Internet marketing trends 2013

By Kristjan-Paul Raude

Introduction

• As internet marketing field changes a lot each year, it’s important to be up to date with the upcoming trends. A new year has begun and based on trends that emerged during the previous year and WSI Online experience we can make some predictions what the year 2013 will bring in internet marketing.

1. Increase in internet and internet marketing users

• There are 2,4 billion internet users all over the

world (yoy increase 8%) which is 34% of the whole population. In Europe alone 500 million internet users exist, which is 63% of European population (the same figure in Estonia is 78%).

• Internet is a continuously growing marketing channel where penetration grows each year.

©2013, WSI Online

2. Content marketing is no longer important. It’s critical!

• Content is more than just plain text. Great content

includes quality information, pictures, videos, whitepapers, e-books and interactive infographs. In addition, killer content spreads like wildfire in social media which also boosts your SEO

• Quality content is worth investment as you gain loyal followers whom may become your next customers.

©2013, WSI Online

3. Search engine marketing – SEM

• Google Author Rank – The same way Page Rank

evaluates websites Author Rank will evaluate the reliability of people/authors in the viewpoint of Google. Google will evaluate reliable links that originate from the same author. It’s predicted that in the end of 2013 Author Rank will replace Page Rank.

©2013, WSI Online

3. Search engine marketing – SEM

• Google+ turns even more important to reach better positions on Google search results. Google has directly linked Google+ accounts and +1’s with search results. The fastest way to get your site indexed is by +1 it. Google+ increases the page rank and influences search results more than other social channels.

©2013, WSI Online

3. Search engine marketing – SEM

• AdWords management goes more complicated year by year and the competition for keywords go fierce. Regular campaigns alone can’t perform the results you are used to so far. But there is no need to worry as display network and retargeting will help to boost your AdWords results.

©2013, WSI Online

4. Social media revolution continues

Businesses that are active in social media should already get considerable amount of traffic from social channels.

• Facebook has reached an extremely strong position and in 2013 it will continue as a social media leader.

• YouTube and video content will gain more attention than the previous year.

• LinkedIn will stay on top of its niche.

• Location based services like Foursquare, Google Places etc. will strengthen their positions but it will take few years to reach the masses in Estonia.

©2013, WSI Online

5. Smartphones will continue their triumph

• There are 1,1 billion smartphone users which include

about 17% of the whole population. To consider that there are 5 billion mobile users the number of smartphone users has grown extremely fast. In addition, 13% of all internet traffic comes from mobile devices. In May 2012 mobile internet usage exceeded desktop internet usage in India. Rest of the world will follow in upcoming years. It’s predicted that by the year 2014 global mobile internet usage will exceed the internet usage on PC’s.

• When planning your marketing strategy don’t forget that users will change the big screen for smaller devices that they will carry 24/7.

©2013, WSI Online

6. Analytics becomes even more important

• Today, there are countless abilities to measure web

analytics but the chances are not used wisely. For example, free analytical tools like Google Analytics offer amazing opportunities to measure your marketing activities and make conclusions that will help to make better investments but business owners’ lack of knowledge to use all these abilities.

• Furthermore, Google says that in the end of 2013 Analytics will be unrecognizably changed. Improved functionality, of course! You can read more from here.

• Don’t forget - what you can measure you can also fix.

©2013, WSI Online

Conclusion

• Internet as a marketing channel will continue its triumph. Last 5 years have been outrageous in this field.

• Year by year the amount of internet and smartphone users grow and on the basis of this trend, business owners must direct their marketing budgets more to the internet.

• To be up to date with the latest internet marketing news and get tips how to manage your campaigns read WSI Online internet marketing blog.

©2013, WSI Online

About the author

©2013, WSI Online

Kristjan-Paul Raude WSI Online Managing partner E-mail: kristjan@wsionline.ee

www.wsionline.ee

HAVE A SUCCESSFUL MARKETING YEAR!