Search engines like Google have made major SEO changes to their search algorithms. recently that factor in social signals, bounce rate, time on page, quality and frequency of content and link profile.

The following outlines recent changes to technology and customer behaviour – and how they will influence search in the future, kindly provided by gmgdigital.com.au:
1. Mobile and device Friendly:
An upcoming trend in SEO is Google’s AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) project. AMP is designed to allow mobile-optimised pages with rich content such as video, graphics and advertising to load instantly. It also allows the same code to work across different devices and platforms. Mobile usage eclipsed desktop internet usage in 2014. Searching on mobile devices continue to rise, so it is vital for brands and businesses to provide the fastest and most effective experience. In the future optimising for mobile will not be enough; AMP by Google is now the standard. Websites that make use of AMP’s coding are already ranked higher by Google. Websites that do not use AMP will start falling behind.
2. Voice Search
Put simply, voice search, like SIRI, Cortana and Google Voice Search, is the act of people searching the internet on their smartphones via voice control. Voice search is similar to typing keywords into a search engine. The critical difference is that users don’t talk the way we type. This means websites should be optimised to capture keywords framed as a spoken question or a statement. Research indicates that more than half of searches will be done via voice by 2020. This means that the way customers find brands are dramatically shifting and a brand’s search strategy needs to reflect that. Keyword targeting is broadening, so on-page content strategy needs to capture these new searches. Ensure keywords are question-based rather than fragment-based.
3. Secure Site.
Move your site to HTTPS The main benefit of migrating your site to HTTPS is to make your site more secure for users. But it also has performance advantages and SEO benefits. HTTPS is more secure because there are multiple layers. To protect users’ sensitive data, features such as encryption, data integrity and SSL authentication are used. In contrast, HTTP sites send usernames and passwords in clear text, which means security is compromised on unsecured connections.

This is great news for users wanting to protect themselves, especially for sites that require personal or financial information. If you move to HTTPS Google will reward your site with better search ranking. On the flip side, neglect to make the switch and you can be demoted. Google wants all sites to be HTTPS sites by 2018, so now is the best time to do this, if you haven’t already. HTTPS websites perform between 50-70% better in rankings than HTTP sites, so don’t wait to switch over.
4. Rich Answers.
Optimise for rich answers Ever searched for something only to have the answer displayed at the top of the results page? That’s a rich answer. Google answers some search queries at the top of search results in a box of text rather than requiring a user to click through to a website. This short snippet of content lets users find the information they need without having to trawl through a website. While the rich answer box has been around for a while, it’s becoming popular as the demand for fast and relevant content increases as mobile searches continue to rise. Having a website featured in a rich answer will improve the website’s click-through and brand awareness.

People now want the option of seeing what content a page offers before they click it – rich answers save time searching through pages and pages of content. The key thing to remember is that information on your website must be concise and direct. It’s also vital for you to identify specific questions your users want to know and use relevant and targeted keywords. If the content is too generic or can be found on other sites, it is unlikely the site will feature in a rich answer search box.