In the past 10 years, the craft of search engine Marketing has undergone a major transformation. In just the past few years, there has been an even more dramatic shift brought on by Google’s Panda and Penguin updates as well as Rank Brain.

Fred & Mobile-First

In spring of 2017, Google’s Fred update hit websites with low value content and aggressive monitization. With the mobile-first update coming in early 2018, what does search marketing look like in 2018? I hope the slide below can help illustrate just how much things have changed.

2018 Trends To Watch

Change happens so quickly in digital marketing, we’re sure things will never stay the same. Here are just a few trends we think you will likely find going into 2018 and beyond.

A Shift To Mobile

With the move to mobile-first indexing, Google will begin ranking websites based on their mobile experience and site structure. Some of this appears to be already in the works. Websites need to transition from a desktop-only experience to a responsive layout as soon as possible. Mobile-only and desktop-only websites are not ideal. Check to see if your website is mobile-friendly.

More Attention To User Experience

With machine learning algorithms becoming a bigger factor in search engines, the importance of a good user experience is becoming evident.

“You need to provide [Google] engaging content that drives Social Media shares and links”

Simply placing keywords in content isn’t going to cut it in 2018. You need to provide engaging content that drives social media shares and links. The links and sharing activity from having a positive user experience will drive search engine rankings. Keywords are important for research, but it comes down to having the right content theme and engagement.

Paid Content Exposure

Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites are focusing more on their paid content platforms and giving brands less free exposure. Unless you’re already a household name, it will be very hard to grow visibility in social without an advertising budget. For your content to reach a wider audience, you will need paid exposure. Organic exposure will be limited to your owned media and will most likely not be enough to drive results on its own.

More Focus On Technical SEO

Having a strong technical SEO foundation is very important. Google factors in your overall website quality when applying rankings. Site quality can be the difference between position 6 and 2 for any given keyword. If your site has server errors or any other major technical flaw, Google generally does not list these sites in the top 3-5 spots for competitive keywords. Sure, you can do well for very niche searches but getting to the next level is nearly impossible with a technically bad site.

“If you have broken internal links, site errors and other Things Google Hates, that good content you spent several hours creating is going to get nowhere”

If you have broken internal links, site errors and other things Google hates, that good content you spent several hours creating is going to get nowhere. If you’re generating a ton of good content but not seeing great results on Google, I recommend getting a full technical audit done by an experienced search marketing professional. Tech audits are a relatively low cost and high value investment, assuming you have a team that can fix issues correctly.

Influencer Marketing

Using influencer marketing on social media channels will become a popular way to grow brand awareness. Getting exposure for products will need to go beyond Google in order to reach the target audience. Since social proof is so important to getting your content noticed, marketers would be wise to invest in social media campaigns.

Influencers have the added benefit of word-of-mouth marketing. Not only are they promoting your products and videos, but they carry a voice that legitimize the brand and gain trust with customers. Once customers know and trust your brand, they are more likely to find you via organic search or link back to your website in other media. Influencer marketing is a bit of a stretch for link building, but it can be a great way to get exposure for your more interactive content.

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