SEO is ever-changing, so are the best practices and new trends to reach on the SERPs’ first position and rule it. The last year was a roller-coaster ride for many businesses. There is a drastic change in the number of brands investing in SEO and digital marketing strategy as a whole. It is obvious when the digital marketing adoption rate is increasing. It is an hour of change in the way digital experts traditionally do SEO. The few basics such as using relevant keywords for On-page SEO, optimizing a website for a mobile-friendly experience, meta description remains the same. However, it needs to be in sync with the new SEO tactics to gain maximum website traffic and brand awareness. Let’s check out the best SEO Trends and Practices to follow in 2024.
Focus on Zero-Click Search
Did you observe that most of the searches get answered without actually opening the links? The searched pieces of information or queries are well-answered on the first page of the search results themselves. Smart search engine features such as knowledge graphs, featured snippets, Google’s local packs, etc. does the job brilliantly.
Smart Move: SEO experts can find keywords that are relevant and can bring clicks to the website. This will reduce your work on optimizing for information that is not delivering expected results.
Work on Local SEO
A lot has changed after country-wide Covid-19 lockdowns across the globe. Times are uncertain, and hence, the focus on Local SEO has seen enormous growth. Through Local SEO activities, brands are trying to get featured in Local Packs. Again, zero-click-search comprises local search queries in bulk. As soon as the searcher enters the question, they get access to information. In the case of the mobile view, the local packs often cover an entire screen space, leaving fewer possibilities for page scroll.
Smart Move:
You can create your business’s Google My Business Page. Just having a page isn’t enough, have a strong backlink profile and keep track of your local ranking performance.
SEO Optimization for Featured & Rich Snippets
As we said, zero-click search is the new big; SEO tactics need to be revised simultaneously. You must focus on optimising for featured snippets. It shows an entire section of information at the top of the search results. If SEO is done right, featured snippets can greatly skyrocket your Click-through rate. Similarly, Rich Snippets can attract more viewers to your website. It is an addition to the page title and description, showing ratings, images, prices, etc. The add on information space is a good opportunity to attract searchers.
Smart Move: You can get these snippets once you have structured data. For effective SEO results, focus on keywords that are already ranking for a featured snippet. It works!
Pay Attention To Google’s Algorithm Update
Google is planning to update the algorithm in May 2021. This update will include a factor ‘Page Experience.’ It includes existing Google Search signals- safe-browsing, mobile-friendliness, HTTPS, and more. Understanding this update is essential as it will have an impact on website ranking. If your client webpages have slow loading speed, high bounce rate, poorly designed and structured web pages, it is a wake-up call to you.
Smart Move:
Fix your On-Page performance. There is still time to improve your website visitors experience; follow good on-page SEO practices, work on page design, page speed and more. It’s time for action, not excuses!
Brand Building
SEO is doing its job. However, SEO experts need to consider social media marketing. Collaborating with influencers on social media is a great idea and proves valuable for brands. Social mentions and no link mentions are contributing a lot to gaining credibility online.
Also Read:- Video SEO: How to Optimize Videos for Search
Smart Move:
If you haven’t already, now is the time to focus on social media as well. You can include keywords in the captions, connect to influencers to get more CTR. A bit expensive yet an effective tactic to align with your SEO strategy!
Video in Search Results
In 2024, videos will continue to dominate the SEO industry. Google’s algorithms are becoming smarter and are giving preference to video content as it often provides comprehensive and easy-to-digest information. SEO strategies would then need to incorporate the optimization of video content. Another consideration would be the use of video schema markup to help search engines better comprehend the content and context of videos. Also, YouTube SEO would gain greater significance, as it’s the second biggest search engine, behind Google. So, ensuring your videos are discovered and understood by YouTube and Google will become crucial.
Smart Move:
Optimize video content with keywords, tags, and descriptions. Using YouTube to upload videos can also help improve visibility, considering it’s a Google-owned platform. You can connect with an SEO agency in Pune to strategize your SEO for videos.
Multiple Content Formats on Multiple Channels
This trend is about diversifying content formats and publishing them across various platforms. In the forthcoming years, search engines will prioritize websites that don’t just contain text but also make use of images, infographics, podcasts, and slides, among other things. This also means making use of different platforms – not limiting your content to your website or blog but also leveraging social media, guest blogging spots, online forums, and more. Diversified content would likely result in increased engagement rates and higher search engine rankings.
Smart Move:
Craft content that is tailored to the medium and audience it’s intended for. Cross-promoting your content can increase its reach and engagement.
User Experience (UX)
User Experience (UX) is predicted to be a top-ranking factor in 2024. Google’s Core Web Vitals update highlighted the importance of UX, with load speed, interactivity, and visual stability being key web performance metrics. Poor user experience can lead to high bounce rates, indicating to Google that your website may not offer value to visitors. It’s essential to provide a smooth, engaging experience for users, not only on your website but across all digital platforms. This includes mobile devices, as mobile experience is becoming even more critical in SEO.
Smart Move:
Improve website speed, enhance mobile-friendliness, reduce bounce rates, and make website navigation intuitive. An SEO service in Pune can help you improve your website UX.
Focus on Search Intent
Understanding and fulfilling search intent will be more important than ever in 2024. Google’s main aim is to present the most relevant results to the users’ queries. SEOs will need to focus more on creating content that aligns with the intent behind the keywords, not just the keywords themselves. The type of content you create, its format, and its tone all need to meet user intent. By making use of tools that offer insights into users’ online behaviour and search intent, you can create content that matches their needs and search demand.
Smart Move:
Optimize content around topics instead of just keywords, as this will help match your website content with the user’s search intent, thus improving your website’s visibility on SERPs.
Mobile-Friendly
Being the best SEO services in Pune, we understand that having a mobile-friendly website has been important for several years now, but its importance will increase in 2024. This means not just having a responsive design that looks good on mobiles, but also ensures that the website loads quickly and offers easy navigation on smaller screens. As per Google’s Mobile-First Index, the mobile version of any website is considered the main version of that website. So if your site isn’t mobile-friendly, it may negatively impact your overall SEO rankings.
Smart Move: Ensure your website passes the mobile-friendly test of Google by having a responsive design, fast loading speeds, easy navigation, and readable text size. This will not just boost your rankings but also enhance your user experience.
The moment SEO experts conquer the first rank on the search engine, some new algorithm update rolls out, or a new trend makes it difficult to keep ruling the top position. It is challenging for SEO experts to get back to the same position as competition is ever-increasing. The smart move is to stay updated with the changing SEO trends and follow the best SEO practices to achieve your targets. If you are a brand owner looking for an SEO company in Pune, congratulations! You’ve landed on the right page (pretty much reflects we are a pro at what we do – SEO!). We can curate the best SEO solutions for your brand.
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