David Freeman

When thinking about the future of organic search, common considerations include the impending mobile-first index, machine learning, AI, natural language processing, voice search, site speed, HTTP 2, personalization and consumer behavior changes led by the Internet of Things and digital assistants.

Advances in technology have driven efficiency in SEO, where site crawlers such as Botify, DeepCrawl and ScreamingFrog have flourished.

Now more than ever, brands are looking to maximize ROI for their marketing spend. Yet when discussing holistic search strategy and planning, I often get: “Everyone talks about holistic search, but no one’s doing it.

Links have always commanded significant focus when it comes to increasing organic search performance. Over the years, SEOs have built them by any means possible — legitimate and otherwise.

Technical and content audits have been the backbone of SEO for many years, and while they play a valuable role, their scope has expanded as search has evolved. Audits now cover much more than purely technical factors such as indexation, status codes and broken links. To stay relevant, audits have broadened to include aspects such as site navigation, content engagement, content gap analysis and conversion factors.

Search engines are advancing at the fastest rate we’ve seen in many years thanks to machine learning. These advances have allowed the search engines to focus on providing the most relevant results, not only in terms of content, but also in terms of user experience (UX).

With New Year’s Day still fresh in our memories, there is no better time to step back and take stock of your SEO campaigns. Look for any quick wins and identify the larger projects that will help you start the year in great shape…