Search Engine and Social Media Marketing trends in 2016

The two fields of social media and search are frequently progressing, with plenty of changes that affects in consumer and marketer behavior.

To stay ahead in the curve, following are the strategies to adopt.

1. Mobile optimization

The business owners must cater to the needs of their mobile audience to generate leads and increase conversions. It is important to have mobile friendly websites and the sites need to be responsive to provide the best user experience to your visitors regardless of the device they are using.

                         

2. Voice search presents huge alterations in keyword research

Siri, Now and Cortana are making the lives of users so much more convenient. The users use different search terms when speaking and typing. Voice searches lean toward long-tail keywords, so the marketers have to be sure to include these terms to escalate their chances of ranking.

3. Local SEO will be even more significant

With the launch of My Business, Google places even more prominence to local SEO. It is important to have your business listed on Google to improve search visibility. Google-My Business is a great place to get started, allowing marketer to control multiple accounts from one central location.

4. Social posts get ranked higher

Many marketers are by now utilizing social media to increase more visibility in search engines. When customers enter your company name, one must ensure that the social media profiles are seen on the first page. Various social media sites also now boost long form content, especially Facebook with their revamped Notes feature.

5. Learn the new on-page SEO

On-page SEO includes click-through rates, engagement, social signals and relevant content. By measuring these important site metrics, one can see which areas of the site need improvements.

6. Sell on social

Facebook and Pinterest, in particular, have introduced “Buy Now” features. It’s a win-win position since social media users can now buy products without downloading the app, allowing for a great user experience.

7. Enhancements in in-app functionality

Facebook has introduced a lot of new features last year such as Instant Articles and automatic video playing when scrolling. They are working on making their own digital assistant. So it’s essential to make enhancements in the app to experience a boost in ROI.

8. Videos will continue to dominate

YouTube still receives a massive amount of hits per day. Plenty of studies also show that content within videos have higher engagement rates compared to those that only contain plain text. It is recommended to entertain the audience with videos. This helps in increasing traffic on your site.

Conclusion:

Google, Facebook and Twitter are releasing new feature after new feature, improving the overall experience of their users while instantaneously keeping marketers on their toes as they try to adjust to all the changes.

Ms. Shikha Kukreja

Assistant Professor

Dept. of Communication Studies