Top Influencers & Their SEO Predictions for 2016
Come Back to Review the TOP 2016 SEO Predictions – Happy New Year!
Upated Last: Jan. 9, 2016
NOTE: This list will carry until Feb 1, 2016 then revised a final time prior to 2017.
… it all started with a Tweet: Please RT below!
RT daily is out 🎆Happy New Year!🎇
Top 999+ #SEOtips 2016 https://t.co/enwQohno47#SEOgamethanksyou pic.twitter.com/qfghYwqaeU— Mark Herre♛ (@seogame) December 31, 2015
It is my opinion that this is one of the best compilation of 2016 SEO predictions from top influencers found anywhere on the web. Editors note: I admit that many articles could change their opinions throughout the year for that reason, I’ve downloaded them and will add later. Only twitter, LinkedIn and other article postings with SEO in their description qualified for these lists.
2016 Predictions, trends and forecasts are divided into two groups (Contributors & SEO Companies). Click to see the 999+…
A. Contributors/Authors & Influential Speaker Predictions: (Click names to follow twitter)
- Brian Dean – Watch Link Building Case Study: “Guestographics” #1 Strategy for 2016 youtu.be/LfXH6WPUkKc @Backlinko
- AMA [American Marketing Association] by Christine Birkner – A new year calls for new rules. Here’s what you need to know about #SEO in 2016: ow.ly/VYK5S
- Ahrefs by David McSweeney – SEO Tips: 100+ Search Engine Optimisation Best Practices is.gd/H2UfdT @top5seo @ahrefs
- Analytics SEO by David Bain – Playlist from YouTube youtu.be/YXu8u0hwgq8 SEO & Content Marketing Predictions for 2016 from 31 UK Digital Experts
- B2Community by Al Gomez – Why You Shouldn’t Trust SEO Buzzwords In 2016 b2c.news/vOpqUe
- B2Community by Chris Horton – 5 Proven Digital Marketing Strategies for Small Businesses in 2016 bit.ly/1QQsRBF
- B2Community by Dan Radak – Why Leadership is the Keyword of SEO for 2016 bit.ly/1NWjCin
- B2Community by Jessica Johnson – A Brief History of SEO (and Some Predictions for the Future) b2c.news/IXqOMI
- B2Community by Jomer Gregorio – The Top 8 #SEO Trends in 2016 (See Infographic below) b2c.news/fHlEPK
- B2Community by Soumya Nair – SEO Future Predictions for the Next Year: 2016 goo.gl/4evOcw #seo2016
- B2Community by by Pam Neely – 5 Predictions for SEO in 2016 is.gd/R1WLiF
- B2Community by Paul Schmidt – 3 SEO Predictions for 2016 ift.tt/1mmuxrq
- B2Community by Keith Hodges – Planning #content within a B2B #SEO strategy in 2016: hubs.ly/H01zYtw0
- B2Community by Tommy Landry – SEO 2016 Predictions is.gd/1QaSYU @tommy_landry
- B2B News by Brett Wilkins – SEO in 2016 Top Stories goo.gl/1AxtNL
- Brafton – Looking back to 2015 in search and 2016 Predictions goo.gl/QiNoNf
- BruceClayInc by Virginia Nussey – SEO in 2015: A Liveblog Retrospective for the Introspective is.gd/Qfj47x
- Business News Daily by Adam C. Uzialko – 50 Small Business #SEO Trends and Predictions for 2016 ift.tt/1Qh3IkG
- ClickZ by Som Puangladda – Content marketing and SEO: the questions B2B marketers should ask is.gd/VfUYRz
- Econsultancy by Ben Davis – SEO trends in 2016: What do the experts predict? A roundup of predictions bit.ly/1mjCMV4
- Econsultancy by Ben Davis – What were the big SEO trends of 2015? bit.ly/1PQSaVp
- Entrepreneur.com by Aaron Agius – It’s Time to Rethink Your SEO Approach for 2016 by entm.ag/1QO5cTO
- Entrepreneur.com by Alexandra Tachalova – Digital Marketing Agencies’ Rates and Services Cost Less Than You Think entm.ag/1V4AVzl @AlexTachalova
- Examinercom by Charles Crawford – 6 SEO Trends Predictions for 2016 /6-seo-trends-predictions-for-2016
- Express Writers – Expert Weigh-In: Content Marketing Predictions For 2016 goo.gl/dw4FCy
- Forbes by Jayson DeMers – Is App SEO Going To Be Necessary In 2016? onforb.es/1PdYVQ9
- Forbes by Jayson DeMers – The 5 Biggest SEO Lessons We Learned in 2015 onforb.es/1HGwjgy
- Forbes by Jayson DeMers – The Top 7 SEO Trends that Will Dominate 2016 onforb.es/1RgjolP
- Forbes by Jayson DeMers – Think you know SEO? Here are 7 trends that will become obsolete in 2016 onforb.es/1RMj54d
- Forbes by Sujan Patel – 6 #SEO Predictions About Digital Marketing in 2016 onforb.es/1XISrxV
- Free eBook Written for Hubspot by Erik Devaney – 17 SEO Myths You Need to Leave Behind in 2016 – is.gd/KcpsIs – Download – It glitters because it’s (page rank) gold! hubs.ly/H01DKKS0
- HuffP by Rahul Varshneya – 8 Experts Predict What Digital Marketing Will Look Like In 2016 is.gd/ZeUart
- Inbound Dot Org – Lots of great predictions from our community #SEO experts for 2016 j.mp/1QPxYSs
- Jeff Bullas – 15 Digital Marketing Trends for 2016 That Could Destroy Your Business – po.st/9JgalX
- Jeff Bullas by Huyen Truong – 3 SEO Predictions You Need to Know for 2016 po.st/Yn8qII
- Link-Assistant.com by SEO PowerSuite Team – What’s coming for SEO in 2016? The top 7 SEO trends you MUST get ready for from Pubcon & SMX East Experts is.gd/pMf3gt
- Louise Linehan – A roundup of 2015 in Digital Marketing and SEO, and predictions for 2016 @Lou_Linehan goo.gl/rErMIE
- Marketing Land by Bryson Meunier – 5 Predictions for Mobile SEO In 2016 mklnd.com/1O8TEDY
- MarketingProfs by Aleh Barysevich – 5 Buzzworthy SEO Trends You Must Know About for 2016 declic.io/1NFlVlx
- Matt Press – SEO in 2016 | Splash Copywriters goo.gl/wQjjz3 @SplashCopy
- Momentology by Danny Goodwin – SEO Trends 2016: 44 Experts interviewed on the Future of Organic Search Success ow.ly/VG3Wh
- prchecker – SEO Predictions 2016: Is Increasing Web Traffic Enough For The Next Year? @prcheckernet goo.gl/eDMHtC
- Search Engine Land by Tom Demers – How to Increase Qualified B2B SEO Traffic in 2016 & Beyond is.gd/hInlI0
- Search Engine Land by Andrew Dennis – 2016: Manual Link Building & SEO ow.ly/V3Hm9
- Search Engine Land Jessica Thompson – A Year In Review: Search Engine Land’s Top 10 Columns Of 2015 goo.gl/FtjQDc
- Search Engine Land by Marcus Miller – Planning For SEO Success In 2016 is.gd/EgC7LM @marcusbowlerhat
- Search Engine Roundtable by Bernadette Coleman – 4 SEO Strategies Every Digital Marketer Needs to Understand for 2016 is.gd/Tvo5d5
- Search Engine Watch by Chuck Price – Is Penguin 4.0 coming in March 2016? bit.ly/1RW7cZy #SEO
- Search Engine Watch by Cory Collins – How links could be online marketing’s most important KPI in 2016 bit.ly/1XW1rQq
- Search Engine Watch by Jayson DeMers – Will 2015’s SEO best practices continue in the future? bit.ly/22cOzoR
- Search Engine Watch by Chris Lake – 12 good, bad and ugly web design trends for 2016 seo tactics /12-good-bad-and-ugly-web-design-trends-for-2016
- Search Engine Watch by Christopher Ratcliff – 11 biggest SEO trends and events of 2015 bit.ly/1mzVwzJ
- SEJ [Search Engine Journal] by Julia McCoy – How to Get Ahead With Your #SEO Content in 2016 by What will content in 2016 look like? bit.ly/1U7wiEb
- SEJ [Search Engine Journal] by Margot da Cunha – 10 Digital Marketing Trends [mobile seo observed] to Watch Out For in 2016 10-digital-marketing-trends-watch-201
- SEMRush by Anastasia Sidko – Digital Marketing Predictions for 2016: Video, CRO, Personalization goo.gl/Ga747d
- SEMRush by Elena Terenteva – The Future of #SEO: 5 Ways to Adapt Your Content for 2016 buff.ly/1P6H6T1
- SEMRush by Shane Barker – 10 SEO Traps to Avoid Google Downranking in 2016 is.gd/FWnAqy
- SEO News by Daniel Bianchini – The Digital Marketing Crystal Ball – 7 #SEO Predictions from 7-Experts for 2016!: As always in the digital marketing industry is.gd/0OX0UM
- Simplilearn Solutions by Pinaki Chakraborty – How To Fail With SEO in 2016 is.gd/Vcy0wG
- Smart Insights by Natalia Chrzanowska – 4 #SEO trends that will change your marketing communication in 2016 puls.ly/6K8ZeQ
- Social Media Week by Julie Ellis – Coming in 2016: Many users will skip the search engine #SEO & perform searches directly on #socialmedia ow.ly/W81YJ
- Social Media Week by Brian Hughes – 4 Strategies for Improving Your SEO in 2016 is.gd/rYGWK5
- Tech.co by Fawad Malik – What Could Dominant SEO Trends Look Like in 2016? buff.ly/1Qvj4Sw
- TOP7 – Search Engine Submission Site List 2016 top7bestlist.com/searchenginesubmission.html
- ViperChill by Glen – How 4-Numbers Can Send You Millions of Visitors from Google in 2016 is.gd/Yn2A3A @ViperChill
- Yext by Marcus Tandler – 2016 Predictions: No.9 – Mobile SEO Drives Local SEO goo.gl/o4lflE @mediadonis
- Webmaster World Forum Discussion – 2016: emerging trends on search; what are you predicting? is.gd/azaWE1
Google’s John Mueller by Barry Schwartz – See full article & watch interview: Search Engine Roundtable – SEO Tips from Google for 2016
B. SEO Company Predictions: (Click names to follow on twitter)
- Abigail Pace at Bostability – Truth or Dare: Did Our 2015 SEO Predictions Come True or Were they Too Daring? bit.ly/1OZSmhW
- Aimee Beck – Read the most recent SEO news & stay tuned for highlights of 2015 in search mf.tt/UgbWE
- Alex Clark – 6 essential types of SEO Tools for 2016 goo.gl/A3iB8U @AlexClarkkkk
- Aleyda Solis – The Key Ingredients for International SEO Success goo.gl/D9xVbi
- Ally Digital – Slideshare 5 SEO predictions you need to know for 2016 goo.gl/b2vL3E
- AIS Media – Practical 2016 SEO Trends and Key Takeaways from 2015 is.gd/l97hZ4
- Allie Viau – #SEO Predictions for 2016 buff.ly/1TDkHvw
- Amanda Walgrove – 6 Social Advertising Trends That Will Shape 2016 — The Content Strategist buff.ly/1m6J36a #Mobile #SEO
- Andy Crestodina – How to Future Proof Your Search Engine Marketing: 5 Tips for the 5 Biggest Trends is.gd/dcMqVd @crestodina
- Andy Eliason at SEO – Link Building Strategies for 2016 is.gd/q9QdbM
- Andy Eliason at SEO – Stay on top of #DigitalMarketing trends with our 2016 #SEO Forecast /blog/seo-forecast-2016
- Anita Lovett – 10 SEO Predictions for 2016 /10-seo-predictions-for-2016/
- Annalisa Ratti – SEO Predictions 2016 is.gd/bePApq @Annalisa_Cariad
- Anne Carton – 7 SEO Trends that Will Rule the Roost in 2016 po.st/mD41xp
- Aqueous – Five trends that will dominate SEO in 2016 go.shr.lc/1Zm0sGo
- Ashley Elizabeth – SEO 2016: What We See Coming This Year goo.gl/5cWYGr
- Ashley Ward – Top SEO Predictions for 2016 buff.ly/1RMWgNV
- Asna Khursheed – Slides SEO strategies for success in 2016 goo.gl/GWRdQf
- Ben Brausen at TopRank – Online Marketing News: Greatest Googles, Best Branded, Year Of YouTube buff.ly/1RdnNHI
- Bernadette Coleman – Saying Farewell 2015 and #SEO Hello to 2016 shar.es/1G9G8Y
- Bharathi Priya – [Slideshare] 20 Digital Marketing Trends & Predictions for 2016 is.gd/HrokkZ
- Bobby Holland – 3 Local SEO Tips For Law Firms in 2016 is.gd/eZ7f8u
- Bobby Holland – 2016 Local SEO Power Tips To Dominate Google Local Search goo.gl/EEmKOd
- Brad Longman – Our Predictions For SEO in 2016 is.gd/yfsGEI
- Brafton – 2016 Marketing trends: Rethinking keyword strategies #12daysofcontent #SEO is.gd/RTgv2Z
- Charlie Rose – SEO Tips: How to Improve Your Search Rankings in 2016 is.gd/3337Gg
- Chloe Mark – 2016 Web Predictions – Changes to SEO is.gd/VozfPu
- Corinne Kerston – SEO Tactics That Still Work for 2016 is.gd/XrMlQ9
- CRB Tech Reviews – SEO 2016 Course Predictions: Manual Link Building @CRB_Tech_Review goo.gl/KpjcYW
- Dave Kerpen – How to Prepare Now for SEO in 2016 @davekerpen goo.gl/nXdmAz
- David Kranker – 4 SEO Predictions For 2016–2017 goo.gl/eHQxbX
- Dan Birch – Here are Our 3 Biggest Predictions for SEO in 2016 is.gd/7eO0bL
- Douglas Phillips – Here’s 8 #SEO trends you can expect to see in 2016 hubs.ly/H01vbB-0
- Edward Kundahl – 2016 SEO Best Practices is.gd/h8zgcz
- Elisabeth Rosen – 7 Predictions for 2016 in 2D Video ow.ly/WgTks
- Emily Mace – International SEO: 2015 review – 2016 predictions @ObanDigital goo.gl/xVtlwi
- Gal Borenstein – 10 digital branding and marketing trends to watch for in 2016 is.gd/5lrNHY @GalBorenstein
- Gaurav Kumar – Top 10 SEO Trends for 2016 – See Linkedin post!
- Greenlight – 2016 Will Be The Year Of New Mobile SEO Updates and Tools bit.ly/1PPUT1i
- Greg Secrist – 5 Online Marketing Predictions for 2016 ow.ly/393aYu
- Greg Gifford – 2016 Predictions: No.3 – A Tumultuous Year for Local SEO @GregGifford goo.gl/YgEaju
- Greg Gifford – The Best SEO Conferences to Attend in 2016 [VIDEO] goo.gl/qBL0td
- Greg Strandberg – 10 Social Media, Content Marketing & SEO Predictions for 2016 is.gd/0htVIC
- InsideOut Solutions – SEO Predictions for 2016 – Make Your New Year’s Resolutions goo.gl/NWycPo
- Jacob Stoops – 2015 is almost over. What is coming in SEO in 2016? I make my 12 SEO predictions seo-predictions-for-2016/
- Jawad Khan – 5 Factors That Can Directly Impact Your Website’s SEO in 2016 buff.ly/1MLtTJ0
- Jess at ImageWorks – How companies find you online is changing in 2016! Find out how to assure your company is easily found. is.gd/0bumal
- Jill Kocher – SEO: Prepare Now for 2016 Holiday goo.gl/OM1WFO @jillkocher
- Joe Bright – 5 Essential SEO Predictions to Watch in 2016 bit.ly/1LBhren
- John E Lincoln – 6 Essential SEO Strategies to Incorporate in 2016 entm.ag/1Q5ACF3
- John Hall – 7 marketing trends you need to know for 2016 is.gd/BG8dfh
- John Watton – 2016 Marketing Predictions is.gd/CYQHFF @jwatton
- Jonathan Moore – 2016 SEO Predictions shar.es/1Gd9mX
- Jonathan Svilar at 3Q Digital – WHAT WILL BE THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR IN SEO IN 2016? goo.gl/Qcfgxk @3QDigital
- Josh MacDonald – 5 SEO Predictions For 2016. Are you prepared @lifehackorg bit.ly/1Tfb72j
- Julian Connors at 3 Digital – 7 2016 SEO Predictions: Social, Local, Mobile Optimization goo.gl/pXwSeG @3QDigital
- Julie Graff at PolePosition – Back to #SEO Future: Predictions from Pioneers buff.ly/1NIeUVq
- Karen Repoli at Examiner.com – The fundamentals of search engine optimization is.gd/umNm86
- Kelsey Meyer at Influence & Co. by Entrepreneur.com – Let These 5 Trends Guide Your 2016 Content-Marketing Resolutions goo.gl/TPQuJQ @Kelsey_M_Meyer
- Kimberly Crossland – 2016 Marketing Predictions for Small Businesses #SEO is.gd/sTYz9F
- Kristien Matelski – Countdown to 2016: Digital Marketing Predictions! @vizionweb goo.gl/iqC8o4
- Laura College at Boostability – 9 Ways Online Marketing Will Change in 2016 goo.gl/2cRJza
- Lauren Marchese – 6 SEO Predictions for 2016 goo.gl/yTbEa7
- Lee Odden at TopRank – [Newsletter] Where Does SEO Fit in the Digital Marketing Mix for 2016 is.gd/wGORZL
- Lee Odden – 12 Major Brands on Where #SEO Fits in the #DigitalMarketing Mix for 2016 bit.ly/1Nbxdlq
- Lev Uzlaner – 3 SEO Predictions You Need to Know for 2016 by @Marketing_Link goo.gl/POJmEo
- Mark Ford at Red Website Design – 10 Obsolete SEO Tactics You Should Stop Wasting Your Time With wp.me/p33zWa-1on
- Mark Roberts at Internet Marketing Ninjas – What Will SEO Be Like in 2016? what-will-seo-be-like-in-2016-weekly-forum
- Martin Smith – 7 #SEO Trends for 2016 – klou.tt/l0wushrlxcr0
- Matthew Capala & Sam Hurley – All You Need to Know: #SEO in 2016 buff.ly/1SG89DK
- Matthew Plouffe – 11 Must Have SEO Chrome Extensions for Marketers in 2016 is.gd/j8D7cy
- Melonie Dodaro – 13 Digital Marketing Experts Make Bold Predictions for 2016 is.gd/UUnuSF @MelonieDodaro
- Michael McNaughton for TechWyse – 10 SEO Tools You Should Be Using Heading into 2016 is.gd/ns4k2T
- Michael Rogers – 2016 Google Algorithm Changes goo.gl/ZxRC4X
- Nahid Hasan at Bizcope – Complete Guide to SEO in 2016 is.gd/m7Nv0Y
- Najmah Capal – SEO Practices To Get Your Blog Noticed in 2016 is.gd/66nhyI
- Nancy Kapoor at SEO Hacker – 5 SEO Trends that will Rule the Roost in 2016-17 goo.gl/zSbcAI @SEO_Hacker
- Natalia Bogdanets – Top 6 Plugins for Better SEO in 2016 is.gd/JUoh2O
- Natalie Denyse – 6 Digital Tools to Jumpstart Business Productivity in 2016 is.gd/VYcqXt @NatalieDenyse
- Nirav Patel – SEO tips for 2016 goo.gl/iLSa5X @niravseoexpert
- Paul Mauer at Yodle – Small Business Marketing Predictions for 2016 goo.gl/aY56iu
- Peter Mead – Best 20 SEO Blogs recommended for 2016 goo.gl/jSlTLe
- Pratik Dholakiya – Does Keyword Optimization Still Matter? is.gd/sqBbTU @DholakiyaPratik
- Qamar Zaman – SEO Forecast 2016 goo.gl/2106HC @QamarZamanSEO
- Rachel Peters at BigLeap – Top Digital Marketing Predictions for 2016 goo.gl/8EV7h6
- Ramona Sukhraj – Can Social Media Revolutionize SEO in 2016? Here’s How It Already Is : What is the… bit.ly/1Y537Sw
- Ray Perry – 4 Local SEO Tips For 2016 is.gd/ajd9pW
- Ross Simmonds – 2016 Digital Marketing Predictions From Six Marketing Experts is.gd/LwozmE
- Ruth Hawk – 2016 SEO Trends go.shr.lc/1PgzPA2AIS
- Sameer Panjwani – The Key to Better Search Engine Rankings in 2016 shar.es/1GLgtP @mondovo
- Samuel Edwards – The 5 Big SEO Problems You’ll Face in 2016 is.gd/w5Ay0v
- Scott Lambert – Reviewing Your Current SEO Plan? Follow This 6 Step Checklist goo.gl/mf8ABD
- Sean Burrows – SEO: Preparing for 2016 – Sean Burrows goo.gl/jfoclX @SeanThoughts
- Sean Gallahar – 2 Key Ways to Assure Your Business is Found Online in 2016 is.gd/acrKgb
- Sean Si – How Google’s RankBrain Algorithm Affects SEO in 2016 /google-rankbrain-affects-seo
- Sharon Hurley Hall – 7 Ways SEO Will Evolve in 2016 goo.gl/XS32kH
- Shawn Paul Wood – New Year, New Skill: SEO for the PR Traditionalist is.gd/JXIe7l
- Shyam Dattani – Searchmetrics’ search trends for 2016 bit.ly/1U2rjnw @StillShyam
- Stephanie Schwab – 5 SEO Changes that Will Affect Your 2016 Strategy hubs.ly/H01ywPJ0
- Steven Shattuck– SEO in 2016: What Nonprofits Need to Know ow.ly/VvbC7
- Stoney deGeyter at PolePosition by Search Engine Land – Goodbye Keyword Optimization… Welcome to the Age of Topical Optimization is.gd/xsKCMn
- Taylor Pettis at Three Deep – Top SEO Trends for 2016 [Marketing Round Up] is.gd/JvoZ4k
- Tom Pick – 3 Keys to SEO Success in 2016 /three-keys-to-seo-success-in-2016
- Tommy Johnson – Predictions 2016: How SEO Will Change in the New Year goo.gl/dtSvog
- Webmarketing123 – Webinar Slides 3 Major SEO Predictions for 2016 shar.es/1GLtGR @Webmarketing123
- Zhi Yuan – 7 #SEO Predictions to Help You Stay Ahead of the Curve in 2016 goo.gl/X0dPsT
- Zipper – 2016 Local #SEO trends for #smallbusiness /2016-local-seo-small-business
*Come back often to stay updated!
When 2017 nears, I will come back and do some debunking and add additional commentary. See my twitter post prediction that started all of this “2016 Predictions are Here, Get Used to it! …at the end of the 2016, there are going to be SEO predictions for 2017”
Contact me if you have a suggestion to add to this list at mark@seogame.com or follow me twitter.com/seogame
Continue reading to see who the top influencers are to watch in 2016 compiled at entrepreneur.com
Watch these top 50 influencers for 2016: Entrepreneur.com/article/253522
1. Rand Fishkin, a.k.a. “the ‘Wizard of Moz,” is the founder and former CEO of Moz and a leading expert in search-engine optimization, marketing and entrepreneurship. He’s also a speaker and author of titles like Inbound Marketing and SEO: Insights from the Moz Blog. Latest Read: SEO in a Two Algorithm World by Rand Fishkin Published on
6. Wil Reynolds is the founder of Philly-based SEM/SEO consulting firm and a popular keynote speaker at events like Pubcon 2015.
19. Aleyda Solis is a trilingual, international SEO consultant and founder. She’s also a keynote speaker who has spoken at MozCon, BrightonSEO, SMX and SES. Predictions for 2016: Video, CRO, Personalization goo.gl/Ga747d
29. Matthew Barby is an award-winning blogger, speaker and lecturer for the Digital Marketing Institute. He’s also the Global Head of Growth & SEO for HubSpot nootropil.
36. Julie Joyce is the owner of a link-building company, and co-founder of SEO Chick and Avant Greensboro.
NOTE: There’s a common thread with most of these contributors and influencers. They are mostly all speakers!
I challenge any of you to ask them the definition of SEO and if they give you more than 5 words to digest then chances are they love to mutter up the acronym. This is just the opinion of the author.
— Here’s my favorite prediction of all time for 2016 — The Top 8 #SEO Trends in 2016 (Click here to see Infog