Whether you’re new to SEO or you’ve been dealing white-hat strategy for awhile now, you’re probably curious about where online marketing is headed. Here’s a quick look at some emerging trends and predictions for what’s to come:
•    Social expansion. “Social media optimization” is already a hot buzz word in the online world, and it’s only going to get bigger as we move toward the future. Not only will you need to know how to publish a first-rate Web site, but you’ll want to build skills for developing viral Twitter campaigns, gaining Facebook friends, creating popular YouTube channels, crafting killer mobile apps, and writing expert blog posts. Get ready to blend your expertise in new ways, but also to face the challenge of dividing your skill sets appropriately between different buckets. Optimization is not the same as marketing, which is not the same as analytics, after all. And as one blogger has admitted, not only must social media experts be ready to deliver great content across a variety of channels, but that content should be portable – meaning that video files, PDFs, and audio files are available for convenience and speed to any visitor. The Future Buzz has a great graphic on how SEO and social media empower each other cyclically: check it out here.

•    Organic optimization. The bots may be bots, but like any human reader they will tend to gravitate toward Web sites with strong and unique all-around content as well as high-quality inbound links. As search engine technology continues to be developed, organic optimization will continue to boost the page rank of sites with first-class text and image content and authentic links. This means we can predict a bit of the future: premium content, good writing, and well-designed visual sites which communicate effectively will still reign king – regardless of how high-tech the platforms have become.

•    Personalization and localization. We’ve got Google Maps, Twitter Places, and Facebook Marketplace. Smartphone users and GPS-owners are growing by leaps and bounds. And with the way tools like Google Suggest/ Google AutoComplete feel familiar, even commonplace, it’s obvious that consumers aren’t too concerned with the fact that search engines know a lot about us. Our online search experience is personalized based on the data the engines accumulate and analyze about our search histories, our behavior on selected sites, our location, and searchers who are similar to us. Not only does progress in personalization have potential privacy implications, but it also raises questions of the new tactics SEO builders will need to adopt in order to secure their audiences. As Beanstalk's blog acknowledges, campaigns will have to target not only the universal algorithm but also bring into account the components included in personalized search.

•    Better link analysis means there will be more data available, which means a need for more strategic utilization of said data – and more compelling visualization of the facts and figures.

•    Growing verticalization means consumers know where to search for certain things – meaning instead of hopping on Google, they’ll hit up Southwest’s site when they’re looking for plane tickets, Yelp or UrbanSpoon when exploring local eatery options, and go to Fandango to find hometown movie tickets.

•    Keep an eye on the Google pulse. The release of tools like Google FastFlip, Google Squared, Google Wave, and a mobile app which supports Google Earth keeps Google fans wondering what intriguing, functional and simply-designed resource will be next. Rumors suspect Google’s got a social network site called Google Me in the works powerful enough to give Facebook a run for its money. Read more about SnapHawk’s coverage of the Google empire here (*link to Adam’s blog post on Google domination).