2020 is here, and over the past year, SEO has changed drastically. While the fundamentals of getting websites to rank higher haven't changed, the strategies involved are constantly evolving. Recently, three different types of search have been trending upwards, and are predicted to play a major part in attaining SEO success in the new year. Here are the top SEO trends you need to know about in 2020:
Mobile Search
Mobile search is the first of the three big types of search you will need to make sure your content is optimized for in 2020. Back in 2015, Google announced that more searches took place on mobile devices than on computers in 10 countries, one of which was the US. Since then, mobile search has been going strong with 70% of web traffic happening on a mobile device by 2017. The increasing usage of mobile devices led to Google introducing the Mobile-First Index, which essentially means websites that are not optimized for mobile will be penalized in rankings for both mobile and desktop search results. If you haven't already, you should talk to your website designers and make sure that your website looks just as great on mobile as it does on desktop computers.
Local Search
Local search is another up and comer with a 900% increase in "near me tonight/today" searches between 2015 and 2017. The increasing use of mobile devices has no doubt driven the surge in local searches in the past few years. According to research studies from Google, 4 out of 5 consumers use search engines to find local information such as store addresses, business hours, product availability, and directions. This means if your business is not currently optimized to appear in local searches, you are probably already missing out on quite a few customers. Some ways you can get your business to rank higher for local searches include asking customers to put up online reviews, claim your Google My Business page, add your business to local directory listings, and make sure your homepage and metadata include your location and a clear description of whatever product or service you offer.
Voice Search
The last of the big three types of search to optimize for in 2020 is voice search. Due to the rise of the virtual assistant over the past few years (Siri, Cortana, Alexa), voice search is now trending upwards. Even companies as large as Google have acknowledged the growing amount of voice searches. Google's most recent update, BERT, adjusted its algorithm to better understand the way people speak naturally. Since voice searches are more conversational than text queries, you can optimize your website for voice search by including long-tail keywords or entire phrases to help Google direct people using voice search to find whatever products or services they are looking for.
ImageWorks, LLC | CT Search Engine Optimization
It’s important to have a site fully optimized for every type of search to maximize your chance of a top Google rank. If the task of keeping up to date on the latest SEO trends seems too daunting, don’t be afraid to call in the experts!
While professional SEO services can offer many different opportunities for your business, you should never depend on SEO alone for the growth of your business. The companies that thrive on the web have a comprehensive approach and utilize both online and offline marketing strategies. SEO can be a big piece; however, it is only one slice of the marketing pie.
By integrating all of today's Web tools such as SEO, social media, pay per click, and blogs, ImageWorks, LLC can turn your site into a lead generation tool.