With all the rapid-fire changes hitting the digital marketing world, sometimes it really can feel like you need “2020 vision” to execute a successful search engine optimization strategy. But never fear; a look at the newest and ongoing SEO trends will keep your tactics sharp and your brand appearing in search results.
A new year doesn’t have to mean a new set of worries for your agency—in fact, it can be used as an opportunity for both growth and a fresh start. We’re only a few months into 2020, but you’ve got the rest of the year to make this your brand’s most successful one yet! Let’s explore some of the expected changes to the 2020 SEO landscape and some tactics that will allow you to take advantage of these trends.
SEO Trends to Keep an Eye On
Let’s narrow our focus, shall we? There are three huge SEO trends to keep on your radar this year. While it may feel like there are hundreds of developments every day, consider simplifying your to-do list by focusing on the big picture items.
Featured Snippets
Featured snippets are those insightful answer boxes that appear at the top of a routine Google search. These snippets highlight the exact answer to your question first and foremost, providing a link to the site where these answers came from just below them. Featured snippets often take the form of bulleted lists, tables, or short paragraphs, the majority of these answers being in paragraph form.
You don’t need to be the top three search results to have your site featured in an answer box, but it is typical for a site already in the top 10 results to be featured. And—no surprise—many of these featured snippets are triggered by keywords, so some good old-fashioned keyword research still goes a long way.
Consider, for example, what a user might be wondering when they type a question into Google. Start with the “whys,” “whats,” and “hows” of your product line. Identify keyword phrases that you already rank high for, using SEO plugins like Ahrefs or SEOQuake. You’ll be ranking even higher in no time—and perhaps even have a shot at landing a featured snippet, while you’re at it!
Voice Search
Back when voice search was introduced, it was considered more of a novelty than something that could be beneficial from a digital marketing standpoint—a chance to ask Siri or Alexa silly questions in hopes of receiving an even sillier answer. Now, however, with the rise of more advanced voice recognition technology, this method of search is becoming ubiquitous.
So, how can you gain traction with voice search when a smartphone app or device is only providing the top-ranking answer? One such answer might be local searches, which are on the rise with search functions like Siri in 2020. Think of all those times that you were searching for “best sushi in town” or “office supplies near me.” You may have already been driving in search of such a place, and needed to keep your hands on the wheel—hence, the handy-dandy voice search option.
What we mean to say is that if you’re a local business, you’ll want to quickly get ahead of the competition and conduct some keyword research for what people are searching for in your area. Consider creating blog posts that answer specific questions that customers may have, and use language the customer would use while speaking a query out loud. You’ll also want to keep your Google My Business information up to date, so that customers have all the necessary contact info at the ready.
Voice search apps will only continue to develop, but that shouldn’t intimidate you, or keep you from besting your competition! Be sure to keep up with other related advances, such as the evolution of artificial intelligence and augmented reality.
SEO for Videos
Video-sharing platforms like YouTube aren’t going anywhere—they continue to draw massive audiences, making staying on top of SEO for videos crucial this year. Considering how visually-oriented we are as a species, it should come as no surprise that a good portion of your keyword research should also be connected to your video results.
For example, you can perform a quick YouTube search to see where your company ranks for certain keywords. That way, you can tailor your SEO keywords in your video titles, tags, descriptions, and so on. And of course, just like a typical written blog post, you’ll want to be sure you know your audience, and that you’re tailoring your keywords to what they might be searching.
Still stuck? Consider linking your videos in your company’s blog posts, or embedding them in the emails you send out to subscribers.
Stay on Top of SEO Trends This Year
Digital marketing is in our blood—which means that we’re always on the lookout for the newest search algorithm changes and SEO trends. Contact us today to learn more about the best ways to navigate the digital marketing landscape for 2020! We’re looking forward to helping your brand do something big this decade.