10 Vital SEO Trends That You Need To Master in 2021

Appearing organically on page 1 of Google; that’s the end goal for most SEO practitioners. We can complicate it to no end with lingo and jargon, but when all is said and done it’s all about that “top of page one”. With a global financial crisis still taking shape, marketers are looking for more sustainable and affordable ways to generate sales leads. Search Engine Optimisation is arguably the best long-term marketing investment any website owner can make. So, here’s how to make sure your websites are coming up tops on search engines in 2021:

1. Mobile First

In the pre-COVID age, mobile internet usage was exploding across the globe. Now that we’ve been locked down for over a year, mobile is completely dominating internet usage. SEOs should be optimising their online assets with a mobile-first, desktop-second mentality.

2. Search Intent

As the name implies, a searcher’s intent is the reason behind their search in the first place. Optimising websites for target audience search intent is nothing new, but all SEOs predict that we’re going to have to begin to pay closer attention to what our customers type into their search bars.

3. Customer Analytics

In 2020, and for years before, SEOs were primarily focused on finding the “golden keywords” that are cheap in PPC bidding, but that have high monthly search volumes. In 2021, SEOs are focusing less on keywords and more on user behaviour on the website – using Google Analytics or similar software.

4. Holistic SEO

Up until recently, search engine optimisation has been mainly focused on websites and their metadata sets. In 2021, experts predict that the focus will shift to a more holistic approach, where – instead of just the website – all of a brand’s online assets and profiles are optimised for search engines.

5. Core Vitals

Google has been waxing lyrical for years about how a good user experience (UX) is going to become a distinguishing SEO factor. Well, it has, and this optimisation of user experience covers things like speed improvements, call-to-action optimisation, functionality improvement, etc.

6. Adaptability

We’ve all seen just how rapidly our world can change around us, and the SEO field is no stranger to constant change. This is why we need to remain agile and adaptable in 2021. The goalposts will shift, and best-practices might be left behind, so SEOs should remain abreast of and agile to industry changes.

7. Get Automated

The robots are coming! Just joking, they’re already here. In 2021, expect to see a huge increase in AI-generated content across the web. Automated SEO processes, like keyword research and metadata development, will save SEOs time and improve the overall strategy for any optimisation campaign.

8. Keep An Eye

Google and other search engines’ algorithms are constantly changing. Some updates they make are invisible to the front-end internet browser, while others often change the layout, appearance and function of the search engine results pages (SERPs). In 2021, keep an eye on what changes the search engines implement.

9. Long Content

Gone are the days when articles of between 300 and 500 words were enough to give Google a good idea about what you were trying to say. Today, long-form content has become the go-to SEO tool of choice, with word counts on these lengthy pieces of content exceeding 1,000 words as a minimum.

10. Scalability

Finally, one trend all SEOs need to keep in mind through 2021 is SEO scalability. Just like organisations are now realising the importance of digital transformation scalability, having an optimisation system in place that can scale up or down means you’re always prepared to improve – come what may.

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Think SEO might just be the three-letter acronym you’d like to see at the end of your name? Gain a solid understanding of how Google and other search engines work, and how to ensure a brand’s internet-based assets remain relevant on the results pages, with our accredited SEO & Web Analytics course.