The year of 2020 may be coming to a close, but SEO strategies remain as prominent as ever for businesses wanting to attract more consumers to their online platforms. SEO is constantly updating to fit the modern age of digital marketing. All these new updates can seem difficult for businesses to adjust to. However, after hiring the right digital marketing company, these upcoming 2021 SEO trends will be a breeze.

Artificial intelligence influences how users interact in an online environment. Back in 2015, Google launched a new AI algorithm to replace their original basic algorithm in determining the search results for a user query. The algorithm is known as RankBrain. The machine learning function to this algorithm allows it to consistently update and understand the definitive factors for a high ranking website. Experts assume that notable high ranking elements involve the user experience of a website. This includes click-rate, readability, content organization, and so on. It is suggested that businesses study their website and make design changes to improve the user interface and experience.

A business cannot effectively utilize SEO strategies without the help of data science. Data science tools are required to better know the consumers, organize campaigns, and verify any errors within the website. Analytics can assist in defining page loading times, response errors, indexes, and other flaws that will lower search rankings in the Google algorithm. Next year, it is highly recommended learning how to incorporate more analytical tools into a new SEO strategy or bring in experts will access to these tools.

Google holds a simple principle for distinguishing content quality. The principle analyzes the expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness of the content before rating it. There are several methods to assuring a business’s content is of high quality. All of these methods point to the information within the content. Apply the Google principle when checking a website’s content and affirm the accuracy of the information.

Shorter content may have been suggested in the past, but recent studies stated that content containing more than 3,000 words has a higher sharing rate than shorter content. Step away from putting time into shorter, lower-quality content, use that time on informative content consumers will learn something from and will share with others.

Videos are taking over every digital platform, and will only continue to do so. According to experts, video content is expected to be #1 in content consumption in the near future. Before this expectation becomes a reality, the best recommendation is to dive into video content creation. Digital marketing professionals know this is the future of content, and are already prepared for when businesses wish to branch out on this path.

Rather than typing in the product the consumer is searching for, they will be able to insert an image in the search engine and find that product. This element is no surprise since Google placed this new feature in their long term plan for innovating their search engine. For businesses, this is a sign to optimize the images on their website. Optimized images are relevant, high quality, and labeled. Labeling the images is required if the business wishes to appear on pages containing relevant content.

​7. Going Beyond the Desktop Version

By 2025, more than 70% of online users will access their internet browsers through a mobile device. Due to this statistic, Google greatly emphasized mobile-friendliness of a website in search rankings. Businesses need to ensure that Google can properly interact with the mobile site. A mobile site must allow Google to crawl the URLs and load content accordingly. Hire a web design expert from a digital marketing company to look over the mobile site and alter it to satisfy Google.

Digital assistants such as Siri and Alexa, and their voice search capabilities changed the game for establishing keywords in SEO strategies. Since it is predicted most households to have a digital assistant, businesses will need to shift how they identify their keywords. Instead of abbreviating the phrases, word them, so they appear to fit in a casual conversation.

Google’s continues to push the internet to the future with another AI known as Google Discover. This AI studies user behaviors and patterns, and identifies the most compatible content based on what the AI learned about the user. Location history, app usage, search history, and locations play a role into where the AI steers the user. Businesses can take advantage of this AI by prioritizing their local SEO strategies.

​10. Users Ask the Question and Snippets Give the Answer

Snippets are short, sweet, and straight to the point. After this Google feature was released in 2017, they became favorites amongst users searching for precise answers to their questions. Because featured snippets are presented above the other search results, they often steal traffic from competitors. To be a featured snippet, businesses should publish content around the questions and answers relevant to their industry. Product reviews and prices are also worthy of gaining snippet status.