SEO Trends to Watch for in 2012


Recently I purchased the new iPhone 4S. Since then I’ve constantly been using Siri (the voice search command feature) to find local stores, movies, etc. It only takes a few seconds as I only need to speak into the microphone and Siri instantly provides the answers. I no longer need to be at my computer to search for information or check my email.

Does this mean the death of Local Search?

I don’t think so as only a small percentage of the population currently use Siri however as more smart phone manufacturers compete with Apple’s iPhone you’ll see more of these applications being used for local search.

Let’s look at some of the SEO trends to watch for in 2012

1. Mobile search

It’s already predicted Smart Phones will surpass computers when searching the web. I can verify this myself because I now use the iPhone more often than my computer to quickly conduct searches while I’m out and about. I no longer need to be be sitting at my computer. Even if you don’t have a Smart Phone to access the web, there are Wi-Fi hot spots almost everywhere so you can simply use your smart phone or iPod to get online.

Create a mobile-friendly version of your website otherwise you’ll be missing out on lots of visitors.

2. Integration of Google+ into Google results

2011 saw the launch of Google+ to compete with Facebook’s “likes”. Google now integrates Google + results into its search algorithim so it will affect your search engine rankings.

Make sure you set up a Google+ page for your online business and add the icon to your blog to encourage visitors to “plus” your content.

3. Integration of social media into search results

Google now takes into account how many people commented on your content, whether they shared it on Twitter, Facebook, G+, and others as an indicator of your content relevance and likeability.

Twitter and Facebook became even more popular in 2011 and will increase in popularity in 2012. Since Google and other search engines love fresh content you will see Twitter and Facebook updates appearing in the search results pages.

Create a Facebook Fan Page and Twitter account for your business. Every time you add new content to your website or blog announce it on these social media sites.

4. Video Marketing

People no longer wish to just consume content in textual form but want to see and hear it as well. It’s more engaging and allows you to make a more personal connection with your audience. YouTube is the second largest search engine (after Google) plus videos have a 10x better chance of ranking in the search engines than text-based content.

Make a plan to convert your textual content into video and upload it to video sharing websites so your video will appear in the search engines. Often it will rank ahead of your competitors search results.

5. Website Speed

This is another factor that Google rolled out in 2011 that affects rankings. A site that loads slowly will see it’s rankings lowered. Your site should load within a few seconds.

Make sure you don’t clutter your site with large images or too many images. Also place your css and javascript code in an external style sheet. Reduce the use of flash or video as it will slow the loading of your pages. Keep in mind Apple products such as the iPhone and Ipod can’t display flash applications so design/redesign your site with this in mind.

6. Unique, Quality Content

Google’s Panda Update in 2011 caused many websites to see their rankings drop dramatically resulting in a sudden drop in sales. This was because they contained thin content or scraped content from other sites. In 2012 search engines will continue to reward websites that contain valuable, unique content.

Write your own content so you know it is unique, optimized for the search engines and can be syndicated to online publications to reach a wider audience.

7. Backlink Variation

The number and quality of links pointing to your website has always played a significant role in achieving high search engine rankings however if all your links come from one location (ie one article directory) they won’t help your rankings much in 2012.

Vary the locations where you get your links from. For example convert your written content into video then submit to video sharing websites to obtain a high quality backlinks and announce it on social media sites so your visitors can easily share your content with their friends.

It’s impossible to predict all the changes search engines will make in 2012 because their are 100s of factors that go into their ranking formulas. Content has always been King on the net and will continue to be so. To keep up search engine trends constantly create unique, quality content, re-purpose it into various formats then publish it on your website and social media sites.

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Comments

  1. Chinna Botla says

    Hello Herman,

    Great informative article, really helped me to clear some of doubts on optimization factors. Could you please come up with few more latest optimization activities.

    Thanks in advance,
    Chinna Botla.

  2. Your style is very unique compared to other people I have read stuff from.

    Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I’ll just book mark this site.

  3. Furthermore, the closer to the front of your title label
    the key words are set, the better

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