The Top SEO Standards for 2014

Search engines are constantly adjusting their algorithms and standards to ensure they produce relevant results to users. Discouraging techniques that are unethical are a top priority. It can be difficult for online marketers and website owners to stay on top of the current trends and standards for SEO formulas and practices. We talked to some leaders in the industry to find out the top SEO standards for 2014. This is our look at what every site administrator should know to keep your business on top.

• Mobile Optimization. Today’s consumer is on the go and is browsing and shopping on smartphones and other mobile devices. It is increasingly vital that websites are designed to meet this demand and are mobile optimized. At the end of 2013, Google released the Hummingbird update that picks up on responsive websites that accommodate all screen sizes and devices.
• Customer Reviews. The search engine bots crawl across business’ Google+ pages and analyze customer reviews. Your site could be highly optimized, but if a customer is not satisfied, they can post an online review of your company on Google+. It’s still remains to be seen if this will develop into another ranking trend, but enough poor reviews could certainly have a negative impact on your ratings.
• Content Marketing. The previous practices of keyword stuffing and composing content to please the search engines are a thing of the past. Instead, the bots are looking for quality content that is continuously updated, provides helpful information and is shared widely across social media platforms.
• Social Media. Your business presence on social media platforms is more important than ever. Google is looking for social media posts that are shared through the major social media channels, as well as social bookmarking sites. Your social posts need to be composed to inform and engage users and encourage them to share on their own profiles.

The search engine algorithms, trends and standards are becoming ever more complex and are evolving to meet consumer practices and demands. The content authors that consistently produce low quality content could be blacklisted. The bottom line in today’s top SEO standards? Quality is more important than quantity.