You must appear on the first page of the SERPs to generate organic traffic. That's where SEO comes in handy. However, SEO continues to evolve. Our goal in this post is to present important trends for SEO success in 2021. The list includes -
- Website's Core Vitals
- Using Google's BERT
- Conducting keyword research
- The original content
- Using voice search
- The concept of AI
According to what we mentioned above, in order to rank higher or simply maintain your rankings, you need to stay in touch with Google's algorithm by updating your SEO strategy frequently. Listed below are the top Google and SEO trends; use this information for deciding which tools and strategies you should prioritize in 2021.
Website's Core Vitals
Google announced a new set of metrics for evaluating user experience in May 2020. The metrics are Loading, Interactivity, and Visual Stability. All three metrics deal with just one thing: the speed of a page's loading, it's interactiveness, and the stability of that loading.
In May 2021, Google will consider Web Vitals as ranking factors, meaning that if you want to appear on the first page, you must pay close attention to them. Taking into account user experience metrics will enable search engine bots to determine which of two similar pages to rank higher.
Using Google's BERT
Using BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers), Google understands what users actually search for using machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP). For almost every Google English query, it is available in more than 70 languages.
Google's BERT update has made its search engine bots much more "conversational." Now, the search engine's algorithm is able to analyze a searcher's intent for the first time. In other words, Google now understands how the brain works.
It also means that mismatches between content and intent will negatively impact websites. BERT will ignore long-form content that is not fulfilling user intent and instead choose another piece of content that does.
It's important to note that Google BERT isn't an algorithmic penalty. Google's ranking algorithm understands search queries and content like humans, so it locates & serves the most relevant & useful content to users. Sites will not be penalized or deranked as a result. As always, Google will give preference to the sites that provide the best results for users.
The content that you provide cannot satisfy the user's needs, so it isn't BERT-friendly and you will not rank for that keyword for a long time. This is why it is so important to create content that meets the user's needs.
Conducting keyword research
Zero-click searches account for more than half of all searches. The number of Google searches end with no click is more than half (approx. 175 billion per month). Due to the rich SERP results in Google-Google business listings that generate menus and contact information, Featured Snippets that answer related questions, new accordion answers, and more, consumers can find the answers they need without even having to click a result...
You can still get organic traffic if your web pages, ads, business profiles, and blog content contain and cover these keywords according to the searcher's intent. It's crucial for your business to invest some time in keyword research, given the advancements in the SERP and the sheer amount of competition out there.
A step-by-step guide
Your business can benefit from long-tail keywords. To get those keywords, you need some creativity and skill. Google Search Console is your goldmine for finding keywords for your business (but be careful here!!)
Recognize the intent. While using SEO tools. Prior to choosing a keyword, you should analyze the SERP for that keyword. An experiment I conducted recently showed that even a low-volume keyword can generate thousands of dollars per month if its intent is right.
The original content
Authentic content is important for businesses beyond branding, since great content plays a crucial role in SEO and ranking. The content here is unique, as it has not been previously published.
To develop unique content, you will need case studies, experiments, customer testimonials, and milestones related to your company. The content not only will establish your brand as a trusted one among Google and your audience, but it will also become more authentic for Google to enjoy.
Using voice search
Voice search is used by 27% of all mobile phone owners in the world, according to Google. Additionally, according to ComScore, more than half of smartphone users will use voice search in 2020.
One thing about voice search is that it's largely long-tail and very specific. The majority of people who use voice search are looking for specific information. They tend to convert more readily than users at the consideration stage. With more and more people opting for voice search optimization with each passing year, it's expected to remain a trend in 2021. In this sense, SEO can be a necessity.
The concept of AI
SEO and marketing are also affected by AI, just like most of the industries. A major reason for AI's impact is the personalization it allows. As a matter of fact, Google utilizes artificial intelligence to present you with the results you want.
In what ways can AI improve your SEO efforts?
Understanding search engine algorithms takes years. It takes a great deal of time to develop strategies according to the situation. The use of artificial intelligence and machine learning can transform SEO with the help of experts. In terms of decoding algorithms and creating favorable strategies, it would be much more efficient and powerful.
