Top 10 social media and search engine trends to watch out for in 2016

We’re already into 2016 and witnessing a new wave of trends in social media and search engine searches. Business needs to understand them fully and look to tap into them to be on the right side of benefits. Some of them include:

Take Care of Google’s Mobilegeddon Update

2015 proved to be a landmark year where searches from mobile outpaced those from desktop and laptop ones. It heralded the arrival of a new era where smartphones and tablets are ruling the roost and their influence is set to only multiply further. With Google’s Mobilegeddon update already out in the open, businesses have no choice but to give preference to mobile users. It means, responsive website design is something no business can afford to miss.

Don’t Ignore Search Terms From Typing   

Gone are the days when people only relied on typing to get their searched items on the internet. They can now speak and get flooded with items of their choice. This trend has caught up in recent time as the voice-based technologies have improved and some great products have hit the market. As the dynamics of voice searches are entirely different from typed ones, one not ignore them as this might spell ranking troubles galore.

Give Due Emphasis to Local SEO

There is a lot of positive buzz going around for local SEO. As Google now gives more prominence to local terms, no business can afford to miss out on search results featuring items locally. The best strategy would be to list on Google and other directories available for the same purpose. With a little effort, your business will gain a lot by featuring on top of local businesses.

Social Feeds Are Now A Ranking Factor 

Yes, you can now socialize and gain a lot of benefits out of search engines. All your social feeds, be it posts, videos, images, news, etc., can rank and boost your business’ visibility and brand. As a result, you should be careful with your Facebook posts or Tweets as they can be among the top searches for various searched items by users.

Visual Forms of Content Will Dictate the Terms

Users on the internet want big doses of information, entertainment and enrichment together. Why not mix them all in a single package? This is what visual contents do. That’s why messages spread using videos, infographics, charts and images work wonders and boost the conversion rates manifold. Such type of contents not only engage users more, but also gain superior ranking in search engines.

Links Are Here to Stay For More  

The repercussions from the Penguin update continue to scare a lot of businesses that relied heavily on links building for superior ranking. They still do it but with a changed approach – they no longer look for the number; rather, they give focus on quality only. They are sticking with only contextual and relevant links as they don’t want to repeat the “same mistake” again.

Quality Content With Long Length Will Work More   

It’s the quality which makes the difference with your content. Quality means, your content has to deliver value, has to inform users, has to enrich them and above all, has to keep them engaged. It needn’t be duplicate, short and stale. More so, short posts won’t help in the way they used to. So, switch your focus to 1500-word blog posts as they give users a lot of information and value besides bringing an in-depth knowledge of the subject.

More Website-Driven Businesses Will Switch to Apps

Apps are going to be the toast of the season. Thanks to app indexing from Google, more businesses are set to leverage apps to gain ranking benefits and cater their users in a superior way. As apps are more convenient and easily accessible, their stock is set to rise further. Their being more intuitive helps websites gain a lot, and also made them a trend to watch out for in 2016.

Buy Buttons to Rise More in Popularity

How about letting one buy directly from a social site? Why not let buyers buy directly from search engine? This lips-smacking concept is shaping gradually into reality. As Google is already testing its own buy button and few social sites have already implemented it, your business should be ready for this trend.

Marketing Automation

In 2016, the focus is going to be more on saving time and boosting the overall productivity by leveraging the virtues of marketing automation. Marketers have already started benefiting from automation and they will focus more on this front this year. After all, an automation strategy is necessary to get the job done easily and help resource utilization to a great level.

Conclusion  

In a nutshell, your business would be better off once it knew the changing dynamics of social media and search engine searches. After all, only then can it come up with a robust marketing strategy to face the challenges of the new age.

Author Bio:- Hi, I am Abhilash Tyagi an SEO specialist with years of experience of the domain. I consult and guide brands on planning, execution and implementation of best SEO Service to help them with rankings and visibility. Currently, I am employed with Mind Digital Group.