Online marketing industry is complex and volatile area, but its also an exciting one for anybody who likes to be in modern trends. Every year there is an implementation of a new hardware, software,  companies, and user preferences which results a host of sweeping changes that either get accepted or ignored by the business world.

2016 looks to be a great year for online marketing, and it is shaking up the game with these six trends:

Video ads will start dominating

There is nothing new in Video ads, with social channels like YouTube dedicated to host billions of videos and advertising platforms like Facebook and Bing already offering advertisers video options. 2016 is set to be different because Google is finally getting strong with SERP video advertising. It’s a positive remark  that users are being more attracted towards the video ads online, and as that trend continues, expect to see more types of video ads popping up in more unexpected places.

App indexing will lead to explosion of apps

Google offered app indexing for a while, but as the ranking possibilities for apps become more complex, 2016 will be the year more business owners realize the online visibility advantages of a dedicated app. A mobile-optimized site works wonders for appealing to the mobile crowd, but soon, apps will replace them. Apps can do everything that websites can, except in more intuitive, convenient, accessible ways. We’re still several years away from apps completely replacing websites as a medium, but 2016 will be a pivotal year in app adoption from business owner’s perspectives.

Mobile will completely dominate desktop

 2015 was a great year for mobiles—not only Google announce that mobile traffic finally overtook desktop traffic in 10 different countries, it was also the year they released the “Mobilegeddon” algorithm update to recognize sites not optimized for mobile. But apparently, you don’t have to have an optimized desktop site in addition to a mobile version—according to Google, a mobile-only site with no desktop counterpart will be perfectly accepted. This alone won’t be enough to drive down desktop traffic, but it’s clear what side of the fence Google’s on; they’re banking on desktop traffic fading away, meaning the smart money rests on mobile-focused online marketing.

Digital assistants will lead to a new kind of optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising are two highly popular strategies for getting your site seen by thousands unknown visitors. But the rise of digital assistants is leading to a new strategy for optimization. Digital assistants like Siri and Cortana do utilize traditional search engines, but only when necessary to find information. The key to optimizing in this new format is to make sure your business information is easily accessible to these assistants , rather than trying to channel people to your site.

Virtual reality will come forth

There are dozens of different virtual reality devices which is set to release in the next few years, some of these are dedicated for specific applications like video games, and others which are available for general use. Oculus Rift the most hyped virtual reality device, is set to release in the first quarter of 2016. Oculus Rift and other VR devices will introduce an entirely new channel  for online advertising, blending with popular social media platforms, video channels, and even forms of direct messaging.

Wearable technology and the Internet of Things will footstep a new ground

 

While not entirely to the level of virtual reality, wearable “smart” devices should start gaining more traction into 2016. 2015 saw the unveiling of the Apple Watch, a first-generation smart watch, but more smart watches and similar wearable devices should start emerging next year. Such devices will change the landscape of local marketing, and will do more to dim the lines between “online” and “real” marketing.