SEO Trends That Improve Site Ranking
SEO is an ever-changing landscape. What worked last year may not work this year, which is why it’s important to keep up with the latest trends. Whether you are an enterprise, e-commerce or a small business, here are 5 SEO trends that will impact your business and website rankings in 2020:
1. User Intent
One of the most important things Google looks at when ranking websites is user intent. What are users looking for when they search for a certain keyword? If your website is able to provide them with the answer they are looking for, then you are more likely to rank higher in the SERPs. User intent can be divided into four main categories:
- Navigational: Users are looking for a specific website. For example, when someone searches for “Facebook,” they are looking to go to the Facebook website.
- Informational: Users are looking for information on a certain topic. For example, when someone searches for “SEO trends 2020,” they are looking for information on that topic.
- Transactional: Users are looking to buy something. For example, when someone searches for “buy Nike shoes,” they are looking to purchase Nike shoes.
- Commercial Investigation: Users are comparing products or services before making a purchase. For example, when someone searches for “SEO company reviews,” they are looking for information to help them make a decision about which SEO company to use.
2. Voice Search
With the rise of virtual assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Home, voice search is on the rise. In fact, ComScore predicts that 70% of all searches will be voice searches by 2023. This means that businesses need to optimize their website for voice search. When optimizing for voice search, there are a few things you need to keep in mind:
- Long-tail keywords: Since voice searches are usually questions, they tend to be longer than traditional text searches. For example, instead of searching for “SEO,” someone might search for “What are the latest SEO trends?”
- Natural language: When people speak, they use natural language. This means that you need to use natural language on your website as well. For example, instead of using the keyword “voice search,” you would use the phrase “voice-activated search.”
- Local searches: Since people often use voice search to find local businesses, it’s important to optimize your website for local SEO. This means including your city and state in your keywords, as well as creating a Google My Business listing.
3. Mobile-First Indexing
Google has been moving towards a mobile-first index for a while now. This means that Google will primarily use the mobile version of your website to determine your rankings. Therefore, it’s important to make sure that your mobile website is just as good as your desktop website. Here are a few things you need to do:
- Use responsive design: This means that your website will automatically adjust to fit the screen size of the device it is being viewed on.
- Optimize for speed: Mobile users are less likely to wait for a slow website to load. Make sure your website is fast by optimizing your images and using a content delivery network (CDN).
- Improve your UX: Mobile users have a shorter attention span than desktop users. This means that you need to make sure your website is easy to navigate and uses clear and concise language.
4. Structured Data
Structured data is a type of code that helps search engines understands the content on your website. It is used to create rich snippets, which are brief summaries of your content that appear in the SERPs. This can help improve your click-through rate (CTR), as users are more likely to click on a result that provides them with more information.
To add structured data to your website, you need to use the schema.org markup language. This is a code used by Google, Bing, and Yahoo! to understand the content on your website. You can add schema.org code to your website manually or using a plugin.
5. Featured Snippets
Featured snippets are brief summaries of your content that appear at the top of the SERP. They are designed to give users a quick answer to their question.
To get your content featured in a featured snippet, you need to optimize your website for SEO. This means using the right keywords and providing helpful and relevant information. You also need to make sure your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly.
Wrapping up!
These are just a few of the latest SEO trends that you need to be aware of. If you want to stay ahead of the competition, it’s important to keep up with the latest trends. By doing so, you can ensure that your website is optimized for the latest algorithm changes and that you’re providing the best possible experience for your users.
