Many new SEO trends emerged in 2019. This shouldn’t surprise you though since SEO is a very exhaustive topic. You can find lots of sources who promise to deliver the most up to date information regarding search engine updates, Google’s new algorithms (something that’s updated 500 – 600 times a year), and the ever-changing consumer practices. With so much happening, it would behoove you to hire an SEO expert who can show you that they understand these trends and have a vision for the future. After all, SEO techniques from the past won’t help you today. Of course, there are a few things in specific that everyone needs to be on the lookout for.
The Future of Organic SEO
Unfortunately, this term is oftentimes misunderstood. However, simply put, organic SEO focuses on improving the visibility of your website in the online world. One of the most important things to look for here in 2020 is advanced links. Strategies utilizing these links will increase your website’s domain authority. This is a score of 0 – 100 that’s given to your website. It’s important to improve it because it tells you how visible your website is. The advanced strategy here looks beyond generic directories and focuses more on guest blogging, web 2.0 blogs, and paid links – strategies that involve placing more of your content on a third-party site and linking back to your website. The more of this you have on high-quality sites, the more visible your website will be.
The Future of Local SEO
Local SEO (a.k.a. map search SEO) is a new distinct for of SEO that’s emerged within the past few years. About 30% – 40% of people use local SEO to find websites and businesses today. As such, this is a critical part of your marketing.
This marketing isn’t something you can do with a website though. Instead you must have a Google My Business (GMB) profile that you’ve optimized with your keywords and links. Some other ways to optimize this include:
- Improve your NAP’s consistency (your business’ name, address, and phone number as found online)
- Build links
- Geotag images
- Engage with your GMB profile (e.g. encourage customers to leave reviews)
It’s important to be extra diligent in the consistency of your local SEO, especially if you’re a small business or local service provider. This will take you time and energy.
The Future of Content Marketing and Blogging
Google’s updated deep-learning algorithms are growing increasingly smarter. Some people believe they’ll soon surpass human understanding regarding processing natural language. Recently, these algorithms started placing a lot more emphasis on well-written content and quality over quantity here. This emphasis will continue growing throughout 2020 as Google grows more sensitive to language’s nuances. They’re especially focusing on understanding what people are searching for. To optimize for this you should create concise, informative, well-targeted content that showcases your expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. You’ll also find that guest blogging and getting more links from high-quality websites is more effective than the content you spend time creating. As such, you should have a balanced focus on all these things.
The Future of PPC (pay per click) Marketing
PPC marketing includes Google Ads and social media advertising. These get your message in front of customers who are already interested in what you’re offering. However, your niche and budget will determine how much you’ll need to spend to get your website to the very top regardless of how good your organic SEO is.
There are two trends you’ll want to pay attention to here in 2020:
- The Rule of 7 says that customers must have 7 touches with your brand before they’ll decide to buy your product or service. This is why some highly competitive businesses are remarketing their websites today. Doing so will help you effectively follow your consumers around the internet until they’re ready to make a purchase.
- Advertising promotions are another great way to convert customers who are looking to save money. Finding and implementing effective promotional offers here that are supplemented by existing advertising efforts will increase both awareness and conversions.
Conclusion
Both SEO and digital marketing are continually changing. While this makes them exciting, it also makes it more challenging to uphold consumer trends while maintaining relevance throughout search engine updates. If you need help keeping ahead of the game here, make sure you reach out to the Local SEO Company.