More people than ever used search engines in 2015, so it’s vital that your business attracts those people to your website. Here are four SEO lessons that 2015 taught us – ready for use in the New Year.

1. Social Media

Social media platforms are increasingly important to SEO. In 2015, Google and Twitter signed a deal which means tweets will show up in relevant Google search results. This means that businesses need to make the most of their social media presence, using news content and hashtags. Savvy businesses are already using their social media presence to increase their web visibility – this article will explain the many ways that social media can impact your SEO: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/251012. Those shares and likes add SEO value as well as increasing your brand visibility.

2. Multi-Media

Including sound and imagery on your website will make it more appealing to your audience. Google ranks user experience – usability and top-quality content, including visual media content – above keywords. Although it’s still vital to include a good text description of your video, search algorithms are becoming more and more sophisticated when it comes to ranking visual content, and this trend is likely to continue.

3. Mobile Is on the Increase

More people than ever used mobile devices to search online – in some countries, mobiles have passed desktops as the devices that people are using when they conduct a search. Mobile search traffic has been steadily increasing for several years, and this trend looks set to continue into 2016 and beyond. This means that your site must be mobile-friendly and show up as such in a search result. A good web design company, such as Cheltenham web designers http://www.16i.co.uk/, will make sure that your website is responsive.

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4. Some Techniques Won’t Work Any More

Some SEO strategies that have been popular for years became useless in 2015. Google now uses a system (LSI) that recognises synonyms and phrases. This means that instead of trying to cram specific keywords into your content, you can focus on creating quality content that will capture the interest of those who read it. You can see which other techniques became obsolete in 2015 here: http://theinscribermag.com/social-media-seo-tactics-no-longer-effective-2015/.

Remember that flexibility is key. We can learn from 2015, but 2016 is bound to contain some surprises. Take advantage of them.