SEO is a dynamic field where the experts themselves keep changing their tactics continue to stay relevant and ahead of the competition. There are no SEO strategies that are guaranteed to always stay relevant and show results.
The only golden rule for SEO is to stay updated with the latest trends and keep evolving your SEO tactics to win at it.
Keeping that in mind, we have curated a list of some of the biggest and most important SEO trends for 2021. These will help you stay at the top of your SEO game and get more website traffic and user engagement in 2021.
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Table of Contents
1. Focus on Search Intent for Keywords
2. Voice Searches
3. Mobile SEO Will Dominate
4. Race for Featured Snippets
5. Increased Focus on User Experience and Engagement
1. Focus on Search Intent for Keywords
The first significant change that we have witnessed in recent years is that SEO professionals are now paying more attention to the search intent of keywords. It’s no longer enough to just stuff keywords in your content. You need to write content that matches the keyword’s search intent.
But, what does this mean?
Well, search intent refers to the reason why a user would use a particular search query. Do they want to find the location of something (navigational), buy something (transactional), or simply gather information (informational)?
For each type of intent, different types of content need to be created. So, for 2021, there will be an increased focus on search intent for SEO. Even those who are still learning SEO basics, now understand the importance of search intent when creating SEO-friendly content.
2. Voice Searches
Most SEO experts have already started optimizing for voice searches and that is not a new trend. However, this is one SEO trend that will only grow stronger in 2021 and beyond.
Anyone who is not optimizing their website content for voice searches will be at a disadvantage in 2021.
So, how can you optimize for voice searches?
The first and most important way in which you can do that is by focusing on long-tail, conversational keywords. When you choose your keywords, think about what a person would ask their voice assistant when they make a voice search query for that keyword.
The key is to use more question-based and conversational keywords for your content and you’re good to go. To find questions around a topic, you can use Google’s “people also ask” section or paid tools for SEO keyword research.
3. Mobile SEO Will Dominate
In 2021, all SEO will actually be mobile SEO. Optimizing for mobile devices is no longer an option for SEO professionals, but a necessity.
Mobile SEO will be a top priority for most SEO experts as a good share of online searches are happening on mobile devices. So, it is important that your website and content renders well on all screen sizes, so you don’t lose out on this chunk of online traffic.
However, you need to do more than just the bare minimum to be considered mobile-first. Also, Google does not rank your website and mobile site differently but considers mobile site first. So, if you have a separate mobile site, then it’s time to transition to a mobile-responsive main website.
Also, focus a bit more on mobile user experience and make sure that page speeds, images, etc. are all optimized for mobile use.
If you lack in-house capabilities to create a completely mobile-responsive website then hire a web design company to do that for you. But, make sure that your website is mobile-friendly and works well on mobile devices.
4. Race for Featured Snippets
Featured snippets have always been quite elusive in a way that everyone wants to be ranked there, but no one knows a definite way to do so. Probably that’s why most people don’t even focus their efforts on trying to rank for featured snippets.
However, in 2021, that is going to change. As more and more people figure out some simple tricks to get featured, many others will strive to do the same. It is not so elusive anymore and is something that many SEO experts are actually targeting now.
So, be an early bird and try to rank for as many featured snippets as you can. The trick to doing that is simple: answer user questions in your content in a clear, comprehensive, yet precise manner.
What featured snippets actually do is find the best answer to a search question. So, if you look for the questions people ask in your niche and provide a better answer, then you might rank in the featured snippets.
This needs to be a conscious effort where you try to answer different questions in your day-to-day content. You don’t need to create fresh content for this, but just keep this in mind when writing your blog posts.
Finding these trends useful and informative?
Keep reading to find out the last trend on this list.
5. Increased Focus on User Experience and Engagement
Earlier, SEO was mostly about getting more traffic to your website. The more people who visit your website, the better. In fact, that’s how people assessed the performance of their SEO initiatives, simply by looking at an increase in web traffic.
But, things have changed a lot from there.
Now:
It is just as important to make sure that your website visitors have a good experience as it is to get new visitors.
SEO performance is no longer being evaluated based entirely on an increase in traffic but also depends on ROI. Yes, you got tons of new visitors to your website, but it is futile if they did not convert into customers or at least engage with other content on your website.
So, when evaluating the performance of your SEO initiatives, focus more on user experience metrics and ROI. Also, optimize your content in a way that it becomes as engaging for your readers as it is good for SEO.
Ready to Start Using These Trends?
Now that you know the biggest SEO trends for 2021, it’s time to start using them to your advantage. Follow the tips provided above and integrate them into your SEO strategy for 2021.
These trends will help you stay ahead of your competitors and get better SERP rankings than ever before.
So, what are you waiting for?
Get started with these and start designing your SEO strategy for 2021 right now. All the best!