Given the unpredictable beginning of this decade, marketers in all fields find themselves attempting to prepare for the uncertainties that lay before us. Despite an unpredictable future, we can forecast some things, such as SEO trends. Creative Blend Design deems a strategic plan for SEO crucial to any digital marketing campaign’s success.
5 SEO Tips for 2021
User Experience (UX)
While creating an easy-to-use website makes good sense, search engine algorithms go a step further by taking UX into account when building search engine rankings. User-centered metrics such as loading speeds, accessibility, and user-optimized content make up algorithm focus as search engines attempt to give their users the best internet experience possible. You can find out how your website measures up to Google’s or other search engine standards by using the “Core Web Vitals” in your Google Search Console. Insights will help your team build a fast, user-friendly online experience.
Mobile Optimization
Smartphones, a necessity to the average consumer, represent a staggering 80% of internet searches in 2019. Your website should therefore place well on mobile search engine rankings. Think speedy and thoughtfully organized mobile pages for an easy on-the-go experience. Google Search Console offers a Mobile-Friendly Test tool for measuring mobile optimization on your website and provides insight into improving it for an enhanced mobile experience.
Voice Search
Along with optimized mobile pages, the implementation of smartphone virtual assistants like Siri and Alexa makes it necessary to optimize your site for Voice Search. In 2020, more than 20% of mobile searches used voice search. With the implementation of voice search, websites should focus on keywords people look for and search intent to create content that answers customers’ questions. In other words, optimize your website for people, not just search engines. Do this by adding information to your website about which you think people would ask””as with FAQs, providing answers to intuitive inquiries on your website ensures that you have more available answers than your competitors.
E.A.T.
Next, establish your website’s trustworthiness and authority with the E.A.T. Concept. In digital marketing, E.A.T. stands for Expertise, Authority, and Trust and validates you as the most knowledgeable source of information within your website’s niche. With the unimaginable amount of misinformation on the internet, ramped up even more by COVID-19 and the U.S. election cycle, Google has cracked down on misinformation by creating algorithms that target unproven data. While this helps people find credible information online, it can be detrimental to a website that hasn’t vetted its content, potentially ruining its search engine ranking. You can prove your credibility by adding backlinks from reputable sources to your pages and establishing your credentials and positive reviews for your site on your “About” page. These tactics will not only preserve your website’s ranking but also build trust with potential new customers.
Local SEO
Local SEO will be essential in the coming year as our economy prepares to reopen and people return to supporting their local businesses. Your website must have visibility when your community looks for you. Forty-six percent of Google searches feature local intent, so now is the time to prepare to meet people’s needs. We recommend the Google my Business Module to help you keep track of your online visibility across Google, engage with your customers, and get feedback from submitted customer reviews.
