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A Few Predictions on the Future Of SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Future of seo

What are the predictions about the Future of SEO

Search Engine Optimization is like an ocean of tasks all aimed at improving the ranking of a website on the Search Engine Result pages. Different search engines have different algorithms and policies for search engine rankings. Though, Keywords remain to be a consistent factor for search engines to display results. This is how the present scenario works, what about the future of SEO?

Future of seo
What’s next?

Future Scope of SEO: Ranking factors

User Experience will be a Top Priority

Google’s all algorithms are focused on improving the user experience. If you love your users, Google will love your website. If you have ever cared to closely look at the Google’s algorithms, you already know that they will rank a website that takes care of the user’s needs first.

Initially, SEO was considered to be a profile for IT department. As it was believed that SEO involves too much of technicalities. But if you understand SEO or have worked as an SEO professional, you would know it is an art to its core. The SEO professionals today understand that mere technical knowledge is not enough in this user-friendly virtual world. A creativity is required for an SEO professional to catch the interest of a user.

Future of seo
Seo future scope

Ok! So you know this now that now mere technical knowledge is not enough. You need to be aware of what the user is looking for. It is obvious that when a user makes a search he is looking for something. If your site is substantial enough to provide him the solution. Then Google will recognize your site to be an authoritative source of information.

So as I mentioned previously, in the past few years we saw keywords to be the sole of SEO. However, with each passing year, Google made it very clear that the primary focus remains to be on the user experience. The annual graph of the changes made in Google’s algorithm lay an extra emphasis on serving to what the user is looking for. The SEO professionals back then made attempt to find keywords of little relevance and stuff them into the blog.

Thus, when we talk about the theme of the blog ‘Future of SEO’. We know that user experience is the top priority in Google’s algorithms. The SEO future is less likely to give importance to keywords rather SEO is predicted to be more focused on readability.

The present SEO scenarios also suggest that the readability will have a lot to do with the engagement factor. If your content is not able to hold the interest of the users, it is much likely to be pushed down in the search engine result pages.

The best way to build engagement is by having an understanding of what the user is looking for. Like if you randomly start wondering what your audience would be searching in the present time. You would only be stuck with your own imaginations on that topic. Instead what I would suggest is that cut the hard work short, employ tools that would help you know what your audience is looking for. Work on it. That is absolutely the shortest and most effective way serving the user.

Remember: When you become obsessed with the user, Google becomes obsessed with you. 

AMP will be an important ranking factor

Just like smartphones have overshadowed the computer systems. A similar shift has been seen in the web visits. The users now access the websites through their smartphones which makes it really important for the SEO professional to optimize their site s per the mobile. This is where AMP entered SEO. AMP is short for Accelerated Mobile Pages. AMP Project is an open-source initiative aiming to make the web better for all. It is focused on the creation of websites and ads that are consistently faster, beautiful and high-performing across devices and distribution platforms. 

Until a few years back, when people initially started using the touch screen phones. Probably the first generation of smartphones. However, we have come a long way from there and we finally see that today the SEO professionals are themselves driven to cater to the audience that is logging in from a smartphone.

The first few decades of the internet was unilaterally focused on designing pages for desktops. Which is not the current scenarios. Today, we have our interface divided between the desktop and mobiles. Needless to mention, mobile stands primary index.

There is a deeper aspect to this theory. People simply do not settle for visually attractive websites while browsing from mobile. Speed is a very crucial factor in the performance of a website. Google’s surveys show that 53% of people leave a website if it doesn’t load in 3 seconds or less.

Being the first generation to experience the mobile interface world. We have witnessed how our online searching and shopping patterns have changed. In reference to the paradigm shift in searching from desktops to a jump to mobile searches, our lifestyle has seen major changes. A recent survey by Hitwise revealed that about 58% of Google’s search queries come from mobile phones. Thus, making it the dominant platform. Now you know why Google has been pushing AMP project so aggressively.

The present Google ranking factors do not count AMP as one of the ranking metrics. But as we move forward in time, it is most likely than not that AMP will be a ranking factor. Even today AMP does hold a significant value despite not being one of the factors.

You must have noticed that while you make a search from your mobile phones. The organic searches many a time shows you AMP content mentioned at the top of the link. The users who are aware of what is AMP, know that these sites will work better on their mobile phones.

If you still do not consider AMPs to be significant enough and are waiting for Google to announce it as a ranking factor. Let me advise you, it is definitely not a wise decision. Since by the time Google announces it to be an official ranking factor, you will probably be lagging behind to an extent that it will become difficult for you to cope up.

Artificial intelligence will take care of the  SERPs

This must have initially stricken you when Googannouncedced Rankbrain to be one of the three major ranking factors. Most of the SEO professionals today are still unaware of what exactly is Rankbrain. All we know is it is one of the top 3 ranking factors.

So, another important prediction about the future of SEO is that the search results will be completely monitored and handled by artificial intelligence. As we get advanced with technology and the machines began to understand the content better with time, the results will get more accurate. The prediction is that we are stepping towards the ‘Machine Age’. What has it stored in for us? how should we gear up for it?

The prediction is that we are stepping towards the ‘Machine Age’. What has it stored in for us? how should we gear up for it? Though we are far from that era, what we can do at most is creating quality content, do not stuff keywords to an annoying extent, be user-friendly. A normal user would simply prefer a text that is not too monotonous to read and is interactive.

Content

The content on your website is absolutely the whole and sole of your website. It is more important than you will know to maintain the quality of the content you post. Each update in Google’s policies has been laying focus on providing to the user. As long as the user is satisfied with the content, you do not have to worry about anything. a satisfied user will come back to your website each time he is looking for that information. Multiple visits mean that your company’s name will be registered in the user’s mind. Also, there is a high scope for word of mouth type of promotion.

The idea is to master the Searcher task accomplishment. By this, I mean that your blog must be comprehensive of all the information a user is looking for. This is a challenging yet a fruitful task. If you are able to figure out what your user wants, your blog is certain to fetch you a good amount of traffic.

Link

Google’s algorithm gives preference to short URLs. Also, if the URL of your blog contains the keywords for ehich the user is making a search. Your blog will be showed up. You must make it a habit to deliberately put the primary/focus keyword (the keyword you want to rank for) in the URL of the blog/post.

The other important aspect related to links is backlinking. Backlinking is considered to be a metric of authority by Google. The backlinks your website, the higher is the website authority.

Rankbrain

Rankbrain is already in action. It is the machine system of filtering out websites on the basis of Google’s metrics. Though it has many subfactors attached to it, it is one of the top three metrics of SEO rankings.

Future of SEO Professionals

Honestly, SEO is a profile for the ones who are ready to take up the challenge of standing out in a world full of competition. You will be competing with ‘n’ of sites for one particular set of keywords. Every SEO professional out there is constantly making an effort to rank higher. They practice every possible SEO activity to stand out.

The last few decades have only seen SEO growing. We are a generation first to experience all of these changes. The annual updates of Google are constantly striving to make the searches more of user centric. This obviously gives us an understanding that SEO task is going to grow for professionals.

The SEO professionals will need to have a better understanding of what the user is looking for. The shift to the user oriented search results demands a website owner to know his audience.

The future of SEO professionals is ‘people centric’. The search engine optimizer will find it necessary to dig deep into his audience’s interest. Thereby employing tools to find out what the audience is looking for.

There is a reason why Google has won the search engine war. The reason is clearly it’s user centric approach. A futuristic approach for the SEO professionals demands the following skills to be added:

  • Learn and understand Rankbrain.
  • Learn in detail the signals that Google uses for showing search results and providing ranks to websites.
  • Gaining knowledge about any other artificial intelligence operator that comes up in future.
  • Optimize web pages for AMP.
  • Develop People-centric web site along with a content that caters to the audience’s searches.

SEO future scope in India

Several studies show that the SEO until now focused on optimizing the website with a view to please the search crawlers. So blinded that user experience didn’t count anywhere. Cutting this down, the annual updates in Google’s SEO algorithms for the year 2017 shifted to a complete revolution of SEO industry. The new algorithms clearly mention that user experience must be the topmost priority while writing a content.

This shifts the task of SEO professionals from technical to creative. Because we know that searching is never going to go out of trend.

According to a survey by search engine watch, 93% of online experiences, begin with a search

India being an IT hub and a nation of technically skilled personnel has marked its presence well even in the digital era. Scholars believe that Indian websites and Indian SEO personnel have a bright scope 8 lakh SEO job opportunities predicted in the year 2017.

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Mahima Sood

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