The good thing as well as the bad thing about SEO is that it is constantly changing and evolving. For some people, change is good while for others it can become a nightmare. This ever-changing trend certainly put impact on the ranking of many business websites and as a result, it also continuously creates a demand for SEO professionals and experienced online marketing firms. For the success of any online campaign, it is necessary that leading SEO companies should be aware of the latest skills, tips and trends. This is only possible if they keep track of changes taking place each and every year. 2013 also brings to the table quite a few considerable changes that need to be understood and implemented, if you really want to succeed in the digital marketing space.
As per experts in SEO domain, 2013 would be quite different from the past few years and that is because Google has recently changed its algorithm. This is why SEO professionals would have to understand and master new skills to be able to stay competitive. Listed below are 10 new skills that 2013 brings. These SEO skills need to be better understood and put into practice, if you want to succeed in your chosen marketplace.
1. WEB BLOGGING SKILLS
It’s a tough nut to crack, when it comes to creating content that is not only engaging and interesting, but is also compelling enough to attract the visitors. Remember, crappy content and inferior blog quality on leading portals like Blogspot or WordPress is no longer going to work as search engines would always be on the hunt for unique, quality and accurate content. This skill may take time to master, but in the long run would help SEO professionals in drawing potential web traffic.
2. ENHANCING SKILLS ON GOOGLE ANALYTICS
If you are into Google Analytics, then just by looking at traffic stats would no longer help you attain success. With the introduction of new parameters and metrics like event tracking, goal tracking, advanced segmentation, attribution reports and more, there is now so much to do. Further, if you really want to leverage the visibility of your website, then you need to look into details of all the new parameters and work smartly.
3. PHP SKILLS (MOSTLY USED IN WORDPRESS)
In 2013, you will start noticing the real power of PHP. Only HTML and CSS would no longer be able to fetch you the desired results. An effective SEO would lie in the ability of good PHP scripting and most probably WordPress. These two would be the best places where you can start experiencing this. SEO or the process of optimization can no longer wait. Instead, this skill would need to be inherited by the SEO professional when you need to successfully draw significant web traffic.
4. MS EXCEL SKILLS
For an SEO expert, it is imperative to manage tons of data on a daily basis and this is where excel spreadsheets would play a significant role. If you are into SEO and are not sure about the core capability of using spreadsheets, then you need to get yourself trained. In fact the sooner, the better it would be.
5. ART OF VIDEO EDITING
Remember, a video clip showcases different things to different people. Therefore, it is very important to edit and produce quality videos so that the viewers can find out the actual meaning of the video. With technology moving to the next level, it is now possible to do so and create an effective video for the web. Some of the tools that can help you do this are Adobe Premiere Pro or Mac’s Final Cut Pro. Good quality video content would only fetch you good ratings on popular search engine sites like YouTube.
6. OPTIMAL USE OF SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITES
Till 2012, it was social media networking websites that were enhancing your brand presence over the web. This year would be no different. However, new and effective social media platforms are opening up for you to able to make an impact. It is essential that you are aware of these new social media websites and frequently participate.
7. WEBSITE CONTENT
Content would always be the backbone of any website. However, with the launch of Google Panda and Penguin algorithms, website owners would need to focus on both the quality and quantity of content. Always continue to create good quality web articles and have them posted on high visible web portals.
8. GOOGLE+ CLICKS
Google+ helps you to strengthen your credibility and ensure you have good visibility on most search engines. This is also viewed as a compelling way to get indexed by most of the search engines. If you are not using Google+, then you must try to go through information related to the benefits of Google+ available on the internet and start using it soon.
9. PAGE RANK
Most professional business website owners and marketers are very conscious of their site’s page rank. This is one parameter that helps you determine the degree of importance and popularity of your website and to what extent people come to visit your site. To add to Page Rank, there is another system called Author Rank or Agent Rank that needs to be considered if you really want to understand the true importance of your website and its content. Author Rank will provide you an insight on the quality of content that resides on your website or elsewhere. Do keep in mind that Google will keep a tap on the authors you have for posting the content through their Google+ profiles.
10. MOBILE SEARCH
With more and more users moving to Smartphone and handheld devices to surf the internet and search information, mobile search would also play an imperative role. Nowadays, it is essential to have a mobile compatible website so that your site can be browsed on any device with ease. Further, the mobile search engine technique is picking up. In 2013, you would need to start using certain mobile apps through which you can enhance the visibility of your website on mobile compatible search engines.
The past few years have brought a lot of SEO experts and online professionals. With so much that has happened in 2012, the platform is all set for 2013!!