Learn seven strategies that will drive SEO trends in 2021. Some of these have been around for a few years without reaching the radar of website administrators. If you haven't adopted the trends below, here's your opportunity to catch up with or pass the competition.
1. Establish Authority with E.A.T.
E.A.T. stands for Expertise, Authority and Trust. Web designers and copywriters use this acronym to remind them to keep online content authentic. Google highly encourages website producers to provide fresh and relevant data. Websites with trusted or proven content rank higher in search results. On the other hand, getting bad reviews and a reputation for thin, inaccurate content can push you to the bottom of search results.
Specific algorithms promote or punish websites that help or harm users. Use the about page to establish the credentials of service providers on your page. Use backlinks to authoritative sources to gain trust and domain authority. In addition, Google disavow can tell you whether a domain has low authority.
2. SERP Optimization and the Knowledge Graph
In 2021, knowledge panels and SERP tracking will become even more important. Make sure Google knows:
- Who You Are
- Who You Serve
- What You Do
Nowadays, Google is interested in more than what you put on your website. It links together your digital properties when it comes to search engine results and ranking. What story does your presence on the internet tell users about your brand. Grasping this concept requires an understanding of natural language processing (NLP) and the Google algorithms.
Search engines care about a lot more than keyword frequency. NLP considers the intent behind inquiries when presenting search results. For example, Google Discover doesn't consider keywords. Instead, you have to establish credibility in the knowledge graph.
Here are some tips on accomplishing this:
- Establish a presence in Wikidata and other knowledge bases.
- Claim knowledge panels for posts in different Google tools.
- Set up a Google My Business profile.
3. Mobile SEO
Make sure your website performs well and comes up quickly on mobile devices. This is where most users conduct searches. When you test out new features, include mobile device user experience (UX) in your design and testing.
Google announced a few years ago that mobile would become more important. The usability of your website for mobile users now determines your rankings. Additionally, other content should be as consistent as possible when you to optimize content seen on mobile devices.
4. User Experience
High quality content is just part of the equation when it comes to a great user experience. If you develop page design based on ease of use, you will end up with an intuitive, user friendly website that works equally well on desktops and mobile devices. This includes the way people navigate your site and the overall feel of your website.
If you have a dense site map with little guidance for users, they may abandon the page after a few clicks. None of this goes unnoticed by Google. So, offer tools such as chatbots and live chat, make menus easy to understand and streamline your features so your pages load quickly.
5. Voice Search Optimization
Voice search has become the preferred way to look for information on the internet. It's a lot easier than typing and more intuitive. Wise webmasters will take this into account in 2021. So, optimize your articles for voice search.
Using questions and longtail text in headers and subhead caters to voice searches. You can match voice inquiries by making the content sound like natural speech overall. Also begin some paragraphs with questions (when, how, what, who, and so on).
People use voice search to seek recipes, video tutorials and how to. They may use it to find a good restaurant or find products and services. Make sure your content gets in front of them with natural language optimization for voices searches.
6. Website Speed
In voice searches, text searches and navigation on your website, ensure fast load times by optimizing your coding for speed. Sounds basic, but too many web admins ignore this in favor of packing pages with plug-ins and features, which may impact performance.
7. Long-Form Content
When you provide long-form content, you can give users details that help them understand the topic better. You can also establish an emotional connection that leads to trust and authority.
For example, a 2,000-word blog with effective content will outperform 1,000 blogs on the same topic. Look for content average to hit the 2,500-3,000 mark for high-ranking blogs.
Follow these seven SEO trends to improve the user experience and watch your rankings soar in 2021. Keeping the user top of mind when you add content and design new pages will make your site more popular with Google and help you improve conversions and revenue.