Search industry update – Jan 2016

Here’s a quick round-up of what’s been happening in the search industry.

Our search oracles have been looking to the future

Brain outline using shapes

It’s the time of the year when predictions come to the fore, and our search experts at Vertical Leap have been looking at SEO and content marketing predictions for 2016 and beyond:

SEO predictions for 2016

Content marketing predictions 2016

Google updated its core search algorithm

Google search algorithm updates

Another Google update occurred in Jan 2016, but it was not the expected Google Penguin people have been waiting for since Q4 2015.

Gary Illyes from Google said on Twitter “Core algorithm. Not penguin”.

Read more information on this at: http://searchengineland.com/google-core-algorithm-updates-continue-as-seos-notice-weekend-google-update-240415

Penguin update coming soon

Google search logo and search bar

Google’s Webmaster Trends Analyst, Gary Illyes, stated on Twitter that the next Penguin update is due to roll out within weeks. At the very latest, it should launch by the end of this quarter!

Read the full update on this at: https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-penguin-update/154548/

People started to like technical SEO again

technical seo

Technical SEO is often a forgotten tactic when it comes to total site success online.

One reason for this is that fixing things isn’t as exciting as finding something new or creating something special, but if you overlook technical SEO, your results will suffer.

Here’s a useful post about one technical SEO item (in this case 301 redirects): http://searchengineland.com/google-core-algorithm-updates-continue-as-seos-notice-weekend-google-update-240415

This is what we learnt from completing one billion website audits: https://www.vertical-leap.uk/blog/search-lessons-one-billion-technical-website-checks/

That’s all for this month

However, if you’re hungry to learn more, there are heaps of articles on our blog ready for you to check out.

Lee Wilson profile picture
Lee Wilson

Lee has been working in the online arena, leading digital departments since the early 2000s, and oversees all our delivery services at Vertical Leap, having joined back in 2010. Lee joined our company Operations Team in May 2019. Before working at Vertical Leap, Lee completed a degree in Business Management & Communications at Winchester University, headed up the online development and direct marketing department for an international financial services company for ~7 years, and set up/run a limited company providing website design, development and digital marketing solutions. Lee had his first solely authored industry book (Tactical SEO) published in 2016, with 2 further industry books being published in 2019, and can be seen regularly expert contributing to industry websites including State of Digital, Search Engine Journal, The Drum, plus many others. Lee has a passion for management in the digital industry and loves to see the progression of others through personal learning, training and development. Outside the office he looks to help others while challenging himself, having skydived, bungie jumped and abseiled (despite a fear of heights) with many more fundraising and voluntary events completed and on the horizon. As a husband and dad, Lee loves to spend time with his family and friends. His hobbies include exercising, trying new experiences, eating out, playing countless team sports, as well as watching films (Gangster movies in particular – “forget about it”).

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