If you want to stay ahead of your competitors, you must be up to date with the latest SEO trends. If not, you may struggle to compete in SERPs and this can have a knock-on effect on your website traffic and ultimately your leads or conversions.
Refreshing yourself with the latest ongoings such as algorithm changes and AI’s increased involvement, will greatly benefit your SEO strategy going forward.
So, let’s dive into the latest SEO trends you should be aware of as we head deeper into 2024.
Google search generative experience
The first trend we will be diving into is the Google search generative experience. Not sure what this is? It’s Google’s AI-powered search experience which provides an AI-generated result to many search queries, which appears at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs).
An integral aspect of the generative experience is the introduction of more interactive snippets. These could include elements such as forms, calculators, or other interactive widgets directly on the SERP, allowing users to engage with content without the need to visit a specific website. This not only enhances user experience but also encourages increased interaction with search results.
In addition, visual content is anticipated to play a more prominent role in search results within the generative experience. Improved image recognition technology and a greater emphasis on visual elements, could lead to more visually driven search outcomes, catering to the growing preference for multimedia content.
So, what does this mean for businesses? Well, you need to be adapting your SEO strategy. Tailoring your strategy so it focuses on optimising content for emerging SERP features is the correct step to take. Creating content that aligns with interactive snippets and visually engaging elements, will ensure the user experience is seamless across different devices.
Zero-click searches
Zero-click searches refer to instances where users obtain the information they need directly from the SERP without having to click on any specific search result. This is largely driven by the enhanced display of information on the SERP itself, including featured snippets, knowledge graphs, instant answers, and other rich results.
Featured snippets provide concise answers to user queries at the top of search results, while knowledge graphs offer structured information about entities, facts, and their relationships. Both eliminate the need for users to click through to external websites. More than ever, users increasingly rely on these quick, direct answers displayed on the SERP, particularly for straightforward informational queries.
“But how can I jump on this trend?” I hear you ask, well, you need to optimise your content so it has the chance to appear in featured snippets. You need to structure your content so it provides clear and concise answers to commonly asked questions; aligning with the types of queries that often trigger zero-click results. However, whilst this strategy is great, a balance must be struck when optimising for zero-click searches.
You must weigh the benefits of increased visibility against the potential reduction in click-through traffic. To achieve success with this, you must ensure that the content still encourages users to explore further or engage with the website.
Answer engine optimisation
Answer engine optimisation is another trend you must hop on this year. This strategy specifically focuses on optimising content to rank well in answer engines, such as Google’s featured snippets and other formats that provide direct answers to user queries. In essence, Answer engine optimisation is about tailoring content to align with the changing landscape of search engines, where providing clear and direct answers is increasingly valuable.
With voice assistants becoming more common, users often phrase their queries in a conversational manner. Answer engine optimisation involves understanding these natural language queries, and structuring content to appear as the direct answer to these spoken questions.
One of the primary focuses of this is optimising content to secure featured snippets. By tailoring content to address common questions clearly and precisely, websites will secure these coveted positions and gain visibility in a voice-driven and mobile-centric search landscape.
So, how can you take advantage of this? You need to optimise your content so that it is structured in a question-answer format. This format aligns with user intent, especially in voice searches, where users tend to pose questions. A great way of doing this is by writing blogs which answer questions. It’s straight to the point, and if done correctly, will increase the chances of appearing in featured snippets and other answer-based formats.
Video SEO
Another trend you must be currently utilising or starting to is Video SEO. More than ever, creating video content that ranks in Google search results will provide a massive opportunity for your business. Video consumption has become a vital part of how users consume information, and businesses need to take advantage of this. If you’ve already included video as part of your strategy, you’re ahead of the game – if not, get ready to make some notes.
A key facet of Video SEO involves meticulous optimisation of video elements. This includes creating compelling titles, detailed descriptions, and relevant tags. By strategically incorporating keywords into video metadata, you can align your videos with user search queries, boosting the likelihood of discovery. Moreover, the visual appeal of videos extends to their thumbnails. Optimising these images is crucial for capturing the viewer’s attention and enticing clicks. A well-designed and relevant thumbnail not only enhances click-through rates, but also contributes to the overall SEO performance of the video.
Also, transcripts and closed captions play a vital role in Video SEO, offering benefits beyond mere accessibility. Providing textual representations of video content not only improves searchability but also caters to a wider audience, including those with hearing impairments. Search engines can crawl and index this textual content, enhancing the video’s SEO.
Finally, measuring user engagement is a defining factor in whether or not your video SEO is a success. Metrics such as click-through rate, watch time and engagement rate will determine whether or not your strategy has worked, so it’s vital you consistently monitor them. Focusing on creating engaging, informative, and entertaining videos not only satisfies user intent but also positively influences these crucial metrics, thereby contributing to improved video SEO performance.
Refreshing existing content
A topic that will forever be trending in the world of SEO is refreshing existing content. We can’t stress enough the importance of utilising this. Refreshing existing content is a simple yet effective way of maintaining your SEO. It involves revisiting and updating previously published material to ensure its ongoing relevance and effectiveness. As search engines continually evolve, they favour fresh and up-to-date content. This strategy aims to not only maintain but also improve the visibility, engagement, and overall performance of existing web pages.
Whether you like it or not, content on the internet has a shelf life, and maintaining its relevance is essential for sustained visibility in search engine results. By refreshing existing content, websites can align with these algorithmic preferences, potentially leading to higher rankings and increased organic traffic.
Furthermore, regular content audits are integral to the process of refreshing existing material. It involves a comprehensive review of the website’s content inventory. By analysing metrics such as traffic patterns, user engagement, and keyword performance; you can identify pages that may contain outdated information or have experienced a decline in results.
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