What a big year 2012 was for SEO – from Penguin and Panda updates to disavow link tools and everything in between, surely 2013 can’t be as eventful?

Think again….

2013 is going to be the year of creating value. That is creating value for the reader as the ultimate goal for any website. While this sounds good, it might not necessarily get you the rankings you need, so here are the top 7 tactics and strategies that will dominate the SEO landscape in 2013, according to Search Engine Journal.

• 1. Quality of Content

Ultimately, it all comes down to the quality and value of the content on your website. Google has been very explicit this year about good-quality content, and we expect this trend to carry over into next year in full force. By content quality, the metrics are:

• uniqueness of the content/topic
• resourcefulness and information richness (i.e., no thin content)

• 2. Content Marketing

Content marketing is being touted as the next big thing. Experts have called it the new SEO. To an extent, this is true. As a general rule, content marketing attracts backlinks, and adds value for the user/reader. It is more challenging, because you have to generate more content of high quality, circulate it, and make sure your content gets published widely with ample social signals to generate substantial SEO value.

Since Google takes valuable content seriously, a solid content marketing strategy will be the key to climbing to the next level in SEO.

• 3. AuthorRank

AuthorRank has emerged as a vital metric in deciding SERPs, although studies about its value are still ongoing. One thing that we can be sure of in 2013 is that AuthorRank will add credibility and value to your website, and it will be vitally important for every webmaster.

• 4. Social Signals

After much debate and discussion, social signals have largely been accepted as valid ranking factors. In the next year, social signals will play a growing role. Shares, retweets, mentions, and perhaps most importantly, +1s are trophies every webmaster should be amassing.

• 5. Mobile/Responsive Design

Although this does not directly influence the ranking of a page, it will play a role in your fortunes. Google was one of the first companies to become aware of this trend in web browsing due to the growing presence of tablets and smartphones. Responsive design may not be an explicit SEO factor, but in terms of usability, it is likely to be a highly influential element to consider in 2013.

• 6. Localisation

Google’s growing preference for local websites and information has become evident in many searches. It’s safe to assume 2013 we’ll witness an increase in this preference. Websites that apply local SEO will enjoy higher rankings and visibility. This includes map data, listings, citations, and reviews on local information sites.

• 7. Media

Images and videos have become staples on the Internet. We’ve consistently seen that relevant results that include videos get ranked higher than text-only content. The further emergence of media content is an important development you can expect next year. It’s becoming essential to add relevant non-textual media to text content, because this adds value and makes the content more resourceful.

So there you have it, 7 trends to keep and eye on in 2013 if you want to get serious about your website’s SEO efforts.

Where will you focus your efforts in SEO in 2013?