Did you know that in 93% of the cases, the online experience of the user starts with a search engine? And, this has not gone unnoticed. The spending on SEO is expected to rise from $22.1 billion in 2010 to almost $80 billion by 2020, according to an article by MotoCMS. And, it’s not just the big companies that find SEO useful. According to a survey by Backlinko, 83% of small business owners believe they can access new customers with the help of SEO providers.
But the field of SEO is extremely dynamic. New things are constantly emerging and many things becoming obsolete. This makes it vital for you to be aware of the latest trends in the SEO sector. Here are some SEO trends you should look out for in 2020.
1. Rise of Featured Snippets
Featured snippets are usually at the top of the organic search results and are commonly said to be at “position 0.” They also occupy more space and are presented in a more attractive manner. Taking advantage of this feature can considerably increase clicks to your web pages. But, for that it is important that your content provides clear answers for the questions that are commonly asked on your website. Apart from that for coming on top of the Google results, you should:
- Make sure that the heading of the content is relevant and matches the content and SEO title.
- The structure data is set up with the proper data.
- Ensure that the keywords are used properly.
- Follow the guidelines of the search engine.
Featured Snippets is something that you should not be taking lightly, especially when there is a featured snippet in 12.29% of all the search queries, according to a survey by Ahrefs.
2. Take Advantage of Voice Search
The number of people using voice search is increasing at an incredible rate. In fact, 35% of the internet users in North America had used voice search in the first quarter of 2019, according to data provided by Statista. When users search using their voice, the phrases are generally longer and more complex than typed content. Therefore, it is important that your content contains scalable phrases. Something else to be aware of is that consumers also tend to ask more questions with voice search.
3. Mobile First Indexing
Mobile first indexing means that the mobile version of your page is used for indexing and ranking by Google. With mobile first indexing, it is important that your desktop site and mobile site contain the same content. Having structured data and metadata on both versions of the site are also vital.
4. Use Structured Data for Boosting SEO
The algorithms of search engine have come a long way, but they still sometimes do not completely understand the context. Therefore, it is important to give them hints by properly structuring the content. If done correctly, structured data can become one of your best marketing tools.
Apart from this, link building, brand building, and focus on visibility are some of the other emerging trends for 2020.