2021 SEO Trends That You Need to Know
Top 2021 SEO Trends Your Nonprofit Needs
One thing we always mention to our clients when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO) is that it is not a set-it-and-forget-it process. SEO is constantly evolving, and staying on top of the latest updates is vital for an ongoing successful strategy. In this blog post, we compiled the top five 2021 SEO trends you should know to ensure your strategy is on track to success.
Developing an E-A-T Content Strategy
Google continues to place a greater focus on the quality of content as a ranking factor- that’s why we’ll keep on hearing the term ‘E-A-T’ when it comes to SEO. So, what does this term mean? E-A-T stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. With this update, Google started checking the overall reputation of a given organization and author in order to provide searchers with the best possible results for their queries. Using statistics and facts to support your claims, linking to reputable sites, and having authoritative sites link back to yours are some of the ways you can prove that you meet the E-A-T criteria.
Optimizing for Local SEO
Local SEO refers to the process of optimizing your online presence to show up in relevant local search results. This concept first started to drive in-person traffic to local retailers; however, it expanded as Google started showing more local news in search. To be a part of local search results, it’s important to create a Google Business Profile account and update it as much as possible.
Focusing on Search Intent
Before starting to write a new piece of content, it’s crucial to analyze the search engine results pages to understand what top-ranking pages are doing right and what Google thinks are the best results that match the user’s intent. Consider search engine results pages as a free tool to learn the type of content that you need to create to best match user’s search intent when going after a query or related search term.
Improving User Experience
Last year, Google announced that they will be rolling out a change to their search algorithm that will make page experience and their Core Web Vitals direct ranking factors. What this means is that sites need to ensure a fast page load speed (desktop and mobile), intuitive navigation, easy readability, and mobile-friendly design. Google’s goal here is to deliver the best results to users by directing them to websites that are in a better place from a technical perspective.
Focusing on Content Length and Structure
Our last top 2021 SEO trend is focused on content because content is king in any SEO strategy! Studies have shown that long-form content that has 2,000 words and above dominates page one of search rankings. In 2012, serpIQ conducted a study involving more than 20,000 keywords, and the results showed that the average content length of each of the top 10 results was more than 2,000 words. The average number of words for the content in the #1 spot was 2,416.
Users, as well as Google, prefers comprehensive one-stop-shop guides that demonstrate expertise on a certain topic. The ideal way to structure your website content is by breaking your content down into topics, using subheadings such as H2 and H3 tags. This helps the user understand the content, while also making it easier to read. Additionally, it’s important to write at an easier reading level. This is because you are the expert, and not every user will know what you are talking about! Make sure to spell out any acronyms, and to keep the sentence lengths shorter (twenty words or less).
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With regular algorithm changes and update announcements, SEO is constantly evolving, and it’s definitely not an easy area to make predictions. However, one certain fact is following these recommendations will help improve your website not only in terms of SEO but also in user experience and accessibility. Need help with your SEO strategy? Check out our SEO services.