When it comes to conducting business online, one of the most important aspects has to do with search engine optimization (SEO). For a business to be successful here it must rank highly in the search engine results pages (SERPs). This means paying careful attention to changes in algorithms so you can adapt your content and keywords accordingly.
Last year there was a major increase in e-commerce as more brands started conducting business online. This resulted in the need for better SEO so you rank higher in the SERPs and are more competitive. To do this it wasn’t only important to make sure that your web pages are properly optimized but you must also pay attention to what’s trending. In 2021 we’ve seen three major trends emerge.
Video Content
One of the biggest challenges this year when it comes to SEO is including video content. While this isn’t something new it has grown massively over the past decade and doesn’t appear to be stopping anytime in the near future. This is something that can be seen when you look at sites like YouTube, Instagram Reels, or TikTok. Although these are more popular with younger audiences they can still share a lot of information in a very short amount of time.
Video content is also beneficial in that it’s easily viewed on mobile devices. Since a growing number of people are using their mobile devices to go online it’s important to capture their attention. In fact, most social media users will respond more favorably to videos than text. This increasing demand has led companies to use more video content today. While this is great, you can’t rely on it alone for your SEO. You need to make sure it’s also either interesting or educational for your audience.
FAQs
These have also started to play a bigger role with more consumers searching the internet for answers. By including FAQs on your website you’ll help establish trust with your customers because they’ll see you as both helpful and knowledgeable. For this to happen you need to do a good job of optimizing your FAQ so that Google sees you’re focusing on providing educational information to your visitors. To do this try to set up your page so that it covers the most commonly asked or searched for questions related to your company. Make sure you use matching keywords and optimize your SEO.
Voice Search
One of the biggest newcomers to SEO is voice recognition technology and voice searches. The number of people who have these speakers has grown rapidly since 2017. In fact, approximately 1 in 4 American adults now has one in their home but these devices are also prevalent elsewhere. People like them because they’re convenient and easily accessible. Google actually conducted a research study in which they discovered that 72% of people said they use it daily.
One of the biggest challenges when it comes to optimizing your website for voice searches is that you need to understand that these searches are meant for longtail keywords. Pause for a moment to consider how many words you type for the average text search. The answer is probably more than three. This is why many websites have been optimized for these short searches. However, this doesn’t work when you’re conducting a voice search.
When it comes to voice searches most users will pose it in the form of a question that uses natural language. Therefore these searches are typically over 7 words long. To adapt to this, you need to create long-form SEO content that matches these searches’ wording. For instance, if you wanted to find the best coffee in Cleveland you’re likely to type “Best Coffee Cleveland” but you’d say “Where can I find the best coffee in Cleveland?” As you can see these are the same question using vastly different wording. You need to pay attention to this when you’re optimizing your website for voice searches.
It’s really important for you to keep up with the latest search engine trends. It may actually make a difference in whether you even show up in the SERPs. For help ensuring that you rank high enough to get new business, you should contact the Local SEO Company in Tampa, FL today.