Search engine optimization (SEO) can be a tough task for those who are new to web development and marketing. Content management systems (CMS) like WordPress realize this and have over time increased their offerings for easy on-site SEO for their users. This allows novice webmasters to get the benefits of SEO without having to learn all of the technical details. A number of third party plugins can also enhance that benefit with a little research and input from the users. While many of these plugins and features have existed for some time now, there is not one surefire bullet to the SEO problem- even for on-site enhancement.
This is where the future might be particularly exciting. Some of the key limitations of SEO tools today include the lack of customizability, low-quality content analysis capabilities, strategic shortcomings, and lack of analysis and guidance. When it comes to customizability, the current options simply do not offer enough options to meet the needs of all of the different types of businesses and websites currently out there. This is particularly true when you look at opposite ends of the spectrum- for example, a customer-facing retail business which is online compared to a user-centric freemium type of service. We also still aren’t at the stage where mass available tools for content analysis are good enough to truly differentiate on quality and relevancy- certainly nowhere near the algorithms which Google uses to test those things. Going to an even higher level there is essentially no way that current software can offer strategic insights and suggestions. Finally, a lot of current tools help you do something, but they do not offer any follow-up on how that actually translates into results via analytics, etc. You really need a hodge-podge system to get everything that you need to have a strong strategic, operational, and analytical SEO platform.
Some emerging technologies might just make it possible to hit these three vital components all through one synergized platform. One of the things where the technology is already mature is in real-time data collection and analysis. The Google Analytics service is proof of the robustness that can be had with that sort of thing. Advanced developers in the SEO space should be able to leverage the current tech infrastructure to really offer users the ultimate experience in real-time, relevant tracking for their SEO tools.
We are also likely to see more integration of research methods into these new SEO offerings. For example, services like those currently offered independently through Moz and other providers will more and more be directly embedded into tools. The analytic capabilities of these new plugins will be tremendous. From that aspect of keyword research and profiling to analyzing the quality of the content including in growingly sophisticated ways to the end results in data analysis, they will be tremendous engines for SEO-oriented webmasters, professionals, and beginners alike.
Another feature that is likely to emerge is the ability to compare to other sites by inputting competitors (as well as likely abilities to search for competitors right within the interface). This will allow you to analyze a wide range of website and content attributes as well as SERPs to see how you rank compared to the competition. It will likely also allow for external pattern recognition so you can get at least some high-level insights into their potential strategies. Real-time position reporting is also likely to be a part of the package, allowing webmasters to see exactly the short and long term results of their work.
All of this will be tied together in an intelligent box which can link all aspects of the data and strategies to really show the whole picture in the most efficient way possible. An AI system can take this further to make recommendations and grow with you and the niche. Eventually, this will likely be able to help you identify low-hanging fruit, which strategies should be ditched for more optimal ones and a whole array of other tremendously valuable information. The future of SEO is very bright and it is right around the corner. It will help level the playing field between the pros and the amateurs and the net will be more competitive than it has ever been before.