Top SEO Trends To Look for in 2024

Technology is continuously evolving, and an essential aspect of this evolution you should be following closely is Google’s ranking algorithm. Staying updated with Digital Marketing trends is crucial for business owners and marketing teams, as they must constantly adjust their search engine optimization (SEO) strategies to remain competitive and avoid sanctions from the most popular search engine in the world.

Google uses over 200 ranking factors to determine where content lands on search engine results pages (SERP). The goal is to rank as high as possible and stay there to draw organic traffic and maintain consistent conversions. 

Ranking as the first organic result is the ultimate goal, as it has a 28.5% click-through rate. The second organic result draws 15%, and the third, 11%. The first organic result has ten times more clicks than the tenth, which draws 2.5%. 

You don’t even want to go beyond the first page. 

Here are the top SEO trends for 2023 to boost brand visibility and maximize your content’s performance:

1. Leveraging AI and ML the Right Way

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have their perks and drawbacks when used for SEO. AI is the umbrella term for software used to mimic the human mind. ML, on the other hand, is a subset of AI that learns to complete tasks based on algorithms instead of direct programming. 

Content writers fear losing their jobs because AI can now generate written content. However, Google detects AI content, and the site would likely be penalized. There are other ways to leverage AI and ML appropriately for a massive impact on SEO—ones that don’t involve content creation and losing the human touch on the things you publish. One such method is conducting a thorough SEO audit.

For example, data-driven keyword research can be automated, and high-end software can generate the best keywords for your site within minutes. This will take your keyword research strategies to the next level. And the most effective keywords and phrases will target your core audience and increase traffic to your site. 

2. Optimize Site and Content for Voice and Mobile Research

People spend hours on their phones for professional and personal reasons. Statista has reported that more than half of search engine visits in the U.S. were done on smartphones. Around 63% of paid Google search clicks were done on a mobile device. 

This is why your website and its pages must be optimized for mobile views. This has long been a basic requirement, and consumer behavior continues to evolve. A 2019 Statista report noted that 42% of the global population has done voice searches. It’s incredibly convenient to ask either Siri or Google Assistant to look something up as you complete other tasks. 

Note that text-based search and voice research are done differently. Text search syntax can be “Italian restaurants near me” or “Italian restaurants New York City.” But when you do a voice search, the structure changes: “Siri, can you find the best Italian restaurants in New York City?” or “Alexa, what are the top-rated Italian restaurants in New York City?” You tend to express queries in complete sentences. 

Optimizing content for voice searches means integrating long-tail keywords into your pages. Marrying this different set of techniques with text-search strategies is crucial to ensure searchability across the board. To help with this process, using a free keyword research tool can be immensely beneficial.

3. New Emphasis on Experience in E.E.A.T.

Google has an E.E.A.T. policy, which stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. While EEAT doesn’t determine overall rankings, it is still critical in SEO—getting a good rating within these parameters means the content will be “rewarded.”

Based on the policy, Google will regard your content better if it demonstrates first-hand experience on the topic. So, if the article is about the best Italian restaurant in New York City, it has to be written by someone who has visited the locations on the list, or the article outlines reviews from people who have eaten in them. Incorporating this into your SEO campaign can significantly improve your content’s ranking and credibility.

When first-hand experience is proven in the article, Google’s algorithms will note the site’s trustworthiness in the topic. 

4. Emotional Headlines

There is a strong link between emotionally-charged headlines and audience engagement. For example, positive headlines had a 4.1% higher absolute click-through rate than negative ones, according to a study. Furthermore, negative headlines have better click-through rates compared to neutral ones. 

Note that headlines that prompt an emotional response are not clickbait, which are sensationalized headlines that are often misleading and have little to no relation to the truth. It is a controversial statement that is not supported in the body of the content. 

While it’s important to have emotional headlines, don’t go overboard. Make sure that the overall quality of the content is still relevant and valuable to your audience. 

5. Focus on Valuable Content

People look things up on search engines because they have questions that need to be answered or problems that need solutions. As Google says, companies should write for people and not search engines. 

Content will perform well on SERP if people are satisfied after consuming it. 

The following are a few of the fundamental criteria imposed by Google’s algorithms:

• Original content rich in information, research, and analysis
• Substantial and comprehensive explanation of the topic
• Insightful analysis of the subject that goes beyond the obvious
• Doesn’t merely quote or copy sources but adds additional value
• The page title accurately summarizes the content

6. Video Snippets

Notice how, in many searches, the videos appear on top of the page? This is an important trend to take note of. Integrating relevant, well-made videos in your content will help SEO performance. Additionally, implementing Technical SEO Tips can further enhance your website’s visibility and ranking.

One way to optimize video content is to break it up into chapters and label each of them clearly. Additionally, upload your own captions to ensure accuracy and maximize accessibility. Don’t depend on automatically generated captions on YouTube. 

Conclusion

Google constantly tweaks its search engine algorithms. It is important to keep track of the latest trends to optimize your content for peak SEO performance. The above-mentioned trends will continue to be important in the future, which means you have to prioritize them in your content today. 

Sources

25 SEO Trends to Leverage in 2023 (+Data).https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/seo-trends 

Top 12 SEO Trends to Optimize for in 2023. https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2023/01/05/seo-trends 

Google’s 200 Ranking Factors: The Complete List (2023) https://backlinko.com/google-ranking-factors

Over 25% of People Click the First Google Search Result https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-first-page-clicks/374516/

Mobile search – Statistics & Facts https://www.statista.com/topics/2479/mobile-search/#topicOverview

4 Million Google Search Results. Here’s What We Learned About Organic CTR https://backlinko.com/google-ctr-stats

Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content https://developers.google.com/search/docs/fundamentals/creating-helpful-content