Beginning in 2021, several changes will be made in regards to how search engines like Google, rank your website. The importance of SEO is evident in the fact that 70% to 80% of users focus exclusively on organic results and ignore paid listings. Greg Corrado, the senior scientist who helped develop RankBrain, Google's Artificial Intellignece (AI) algorithm, has highlighted their AI's ability to learn and improve upon search engine results based on the insights from information retrieval.

See Also: Why Don't Google and Facebook Ads work?

Search Algorithm Update

Google hasn't come out in specific detail about how their algorithm works, however experts believe the user experience signals are the main factor. These would include how long you are able to keep your visitors engaged with well-organized and valuable content, as well as, the readability, backlink and sources present within your content.

Speed and Image Optimization

Use high-quality images that contain relevant information within the file name and alt tags. If your image is tied to a specific location, make sure to include your geotags. High-quality images are important, but make sure you compress the images to increase load time.

If your website takes longer than just a few seconds to load on any device, then you are missing out on traffic and the potential to keep your visitors engaged. According to Google, "more than half of visits are abandoned if a mobile page takes over 3 seconds to load." The importance of page speed has increased since 2018, when Google had announced that speed has become a ranking factor for Google search, ads and mobile searches. Using online tools such as Google Page speed or GTMetrix to analyze your website is important in discovering the components that may be hindering your overall score.

Voice Search Query

Voice search has became extremely popular thanks to the innovations like Siri, Google Assistant, and Amazon's Alexa. The technology has gotten a lot better over the years and is predicted to become another asset in 55% of people's homes by 2022.

It is important that you are using longer keyword strings for your on-site SEO and voice search optimization. Try using words and phrases that would fit naturally within a conversation versus the much-outdated keyword jamming of the late 90s to the early 2000s.

Mobile First Indexing

In 2019, Google rolled out their mobile-first indexing which takes a primary look at the mobile version of a website, considering the popularity of web browsing on mobile devices. A majority of internet users currently use their mobile devices to access the internet and by 2025 it is predicted that nearly 73% of all internet traffic will come from mobile phones.

Google's EAT principle

Google has continued to stress the importance of content quality and the ranking success that follows. The EAT principle stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

This is how we break it down:

Expertise

• Create content your audience will love
• Do your keyword research and answer questions
• Discover what is the intent behind the search query
• Keep it comprehensive yet simple
• Consider the follow-up query

Authority

• Link to high-ranking authority websites
• Being mentioned by authoratative websites

Trust

• Having an easy way to be contacted
• Creating a rich author box for your articles
• Associating the website with a physical location
• Having a Terms and Service placed at the footer
• HTTPS / SSL certificate
• Privacy Policy on Footer
• Positive reviews
• If you're accepting transactions, having a clear refund and return policy
• Products should contain comprehensive specifications and include safety advice, if relevant

Long-Form Content

Based on Semrush's State of Content Marketing Report, long reads of 3,000-plus words gets three and four times more shares when compared to articles with 901 to 1,200 words. Break up your content in H2 and H3 subheadings to make it easier for visitors and algorithms to scan your content and find important information.

Video Content

With more than 1 billion registered users on YouTube, the future of content creation is online video. According to Cisco, video content is set to surpass all other forms of content in terms of consumption. In the age of information, it is the fastest way to learn. Video optimization consists of optimizing your channel name, description, video title and video description. Keywords are crucial, however avoid keyword-jamming. Explain what your channel and video is about. Remember to structure your content as if you're speaking to a friend.

Stay on top of the Latest SEO Trends and Techniques

SEO is becoming more complex as the importance of accurate information becomes even more necessary. Simply optimizing keywords and meta titles are no longer all it takes to reach ranking success. An all encompassing approach is the ideal strategy. From content optimization to voice and video SEO. Stay on top of your place in the rankings. Stay in control of your success. The right strategy can help you get the results you need.

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