SEO Guru: 10 ways your SEO can impact your business

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The SEO industry witnessed many exciting developments in 2016, and mobile compliance was in focus with many websites getting punished by Google for lagging behind with this. The local ranking was another front runner while content had another quality algorithm keeping a watch on the quality of content going on your site. In short, just as user behaviour seldom remains static, Google’s efforts to enhance user experience will also keep pace. It is for the SEO industry to track all these developments and implement necessary changes to the digital canvas so that the businesses they service can forge ahead and stay at the top.

Although we are soon stepping into the last quarter of 2016, we have seen significant changes happening in the SEO space. Following are among the notable trends and SEO tips ushered in during the year:-
SEO tips

1. Video content outpacing written content

We are already experiencing the growing success of apps like Snapchat, Vine and Periscope along with other video apps. Together, they have created a paradigm shift in user engagement, reach, effectiveness and the overall ROI. Although Google is the accepted leader in the internet search industry, Bing has already given Google some sleepless nights with its foray into video ads. Google has taken the threat head on, and Google’s version of video ads with search results can be expected before the year end. It would be interesting to watch who takes the first spot and manages to stay there without getting displaced. The effectiveness of video ads with search results has already been proven beyond any doubt, and that gives more reason why Google will not want its competitors walking away with the advantage.

2. Mobile optimisation taking centre stage

SEO tips
By the year 2019, the global mobile phone penetration is expected to reach the 5 billion mark and therefore it is no wonder that Google has trained its gun mobile optimisation of web content. In case, if your website is not optimised for mobile and other handheld devices, the chances are that your business will fall by the wayside, sooner than later.

3. The era of digital assistant to impact search behaviour

Search is getting more complicated with the addition of digital assistants (Google Now, Siri and Cortana). Queries in spoken language are distinct from typed questions, and that means we now have a new generation of queries with long-tail keywords, particularly the ones that mimic a spoken dialogue. Pages with conversational or colloquial content can expect significant rewards from this trend.

4. Content aggregation

SEO tips
‘Moments’ launched by Twitter as an experiment is already making waves. But Twitter is not alone in content aggregation. As a result news stories that are not automatically sourced will fade away and for traditional content marketers, This will be a spot of bother. However, one can see a corresponding increase in opinionated, editorial, tutorial or other evergreen content concerning search visibility. In the process, traditional journalism is taking a backseat and some quarters have even expressed their resentment over the way their profession is being impacted.

5. Social content

Google has a tie-up with Twitter and Facebook and that is one reason you possibly get to see one or two tweets on search results appearing on your mobile screen. Massive indexing is happening with more platforms in Google’s vaults as well as other players in the search engine space. Social posts would now carry value similar to any other web page and the thin line between social media and the internet will further fade away in the context of SEO.

6. Apps with Deep links


Apps in particular, are to gain further momentum with search engines and more so, with Google. For quite some time now, apps are indexed by Google. Google also expects that in the near future, apps can potentially overtake the traditional websites in terms of functionality and popularity. Anticipating these changes in advance is one-way search marketers can benefit from this development. Deep links within the app point to a particular section or page. You can also expect major thrust in optimisation in the days to come. Having captive apps is one way you can push your business to greater heights. But, if you are not yet ready to create one or more, you can think of listing your business on many other apps you can.

7. Local search gets into focus

Local search is getting into more focus and we are already experiencing samples of these explosive search engine measure. The addition of wearable devices has only brought further emphasis to the focus on local search. Therefore, going forward you can see page ranks being determined by your street name or immediate neighbourhood.
Google takes into account the distance at which a potential business is located in relation to the search term and the prominence of the business itself. So Google’s local focus will try to guide the user to the business using well-known landmarks like hotels or leading brand stores etc.

8. Keywords are still important


Although many things have changed your ability to pick the right keywords for your business and place them appropriately in your content continues to hold the greatest importance to take your business on the growth trajectory. Also remember that keyword stuffing and poor quality written content can do more damage to your business than good.

9. WordPress

Have you also explored the sea of useful plugins and apps that WordPress is now offering? The Yoast SEO app is especially useful for starting out on their SEO mission.

10. SEO will continue to evolve

Finally, search engines will always want to enhance their experience and businesses that populate the digital world can only follow the directions set by people who run the search engines.

Keeping yourself constantly updated on every single aspect of SEO, with emphasis on Google as well as other major search engines is the singular way to grow your business in the digital world.

7 Super Tips for Project Managers

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As a project manager, your primary role will be to bring all your projects to successful completion both regarding budget as well as time. There are various variables that you have to manage and control to ensure that project does not veer off the waggon and become a costly white elephant for your employer or client.

Successful preparation and planning are always key ingredients to realising project success. Part of the development involves building sufficient expertise and knowledge on project management by undertaking latest project management courses 2016 such as PRINCE2 Certifications. It’s a project management methodology that is recognised globally and which can open the doors to many other opportunities.

From the outside, project management can seem like a relatively straightforward process. After all, as a project manager or project director, all you have to do is set the budget, have a deadline and choose the right people to execute the project while occasionally dropping in to ensure everything is going according to plan. In reality, it is never as linear. You will have to grapple with various project management variables such shifting project scope, changing deadlines, inaccurate or incomplete project scope, the wrong people for the job who do not understand what they are doing, a shortfall in project budget, a lukewarm top level support for the project, duplication of roles or overlapping functions. All these challenges add a layer of difficulty in the execution and increase the probability that your project is not going to be a success. However, there are various project management best practices that project managers can incorporate so as to improve the probability that the project is going to be a success.

1.Have all the project details upfront

The first step to guaranteeing the success of your project has a fully developed project scope which has been approved the project stakeholders before you start working on the project. The scope must cover all the project deliverables, timeline and budget for the project. There must also be a provision on how change requests on the framework of the project will be handled to avoid future conflicts.

2. Put the right team in place

project management courses 2016
The people that you choose for the execution of the project must have the relevant skills, training and experience to handle these kinds of projects. PRINCE2 training among all team members is always a big plus and will lead to smooth working relationship and greater project success. There must be a high level of competence right from the top with the project manager or director right down to the lowest ranked member of the team. A project management team is an interdependent system and if one member of the team in not pulling in their part of the lever, it is going to impact other aspects of the project execution negatively.

3. Put in place realistic expectations

Before you embark on the project, make sure that every stakeholder involved must understand the limitations of the project. Setting unrealistic expectations is always going to lead to conflicts, either with your team or with the project stakeholders. You cannot perform miracles, but you can have reasonable milestones and expectations that everyone will be happy with.

4. Make it measurable

project management courses 2016
Have KPIs or reasonable criteria that you can use in measuring the project success. Otherwise, how are you going to be sure that you are moving on the right path? Have checkpoints that you can take back to the project owners and even your team so that they can have the assurance that everything is going according to plan.

5. Be a leader

Embrace your leadership role enthusiastically. Don’t be the unwilling leader when it comes to project execution. Take charge and cultivate the atmosphere that will bring together the disparate personalities and skills for successful project implementation. Communicate effectively, both with your team and your client.

6. Manage the risks

The reason many projects are white elephants is that the project managers never anticipated risks and implemented a risk handling strategy. All projects are fraught with risks, and you need to have a system of managing these so that they don’t prove to be fatal. Think of the various kinds of risks that you are likely to encounter and put in place the necessary contingency plans that will pull you out of the quagmire. Sometimes, the risks may be too huge midway into the project that you will have to make the critical decision of halting the project.

7. Avoid micromanaging the project

While have said it is good to take leadership, which is not the same as micromanaging every aspect of the project. One of the reasons why you hired the best talents for the project execution is so that everyone fits naturally into their roles and you don’t have to manage every little aspect of the project. It is important to allow your team members some breathing space so that they can apply their considerable skills and talents in ensuring the scope of the project is fulfilled and that the project is executed according to the expectations of the stakeholders. In many cases, micromanaging projects are going to be counterproductive and is going to impede the progress of the project. You still need to take your leadership role, but if you are a good project manager, you will be able to create the kind of balance that steers the project forward but still gives everyone room to work on realising the success of the project.

One way to have successful project execution is by having a system in place which all project stakeholders can use to ensure the success of the project and which will manage and steer the progress of the project. It is also important to get a reward and motivation that drives the team members towards a successful project implementation.