SEO Trends for 2013

Search engine optimization is essential to building and promoting websites today. However, regular algorithm updates and changing trends require the ability to be flexible in this fast-changing environment. SEO trends for 2013 include a variety of new SEO practices blended with the tried-and-true SEO practices that have long garnered success for site owners.

More and more people are turning to their mobile devices to access the Internet, which means that site owners need to ensure their sites are properly optimized for mobile devices. That usually means a more streamlined site that is easy to use and easy to navigate. Sites in 2013 should be specifically designed to facilitate mobile searches and include dedicated mobile formatting.

Quality content may not seem like such a new idea, but it is certainly one that is becoming ever more important in the world of SEO. In the past, busy site owners could populate their pages with content that was hastily prepared or re-purposed for their needs. In some cases, site content was poorly prepared, presented or even spammy. Google’s regular algorithm updates now penalize sites that include poor-quality content, which means that websites must include fresh, high-quality content in order to maintain a strong, competitive web presence.

Google is another major trend. Google has long been the search engine of choice for a large percentage of Internet users, which means that site owners tend to focus on achieving the top of Google’s search results over any other search engine. However, Google Ad-words  Google+ and other Google products are providing site owners with new and diverse tools to expand their web presence and build their site’s authority.

Although SEO has “search engine” in the title, it is not all about search engines any more  In fact, this year, SEO is going to focus as much on the human factor as it does on the search engines themselves. A website that is attractive to search engines but leaves its site visitors cold just is not going to be successful long-term. Google and the other search engines realize that sites should appeal to their visitors, which means that websites should be attractively designed, easy to use, easy to navigate and should include valuable, meaningful content.

No longer should your search engine optimization strategy focus solely on algorithms and should instead expand the focus to include the needs of your human visitors. This expanded focus can ultimately decrease bounce rates and increase conversion rates. This year, site owners are learning that traffic alone is no guarantee of success. Highly targeted traffic that leads to conversions is far more important. A well-designed website, viable social media campaign and engaging content that lead to long-term client relationships and increased conversion rates will promote long-term growth and improved ROI.