SEO Trends to Watch in 2016

by ITC

Search engine optimization (SEO) can improve the visibility of your insurance agency website. But, like many digital agency marketing tactics, SEO evolves at a quick pace. It can get complicated fast. 

To maintain your website’s relevancy and be competitive, you need to know the SEO latest. What is currently working, what is important, and what is trending. 

Since I do it every day, I thought I’d lend you a helping hand. Here is a list of four SEO trends to watch in 2016. 
 

1. Mobile optimization will continue to reign.
   
   Earlier this year, mobile traffic and desktop traffic were almost the same to Google. However, that changed once mobilegeddon hit.
   
   The number of mobile searches keeps rising as people continue changing their online habits. Because of this, mobile-optimized websites will be more important than websites that aren’t. So in 2016, it will be more crucial than ever to have your insurance website optimized for mobile.


2. Rich answers can help niche products. 
   
   Insurance can be pretty specific, right? Especially if your agency deals with unknown or less-used policies. That’s where increasing the frequency of rich answers on your insurance agency website can help. 
   
   Rich answers are specific and direct answers to searches. For example, a frequent question may be “What is the difference between general liability and professional liability?” You will want to include this question and its answer in your website content and use long-tail keyword optimization.


3. Google’s Penguin update will change things. 
   
   Google’s Penguin algorithm is set to launch in early 2016. (It was originally scheduled for late 2015.) With this update, Google plans on further penalizing websites for black-hat SEO tactics. This includes link farming. 
   
   It’s also important to know that Google has said Penguin is a real-time update. So, the wait between updates should disappear much quicker. Also, Google will be able to change its algorithm on the fly.


4. Multimedia recognition gains traction. 
   
   Almost every major service or operating system now features its own form of voice search. Google has Google Now, Apple has Siri, and Microsoft has Cortana. With advancements in voice search, voice recognition is more important than ever for searching. This means more importance will, again, be on long-tail keywords in 2016. 
   
   Another big multimedia factor is video. Plain, old written content won’t cut it anymore. We expect to see videos become a bigger SEO influence.

Keep These Trends in Mind When Planning 
The New Year is a good time to reevaluate what SEO tactics are working for your insurance website. When doing so, keep these trends in mind so you can plan accordingly. This will keep your website visible so your agency is relevant and competitive. 

Do you need help with your insurance agency website’s SEO? Request a free agency marketing consultation.

Originally published on GetITC.com​