It’s no secret that the internet revolutionized the way we consume information. The information we want and need is now always at our fingertips. To put that into perspective, there were 5.8 billion Google searches per day in 2019.
That’s a lot of information for people to consume. How can you stand out in a seemingly endless sea of content? The answer: search engine optimization, also known as SEO.
SEO is constantly changing, which means you need to stay on top of the latest trends. Here are some of the top SEO trends to look for in 2021 and how they can help your business.
AI Will Be a Large Factor in SEO
One of the biggest trends for search engine optimization in 2021 will be artificial intelligence (AI) playing a large role in a business’s SEO efforts. Thanks to AI, internet users are getting targeted information based on factors like their past behaviors, their location, and what device they’re using. Businesses need to know this and adapt their SEO strategy to incorporate the impact of AI.
Google’s AI algorithm, known as RankBrain, influences how content ranks on search engine results pages (SERPs). While it’s not completely clear how this algorithm works, it’s important to pay attention to user behavior, such as click-through rates and time spent on the page to see if your AI content is working.
If you’re thinking about using AI to help with your content and SEO efforts, consider working with an SEO company to figure out how to do it effectively.
Search Intent Will Become Crucial to Understand
Understanding search intent has always been vital to a team’s search engine optimization strategy, but it will become even more important in 2021. Understanding why a user is searching for something will help you better optimize your content. Search intent is often categorized into three sections: transactional, informational, and navigational. For instance, if someone searches “how to make lasagna,” they’re looking for information. If they search “lasagna near me,” they’re looking for places that sell lasagna near them.
Focusing on search intent is crucial for your SEO strategy in 2021. Focusing on search intent will help you optimize your content and rank for strategic keywords that drive your website’s right traffic.
The E.A.T. Concept Will Be a Game-Changer
If you’re not familiar with E.A.T., you’ll want to do your research on it ASAP. E.A.T. stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. These are three important pillars in Google’s search engine optimization algorithm that determines if your website has quality content. The better the quality of your content, the better your chances are of Google ranking it highly.
One of the best ways to ensure you’re getting the most out of the E.A.T. strategy is to be in tune with your leads’ needs. Answer their questions with quality content that’s factual and helpful, not just clickbait. If you need help with your E.A.T. strategy, you can always look for a company specializing in providing SEO services.
Voice Search Will Impact SEO
As technology evolves and the consumer’s convenience becomes more of a priority, voice search will largely influence search engine optimization. When someone’s typing on a phone or a computer, they can search for terms in a certain way. For instance, someone can search “best Chinese food places near me.” However, if they’re utilizing voice search, they may search “what’s the best Chinese food near me?” This subtle difference can shift your strategy from targeting shorter keywords to targeting more long-tail keywords.
Please do your research on what longtail keywords to target and other factors that play into voice search and how it impacts your company. If you need help with this, you can always enlist a company that provides a comprehensive SEO service.
Brands Will Focus More on Mobile-Friendliness
Having mobile-friendly content is essential for any business’s search engine optimization strategy. It’s becoming even more important in 2021. We live in a world where billions of people have smartphones, which means billions of people search on mobile each day. If you want to keep up with current trends and ensure your internet visitors have the best experience possible, you need to make your website and your content mobile-friendly.
If your website takes a long time to load on mobile, or your web pages and content look crowded, you could lose potential customers in just seconds. That’s why you should focus on quality web page speed on mobile and making sure Google can crawl your web pages on mobile. Make the web pages simple to read and consume content on and make the pages responsive. If you find your website needs a mobile-friendly boost, you can enlist the help of a website design company to get it to appear nicely on mobile.
SEO is a crucial element of your content marketing and website visibility strategy. The more you do your research and optimize your online content for search purposes, the better your chances will be of ranking well on searches. That’s why you should pay attention to these trends and be proactive with your strategy. Being proactive will help increase your chances of seeing incredible organic growth.