GOOGLE SEO: What are the SEO trends in 2017?

London, UNITED KINGDOM

MEHFUZ HUSSAIN (writer) with VIJAY SHAH (editor)

 

This article was written by Mehfuz Hussain, a digital marketing specialist based in London with expertise in online marketing concepts and Google Analytics.

Search Engine Optimisation has seen many changes in 2016 thanks to Google. From the launch of its ambitious AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) Project in February 2016, Google has shaken up the way traditional SEO worked. Understandably, Google knows well that the best way to dominate the industry is to be aware of how search engines are changing, and strategising SEO and content techniques accordingly. The world of SEO continues to evolve at high speed. While some SEO techniques have been a staple for several years, there will be many new ones that you will have to pay attention to. Here are some of the game-changing trends to help you stay ahead this year.

 

Photo credit: BigOakInc.com

 

1. Mobile-first Approach by Businesses

With ongoing improvements in the mobile computing field, browsing on mobiles has become equivalent to desktop browsing if not more In many countries, mobile browsing is more popular and dominant than via traditional desktops and laptops. In the last few years, the plethora of new smartphones with internet capabilities has changed the way search engine look at them. Remember Mobilegeddon?

A few months ago, Google said, “To improve the mobile search experience, after January 10, 2017, pages where content is not easily accessible to a user on the transition from the mobile search results may not rank as highly.” This influenced their latest search algorithm which prioritised ‘responsive’ websites at the cost of older, mobile-unfriendly sites.

So, in 2017, your top priority is to separate your desktop and mobile measurement plans to account for the fundamental differences between mobile and desktop behaviour.

 

2. Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence, and Google Rank Brain

There is no doubt, Google’s main focus in 2017 is on Artificial Intelligence. If you followed the Google I/O event 2016, most announcements were related to AI. Google also said that the speech recognition errors have reduced from 25 to 8 percent. It’s been officially named Google’s third-most important ranking factor. Voice search will grow even more in 2017, with better voice recognition and understanding.

 

3. Infographics

Infographics make complex information eye-catching, shareable and easily digestible. An image coupled with information tends to stay in the minds of readers. Such content generates more social shares and also generates leads. Of course, your content should also be suitable enough to add Infographics to it, and they can really make it pop.

 

4. AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) takes centre stage

A great way to ensure better user experience is switching over to Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP). More brands are using this option as Google also has begun to favour the use of AMP. It contains three sections – AMP HTML, AMP JS, and Google AMP Cache. Accelerated Mobile Page (AMP) allows websites to make pages equipped for loading right away onto mobile screens. Interestingly, sites that have switched over to AMP are given more visibility with a special icon in Google searches.

 

 

5. Branding gets personal

There is no denying the power of personal branding. If used strategically, it can be a powerful tool in ensuring the success of SEO campaigns. Even social media platforms like Facebook refine their algorithms to favour individual posts over branded posts. Also, once you have a personal brand in place, it gets much easier to boost user trust and engagement. This, in turn, will up the traffic to your site.

 

6. HTTPS Everywhere

Google has inducted https as a ranking factor in its algorithm. Since then many companies hurriedly made the transition from HTTP to HTTPS in order to protect their own and their users’ privacy. It helps even more if there is money transactions happening on the website (e-commerce) and gives consumers extra confidence about their privacy. Let’s expect more websites switching to HTTPS than ever before in the history of the Web.

 

7. Focus on Content Curation

Though many people do not realise it, content marketing and SEO needs to work together for better results and visibility. Include all types of content in the mix: press releases and newsletters as well as articles and blog posts. A good content mix will help you increase backlinks on authority websites and establish you as an expert in your field. This strategy will help you boost your business to the top of Google’s SERPs.

 

2017 will see a massive hike in Internet usage. People are more concerned about the content they read. Now is the right time to prepare a well-developed strategy to survive in the market and beat the competition. As an SEO marketer, you have to be prepared for changes. Keep an close eye on SEO trends in 2017. All the best everyone!

 

IMAGE CREDITS:

“Google SEO Magnifying Glass” – BigOakFlickr, Flickr (1 July 2016) https://www.flickr.com/photos/31682982@N03/27940989741

“Free illustration: Seo, Web Page, Responsive – Free Image on Pixabay – 2016484” – Templune, pixabay https://pixabay.com/en/seo-web-page-responsive-web-design-2016484/

ONLINE TRANSLATION STUDY: English-language websites becoming more popular for foreign language speakers

London, UNITED KINGDOM

VIJAY SHAH via the Open Business Council

A recent survey by an online translation company has discovered that English-language websites are becoming more and more frequented by speakers of continental European languages, particularly French and German, the Open Business Council reported this past Thursday.

One Hour Translation, an online translation agency which self-describes as the world’s largest in this sector, and which provides translation services to global e-commerce companies, conducted a research study of 4,000 e-commerce translation projects during late November 2016. The projects stretched from a period beginning in 2015, and up until November this year. The agency’s research discovered that the first language of choice for translation of Anglophone sites was French, with German coming in at second place.

 

 

Several international tongues were examined in the study. The analysis ranked target languages according to the rate of translation projects opened for them, against the total annual number of translation projects for English-language e-commerce websites.

In 2016, translations from English to French ranked first, with 13.5% of the total relevant projects, followed closely by German, with a rate of 13.4%. Unexpectedly, Dutch was placed at third, with 11.3% of the projects. The languages that ranked 4th to 10th in 2016 were, respectively, Italian (10%), Korean (9.8%), Japanese and Spanish (both 9.3%), Polish (8.5%), Norwegian (7.8%) and Swedish (7.1%).

French and German also topped the 2015 ranking, with 19% and 17% respectively. However, in 2015, Spanish was ranked third (15%), Dutch fourth (12%) and Italian fifth (9%). Ranks number 6 to 10 were Swedish (8%), Korean (7%), Norwegian (6%), Polish (5%) and Japanese (2%), respectively.

One Hour Translation’s chief marketing officer and co-founder Yaron Kaufman commented on the study results “…the fact that the French and German markets top the priorities of global e-commerce players immediately below the English-speaking markets is not surprising, since Germany and France are the strongest economies in Continental Europe. French and German are also spoken in other strong economies such as Canada, Switzerland and Austria. Dutch came third as a target language in 2016, compared to number 4 in 2015, and this strengthening demonstrates the resilience of the economy and purchasing power of the Netherlands compared to other European countries.”

Kaufman added: “Another notable fact is the sharp rise in the ranking of Japanese, which rose from number 10 in 2015 to number 6 in 2016. This development demonstrates that e-commerce players are also targeting the significant purchasing power of consumers in Japan.”

English is the most dominant language on the web, with more than half of sites written in that language. While English is widely used on the net due to its founding and dominance by Anglophone countries such as the U.S., other language communities like Chinese and French are also strong internet users. 

 

SOURCES:

Vijay Shah { विजय }, Twitter, Twitter Inc. https://twitter.com/VShah1984

intelligentHQ.com, Twitter, Twitter Inc. https://twitter.com/intelligentHQ

“English Language E-commerce Websites Target French German Dutch Markets” – Open Business Council (15 December 2016) http://www.openbusinesscouncil.org/2016/12/english-language-e-commerce-websites-target-french-german-dutch-markets/

IMAGE CREDIT:

“File:WMF Fundraiser 2011 Translation Project-1.jpg” – Victorgrigas, Wikimedia Commons (29 December 2011) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WMF_Fundraiser_2011_Translation_Project-1.jpg

5G WORLD: Post-Brexit strategies webinar

London, UNITED KINGDOM

VIJAY SHAH

KNect365, a subsidiary business of leading multinational events company Informa, is releasing a webinar for telecoms organisations figuring out their next steps in the aftermath of the 24th June referendum that saw the United Kingdom vote by a slim margin to leave the European Union.

In what is an uncertain time for many British businesses, the webinar, which is being held as part of Informa’s telecoms.com e-magazine, will help players in the telecommunications industry explore their post-Brexit strategies, as upcoming negotiations over the UK’s eventual status concerning the EU leave the country’s firms wondering what is in their future, and the direction of the national and international telecoms market.

 

 

Currently the UK regulatory framework for telecommunications is partly underpinned by the EU Regulatory Framework with Ofcom acting as national regulatory body for companies based here such as Sky and TalkTalk. Should the UK Parliament honour the outcome of the referendum and trigger Article 50 for withdrawal from the EU, then it is expected that all telecoms regulation will pass completely to Ofcom.

In addition to regulation, UK telecoms firms are also concerned about other implications post-Brexit, such as increased roaming charges for British tourists travelling in the EU and the termination of EU funding which support research and development for 5G networks in British laboratories and investment into alternative network providers.

The webinar, entitled “What’s Your Post-Brexit Strategy?” will also examine other core issues such as the impact of Brexit on fixed and mobile phone operators, corporate preparation work in regards to the split from the EU and the potential changes in Ofcom’s regulatory set-up and directives once EU law ceases to be valid here.

Speakers lined up to offer their advice at the webinar include Mike Conradi, a partner with law firm DLA Piper UK LLP, who specialises in dispensing commercial and regulatory advice to telecoms firms. His speciality is regulatory matters, telecoms and IT outsourcing and in telecoms infrastructure projects. Joining him will be Malcolm Corbett, the chief executive officer of Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA), the trade association for private, public and community sector organisations building next generation fibre and wireless broadband networks in the UK, and Informa’s own Tim Skinner, head of intelligence for telecoms.com, who is in charge of  delivering editorial content on client services, such as white papers, reports, webinars and surveys.

The event is free of charge but requires registration via KNect365. It is scheduled for Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at 3 pm British Summer Time, lasting one hour. To register, please see the sources link below.

DISCLAIMER: The writer is an employee of KNect365.

SOURCES:

Informa Accounts, The Half-Eaten Mind, Twitter, Twitter Inc. https://twitter.com/halfeatenmind/lists/informa-accounts

5G World Series, Twitter, Twitter Inc. https://twitter.com/5GWorldSeries

“Event Registration” – Knect365 & telecoms.com via ON24 https://event.on24.com/eventRegistration/EventLobbyServlet?target=reg20.jsp&partnerref=KNect365&eventid=1226515&sessionid=1&key=61D49E9A99BB88FDC13D0053BF883671&regTag=&sourcepage=register

IMAGE CREDIT:

5G World Series, Twitter, Twitter Inc. https://twitter.com/5GWorldSeries

PEARLS OF EXCELLENCE: Newham Business Awards this October

London, UNITED KINGDOM

VIJAY SHAH via the Newham Mag

While often labelled as one of the poorest areas of London, the east London borough of Newham is also a place where people aim to rise above the difficulties of deprivation, and one way where it is obvious is within the Newham business community. Newham is home to hundreds of small and medium-size businesses, ranging from decorators with white vans through independently owned boutiques and restaurants, through to major national businesses such as Tesco and the Wetherspoons gastropub chain. The borough is home to a long tradition of independent entrepreneurship stretching from the ‘rag-and-bone’ men of days gone past to modern web designers and consultants operating out of their bedrooms, providing services to thousands of people and companies inside and outside the London region.

Now Newham businesses have a chance to place themselves on the local stage and show that Newham is a great place to trade and reach out to customers with the help of the Newham Business Awards, happening this October. The Awards, which aim to recognise the achievements of local businesses, and are being sponsored by the borough’s council, will take place at the Old Town Hall in Stratford on the 13th October 2015. Stratford is one of east London’s modern business success stories. The district is home to two shopping centres, the Stratford Shopping Centre, and the newer Westfield Stratford City, which formed part of the Olympic legacy regeneration bequeathed to Newham after the London Games of 2012. Stratford is also home to hundreds of companies mainly involved in the retail and services sectors.

The Newham Business Awards are taking on nominations in ten categories, including business and business person of the year, innovation, e-commerce, new business, green business, sole trader and micro-business, training ad education, and community involvement.

The awards are being organised by the Newham Chamber of Commerce, which is located at the Stratford Town Hall, a Victorian historical building close to the district’s retail area, and are receiving heavy backing from businesses such as Asper’s, the operator of the wildly popular Asper’s Casino in Westfield, London City Airport, local newspaper the Newham Recorder, Tate and Lyle, a sugar and sweetener manufacturer who maintain a factory in the Silvertown area of southern Newham, alongside the local government representation.

Speaking with council publication the Newham Mag, the borough’s chamber secretary John James said “With 7,500 new businesses established here during the past five years, there are pearls of excellence worthy of the community’s attention.”

Councillor Joy Laguda, who met recently with members of the Chamber of Commerce, added: “We are pleased to be able to recognise businesses and especially the efforts of young entrepreneurs”

The Newham Chamber of Commerce was established in 1967, shortly after the borough was created from the merger of two earlier areas, West Ham and East Ham. As the official business voice of the new borough, the NCC sought to give a voice to local businesses and traders and strengthen their cause through support and representation. The NCC has close links with local government and regularly campaigns on local and city-wide issues affecting business, such as increased Thames crossings and a possible Crossrail 2 train link through Newham to neighbouring Barking. The chamber now has 200 members with 800 business people receiving its news via email.

SOURCES:

“Awards are just the business” – The Newham Mag, Newham Council [Issue 345] (15 July 2016)

“ABOUT NCC” – Newham Chamber of Commerce http://www.newhamchamber.com/about-ncc/

IMAGE CREDIT:

Pixabay https://pixabay.com/en/photos/award/

CENTRAL OR RURAL?: – Consider starting up your start-up outside the city centre.

This article was written by Chris Linn, digital marketing manager with Minicabster, who recently brought you the London Cab Infographic. 

Chris Linn from Minicabster considers the importance of location for a start-up business.

https://www.minicabster.co.uk

The Telegraph’s Christopher Middleton recently considered the benefits of rural start up locations for budding entrepreneurs and used the particular example of alpaca farming in the West Country. For my part, while I’m not explicitly advocating such a rural location – or, indeed, such a ‘hands-on’ vocation – the idea of moving out of Central London is certainly a pervasive one. Typical business opinion may dictate that a company can never be too central; yet it’s certainly questionable whether such a location is the absolute best choice for a birth of a start-up. Does Central London really offer the business the best chance of surviving its incubation period? Are city-based businesses really more convenient for their customers?

London (Photo credit: @Doug88888)

Well, perhaps – but it ultimately depends on your business. While some may need to be based centrally, for most companies it’s no longer the case. For an essential visit, Central London is reachable for a day trip from even the most remote locations. The case for building a start-up outside the city centre is further strengthened by the looming implementation of HS2. And, with access to the internet and a phone number (this, too, can be internet-based, which will remove area codes), most start-ups could feasibly be run from away from city offices. Who would know?

The Minicabster office moved from Central London to North Harrow last year. While not strictly ‘rural’ – being situated on the most Western strand of the Metropolitan line – it’s certainly far-removed from the chaos of Baker Street and Embankment. By occupying office space in a cheaper location – an Microsoft report from last year indicated that Central London is the most expensive place in the world in which to rent office space due to a shortage of new space – MDs might choose to give greater remuneration to their workforces. This can only help to increase motivation, morale and will make it easier to retain valuable individuals in a time when job hopping appears to be at an all time high.

English: Westhall A rural ‘small business’ centre.

That’s not to say it’s recommended for start-ups to go too rural, though; last year’s study by the FSB (Federation of Small Businesses) observed that 60% of rural businesses are hindered in some capacity by their broadband speed.

Is it risky to start up outside of Central London? Sure. But, then again, it’s risky to start up anywhere. Wherever you choose to set up shop, careful research is absolutely crucial. If nothing else, in a rural location you’ll probably be able to park your car with greater ease. If not, you can always book a minicab!

IMAGE CREDITS:

“London” – @Doug88888, Flickr (15 May 2010) LINK

“File:Westhall – geograph.org.uk – 364673.jpg” – Stanley Howe, geograph.org.uk/Wikimedia Commons (13 March 2007) LINK

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FIGHTING THE RECESSION: UK business confidence at a 13-month high

As the business environment in the United Kingdom fights off the effects of a triple-dip recession and an all-time low in consumer confidence, and as higher costs/rents and falling sales are killing off many businesses big and small, there is a small whiff of hope. At least if a report recently published by a firm of business advisors and accountants is to be believed.

English: Logotipo de la compañía BDO (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

According to the report, produced by BDO, confidence among British businesses is at its highest in just over a year, based on an evaluation using BDO’s own “Optimism Index” which has risen higher for the fifth consecutive month in June 2013.  Figures released by BBC indicated that the Optimum Index, a predictive indicator looking at business performance six months ahead, showed a rise from 93.6 to 94.3, which is a 13-month high. Additionally, the company’s Output Index, which measures sales volume predictions in the next few months, also showed an increase. The Index rose from 94.4 in May to 94.9 last month. Despite being an obvious improvement, the figures fall slightly on the wrong side of growth rates. Growth is indicated by figures of 95.0 and above.

BDO’s report states that the spike in business confidence has been at its highest among firms in the manufacturing and services sectors, despite the British manufacturing industry having been nearly decimated by competition from cheaper markets and lower manufacturing costs abroad, particularly in the emerging superpowers of India and China.

Despite these fresh shoots, BDO also warned in its report that recovering markets are still experiencing volatility particularly in the Eurozone (European countries with the euro as their currency). This has joined forces with declined spending by U.K. customers being held down by stalled wages and the Government’s widely reviled austerity cuts, and moves by the United States Federal Reserve to wind down its program of stimulus measures for ailing businesses across the Atlantic. Figures released by the agency show that growth has been slower than expected and have actually been underperforming. BDO has advised its business clients not to acquire false hopes of a total financial recovery in the interim.

English: The City of London skyline  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Peter Hemington, a partner at BDO, said in an interview with the BBC  “While it’s encouraging to see confidence continuing to improve, we should be mindful of the zig-zag trend that has characterised UK business confidence since 2008.”

“Periods of improved confidence have ended before growth has really begun to get going.“

While BDO’s figures do make optimistic reading for British businesses, the stark reality of post-recession life has still made life difficult for business and consumer alike with even Government departments forecasting job losses in the public sector running into the tens of thousands. In a stark trading atmosphere, while any positive news is to be welcomed, the see-saw demeanour of UK economics and the fickle nature of customer spending, coupled with financially crippling austerity measures enacted by governments across Europe, means that UK plc is not quite out of the woods yet. The tough times are far from over.

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Related articles

• Business confidence at 13-month high (bbc.co.uk)
• UK business confidence rises for fifth consecutive month (guardian.co.uk)
• East Anglia: Business confidence continuing to climb, says BDO LLP survey (eadt.co.uk)
• Monthly Business Trends Indices for June 2013 (protohub.net)
• U.K. Economy Is Gearing Up for Comeback: Capital Economics (bloomberg.com)
• Confidence in Britain’s economy at fresh high (telegraph.co.uk)
• Business confidence on the rise, BDO figures show (sfpgroup.com)

SOURCES:

Vijay Shah on Twitter LINK 

Casey on Twitter LINK 

“UK business confidence reaches 13-month high” – BBC News Business (8 July 2013) LINK