SEO 2021: How Much Will Online Search Change in 2021?

SEO 2021: How Much Will Online Search Change in 2021?

Let’s talk 2021 SEO trends. This is a look ahead to the ways people will be finding your brand in the next 12 months. Even brands that are content with their SEO strategies from 2020 can benefit from some era-specific tweaks. The way that people browse and shop online changed in a flash in 2020. However, that was just a warm-up session for the big changes coming between Jan. 1 of 2021 and Jan. 1 of 2022. Expect this to be a big year for SEO trends. Let’s take a look at what your brand needs to know about 2021 SEO trends!

Mobile Optimization Is a Must

More than 63 percent of paid Google search clicks are done on mobile devices. If your site’s not optimized for Google, you’re not attracting these mobile searchers! The good news is that it’s relatively easy to get your site optimized as long as you bring in someone who understands the technical aspects of boosting your ranking based on Google’s notoriously picky preferences.

Search Semantics Will Shift

As we reach 2021, Google’s algorithms for understanding the word combinations people use when searching for things online are better than ever! However, constant updates for search semantics make it necessary to tweak your SEO approach to ensure that you’re keeping up with Google’s improvements. The big thing to remember while doing this is that you still want to create content for humans instead of writing for search engines. That means very crisp, useful content that answers questions people are searching for using bot-friendly formatting. Here’s a quick “cheat sheet” for good 2021 SEO:

• Use question-and-answer or FAQ formats.
• Use bulleted lists.
• Use bot-friendly, structured content.
• Use short-tail and longer-tail keywords.
• Use subtopics that build topic clusters.

When focusing on semantics, websites also need to have intent in mind. If you’re an e-commerce brand, this might be offering a place to learn product info or comparison shop. If you’re building a funnel to get people to sign up for more information, the intent is to get people to part with their email addresses.

Dominant SEO Will Move Away From Typing

Marketers and e-commerce sites are accustomed to attracting traffic based on how people type what they’re looking for. In 2021, more people will be saying what they want using voice search. Expect voice search to increase as more people equip their homes with smart devices now that the home is also the office! Experts predict that more than 55 percent of households will have voice-enabled smart speakers by the end of 2021. This requires a complete rethinking of SEO practices because searches are now more conversational.

Can You Visualize How Your Customers Will Interact With SEO in 2021?

It’s so important to have your customer profile adapted to fit the overall trends for 2021. This will help you to anticipate both how and what they’ll be searching for. The big takeaways to remember are that SEO needs to be mobile, topical and conversational in 2021.