7 SEO Trends for 2020 you must read

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is an ever-evolving beast of the marketing world, and also the constant changes within the space are part of what makes it a thing that is put on the back-burner of many a marketing strategy. But, with Google’s constant algorithm updates (3,200 at the past year alone!) , it’d be remiss to ignore it.

With 3.2 billion internet users globally making multiple search queries every day (3.5 billion and counting) that lead to a huge number of sites, the digital landscape is a very competitive space — to say the least. To make certain that the right eyeballs are landing in your site (for terms related to what you are offering — whether a product or service), well-planned search engine optimization tactics are crucial.

Many businesses wind up avoiding doing SEO because they find it daunting, or see that they have a much better return from paid media. When it could be true that a short-term, high-spend paid campaign can find the results that you are after, for long-term brand success, SEO is a crucial pillar into your marketing strategy and overall efforts.

As we mentioned, the entire world of SEO is constantly changing. If you are thinking about getting your search engine optimization efforts going or getting your strategies in better shape, take a look at our authoritative SEO how-to guide. Also, to prepare yourself in 2020, here are 7 key trends that will surface that you can further optimise for:

SEO Trend#1: Voice search — when they speak, be discovered

Voice search is growing exponentially, and will be the biggest change to reach the search engine optimization space, with 50% of all online searches called to be voice-based by next year.

Voice search is all about asking questions in real time, meaning the targeted phrases in SEO are more conversational. However, when utilizing voice searches that the search engine has to do a lot more work to acquire the relevant information that the consumer is looking for at that moment. This makes brief choppy key words not so important anymore.

To optimise for voice search, ensure your content is designed to answer genuine queries rather than targeted to a specific keyword or set of keywords.

SEO Trend #2: Local SEO — Location, location, location

46% of all Google searches are location-based, meaning nearly half the searches are primed for local targeting and optimising. 34 percent of”near me” searches done via background and tablets lead to store visits. Local optimisation brings your company to the attention of the audience that is most likely to see you. It also associates you as a recognised company to the particular search phrase they are found for.

Ensure you claim and optimise listings across Google My Business, Apple Maps and Bing Places, while encouraging your customers to leave a review to increase your brand’s trustworthiness. Also, confirm that your site is mobile friendly, as most of the local searches are done via a mobile device. Voice search ties in here as well, as many times folks are looking for businesses to visit as they are moving.

SEO Trend#3: Mobile-first index and UX — it is all about the encounter

You could have a really responsive website on desktop computer, but when your cellular variant is not user-friendly, you are seriously going to miss out. 52% of global online traffic stems from mobile users, and this amount is only growing with the increasing adoption of smartphones into people’s daily lives.

But technology and how folks find information by using their mobile devices is becoming so advanced that it’s not sufficient to just have a mobile site. The interface has to be easy to read, grab people’s attention and have the ability to answer their own questions or at least keep them entertained. You can assess whether or not your site is fully optimised for mobile using Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test.

SEO Trend #4: Video content — Capture their imagination

Present internet users prefer to acquire information through online videos, possibly for academic purposes or for entertainment. This is especially true for millennials and younger audiences. That’s why implementing online video should be on the radar for most companies. A quality video can attract many users if it is dynamic and doesn’t put viewers to sleep.

To reach more people with your videos you need to optimise it for search users. The description and headline are prime real estate for appropriate keywords. This will make sure that the video creates maximum impact amongst the audience most inclined to engage with that subject.

SEO Trend #5: Image search — Look great, feel good

In fact, according to MIT, 90 percent of information transmitted into the human brain is visual. Image search, or visual search, is a climbing tendency that has come with the growth of artificial intelligence (AI). Images are scanned by AI to understand the components, and showcase the relevant desired benefits.

So how do you optimise for visual search? Firstly, it’s important to add descriptive alt-text to images such as relevant keywords to rank for the right content. It’s also crucial that all image titles, alt tags, file names and image size are optimised for a faster site and for improved context.

SEO Trend #6: Content quality — Don’t say things for the sake of it

Informative and quality articles are the sole type of content that can increase a website’s popularity in 2020 and beyond. Online consumers are quick to detect and dismiss web pages or site articles that are too salesy.

Google, or any veritable search engine at that, aim to present relevant search results to users. That is the reason why when you set up content to rank, they should also be content that helps. This is the reason why sites that try to answer users’ questions better than anyone else ranks higher than the ones that don’t.

Ideally, you should publish high-quality articles consistently so that your website will always stay active and fresh in the eyes of both Google and its ranking algorithm. Google is also particular about the”dwell time” or the time users stay on a specific webpage. If you write useful content for people, this has a tendency to go up and so will your ranking.

SEO Trend#7: Search engine-focused articles — It is not only what you say, but in which as well

Presently, Google is considered the best internet search engine available and they are constantly updating their platform to improve user experience. While it’s unlikely that Google will lose its popularity, there are several other search engines out there.