There are many articles about Google “SEO trends” but all of them say basically the same thing: Things will continue to change. This is why it’s so difficult to find a definitive list. Nevertheless, here are some trends for 2020 that have been seen starting to form throughout 2019.
Google is Highly Focused on Intent
Based on how people conduct searches, Google has gotten really good at reading intent and providing different content based on whether it thinks you want to buy something or have a question answered. You should remember this when you’re creating content for your website. SEO services must tailor their customers’ content’s language and structure accordingly.
Page Speed is Frequently Overlooked
Google is so concerned with page speed that they’ve publicly stated that figures into how their algorithm ranks a website. Unfortunately, some SEO services still overlook this factor, which is a critical mistake not only for SEO but also for the end user. It really does pay off to take the time to optimize images, utilize caching, and cut down on the number of redirects your site uses.
While Paid Search is Important, Organic Search is Even More Important
Many businesses need to improve upon their organic search. While paid search is oftentimes easier and faster, over 50% of website traffic comes from organic search today. Unfortunately, it can be very challenging to tap into this though since a comprehensive, sustainable strategy is necessary. Don’t get caught up in publishing a lot of content though. Instead, focus on producing as much well-structured, authoritative content as possible.
The No-Click Search Results era has Arrived
Although this probably sounds counterintuitive, it’s important to understand that most search results never get clicked on. While it’s possible that this is because people are searching for things and not finding what they need, but more than likely it’s because Google’s rich-featured results give them all the information they need so they don’t need to click through to your website. This is something that we’ll see happening even more as Google works to improve its snippets, knowledge graphs, and local business listings. The information that’s found herein is quick and easy to digest so people get everything they need without ever clicking through to a website.
Content is Still King Just in a New, Urgent Way
Today’s search algorithms are pickier than ever. They strongly prefer content that’s well organized, highly optimized, authoritative and valuable all at the same time. So, while word count and keyword density are helpful, they’re not as important if your content isn’t on par. This is why content mills and black hat SEO are quickly becoming things of the past.
Today, the information’s quality and relevance are just as important as making sure that everything on the page is structured and optimized properly – not only for the page itself, but also for the website. All these things work together to provide Google with the signals its algorithm needs to use to decide where to place you in the SERPs. This is why site audits (a full inventory of your sitemap) are so important anymore.
Conclusion
Although there are some trends starting to form, there’s still no way that you can optimize for everything at the same time. Of course, you can try but your time is better spent ensuring that you have good SEO strategies and a solid framework in place. Maintaining these on a regular basis is also important. Since you’re already busy with your business’ many other demands, you should hire a SEO service like the Local SEO Company to manage this for you.
