Considering
the shifts in SEO survival, 2012 has been quite an eventful year. There
have been several important updates that have changed the search scene
altogether.
A massive crackdown on spam sites through the EMD
updates was not the only scathing step taken by Google. Google updates
its algorithm over 500 times a year in order to weed out low quality
sites from the top positions. Google will never stop its relentless run
to make search results more relevant.
Search engine optimization,
as it stands today, is no longer child’s play. It has become quite
challenging and innovative strategies are required to attain better
rankings.
So what is the outlook for SEO in 2013? The answer to
this question is still vague, as people are not sure about the updates
that are to occur in 2013. Fierce arguments are still raging regarding
the Google updates that may take place. While some believe that the
future lies in content marketing, others believe that social media
presence will be the key. Others continue to resort to blackhat SEO
methods that may land them on Google’s hitlist.
Based on what I
hear people saying and see people doing, and my understanding of the
proposed Google updates that may take place, here is a list of major
changes in SEO you can expect to occur in 2013.
Author Rank
How Google handles Author Rank will
be the biggest search factor in 2013. It may turn the entire internet
marketing world upside down.
Google will assign each blogger an
Author Rank based on various parameters such as niche authority and
domain expertise. This Rank will be given a major role in ranking the
content authored by that author. Simply speaking, the higher the rank
and reputation of the author, the higher are the chances of their
content ranking well in search engines. Also, an author’s published
content will be directly linked to their Google+ profile, thereby
drawing Google+ into SEO calculations. So, with the mooted Author Rank
update, performance of a site will depend more upon the reputation and
niche expertise of the content’s author in social networks.
Equivalency Score Algorithm
Another
major update that is expected to take place in 2013 is the Google
Equivalency Score Algorithm (ESA). ESA is expected to work in the same
way as Google Adword’s Quality Score where each keyword is given a point
score based on several factors. The quality score of the keywords is
then used along with the bid amount of the advertiser and the ads are
ranked accordingly. ESA, if operationalized, will have a huge impact on
online businesses. It will effectively cut down the monopoly of some
websites on number one rankings and will create a more level playing
field for all businesses. One effect of this is that Google may display
the same results for a search query in different orders each time the
results appear on screen.
Link Disavow Tool
The Link
Disavow Tool was created to collect data on the backlink structure of
sites. Chances are that Google will use this tool in 2013 to create an
algorithm using the links that have already been submitted to them. The
tool will be used to improve reporting of spam sites and poor quality
backlinks. Consequently, blog posts and forum posts can no longer be
used to create backlinks.
Social media presence
SEO in
2013 will be heavily influenced by the numerous social networks and the
development and utilisation of an effective social media presence. Site
owners and technicians have to carve a niche out for themselves in
social media if they want their sites to do well in search rankings.
Sharing of content on social networks like Facebook, Twitter,
StumbleUpon, Pinterest, Delicious, LinkedIn, MySpace and Google+ will be
of the utmost importance. Social media popularity will, in a way,
decide the fate of a site as far as Google is concerned.
The
reason Google gives such importance to the social media presence of a
site is yet to be definitively ascertained. But there are many theories
out there regarding this. Social media presence is proof that the
traffic finds the content of a site useful. However, many say that
Google will do this to give its staggering Google+ a boost. Many believe
that in the days to come, Google+ might just emerge as the most
important social network for webmasters.
Digital marketing
Digital
marketing will also play a big role in 2013. Digital marketing will
slowly include the entire spectrum of online marketing from
market-purposed content creation, through pay-per-click strategies, to
use of social media. Because of certain expected Google updates, this
will get a big boost and chances are that more and more brands will come
into the digital marketing field in time.
No Fundamental Changes in SEO
Having
started by explaining how SEO will fundamentally change in 2013, let me
close by saying that the foundation of SEO is going to remain the same.
Whether web owners and professionals like it or not, content will
continue as the king online. High quality, well-written, expertly
displayed, functionally useful content will still hold the key to
ranking well for target search terms. Any site needs to have compelling
and unique content that has good readability and provides a rich user
experience. Half the search battle is won if a website follows this
cardinal rule, and that will only become more true in 2013 and beyond.
Currently
accepted link building practices such as viral article submission and
automated link posting won’t work any more, as the basis for them
affecting search results is revealed as artifical. Google began the
tough scrutiny of backlinks in 2012, and this will continue in 2013.
While
we must wait to see just how Google and other search giants implement
their strategies for 2013, it can be taken for granted that their
efforts to keep search results organically honest, relevant and useful
to consumer will have an impact on the industry that has developed
around search engine optimization. Whether the effects of that are good
or bad, for consumers and the industry, remains to be seen.
What about you? Are you ready for 2013? Do you foresee other ways in which search will change next year and beyond?
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