As countless websites are launched daily, online competition continues to grow fiercer by the minute. If you haven’t done so yet, consider now the best time to invest in search engine optimization or SEO.

While not exactly common knowledge, websites need to meet specific search engine requirements to snag the searches’ top spot. This is where a robust SEO strategy can come in handy.

To ensure you have an SEO strategy that truly delivers, you must be aware of the current SEO trends so you can tailor it to your needs. Below are some of the most relevant SEO trends to keep an eye for this 2020:

Snippets will dominate more search links

To provide the consummate search experience for users, Google has continuously evolved. One of the components they’ve introduced is Featured Snippets. Featured Snippets are situated above the number 1 organic result, more commonly referred to as “Position 0.”  

You can take advantage of this feature and generate more clicks to your site by providing clear answers to frequently asked questions on your website. Depending on their quality, Featured Snippets are evaluated and boosted. 

A whopping 54.68% of clicks from Google come from Featured Snippets, so this is one trend you shouldn’t take lightly.

Secure websites are considered a must

At first glance, user safety is a trend that won’t impact your SEO efforts in any way. While not directly, user safety can significantly affect SEO. Consider this: if a user does not feel secure visiting your site, they can leave quickly and not return.

In the same manner, when visitors see a “not secure” warning appear, they’ll most likely not proceed. As a result, your site can get high bounce rates that can affect your site’s current organic search listing position. 

In line with this, it is recommended that you enable the HTTPS protocol for your site. HTTPS can give your site a secure connection that’s authenticated and encrypted. According to Google, HTTPS will hinder intruders from tampering with the communications between your website and your visitors’ browsers.

Providing users with a safe and secure browsing experience is something Google wants, so you might experience a slight SEO boost if you are implementing HTTPS.

Mobile UX can impact your SEO rankings dramatically

If your website does not have a mobile version, you will likely lose a significant number of users in the coming years. Not everyone may be aware of it, but mobile web pages are now a growing trend that’s likely to get more popular in 2020 and beyond. 

Technology and how people look for information using their mobile devices is evolving rapidly that having a mobile website alone would no longer suffice. The interface has to be easy to read and captivating enough to grab people’s attention. 

It should also answer their questions or, at the very least, keep them entertained. Studies reveal that 4 out of 5 consumers perform local searches on their search engines through their mobile devices.

Since more people are using their smartphones to search, it’s crucial to have a mobile version of your website to reach more prospects. If you want to keep up with your competitors, you also need to optimize your site for mobile devices.

It also pays to remember that the higher you are in the Google mobile page index, the more authoritative your page will be.

Videos will become the new TV

Just like voice searches, videos are also becoming increasingly important. Studies conducted by Google and other organizations reveal that 6 out of 10 people prefer to watch videos online than TV. In a way, YouTube has become the new TV.

Most internet users nowadays (especially millennials and younger) also prefer to get their information through online videos. With that said, incorporating videos should be a priority for you. A high-quality video not only has the power to capture a visitor’s attention, it also has the ability to keep it.

But how can videos affect your SEO efforts? To reach more people using your videos, it has to be optimized for search users. Start by using appropriate keywords in the headline and description of your videos. Doing so can help warrant the video reaching the most number of people who are interested in the subject.

Topnotch content is more important than ever

Online ads can still be effective for driving business, but they are likely to get more expensive as the years go by. While unfortunate to note, there are no guarantees customers will respond to your ads. 

Here’s a shocking statistic: A staggering 91% percent of ads online are viewed for less than a second. This resulted in a total of $38 billion in wasted ad spend in 2017!

Undeniably, creating high-quality content is a crucial element of any effective SEO strategy. Users prefer content that’s helpful and relevant, and Google tends to reward sites with top quality and useful content with a higher search engine ranking.

High quality and informative articles are the type of content that can help boost a website’s popularity. Also, online consumers are quick to detect and ignore blog articles or web pages that are too salesy. Statistics show that 71% of readers are turned off by content that is too salesy.

It would also be a good idea to provide meaty and educational content and deliver them in easy to digest forms like videos, podcasts, infographics, and blog posts.

Conclusion

Irrespective of industry, SEO has become an integral part of any business. After all, search engine giants like Google process information based on how online users are utilizing data. 

If you’re already familiar with the trends, now is the right time to double-down on them so you can enjoy all the benefits SEO has to offer. If you are unsure where to start, consider investing in the help of SEO experts, so you are guided accordingly.

By Stephanie Salud