in 2014.
marketing has witnessed a tremendous change in 2013. Google has come out a long
way in eliminating most forms of web spam. The Black hat SEO industry has
been blown away. This was good for genuine inbound marketers and white hat
SEO’s. There is an increased demand of knowledgeable, creative, passionate,
results driving SEO’s and inbound marketers in 2014. Moreover, an
increased pay is awaiting the SEO industry due to the increase in the
quality of work. So, what are the special skills that SEO’s will need to
sustain in 2014. Here are the top 10 resolutions SEO’s and inbound
marketers need to take in 2014.
1-
Promote Brands, Not
keywords
Promote Brands, Not
keywords
Google
has become smart enough to understand exactly what the user is searching for?
The “Hummingbird” update coupled
with the “Knowledge Graph” has
provided brains to Google for identifying exact identities which the user is
searching for or talking about.
has become smart enough to understand exactly what the user is searching for?
The “Hummingbird” update coupled
with the “Knowledge Graph” has
provided brains to Google for identifying exact identities which the user is
searching for or talking about.
 |
| Hummingbird and semantic search are the key players |
In
2014, playing with “keywords” will simply won’t give us the desired results.
Google is looking for identities which it can trust and rely upon. Brands are
set to rule the SERP’s. Promoting websites as brands will play a key role in
increasing the visibility of a business on Google.
2014, playing with “keywords” will simply won’t give us the desired results.
Google is looking for identities which it can trust and rely upon. Brands are
set to rule the SERP’s. Promoting websites as brands will play a key role in
increasing the visibility of a business on Google.
2-
Become Mobile Ready
Become Mobile Ready
Mobile
will slowly take over the desktop search. Predictions are that the mobile
market will overtake the PC market soon. Strangely enough, many of the SEO’s
are still relying on the desktop data and making changes on their website accordingly.
Mobile is the future and the SEO’s need to think on it seriously. Google has
already started making big adjustments for catering the needs of its growing
mobile audience which rely on “voice
search”. Changes like Hummingbird update, App indexing, Smartphone crawl
errors etc. are key indicators that Mobile SEO is set to take over the booming
internet marketing field.
will slowly take over the desktop search. Predictions are that the mobile
market will overtake the PC market soon. Strangely enough, many of the SEO’s
are still relying on the desktop data and making changes on their website accordingly.
Mobile is the future and the SEO’s need to think on it seriously. Google has
already started making big adjustments for catering the needs of its growing
mobile audience which rely on “voice
search”. Changes like Hummingbird update, App indexing, Smartphone crawl
errors etc. are key indicators that Mobile SEO is set to take over the booming
internet marketing field.
 |
| Mobile is the new platform for SEO (Image credit: websearchseo.co.uk) |
3-
Work on Schemas
Work on Schemas
Schema
is a set of vocabulary that helps the search engines to understand the contents
of a web page in a far better manner than without the presence of Schemavocabulary. Adding Schema data using RDFa
or rich snippets enables Google to interpret the contents of a web page in
a similar manner as a human mind will. It is because of this reason that Google
has started to increase the importance of adding Schema Meta data on the web
pages in order to better serve the users.
is a set of vocabulary that helps the search engines to understand the contents
of a web page in a far better manner than without the presence of Schemavocabulary. Adding Schema data using RDFa
or rich snippets enables Google to interpret the contents of a web page in
a similar manner as a human mind will. It is because of this reason that Google
has started to increase the importance of adding Schema Meta data on the web
pages in order to better serve the users.
Implementing Schema.org vocabulary lets you mark up the pages in a
format well understood and preferred by the search engines. Major search
engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing rely on the Schema data to read and
understand the contents of the web page. Schema and rich snippets easily
allows representing data in a well defined format for a variety of types like Event, Organization, Person, Place, Product,
Reviews etc.
format well understood and preferred by the search engines. Major search
engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing rely on the Schema data to read and
understand the contents of the web page. Schema and rich snippets easily
allows representing data in a well defined format for a variety of types like Event, Organization, Person, Place, Product,
Reviews etc.
As shown in the example below,
about.com uses recipe Schema snippets to display recipe related information on
the Google search results. Google can easily display this search result for
people looking for salad recipes with cooking time 20 minutes. This is the
power of semantic web powered by Schema.
about.com uses recipe Schema snippets to display recipe related information on
the Google search results. Google can easily display this search result for
people looking for salad recipes with cooking time 20 minutes. This is the
power of semantic web powered by Schema.
4-
Earn Backlinks
Earn Backlinks
Backlink
was and will be the single most important factor for ranking in Google. Year
2014 is set to witness more creative link baiting strategies than what it has
seen in 2013. The old strategies of creating backlinks will not work more.
Instead, all the focus should be shifted to enhance the user experience and to
gain as many natural backlinks as possible. Earning backlinks is an art and
it’s not so simple. You need highly creative people who think out of the box to
do this task for you. It is for this reason that SEO services cost is set to
rise in 2014 as more knowledge and highly creative staff is needed to
understand the working of the search engines.
was and will be the single most important factor for ranking in Google. Year
2014 is set to witness more creative link baiting strategies than what it has
seen in 2013. The old strategies of creating backlinks will not work more.
Instead, all the focus should be shifted to enhance the user experience and to
gain as many natural backlinks as possible. Earning backlinks is an art and
it’s not so simple. You need highly creative people who think out of the box to
do this task for you. It is for this reason that SEO services cost is set to
rise in 2014 as more knowledge and highly creative staff is needed to
understand the working of the search engines.
The era of creating backlinks is over.
Strategies for earning backlinks will stay here for longer periods of time.
Some of the highly creative link baiting strategies like infographic,
sponsorships, engaging content, PR sources etc will play a greater role in
2014.
Strategies for earning backlinks will stay here for longer periods of time.
Some of the highly creative link baiting strategies like infographic,
sponsorships, engaging content, PR sources etc will play a greater role in
2014.
5-
Create Content that
Generates Buzz
Create Content that
Generates Buzz
Content
marketing has long become an inseparable part of any SEO strategy. “Content” is
still the King. However, creating content which satisfies the demands of both
the users and the search engines will be needed. Content focused around
keywords will not do any good. Instead, semantically created content, keeping
in mind the TF-IDF score and use of Schema vocabulary are set to perform
far better in the search results as compared to normal content. User friendly
content which generates a lot of genuine social shares and comments are more
likely to be visible in the search results.
marketing has long become an inseparable part of any SEO strategy. “Content” is
still the King. However, creating content which satisfies the demands of both
the users and the search engines will be needed. Content focused around
keywords will not do any good. Instead, semantically created content, keeping
in mind the TF-IDF score and use of Schema vocabulary are set to perform
far better in the search results as compared to normal content. User friendly
content which generates a lot of genuine social shares and comments are more
likely to be visible in the search results.
6-
Become More Socially
Active than Before
Become More Socially
Active than Before
Social
will be on a boom in 2014. Search engines will include social signals even in
minute ranking sub factors. Hence, leaving out social media in your SEO
strategy will be a big mistake. More enhanced and brand focused social media
plans are required to grab the attention of people as well as the search
engines.
will be on a boom in 2014. Search engines will include social signals even in
minute ranking sub factors. Hence, leaving out social media in your SEO
strategy will be a big mistake. More enhanced and brand focused social media
plans are required to grab the attention of people as well as the search
engines.
Google
has plans to focus on the identity relationships and social is the perfect
platform to identify and compare the factors associated with relationships.
High social share metrics like those of Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus will
have an increased importance.
has plans to focus on the identity relationships and social is the perfect
platform to identify and compare the factors associated with relationships.
High social share metrics like those of Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus will
have an increased importance.
7-
Stop Predicting, Start
Testing
Stop Predicting, Start
Testing
Technically
more skilled SEO’s are needed in 2014. Gone are the days when only prediction
can impress the clients. With the client’s becoming technically more
knowledgeable, SEO’s need to stop predicting and start testing what works the
best for a brand. Efficient and advanced use of Google Analytics is needed.
more skilled SEO’s are needed in 2014. Gone are the days when only prediction
can impress the clients. With the client’s becoming technically more
knowledgeable, SEO’s need to stop predicting and start testing what works the
best for a brand. Efficient and advanced use of Google Analytics is needed.
Instead of going with the word of your
seniors, why not track data and do exactly what is required? You can do this
by following two simple experiments namely A/B Testing and Multivariate
testing which allows to identifying the pattern of engagement that are
leading to conversions. You can run both these experiments using Google
Analytics. More information regarding these 2 types of tests are given
below:
seniors, why not track data and do exactly what is required? You can do this
by following two simple experiments namely A/B Testing and Multivariate
testing which allows to identifying the pattern of engagement that are
leading to conversions. You can run both these experiments using Google
Analytics. More information regarding these 2 types of tests are given
below:
A/B Testing – In this type of testing, we create one or
more variations of our original targeted page and run an experiment
displaying the original page as well as the variants to a certain specified
percentage of audience. This helps to identify which page (the original or
the variant) is leading to more conversions. After the
successful completion of the experiment, a winner is decided and we make
changes on the site accordingly.
more variations of our original targeted page and run an experiment
displaying the original page as well as the variants to a certain specified
percentage of audience. This helps to identify which page (the original or
the variant) is leading to more conversions. After the
successful completion of the experiment, a winner is decided and we make
changes on the site accordingly.
Multivariate Testing- This type of testing is similar to A/B
Testing, the only difference is, multivariate testing allows to track the
individual elements on a web page that are leading to conversions. For example,
a button, a piece of text, a video, an image, all these can be
tracked to identify which element on the page is leading to more engagement
and conversions.
Testing, the only difference is, multivariate testing allows to track the
individual elements on a web page that are leading to conversions. For example,
a button, a piece of text, a video, an image, all these can be
tracked to identify which element on the page is leading to more engagement
and conversions.
Instead of just checking the traffic
and doing nothing, SEO’s should start running experiments that will help them
to receive even more conversions than before.
and doing nothing, SEO’s should start running experiments that will help them
to receive even more conversions than before.
8-
Think Semantically
Think Semantically
SEO’s need to start thinking more
semantically in 2014. The big G has already started thinking semantically and
the SEO community is smart enough to predict where Google is moving in future. Semantic
Web SEO should start the habit of thinking semantically in the same manner as
Google might be thinking while processing the user queries. Semantics is
the branch of linguistics that is concerned with meaning. It can be of any type
like lexical, statistical, structural, prototype etc. The semantic web
makes use of components like the Resource Description
framework and the RDF Schema for revealing the meaning of the data
mentioned on the web pages. Schema stands for data about data and schema
vocabulary like the microdata, microformats and RDFa are all parts of the
larger Schema. The Facebook Open Graph Protocol also comes under semantics helping to link
the contents of a website with the social media world.
semantically in 2014. The big G has already started thinking semantically and
the SEO community is smart enough to predict where Google is moving in future. Semantic
Web SEO should start the habit of thinking semantically in the same manner as
Google might be thinking while processing the user queries. Semantics is
the branch of linguistics that is concerned with meaning. It can be of any type
like lexical, statistical, structural, prototype etc. The semantic web
makes use of components like the Resource Description
framework and the RDF Schema for revealing the meaning of the data
mentioned on the web pages. Schema stands for data about data and schema
vocabulary like the microdata, microformats and RDFa are all parts of the
larger Schema. The Facebook Open Graph Protocol also comes under semantics helping to link
the contents of a website with the social media world.
9-
Gain More Insights on
Next SERP Rulers
Gain More Insights on
Next SERP Rulers
Google
SERP is continuously changing. It has changed tremendously than what it was 2
years from now. Further change is expected in 2014. SEO’s must understand how
to leverage the existing elements or factors used by Google while displaying
SERP. Some of the biggest SERP rulers that SEO’s need to be leverage upon is
shared below:
SERP is continuously changing. It has changed tremendously than what it was 2
years from now. Further change is expected in 2014. SEO’s must understand how
to leverage the existing elements or factors used by Google while displaying
SERP. Some of the biggest SERP rulers that SEO’s need to be leverage upon is
shared below:
Rich Snippets- As opposed to the
normal text snippets that we normally see while searching in Google, richsnippets allows businesses to present the webpage snippet in a more informative
way like adding ratings/ reviews’ cooking time, event date etc in the search
snippet itself. Interestingly, brands that have started displaying “rich
snippets” in the search results have witnessed an increased Clickthrough rate (CTR). SERP future is
rich snippets and these can be implemented by making use of any of the 3 types
of mark up formats namely Microdata,
Microformats and RDFa.
normal text snippets that we normally see while searching in Google, richsnippets allows businesses to present the webpage snippet in a more informative
way like adding ratings/ reviews’ cooking time, event date etc in the search
snippet itself. Interestingly, brands that have started displaying “rich
snippets” in the search results have witnessed an increased Clickthrough rate (CTR). SERP future is
rich snippets and these can be implemented by making use of any of the 3 types
of mark up formats namely Microdata,
Microformats and RDFa.
An
example of a rich snippet in the search results is displayed below:
example of a rich snippet in the search results is displayed below:
Authorship- Google Authorship was amove by Google to move from anonymous web to named web. This was done to reduce
spam on the search results. Websites need to add authorship mark up and specify
an author of the entire website or individual webpage. This will help Google to
identify the person behind the web page and rank that web page as per the
“Author Rank” or “Agent Rank” of the author. This is one of the ranking factors
that Google has already started using and will continue to test more in 2014.
spam on the search results. Websites need to add authorship mark up and specify
an author of the entire website or individual webpage. This will help Google to
identify the person behind the web page and rank that web page as per the
“Author Rank” or “Agent Rank” of the author. This is one of the ranking factors
that Google has already started using and will continue to test more in 2014.
Consider
the example displayed below. Authorship actually helps to increase CTR’s.
the example displayed below. Authorship actually helps to increase CTR’s.
Brands
missing authorship must implement it as soon as they can. However, it’s worth
mentioning that Authorship is one if the ranking factors and not the only
factor that Google counts, so do not expect to see increase in ranking just by
adding authorship markup. Also, recently, Google has decided to display only a
few authorship results thereby indicating that spammy author mark ups will be
ignored in 2014 and ahead.
missing authorship must implement it as soon as they can. However, it’s worth
mentioning that Authorship is one if the ranking factors and not the only
factor that Google counts, so do not expect to see increase in ranking just by
adding authorship markup. Also, recently, Google has decided to display only a
few authorship results thereby indicating that spammy author mark ups will be
ignored in 2014 and ahead.
In-Depth Articles- Google introduced thefeature of in-depth articles in 2013 where it started displaying comprehensive
articles for broader meaning queries like “love”. An example of an in-depth
article search result is shown below for the query “love”:
articles for broader meaning queries like “love”. An example of an in-depth
article search result is shown below for the query “love”:
Web
pages that had high quality comprehensive content in them, including high
social signals and positive user comments are displayed often in this new
section. SEO’s must analyze their strategy in order to display any website
under this section.
pages that had high quality comprehensive content in them, including high
social signals and positive user comments are displayed often in this new
section. SEO’s must analyze their strategy in order to display any website
under this section.
QDF Factor- Ever thought of getting
extra hits to your website by utilizing the QDF factor. QDF stands for “Query Deserves Freshness” and is one
of the biggest factors for ranking websites with respect to fresh queries which
gains trends in a single day or a week. SEO’s can make use of these short trend
high traffic queries to transfer some extra traffic to their site. This factor
is still underutilized by the SEO industry and the coming year can witness more
experiments and changes so the marketers need to be prepared for that.
extra hits to your website by utilizing the QDF factor. QDF stands for “Query Deserves Freshness” and is one
of the biggest factors for ranking websites with respect to fresh queries which
gains trends in a single day or a week. SEO’s can make use of these short trend
high traffic queries to transfer some extra traffic to their site. This factor
is still underutilized by the SEO industry and the coming year can witness more
experiments and changes so the marketers need to be prepared for that.
Knowledge Graph- The main brain behind
the working of Hummingbird is the Knowledge Graph. It is a collection of
real world identities and their relationships. Queries which involve identities
of any kind are processed by Google with the help of Knowledge Graph. A deeper
understanding of Knowledge Graph is essential in order to identify how identity
level processing is done by Google and utilize it for the effectiveness of
brands.
the working of Hummingbird is the Knowledge Graph. It is a collection of
real world identities and their relationships. Queries which involve identities
of any kind are processed by Google with the help of Knowledge Graph. A deeper
understanding of Knowledge Graph is essential in order to identify how identity
level processing is done by Google and utilize it for the effectiveness of
brands.
Local Carousel- The Google localcarousel is the replacement for traditional local listings. Carousel display
local listings including customer reviews and ratings in a horizontal bar
showing up to 20 results. For local queries, dominating carousels is what is
required for an SEO. The factors which Google counts for displaying results
under local carousel should be well understood by an SEO in order to get the
maximum local exposure for the businesses.
local listings including customer reviews and ratings in a horizontal bar
showing up to 20 results. For local queries, dominating carousels is what is
required for an SEO. The factors which Google counts for displaying results
under local carousel should be well understood by an SEO in order to get the
maximum local exposure for the businesses.
Box Local Results- This is a new kind of
local result display by Google where it shows the local details of the business
as added on the Google local listings. Not all local businesses get a local box
display. It is dependent on many factors like presence of local business on
local listing sites, customer reviews, accurate address, accurate phone number,
business image etc. Making a local box result come out effective and positive
in front of the customers should be the responsibility of the SEO. So folks,
gear yourself up and start taking steps.
local result display by Google where it shows the local details of the business
as added on the Google local listings. Not all local businesses get a local box
display. It is dependent on many factors like presence of local business on
local listing sites, customer reviews, accurate address, accurate phone number,
business image etc. Making a local box result come out effective and positive
in front of the customers should be the responsibility of the SEO. So folks,
gear yourself up and start taking steps.
Image Results- Google made several
changes to its image search results display. SEO’s working on image search
optimization need to upgrade their existing skill set in order to rank their
targeted images on Google.
changes to its image search results display. SEO’s working on image search
optimization need to upgrade their existing skill set in order to rank their
targeted images on Google.
Video Results- Google has already
started to display video in the search snippet. Factors like relevancy of
video, video sitemap, video rich snippets, social signals, comments etc all
will play an important factor in the rankings of videos.
started to display video in the search snippet. Factors like relevancy of
video, video sitemap, video rich snippets, social signals, comments etc all
will play an important factor in the rankings of videos.
10- Start Working on Universal Analytics
Although Universal Analytics is still an advanced concept but it will get
more common in the coming years. With Universal Analytics, you can start
tracking almost anything and because of this ability, businesses will find
Universal Analytics a great tool to measure the behavior of their customers on
all fronts. SEO’s need to track and identify the customer needs and make
changes on the website accordingly. Universal Analytics needs an upgrade which
is a two step process but considering the customized benefits it can offer to
any business, it’s worth implementing.
more common in the coming years. With Universal Analytics, you can start
tracking almost anything and because of this ability, businesses will find
Universal Analytics a great tool to measure the behavior of their customers on
all fronts. SEO’s need to track and identify the customer needs and make
changes on the website accordingly. Universal Analytics needs an upgrade which
is a two step process but considering the customized benefits it can offer to
any business, it’s worth implementing.
Many of the SEO’s need to upgrade to
the Universal Analytics property in order to use the resources associated it. This
new method of tracking data allows you to use the analytics by 3 different
ways:
the Universal Analytics property in order to use the resources associated it. This
new method of tracking data allows you to use the analytics by 3 different
ways:
1- Using the .js JavaScript library for
tracking websites.
tracking websites.
2- Using the Mobile SDKs v2.x and higher for
tracking Android and iOS.
tracking Android and iOS.
3- Using the Measurement Protocol for tracking
digital devices.
digital devices.
Universal Analytics is the future, the
sooner you try your hands on it, and the better it is for your career.
sooner you try your hands on it, and the better it is for your career.
This is a wakeup call for all the
folks associated with the internet and digital marketing industry to take these
new resolutions in 2014. This will ensure a greater prospect for their career
in the future years.
folks associated with the internet and digital marketing industry to take these
new resolutions in 2014. This will ensure a greater prospect for their career
in the future years.
Also See:
How Google Identifies Spam in Information Collected From a Source?
Google Patent Named Ranking Documents to Penalize Spammers
Taxonomic Classification While Finding Context of Search Query
Google Granted Patent for Detecting Hidden Texts and Hidden Links
Domain authority and Google results
How does Google applies Semantic Search
Emanuel Update
Google Sandbox effect
Top 5 Social Media tools
List of free Seo tools
List of Social Media sites
