Changes on SEO market. Results of 2015

SEO (search engine optimization or search optimization) is a package of measures for the website optimization directed at search results elevation according to certain inquiries of the user of the promoted website. The higher website position in search delivery, the more interested users visit it. Thus, search optimization is necessary for both information and commercial resources: for the first – traffic increase, for the second – potential clients involvement.

SEO market and, respectively, SEO optimizer's actions strategy, first of all, depends on criteria of search results ranging by search engines. 2015, as well as the previous year, is characterized by considerable changes on the market: Yandex and Google have continued to update their algorithms, new filters of search delivery appeared, services for web analytics have been improved.

Earlier the number of external resource references posted on the third-party websites was an important criteria of the websites ranging (or reference weight) – the more interesting and more useful to users, the more websites refer to it. In this regard "gray" schemes of website positions elevation appeared – not due to gradual accumulation of references number from external resources with relevant content, but as a result of SEO references mass purchase at the specialized exchanges. Thus, as a result of the occured changes (for example, emergence of "Minusinsk" algorithm and AGS filter updating by Yandex, and also "mobilegeddon" by Google) SEO optimizers practicing reference weight purchase had to correct considerably the websites promotion strategy in search engines.

"Minusinsk" and AGS

"Minusinsk" and AGS are Yandex algorithms directed at fighting against reference spam in the RuNet. In 2014 Yandex repeatedly declared that SEO references use for search promotion influences negatively the Internet ecosystem as in that case resources of the companies are spent not for high-quality improvement of the websites maintenance for users, but for maintenance of low-quality references sale services.

On May 15, 2015, perhaps, the most known Yandex algorithm called in honor of the Siberian city of Minusinsk started working. The essence of the algorithm work is in defining those websites which use SEO references for search promotion, and to limit their delivery in search results, usually for a period from one to about several months.

Several months later, in the beginning of September, 2015, the updated AGS algorithm started working which lowers the websites, low-effective to users, created for placement of reference weight in search delivery. Also this filter nullifies the TIC (thematic index of citing) of similar resources reducing "the website authority" for the searcher.

Introduction of "Minusinsk" and AGS has led to positions loss by large players on the market of SEO references because their mass purchase became unacceptably risky for clients. Further Yandex plans to fight against reference spam therefore later algorithms will be improved considerably.

"Mobilegeddon"

In 2015 measures of Google for decrease in positions (or pessimization) in search delivery of the websites which aren't adapted for mobile devices became a significant event for the world SEO. In March "Mobile friendly" algorithm appeared called "mobilegeddon" by the experts.

After the algorithm commissioning changes were almost invisible, especially in the RuNet as only few websites in Russia have mobile versions. However according to data of the LiveInternet resource, in December, 2015 about 60% of the Russian Internet traffic belonged to mobile devices. Thus, the importance of the website adaptive design by search optimization will further increase.

Forecast for 2016.

Judging by the latest events, search engines continue to complicate "rules of the game" on the SEO market. It means that each innovation makes more difficult the way optimizers correct the methods of the resource promotion and distinguish the promoted website among competitors even due to the qualitative content creation useful for users. It is caused by the fact that several decades ago it was enough to optimize the website under the limited list of ranging factors, now it is necessary to consider several hundreds of factors as a result of permanent job of Yandex and Google over the algorithms. At the same time recently searchers have begun "to punish" the websites in promotion of which, in their opinion, undesirable methods are used: even resources with qualitative content are not insured from restrictions in search delivery.

Thus, SEO optimization is very difficult and many-sided process which demands involvement of the qualified and skilled experts capable to provide natural improvement of the website positions in the search engines rating.