When it comes to search engine optimisation, getting ahead of the game is the only way to remain competitive. Below, we’ve put together five of the biggest changes we’re expecting in the SEO landscape this year.
Google is fighting back against advertisements
This month, Google will begin to penalise websites that use intrusive interstitials – that is, pop-ups and other media that blocks the display of your main website. Google’s reasoning for doing so is to make mobile browsing more efficient, as such advertisements “can be problematic on mobile devices where screens are often smaller.”
If you monetise your website with ads or you have a page-wide popup to display a special offer or subscription form, you’ll need to make changes to avoid losing your rankings.
The web will be safer
Google Chrome will begin labelling websites that do not deliver content through a secure HTTPS connection this month – a clear sign that we’re moving forward to a safer web. The new changes will initially affect websites that contain form fields, like password logins and credit card details, before eventually rolling out to all non-secure web pages.
At present, HTTPS is only used by 11.5% of websites, so it’s clear that Google has a long way to go to encourage webmasters to make the switch. The search engine giant does offer a slight ranking boost for using a secure connection, however, so it makes sense to adopt early.
Speed has never been more important
2016 saw the rise of Facebook’s Instant Articles and Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages scheme, but 2017 will see even more speed-boosting tools made available to improve the web and increase SEO rankings. Web development frameworks such as Angular and React are becoming increasingly popular, and the increased opt-in of HTTP/2 will see further enhancements to performance, end-user perceived latency and server resource usage.
E-commerce will go visual
If you’re running an e-commerce store, the chances are that you’re already using visuals to increase conversion rates and boost your sales. With Google now displaying rich cards in its Google Images search results, there’s more scope than ever for organic search engine traffic for your e-commerce website. Start by implementing Schema.org’s product markup and writing in-depth product descriptions for your entire inventory.
A mobile-first web
Just before Christmas, Google rolled out its long-anticipated mobile-first index. Instead of scraping the desktop version of your website when crawling for new content, the search bot will now visit as a mobile user. It makes sense, seeing as though more internet traffic comes from mobile phones than desktops, but if your website isn’t mobile-friendly, you’ll need to make the switch if you want to maintain your search engine results page (SERP) rankings.
There you have it – five of the biggest changes to SEO in 2017. At JAK, we offer a bespoke SEO service designed to boost your website’s organic traffic. To find out more, email sales@jakinc.uk, call us on 0191 3882 698 or click here to visit our website.