Important SEO factors 2016

SEO is forever changing and evolving. Google makes changes to their search algorithm almost every day and because of this what may have worked in the past could now be harming you.

So what can we expect to change in 2016?

Here are some of the predictions from the industry’s leading experts (carried out by Moz) on the factors that will affect our search engine rankings the most in 2016:

Factors with increasing impact

Mobile friendliness – up 88%

Last year, Google introduced the mobile-friendliness algorithm update which favoured mobile-friendly website within their search engine results over non mobile-friendly websites. The experts predict that this factor will have a bigger impact on SEO this year as mobile usability continues to grow.

Perceived value of page/site – up 81%

What does the user think about your website? Is it user-friendly? Do they trust it? Does it provide them with valuable information?

If your website isn’t satisfying your visitors needs or requirements than you may find your rankings slipping this year.

Usage (dwell time, CTR) – up 67%

If you want to boost your SEO this year you will have to focus on your contents value and enticing call-to-actions. Usage factors are metrics like how much time people are spending on your website as well as your click-through rate. Ensure your content is engaging and informative to keep users on the page for longer as well as giving them options to visit more of your website with clear call-to-actions.

Usability/design – up 67%

Obviously, your website should be easy to use and navigate. If your bounce rate is excessively high you may find yourself slipping down the rankings.

Site speed – up 58%

Loading speed of your website has been a Google ranking factor for a while now and 2016 won’t be any different.

HTTPS – up 56%

HTTPS offers a securer experience for your users. Because of this experts believe it will have a bigger impact on SEO this year than ever before as more people are conscious about staying safe online.

Other factors that will remain just as important as last year:

• Relevance of links
• Social signals
• Backlinks
• Internal links