The year 2020 has already brought a lot of changes to digital marketing across various industries. More people are working remotely around the globe, consumers’ buying behaviors have changed, and as a result, marketers have scrambled to keep up.
But SEO is still a major part of generating leads and increasing traffic to your website, blog, and landing pages. Here are five trends in SEO that you should be integrating into your own practices.
1. Voice Search
More and more people are engaging in voice search every day, especially as virtual assistants like Google Home and Amazon Echo have become the norm in households. A voice survey from Microsoft in 2019 showed that 72 percent of respondents had used a digital assistant in the last six months. These devices make it easy to multitask.
To get in on this trend, make sure your keywords center around more conversational words and phrases. What would someone ask a speaker versus type in a search engine? Another strategy is to include FAQ sections on your pages, which appear as a popular result in voice searches.
2. AI and Machine Learning
Over the years, Google has continued to alter its algorithm for its search results rankings. The technology aims to help inquirers find the most relevant results, which is more challenging every day as more and more internet content is created, posted, and shared.
Algorithms look for factors like keywords, expertise, and credibility, and location to deliver the best results. RankBrain is an algorithm that uses AI techniques, which may focus on signals about the user experience, including how often your links are clicked. It’s thus more important than ever to make sure you’re tracking important metrics like click-through rates.
3. Search Intent
Another key player in effective SEO is search intent. Google has recently really started focusing more on this aspect of searches, recognizing that consumers and leads aren’t always following a linear path when they’re looking for something. Search intent helps you understand the customer’s entire journey, and you can plan accordingly based on behaviors and desires.
Search intent is usually within these four categories: informational, transactional, commercial, and navigational. This means you should start paying closer attention to keywords and what they tell you about what a customer is seeking. Which of these four categories is a lead classified in for each targeted keyword?
4. Video
Video is everywhere, and marketers need to continue taking advantage of this trend. When considering your SEO, remember that your video content also needs to be optimized with keywords and key phrases that your target is using.
One way to find relevant video keywords is to look at what users are searching for in the YouTube search bar. Start typing and the autofill feature kicks in.
5. High-Quality Content
As has been the case for years, high-quality content is still king in SEO. Google can recognize when something was thrown together and has a lot of mistakes or doesn’t adhere to common SEO practices. These practices include using headings, integrating keywords, writing short sentences and paragraphs, and trying to cater your messages to your target audience.
If you’re not sure how to optimize your content for SEO, it’s always wise to hire a writer or editor who can help you produce only high-quality copy that will engage readers and please Google’s algorithms.
The world of SEO is always changing. Each new year brings a host of new technologies that marketers need to keep up with. Search Atlas provides completely free SEO tools to help you generate leads and stand out from your competitors. Take advantage of all the online solutions available to you and your team to boost your SEO strategy today.
