Digital marketing trends evolve quickly, and SEO (search engine optimization) is an ever-changing strategy. With so many Google algorithm updates now and then, the complexities of getting higher ranks on SERPs are increasing. You might have reached the correct process before, but a slight change in the algorithm can instantly lead you anywhere between pages 2 to 10. Furthermore, nothing stays the same in SEO. Thus, it is essential to regularly follow the latest trends and Google algorithm updates to find the best approach for your business.
With more than 2 trillion Search engine queries every year, most businesses have understood the game of algorithms, and many are still struggling to understand the unpredictable SEO industry. However, if you want to maintain an edge over your competitors and stay on top of the SERPs, you need to make your website evolve as the SEO does. As we speak of 2021, two of the google algorithm updates rolled out back-to-back. The first one came out in mid-June, and the second one in November. But that’s not; you need to consider all the previous 200+ ranking factors and the new ones if you want to retain your SERP rankings.
If you are wondering why? Well, Google highly determines the failure or success of any business based on where it ranks on the SERPs. This is enough to start working on your SEO to strengthen and raise your SERP rankings according to the latest trends based on all Google updates. So read through to explore the top SEO tech trends of 2021 to start your digital growth right away.
SEO Tech Trends You Must Know & Implement
If you are struggling to apprehend the recent or previous updates to find the best SEO approaches for your business, this guide will help you recognize some.
Artificial Intelligence
AI has changed the way how people interact with businesses and the content they post online. Therefore, Google scientists emphasize optimizing your website and its content according to the related algorithms. Using AI and tools that help you improve the website’s experience is a big trend to follow in 2021.
Owing to the need for tools, a google scientist developed RankBrain, an AI system used by Google to provide more search-intent centric results. It uses AI and machine learning to learn about visitors and the way they respond to websites. RankBrain uses its observation to determine which websites should rank higher on the SERPs and the ones to follow.
However, as an SEO expert, you need to optimize your content for RankBrain using long-tail keywords and refine your content’s structure and format according to Google’s guidelines. Moreover, use the UX signals like how people interact with your content, the CTR, and the time spent on your pages to determine the success rate of your content. You can create engaging and captivating content to foster user experiences.
Another way to analyze and improvise your content for AI is an on-page SEO checker; it will enable you to evaluate page strength through the readability of content, backlinks, and more.
Mobile-Friendly Websites
Today, more than 73% of internet users search through their mobile phones, making up a vast majority. Seeing a continuous rise in mobile phone searches, google rolled out an algorithm update back in 2019, named mobile-first indexing. This algorithm meant that the google search engine will now primarily focus on websites that work and look good on mobile devices instead of desktop-focused websites.
Therefore, if you want to maximize your reach and the results, you cannot ignore the significant number of mobile users. The stats clearly show why you must create a mobile-friendly website with mobile-supporting interfaces and fantastic user experiences. You can evaluate how your website responds or works on mobile devices through Google Search Console. This tech-check will enable you to improvise on your pain points and increase your chances of higher rankings on the SERPs.
Voice Search Optimization
If you use modern tech devices, you might be familiar with so many voice assistants. Most of the devices we use today have built-in voice assistants supported by their browsers. For example, if you own an android, you would have used Google Assistant; similarly, Amazon users recognize Alexa, and for Apple users, there is Siri. As technology is becoming better every day, more voice assistants are coming forth. In fact, more than 55% of households are predicted to own smart speakers controlled by voice commands by 2022.
Moreover, as mobile devices are creating ease for the users, voice search allows them more convenience. Enabling the users to go hands-free to perform several tasks throughout the day, including making searches on the internet, is becoming a rising trend among the audience. Therefore, it is essential for SEO experts and marketers to optimize their advertisement and SEO-centric content with voice search-related keywords.
These keywords often include long-tail keywords or commonly used phrases that people use to do online searches. In addition, you can use several free tools from Google’s toolbox to identify the voice search histories of google users and curate your content optimization strategy based on the data and analysis.
You might be wondering why voice search keywords differ from typed search keywords. For example, when you type a query in the google search, you might keep it short as “best songs of 2021.” However, when giving a voice command, you may want to go overboard and say the complete phrase as “what are the best songs of 2021?” Therefore, the keywords for both kinds of searches vary, and you need to include both to cater to a broader audience.
Featured Snippets
People are already familiar with the need for long-form content to climb the search engine, but including the correct information in your content matters to appear in the featured snippets. If you are not familiar with featured snippets, search on Google and observe the result that appears on top with a brief description, title, and Meta description.
Featured snippets appear on top because they have the most appropriate, logical, and complete answer to the search query or parts of the search query. As it appears on top of the SERPs, you can see the searched keyword highlight in the description.
Now, you must be thinking about making your content appear in the featured snippet; well, there is no defined way to do so. First, however, you have to earn that “0” rank.
This search result is also known as the Google answer box, appearing in this section not only highlights you on the SERPs but drastically increases your traffic as well.
Image Optimization
With more search options introduced by Google, people now often use images to search for related products. However, Google has always emphasized the need for image marking or optimization to lead people to your website even through images.
As technology is evolving every day, image searches are becoming a hot trend on search engines. However, if you want to optimize your content completely, you must produce unique, high-quality images according to your content and pages. Moreover, using alt text and customized file names to label photos and help crawlers classify the photo for the search engine.
Another great way to list your images is to add them to your sitemap. So, that it’s easier for the google bots to crawl to them through a defined map.
To Conclude
SEO is getting more challenging every day. But to raise the bar high for your competitors and to stay on top of the SERPs, you need to follow the latest SEO tech trends. Gone are the days when simply keyword optimization and Meta descriptions worked for higher rankings. Instead, now you have to optimize for mobiles, desktops, and even voice search. Therefore, these tools and technologies will help you optimize your website for better UX and increased performance on the SERPs.