new white paper: 6 search marketing trends for 2013 that could forever alter the landscape

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6 Trends for 2013 That Could Forever Alter the Search Marketing Landscape

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6 Trends for 2013 That Could Forever Alter the Search Marketing Landscape | Page 1


If there were ever a time to consider what lies ahead in the wide world of Web marketing, that time is now.

The year 2012 brought many changes to the SEO landscape. The introduction of Google+, algorithmic

updates, and the “death of SEO” debate left many of the industry’s brightest minds scrambling to reinvent

their business models.

In addition, the division between content, social media, search, and viral marketing dissolved, leaving marketers

with the overwhelming task of juggling more responsibility. Instead of specializing in just one area, marketers

must now understand all four skillsets and determine how each impacts the other. To further complicate

matters, Web analytics have evolved, with keyword data becoming private, social analytics going mainstream,

and conversion tracking producing lackluster results.

Yet even with all the turbulence, there’s still plenty to be excited about in the field of search. Despite additional

algorithmic updates, search marketers have developed a high level of resilience. They’re embracing change,

pushing forward with confidence, and achieving results in this unfamiliar and perpetually shifting digital

landscape. New tools, techniques, trends, and opportunities will be plentiful in 2013. Here are six you should

keep an eye on.

6 Trends for 2013 That Could Forever Alter the Search Marketing Landscape










Trend #1: A fundamental shift in ranking factors.

It’s coming. Whether it takes place in 2013, 2014, or later, a fundamental shift in the most heavily weighted

ranking factors appears inevitable. As most search junkies already know, search engines will balance

relevancy, quality, and authority for years to come. But where exactly will that weight be placed in 2013?

There are no sure answers, but an updated Search Ranking Factor survey from SEOmoz is expected

sometime this year. This will put hundreds of ranking factors under scrutiny by a large community of

the brightest minds in search. A survey of so many talented pros should produce results worth noting.

In all reality, the fundamental aspects of SEO—methodical keyword targeting, meticulous UX design, and

earning links through content marketing—will remain the cornerstones of effective search strategies in 2013.

Overall Ranking AlgorithmThese factors will be evaluated, scrutinized, and modified in the near future.

21%Page–Level Link Metrics

21%Domain–Level LinkAuthority Features

6%Page–Level

Tra�c Query Data

7%Page–Level

Keyword AgnosticFeatures

7%Domain–LevelBrand Metrics

7%Page–Level

Social Metrics

5%Domain–Level

KeywordAgnosticFeatures

11%Domain–LevelKeyword Usage

15%Page–Level

Keyword Usage










Trend #2: More weight placed on the quality of links.

It’s no mystery that links from .gov, .mil and .edu domains are coveted by SEOs. Authority links have always

played a large part in the overall ranking algorithm. Expect to see even more weight on trustworthy links in

2013. Editorial citation will become increasingly important as companies are forced to generate higher-value

resource content to feed the engines and build engagement signals.

This will require companies of all shapes and sizes to become “publishers” of valuable, insightful, and useful

media in order to dominate a vertical. Earning links from mainstream media or domains that carry strong

authority will become a necessity as Google devalues links from domains that fall short of its credibility

benchmarks. Furthermore, Google’s definition of credible domains will factor in additional engagement

signals. These will likely include elements such as depth of visit (and to relevant pages within a site),

as well as onsite behavior.

What constitutes a trustworthy link will also evolve, relying more heavily on social signals, engagement signals,

and domain authority as indicators of inherent user value. As Google discovers how to devalue less credible

areas of the Web, links from universities, government institutions, and big brands will inevitably grow stronger

and increase in value. Smart marketers will put on their PR hats and bust out their writing utensils. Link-worthy

content could either make or break you in 2013.

Other tactics worth considering for search optimization success include:

Balancing page-level relevancy with keyword targeting in elements that are viewable by users. There

should be a tight correlation between title, URL, header, image, and copy elements on the page.

Developing pages that are optimized for informational, transactional, and social queries. Look for

ways to discover and utilize queries that answer questions, solve problems, or match purchase intent.

Creating “big” content that will have evergreen value or serve as an authority resource in a niche.

As Aaron Wall suggests in the Stuntdubl interview, you should “have a strong non-search distribution

channel that magnifies the efficacy of your other SEO-based and link-building marketing efforts.”










Trend #3: Improved data, resources, and reporting from Google Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics.

Google has made tremendous improvements in the past year

in the functionality, reliability, accuracy, and overall usefulness

of Google Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics. Changes

such as Google Tag Manager, enhancements to Real Time

Search, and the end of Website Optimizer indicate that 2013

should deliver greater advancements in tracking technology.

You can also expect better communication with webmasters

about the health and visibility of their Web properties.

While there’s no sure way to predict what Google will roll

out in 2013, buzz in the search marketing community centers

around marketing channels that deliver greater value.

Improvements to conversion tracking and event tracking are

highly anticipated. It’s also likely we’ll see upgrades to social

analytics and the search engine optimization segments.

Registering your domain with Google Webmaster Tools

and installing Google Analytics have become mandatory

steps for success in online marketing. Naturally, Google

wants webmasters to have information that encourages

them to spend marketing dollars on its advertising products.

So, expect Google to make interfaces easier to navigate.

You should also see more preset options for generating

reports, as well as refinement of the notification system

indicating problems with a site or marketing tactic.

Depth of data should also improve as marketers seek to

understand how visitors behave within a domain. Hopefully,

new and improved in-page analytics and an easier-to-decipher

visitor flow analysis will result.

20,358Conversions

($113,037.50)

11,003Assisted Social Conversions

($48,762.25)

2,375Last Interaction

Social Conversions

($8,687.00)

Social ValueSocial Channel Conversion

Revenue Generation










Trend #4: Increased favoritism for Google+ and Authorship Markup.

It’s shocking how much influence Google+ has on search results. Even though Google carefully controls the

use of its social network for marketing purposes, overall it has been a failure. Google claims to have 135 million

active users, but have you ever actually met anyone who uses Google+? It’s unlikely your friends, colleagues,

and family members will connect with you on G+ instead of Facebook anytime soon.

Still, despite its impractical features, Google+

has become a sizable force. While you can

perform SEO without G+, using the network

to your advantage will certainly make things

easier. Authorship Markup alone will give you

an advantage, even though it remains content

driven. Producing well-received content on a

regular basis is now commonly accepted as

essential to online marketing success.

Rest assured, this is Google’s world, and we are

living in it. It appears that Authorship Markup

will set the stage for the evolution of Author

Rank, so be prepared. We are approaching

the year of “agent rank”—an evolution of

Google’s algorithm that two of the brightest

guys in search, Jim Boykin and Bill Slawski,

have covered extensively.

By weaving together a network of authors,

Google makes it easier to understand who’s

an “influencer” within a vertical, and therefore

deserves more traffic. This should satisfy the

age-old algorithm task of discerning whose

content deserves to rank for a particular query.

Who better than a thought leader who writes

trustworthy content?

Google’s Presence in Search ResultsGoogle’s percentage of above–the–fold real estate

on an average search result page.

80%Non–Organic Google–Provided Advertising &

Google Utilities

20%Organic Search Results Driven by Algorithms

Real Estate AllocationWhat Google does with all that space.

Google Menu &Navigation

Google Search Bar

Google Search Performance

Paid Advertising

Google Map/Local Search

Targeted, Personalized Advertising










Google+ and Authorship Markup help Google understand who’s producing content that’s well received by

general users on search engines. Engagement metrics and links are sorted and attributed to authors who

comply with the structured data requirements of Google+.

Trend #5: Google on the go.

Google’s former CEO, Eric Schmidt, recently reported that Android activations have hit 1.3 million daily.

Yes, you read that right. And yes, it’s a staggering statistic. With so many people going mobile, marketing

initiatives must follow. In 2013, more people than ever will stay glued to their smartphones and tablets—

texting, shopping, and, most significantly, searching.

The category of mobile search is growing faster than any other. It has now surpassed all other channels in

general daily use. This trend will continue into 2013, as younger generations pick up smartphones, and older

generations go on the grid to stay in touch with these tech-savvy youngsters.

Much has been written about trends in mobile marketing. The best advice? Put mobile search marketing front

and center when developing your digital marketing initiatives for 2013. No matter what you sell or what you

do, it’s highly likely that people will be looking for you on their phones and tablets rather than on traditional

desktops. The future of mobile marketing changes as rapidly as the technology being marketed. As a result,

it has never been more crucial to update websites, making them mobile friendly and ready to run mobile-

optimized Adwords campaigns.

Moving to MobileThe projected growth of mobile internet usage will most likely surpass that of desktop devices by 2014. 2007

2009

2011*

2013*

2015*

400 800 1200 1600 2000

MobileDesktop

Internet Users (MM)










Trend #6: The age of Adwords is upon us.

With over 90% of Google’s revenue attributed directly to

advertising, it’s no surprise that Adwords has become a

staple of online marketing. Google poured more resources

into refining this product in 2012 than at any time during the

product’s history, largely because it’s one of the most potent

marketing channels ever invented, and demand is growing.

Even with the ongoing debate regarding free clicks, Adwords

has earned its place as a surefire way to drive business and

build traffic. Paid traffic may not be as valuable as organic,

since its audiences tend to be less engaged. Even so, Adwords

provides a turnkey solution for selling products, services, and

harvesting leads. Despite its more sophisticated tools for

advanced search marketers, Adwords is becoming more

intuitive and easier to use for beginners.

The sheer size of the Google display network combined with

the advent of remarketing technology (the ability to retarget

customers who’ve visited a website elsewhere on the Google

Content Network) is nothing short of amazing. It’s massive and

second only to Facebook in terms of the quantity of impressions

generated for a relatively low expenditure. If you’re clever about

messaging, branding, and carving out the audience you want

to target, Adwords offers the ability to stay on your prospects’

radar just about anywhere they go on the Web.

Pay–Per–Click vs. OrganicPaid ads are moving ahead

in the race for the top.

64.6%of clicks

are from paid,sponsored results.

35.4%of clicks

come from unpaid,organic results.

45.5%

of people surveyed couldn’ttell the di�erence between paid and unpaid search results if the right–hand column was missing.

The bottom line is, in 2013, you absolutely must be using Google Adwords.










Don’t grab your tinfoil hat just yet. But make sure you have one ready.

When you consider how much Google knows about those of us who use its search engine, the prospects

can be intimidating. Google is doing big things—bigger than most of us can truly understand or appreciate.

The scale of their business, combined with the limitless resources they have at their disposal, makes them

an information titan unlike any that has ever existed. Google holds more collective knowledge about its

users, which means practically everyone, than any other entity in the universe.

With more money in the bank than the U.S government and more technological infrastructure than the

entire Silicon Valley, Google is poised for some remarkable achievements in the coming years. So how

will this influence a marketer’s search efforts?

For those ready to leverage it, this in-depth insight should prove to be a gold mine. In 2013, Google will

continue on its mission to provide people with the information that matters to them—creating a personalized

search experience that is all about the user. What users want, what they need, what they desire to know—

pretty much anything, really—will be positioned at their fingertips no matter where they go in the world.

As a result, the job of a search marketer is no longer just about optimizing for search. It’s about understanding

the market and what it wants. Armed with this information, you can readily tap into the largest information

network known to man. From there, you can easily steer the masses in the desired direction.

In conclusion, if 2012 was any indication of what’s to come, then 2013 should be nothing short of dizzying.

Grab that keyboard and hold on tight. Marketing through Google will become more challenging, and

potentially more rewarding, than you ever thought possible.

http://research.google.com/

$247BMarket Cap

Contenders Weigh InAs of January 25, 2013, Google has more

cash and cash equivalents than otherheavy hitters in Silicon Valley.

Google

$233BMarket Cap

Microsoft

$137BMarket Cap

Apple

$112BMarket Cap

Cisco

$105BMarket Cap

Intel








new white paper: 6 search marketing trends for 2013 that could forever alter the landscape

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