SEO (search engine optimisation) is constantly evolving. Search engines such as Google constantly update their algorithms to provide users with the best experience and the most relevant results to their search.
As SEO changes, it’s important to keep up with what’s happening so you can adapt and change your strategy to make sure your brand appears at the top of the search engine results pages (SERPs) when your potential customers are searching for your products or services.
So, without further ado, let’s have a look at the key SEO trends to keep your eye on in the year ahead.
Creating high-quality content that’s optimised for the right keywords is always going to be important for SEO. Search engines such as Google are putting more emphasis on the relevancy and quality of your content in relation to the searcher’s needs.
Every piece of content you create should be helpful to your user by providing them with an answer to their question, a solution or help them to take the next step in their journey to purchasing with you.
In September this year, Google released its latest iteration of the Helpful Content Update. The update concentrates on providing the best content for your users and suggests that Google will favour content that best answers its searchers' questions and intent. This is something that Google has been moving towards over the last few years and this is just the latest update.
You can find out more about creating helpful content in our blog: How do you create ‘helpful’ content for your business?
Improving the user experience of your website is becoming a more prominent aspect of your SEO strategy. The lines between SEO and user experience are becoming increasingly blurred with Google prioritising websites that load quickly, are easy to navigate and improve their websites to make them more user friendly.
What does this mean for your business?
You’ll need to review the design of your website and make sure it’s as user friendly as possible. We recommend utilising tools such as HotJar which allow you to view user videos and understand where visitors to your website might be getting stuck and the improvements you can make to help lead them to purchase.
Failure to optimise your website in this way could mean that your potential customers come up against too many barriers when trying to purchase from you and will bounce back to the search results and onto one of your competitor’s websites.
Zero-click searches have been prominent for a while but they’re becoming increasingly popular. A zero-click search occurs when a user can find the information they want without clicking on any of the displayed results.
According to research, 57% of mobile and around 25% of desktop searchers leave the SERPs without clicking on either an organic or a paid result.
Google’s SERP features such as knowledge panels, local packs and conversion tools provide users with the information they want immediately so they gather the information they want without having to click on anything.
For example, many users are looking for a business in a particular location and can get the location, opening times and contact details from the map pack so they don’t need to click on any of the results.
Example of a map pack
If you can ensure that your business appears in the featured snippet, you’re in one of the best positions. It not only helps to boost brand awareness, it helps to increase the likelihood of people clicking through to your website.
Featured snippet example
Think about the questions your customers are likely to be asking online and find the long-tail keywords they’re using too. Optimising your content for these keywords will provide you with a better chance of appearing in the featured snippet.
Again, this isn’t something that will be brand new in 2024 but it’s something you will always need to consider within your SEO strategy. At Logica Digital, this is the key focus of most of the SEO strategies we put together for our clients.
Search engines now like to see that you’re an expert in your industry and on particular topics. By establishing your authority in a particular topic, you ensure that potential customers come to know your brand as the go-to source for information on a particular subject.
In addition, search engines are prioritising those brands who can demonstrate their authority in their industry.
We recommend choosing a topic that’s relevant to your brand, products and services and researching all the keywords and questions that are being searched around that topic. Speak to your sales team too and find out more about the common questions they’re asked when customers call or email.
Use tools such as Answer the Public, Google’s keyword planner and SEMrush to do your keyword research. These will help you to gather the information you need.
Create a piece of content for every question your customers have or any problem they have and optimise it for the right keywords. Publish it on your website and link internally between every piece of content for the best results. You don’t have to write and publish the content at once. Creating it over 6-12 months will help you build authority and show search engines that your website is current and relevant.
You will then need to create a pillar piece of content that answers each question briefly and then links out to each piece of content.
This is also known as the topic cluster approach and we highly recommend you follow it.
We have already touched on this in our blog: Digital marketing trends to look out for in 2024, but it’s important so worth mentioning again here.
The number of smart speakers and virtual assistants is increasing with Siri, Alexa and Google already dominating the market. It’s estimated that, in 2023, 60% of searchers are by voice search. So, to make sure you continue to compete in your market, it’s worth looking to voice search and ensuring it’s incorporated into your strategy.
The phrases that searchers use when searching aloud will be slightly different to the ones they use when typing. Make sure you’re optimising for these as well as shorter phrases to cover all bases in your strategy.
You’ll have probably noticed the number of brands utilising video in their marketing strategies but did you know it can also be helpful with your SEO strategy?
Whether you’re looking to build links or increase conversions for your business, video is an extremely helpful tool. Creating high-quality and engaging content can mean that it’s shared and naturally builds links to your website. This helps to increase brand awareness and builds authority for your website.
In addition, you can optimise your videos for keywords related to your content and brand which means you’re likely to take up more space on the SERPs. For example, videos can often accompany a featured snippet or drive traffic to your website from other sources such as YouTube or Facebook.
If you include a video on your website or landing page, it can help to keep visitors on your website. Whilst it’s not a direct ranking factor if Google can see that visitors are engaged when they visit your website, it will be able to see that your website is answering their questions and providing them with the information they need or want.
Local SEO will always be important if you’re a local business. According to Think with Google, 30% of all mobile searches are related to location and 76% of people who search on their smartphones for something nearby visit a business within a day.
Make sure you set up a Google My Business profile and keep it optimised and up-to-date. This will help your local customers to find you when they’re searching locally. You will also need to collect reviews as these are influential when customers are researching the options and brands available to them.
Keeping an eye on the latest search trends and updates will ensure that your SEO strategy is as effective as possible. Search engines are continuing to evolve along with customer wants and needs so knowing what you need to offer as part of your SEO strategy will help you to drive more traffic to your website and, as a result, drive more conversions for your business.
If you’d like to know more about getting your SEO strategy ready for 2024, why not request a free digital marketing audit from our team?
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At Logica Digital, we take the time to understand your business and customers to create a bespoke marketing plan that will deliver the best return on investment for your business. We always get results.
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