The digital marketing world is always changing. While that’s what keeps it interesting, it does mean you can get left behind if you don’t keep up. So to make sure you are ahead of the competition, we’ve put together the top four SEO trends of 2016.

Answer boxes

There’s more to search engine results pages than lowly meta descriptions. Boost your client’s profile by taking advantage of the world of possibilities afforded to you by using rich snippets. Just put together a short snappy 150-word answer to frequent questions your customers are likely to ask, and Google might just reward you with an answer box above the top ranked page for that search.

Curated content

While authorship may have gone the way of the dodo, curated content is the way forward. By ensuring that the content you have onsite is well looked after, you’re sending signals to Google’s spiders that your info is up-to-date and relevant. This doesn’t mean you have to add masses of new content however; just go through your site and find the most useful pieces and give them a refresh. 

Speed, speed, speed

It may have always been the case that speed matters, but with broadband and 4G now the standard, it is more important than ever to make sure your loading times are lightning fast. There’s no quicker way to damage your bounce rates, and that starts a slippery slope down the rankings. So make sure your page loads fast.

Local SEO is the future

Content was king, but there’s a new ruler on the SEO throne: context. Search engines are hungry for context to know what it is you’re looking for. The easiest way to do this is by ensuring that your pages are locally optimised. In other words, let Google know where you are and it will be able to make sure your page is in front of the people who need to see it.

These four trends are just the tip of the iceberg. When looking for new digital marketing jobs it is crucial to stay ahead of the game. So don’t be afraid to do your homework, because you can be sure that your competition is!