Staying updated with the latest Search Engine Optimization (SEO) related developments is important to increase your website’s traffic. It can be a bit demanding, but it is worth your efforts.
To help you stay informed and prepared for the upcoming digital challenges, we have prepared a list of some SEO trends to look out for this year. These trends can be your flashlights on your way to SEO success.
Here’s a quick rundown of the most relevant SEO trends:
Artificial Intelligence Will Decide the Rankings
- RankBrain, Google’s AI algorithm, is an important factor to rank in SERPs. There is no specific information on how RankBrain functions, but it is said to help Google interpret queries by finding pages that are relevant, but may not have the exact keywords used in the queries. One of the best ways to optimize your SEO for RankBrain is by organizing the content on your page.
- BERT was rolled out in Google’s search system in October 2019 for English-language queries. The BERT algorithm will help Google better understand the intent behind users’ search queries. It aims to provide relevant results by understanding natural language. BERT will impact 10% of searches, so there are chances it will also affect your brand’s visibility. Again, great content will be rewarded!
- Discover, Google’s AI-driven tool, identifies user behavioral patterns and gradually learns these habits. The information collected is used to find the most accurate content that the users will be interested in. Wondering what you can do? Nothing! If Google indexes your page, your content is included.
The Shift to Mobile-First Indexing
- Almost 70% of the sites shown in Google’s search results have shifted to mobile-first indexing. As of September 2020, Google has officially switched to mobile-first indexing. To ensure your web page is mobile-friendly, use the Mobile-Friendly Test Tool offered by Google.
Content Strategy Tips
- Wish to create quality content for your business? Follow the EAT principle (expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness) while you craft your content strategy. It helps to build a positive online presence and ensures that the user is protected from fraud & low-quality content.
- To rank higher in Google and to keep your users engaged, we recommend focusing on quality long-form content (3000+ words). Steps to create engaging long-form content include breaking the content into sections, adding headings and sub-headings, researching the topic in-depth, creating a content outline, etc.
Local SEO Gains Importance
- Local SEO is evolving rapidly due to the rise of zero-click searches. Zero-click searches are results that are shown at the top of Google’s first page so the user doesn’t have to open a link. Wish to get started with local SEO? Create a GMB (Google My Business) page!
- A Featured Snippet aims to answer a search query, and is located at or near the top of a Google SERP. It is a great way to reach the first page of search results. Having a presence inside the PAA (People Also Ask) box is also an effective way to rank on the first page of the search results.
Focus On User Search Intent
- Semantic Search is gradually gaining importance, because Google now analyzes the query context and tries to understand a user’s search intent to provide more relevant information. Wish to deal with Semantic Search? Create content that answers a question that your potential customers would pose.
- Google urges proper labeling and optimization of images, so now is the right time to optimize or recheck the images on your website. We recommend using good quality and relevant images. Also, customize the file name and label the photos properly so that the displayed images are in-line with the content on the page.
Other Ways to Optimize Keywords
- Voice Search Technology is popular enough to consider it an important ranking factor. Using the keywords that consumers use regularly for voice search can be useful to drive traffic to your site.
- YouTube has millions of users, so you must create video content to reach out to your potential customers. To get started, type your video’s topic, and study the results that appear. This will give you a list of keywords and tell you precisely what people on YouTube are looking for.
Be Data-Driven
- Data science helps you to understand buyers and create targeted messages. Analytics can help you verify which URLs are getting crawled, and check page loading time, indexing, response errors, and more. Staying updated with the data and analytics related to your business gives you an edge over your competitors.
The right SEO tools can guide you to prepare a smart SEO strategy and help you stay on top of the rankings.
