In a recent post by Tasia Potasinski at Scripted.com, she lays out a few things that you should be aware of if you want to rank high in Google search and keep your SEO game on point in 2016. You can read her post in full here, but I’d like to take this blog post to highlight her points and how they will affect YOU in the industries we serve; tourism, hospitality, and luxury goods.

1. QUALITY CONTENT WILL GROW IN IMPORTANCE

In digital marketing, the main catch phrase you would hear is “Content is KING!” When Google made the changes in their search algorithm in the Panda and Penguin updates, Google began to place a large emphasis on QUALITY content, rather than low-quality content that’s packed with keywords. So in a time when everyone is cranking out “content” it’s time to rise above by really taking your time to produce high quality content for your target audience. I find it interesting that Tasia writes, “As a result, websites that deliver in-depth content that answered key questions performed better. In 2016, this trend will only grow. Sites that deliver quality content that is well-sourced, typically between 1,200 to 2,500 words, will outshine the competition.”

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

It’s time for brands and marketing managers to dig deep. Our recommendation to clients has always been that brands need to start thinking like publishers. What are the main publications that serve your industry? Start there and see what they’re writing about. Then take those topics and make it your own with your own messaging. This takes your brand from selling stuff to becoming a thought leader.

2. MOBILE OPTIMIZATION IS KEY FOR GOOGLE SEARCH

We all have heard of “mobilegeddon”. If you haven’t, Google it and then fire your web team. Tasia states, “…Google announced that there are nowmore searches in mobile than on desktop”.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Design for mobile first, period. It’s been interesting to see the swing in design processes at various agencies I’ve worked at. 10 years ago, “interactive” teams were sort of the step-child of the whole strategy. Always thought of last and most often used as a band aid to just check off the “digital” box. You must make mobile the main focus and then let everything flow out from there. Restaurants that are showcasing beautiful food should not approve their site designs solely on a desktop. Why? Most people when searching for places to eat are on the go and on their phones. Even if the restaurant is more high end, after scouring reviews, the user will end up on your site, looking at your food images, on a smartphone. We have a client that used another agency to build a couple site pages. All of these beautiful images were designed for landscape. Guess what happened when you view the site on mobile? Yep, those amazing, beautiful images, were all chopped off on the sides. Make mobile a priority!

3. CONSISTENT CONTENT PLANNING WILL GET BETTER RESULTS

This one seems to be the hardest for anyone to do. Trying to stay consistent with content and manage 100 other things all at once is a feat. Tasia writes, “…one of the best things that you can in 2016 is to build an editorial calendar and plan out a diverse range of posts covering multiple topics from different angles. The more high-quality content you produce, the more likely you’ll perform better in SEO.”

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Get an editorial calendar done ASAP. As mentioned above, we tell our clients that they should be thinking like publishers. So what are the topics that your target audience wants to know about your hotel, restaurant, or luxury product? One of the easiest ways to get started is to compile a large list of THE most frequently asked questions. Then take each question and make a blog post out of it. If people are searching for “luxury furniture” you optimize your blog post to that keyword. If you’re putting in all of this work to make amazing products, then you should really put the time in to ranking high in Google search for your target audiences.

4. SOCIAL SELLS IN 2016

Historically, Google never bothered indexing content from social media channels. It wasn’t important at the time. This is all changing. Google has announced “plans to start indexing more content from social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter, that is rapidly changing. In fact, over a five-month period in 2015, Google’s indexing of tweets increased by 466 percent. In 2016, social media indexing is expected to increase.”

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

You must be more thoughtful and strategic on your posts to social channels. By increasing the quality of your posts, you’re telling Google, “hey, I’m worth being indexed!” If your manage a hotel and you’re posting cat videos, it’s not going to cut it. Open a separate account and start engaging with your target audience by posting compelling content that serves your audience. Limit the number of times you share posts of how beautiful your rooms are, over and over again. Social media is meant to be “social”. How would you like to have a conversation with someone who couldn’t stop telling you how great they looked?

Overall, 2016 is going to be an interesting year in SEO with lots of opportunities. What are your thoughts on SEO this year? Leave a comment below.