2014 Online Marketing Predictions

While we here at ReferLinks gear up for the new year, and the exciting trends it brings—which we’ve surmised from 2014 online marketing predictions—we thought we’d ensure that all our clients who follow our blog are also geared up for online marketing in 2014. Consider this an early-bird-gets-the-worm bonus for following our blog!
Our 2014 Online Marketing Predictions
Based on the momentum (and in some cases lack thereof) of online marketing elements in 2013 we’ve been able to make well-educated guesses on what 2014 holds for companies leveraging smart online marketing—and action items for those who want to jumpstart their online marketing for 2014.
1. Mobile Engagement
We all know that mobile use is on the rise and the days of not mobile-optimizing your website are over. Mobile is now the norm—not a ‘bonus’ or nice-to-have. Mobile users however are now looking for new and exciting ways to engage while on their mobile platforms. This is because more mobile users are making their mobile device their primary surfing platform—and they aren’t settling for basic functionalities anymore. In 2014, if you want their attention (and conversion!), you need to offer an advanced user experience for mobile surfers. To build your new mobile strategy, look to your mobile search and social cues—and pay attention to cross-channel marketing.
2. Semantic Search
Semantic search has been a long time coming but the ability to use more complex keyword strings to come up with people-friendly content is still improving. The value of using longer keywords and semantic-based keywords will have powerful importance in 2014.
3. Content Will Continue to Reign Supreme
As Google continually refines its algorithm, content is becoming more important than ever—and Google is finding better and better ways to determine which sites truly have quality content. So, refocus your content marketing campaign and place prominence on it in terms of your overall online marketing strategy.
4. PPC Updates
In today’s mobile world, Google’s Pay Per Click advertising is adjusting to this, and giving higher quality scores to businesses with mobile-ready websites. The lesson here—optimize your mobile site.
5. Google+ May Finally Break Through
Google has had a LOT of social failures, and Google+ isn’t exactly a major social-media mover and shaker—but, they’re getting smart (finally). Google is, finally, figuring out that if they’re ever going to carve out even a tiny spot for themselves in the dominated world of social networks, that they’ll have to incorporate Google+ into search results…which is why they’ve done just that. We’ve already seen an increased importance with Google Authorship—and this will only grow further in 2014.
For more predictions, and tips on how to supercharge your online marketing campaign(s)–follow our blog, or call us to find out exactly what we can do for you and your business.