So much is happening in the world of SEO that if you were to hibernate for three months, you would most likely wake up to new rules and trends that govern SEO. For your business to thrive, you need to stay on top of things to continuously get your SEO right. You may want to look to Google, but rarely does the behemoth reveal all the factors they use to rank websites. Knowledge of the current trends in SEO through research and awareness can help you stay afloat.
Here are five top SEO trends, that we’ve researched, that we feel you should know about:
1. The Use of AI
The world of SEO has made tremendous steps to ensure that users receive the appropriate results to their queries through the use of AI. The latest development that can take this to the next level is the introduction of Multitask United Model (MUM) which is capable of analyzing text images and video in 75 languages to deliver answers to complex, long-form search queries.
Say you want to perform a search for a question such as this: “I’ve never ran long-distance before, how do I prepare for my first marathon?” With the implementation of MUM, sources with a wealth of information about long-distance running and/or marathon preparation will potentially rank higher in Google search results.
Once it’s fully integrated, MUM has the potential to bring about large scale change to the Google Search ecosystem. As a result of its deep knowledge of language and ability to understand different types of information (videos, photos, etc.), it is likely that sources that can provide a large share of the information that users are searching for, across multiple formats, will be highly favored and much more visible.
2. Passage Indexing
If you are into long-form content, passage indexing will be a game-changer. Search engine giants will now be using natural language processing features to index or rank web pages and understand each passage within a piece of written content. This means that a particular passage in your long-form content will show up in search results for appropriate queries, even if other passages within the content deviate from the topic.
Long-form content that is already optimized with the proper keywords has a chance of getting an uptick in search rankings. To take advantage of passage indexing, companies need to keep their on-page SEO strategies tight and ensure that their content is tailored to answer popular and relevant queries.
3. Continuous Scrolling
Web visitors on the mobile platforms will enjoy a restructured search engine results page that now offers the pleasure of continuous scrolling. Like popular social media platforms, Google has introduced an intuitive and seamless scrolling experience where new content automatically loads when you scroll to the end of the page. Web visitors on mobile devices no longer have to click “Next” to access more search results.
The addition of continuous scrolling will help the visibility of lower ranked pages. There are several studies that dive into the psychology to continuous/infinite scrolling and how addictive the behavior of scrolling through countless posts on our phones is. That is a large reason why Instagram, Facebook and YouTube users spend so much time on the platforms scrolling and scrolling looking for content. It’s very likely that such a feature will have a similar effect on users scrolling through search results.
4. Omnichannel Digital Marketing Campaigns
This trend takes into account the fact that your clients are everywhere at the same time. They are scrolling through their social media accounts, accessing search engines, reading emails, checking text messages nearly simultaneously. To reach out to them effectively, companies need to consider adopting omnichannel digital marketing campaigns.
Have your branding and messaging on all platforms and through multiple modes of communication to catch users’ attention. Omnichannel digital marketing can also create a positive sentiment around your brand, increasing touchpoints thus enhancing your credibility and reliability.
5. More Evergreen Content
You can update your website content to reflect the changing times, but it’s much better to use evergreen content. Evergreen content, like the name suggests, is content that stays fresh and relevant. Evergreen content can be referred back to again and again over the course of time. Content is still king no matter the year, and your website will rank high if you have evergreen content. You can populate your website with useful information that goes beyond the passage of time.
Producing content that users can continuously refer to because of its usefulness and timelessness, bodes well for a company’s reputation. Even more, content that remains relevant has a much better chance of ranking higher on search engines and maintaining those rankings over an extended period of time.
At Proof Digital, we know that it is essential for companies to stay on top of current SEO trends in order to keep their business visible on search engines, attract new customers and beat competition. For more information about our SEO services, please contact us today.
