x7 SEO 2017 PredictionsBy Adam Orchard
SEO Director
Today’s Agenda
#7 HTTPS SECUR
E SEARC
H
#6 MOBILE APP
& STORE OPTIMISATIO
N
#5 SOCIA
L MEDIA SEARC
H RESUL
TS
#4 USER
ENGAGEMENT
A RANKIN
G FACTO
R
#3 CONTE
NT & STRUCTURED DATA
#2 PAGE
SPEED & AMP PAGES
#1 HOME
& VIRTU
AL ASSISTANTS
2016 SEO
REVIEW
2016 SEO Review
What Were The Key SEO Updates In 2016?
2016 SEO REVIEW
HOME & VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
PAGE SPEED & AMP PAGES
CONTENT & STRUCTURED DATA
USER ENGAGEMENT A RANKING FACTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA SEARCH RESULTS
MOBILE APP &STORE OPTIMISATION
HTTPS SECURE SEARCH
Update When Did It Happen? What Happened?
Mobile First Index OctoberGoogle prioritises it’s mobile index over it’s desktop version. Conducting more frequent index updates & rewarding quick loading, ‘mobile friendly’ sites with improved organic visibility.
Accelerated Mobile Pages FebruaryThe Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) by Google & Twitter, allows developers to create rapidly loading web pages for mobile search users, drastically impacting mobile search space.
Google RankBrain JuneGoogle improved it’s search algorithm by learning the intent behind a users search. Through machine-learning AI, a enhanced learning system called ‘RankBrain’ was born.
Google Penguin 4.0 SeptemberThe latest iteration of the Penguin update becomes real time and a core element of Google’s search algorithm. (NB Targeting websites with poor quality links and penalising accordingly)
Removal AdWords Right Ads FebruaryGoogle removed its SEM adds from the right hand side of search results and expanding top/bottom placements. This pushed organic listings further down the search results page.
Prediction #1 Home &
Virtual Assistants
Home & Virtual Assistants – Bringing Search To A Wider Audience
2016 SEO REVIEW
HOME & VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
PAGE SPEED & AMP PAGES
CONTENT & STRUCTURED DATA
USER ENGAGEMENT A RANKING FACTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA SEARCH RESULTS
MOBILE APP &STORE OPTIMISATION
HTTPS SECURE SEARCH
Google Assistant Launch (Video 08:30 – 14:30)
Google Home Demo (Video 21:56 – 26:56)
Through the use of virtual assistants, wearable technology and home devices, exposure to the
search environment & results will increase significantly in 2017. These devices rely on
website content to provide quick/instant answers that meets the needs of the user.
Due to this, the importance of improved organic visibility within search of website content assets has never been higher.
RECOMMENDATION – Review content assets to see if they are up to date with the latest
discussions amongst your target audience and the topic areas that meets their needs.
Prediction #2 Page Speed &
AMP Pages
Page Speed & AMP – Need For Quicker Load Content To Grow Further
2016 SEO REVIEW
HOME & VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
PAGE SPEED & AMP PAGES
CONTENT & STRUCTURED DATA
USER ENGAGEMENT A RANKING FACTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA SEARCH RESULTS
MOBILE APP &STORE OPTIMISATION
HTTPS SECURE SEARCH
Top Stories AMP Content Carousel Search Results
Google Page Speed Insights Tool
In 2017, Google will continue its developments to provide users with a faster more reliable web search experience. Websites that meet quick page load speed best practices, will benefit
with improved organic search visibility making this a key technical website update.
Through the growing adoption of the AMP protocols with both publishers and brands
alike, they are benefiting from a heightened search visibility of key content assets.
RECOMMENDATION – Check the page load speed performance of key content pages across mobile & desktop and apply best
practices where necessary.
Prediction #3 Content &
Structured Data
Content & Structured Data Implementation A Key Visibility Signal
2016 SEO REVIEW
HOME & VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
PAGE SPEED & AMP PAGES
CONTENT & STRUCTURED DATA
USER ENGAGEMENT A RANKING FACTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA SEARCH RESULTS
MOBILE APP &STORE OPTIMISATION
HTTPS SECURE SEARCH
Google Rich Answers Increasing In Frequency
Google Rich Answers Enhanced Search Visibility
Through the evolution of the Google Hummingbird search algorithm to learn a users search intent, in 2017 we will see content have a greater focus on conversational queries. This
is especially apparent with the continued growth of voice based searches and how
website content can better target this.
The rise in frequency of Rich Answers within organic search results, shows Google’s intent to provide answers to these conversational &
question based queries more effectively.
RECOMMENDATION – Review keywords that generate Rich Answer results. Analyse the
current discussions/topics amongst your target audience and create targeted website content.
Source - https://www.stonetemple.com/featured-snippets-machine-driven-improvement/
Prediction #4 User Engagement A Ranking Factor
Website User Engagement To Effect Organic Search Visibility
2016 SEO REVIEW
HOME & VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
PAGE SPEED & AMP PAGES
CONTENT & STRUCTURED DATA
USER ENGAGEMENT A RANKING FACTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA SEARCH RESULTS
MOBILE APP &STORE OPTIMISATION
HTTPS SECURE SEARCH
Google Judging Search Quality w/ Queries & Clicks
Google Search Console Keyword Analytics Report
There are many studies and discussions surrounding the impact organic search ranking
user CTR and user engagement has on organic visibility. In 2017, there will be a significant push on improving the user’s
website experience to maximise page dwell time and reduce bounce on core content
assets/pages. This will boost organic CTR.
Through Google Search Console, keyword and page URL level engagement levels across
device types. This data is often restricted/not provided within standard analytics packages.
RECOMMENDATION – Analyse the user engagement performance of key content landing pages and associated keywords.
Improve CTR via content & tech page updates.
Source - http://www.slideshare.net/SearchMarketingExpo/how-google-works-a-ranking-engineers-perspective-by-paul-haahr
Prediction #5 Social Media
Search Results
Frequency Of Social Media & ‘Live’ Results Within Search To Increase
2016 SEO REVIEW
HOME & VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
PAGE SPEED & AMP PAGES
CONTENT & STRUCTURED DATA
USER ENGAGEMENT A RANKING FACTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA SEARCH RESULTS
MOBILE APP &STORE OPTIMISATION
HTTPS SECURE SEARCH
Live Sports Commentary Taken From Social Results
Twitter, Facebook, Google+ & Pinterest Content
With Google’s continued mission to index and serve the latest/freshest content to it’s users, it looks to social media conversations to provide those ‘live’ updates. In 2017 there will be an
even greater push for websites to provide the freshest content with brands diversifying this
content to a wider range of platforms to maximise organic visibility.
Google has continued to enhance the way it displays social updates within search results and it’s imperative that website content takes
advantage of these developments.
RECOMMENDATION – Formulate a content amplification process for new website assets.
Identify trending conversations within your target audience and generate reaction content.
Prediction #6 Mobile App & Store
Optimisation
Optimisation Of Mobile Apps & App Store Optimisation To Increase
2016 SEO REVIEW
HOME & VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
PAGE SPEED & AMP PAGES
CONTENT & STRUCTURED DATA
USER ENGAGEMENT A RANKING FACTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA SEARCH RESULTS
MOBILE APP &STORE OPTIMISATION
HTTPS SECURE SEARCH
App/Mobile Content Indexing Within Search Results
App Performance & Optimisation Statistics Reports
With the total number of search engine queries on mobile devices exceeding that of desktop,
Google has made significant in roads to enhance it’s mobile search experience. With
this shift to mobile searches only going to increase in 2017, there will be an even greater focus on ensuring app content is discoverable
and maximising it’s visibility within search.
Regular analysis of competitor apps through third party tools such as App Annie provides valuable insights into what drives an apps
heightened performance.
RECOMMENDATION – Review the organic visibility and performance of apps within the apps stores for priority keywords. Implement app content indexing/linking best practices.
Prediction #7 HTTPs Secure
Search
HTTPs Protocol Adoption To Become Fundamental For Secure Search
2016 SEO REVIEW
HOME & VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
PAGE SPEED & AMP PAGES
CONTENT & STRUCTURED DATA
USER ENGAGEMENT A RANKING FACTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA SEARCH RESULTS
MOBILE APP &STORE OPTIMISATION
HTTPS SECURE SEARCH
HTTPs Protocol Adoption Increases Significantly
Chrome Will Highlight ‘Non Secure’ Pages To Users
Ever since 2014, Google have been recommending to webmasters to implement various protocols to maximise the security of
entered user data. The adoption of the HTTPs protocol has been Google’s fundamental
recommendation for webmasters to adopt, going as far as to provide a minor boost in organic rankings to participating websites.
In 2017, the use of the HTTPs protocol will be a must for new websites or to large updates to existing websites in install confidence to users
and improve organic visibility.
RECOMMENDATION – Review the technical capabilities of your website and the
practicalities of implementing the HTTPs protocol site wide.
2017 Predictions Summary
2017 SEO Predictions Summary
2016 SEO REVIEW
HOME & VIRTUAL ASSISTANTS
PAGE SPEED & AMP PAGES
CONTENT & STRUCTURED DATA
USER ENGAGEMENT A RANKING FACTOR
SOCIAL MEDIA SEARCH RESULTS
MOBILE APP &STORE OPTIMISATION
HTTPS SECURE SEARCH
“Search demand for content will be at it’s
highest with the adoption of home & virtual
assistants”
“Quick website page load speed on mobile and desktop will be a fundamental issue”
“Content will be more conversational focused as Google learns more about a user’s search
intent”
“Website user engagement metrics
(CTR) will contribute to a website’s organic
visibility”
Thank YouHappy Optimising!