The SEO trends that will affect your work in 2021

Google has always wanted to be the only final travel destination that its users want to do. And his desire to be first among the first, more than anything else, allows us to understand, at the end of the year, what the main trends will be SEO.

In our articles many times we write that the SEO landscape is very dynamic. Of course, some things remain the same: inserting the relevant keywords in the titles, making them a priority to be optimized for users who surf with mobile devices, etc. are some of the evergreens to be respected always and in any case.

But other things keep changing in an endless spiral. This year, Google, along with other major platforms, is increasingly striving to be the ultimate travel destination for its users.

That’s, more than anything else, defines the main SEO trends for 2021, as, today more than ever, we must constantly find the best ways to stay “active” within the framework created by Google.

The Topic Of This Post

•  1. Zero-click searches will become the new normal
•  2. Optimizing a Website for Rich and Featured Snippets
• 3. Local SEO is changing
•  4. Neural Matching, RankBrain, and BERT 
• 5. Brand building should be a priority
• 6 Why SEO Trends Matter for Jobs in 2021

Zero-click searches will become the new normal

Thanks to SERP features such as featured snippets, Google’s Local Packs, Knowledge graphs, and so on, more than half of all searches have become “zero-click searches”. This means that the user’s request is answered directly in the SERP

At this point what should we do? First of all, as the Americans would say “Don’t panic!”.

• The first thing to do is to consider what kind of searches are: are they people looking for your address and phone number? Or people looking for an answer to a quick and easy question? Those particular clicks probably wouldn’t convert anyway, and so, while important, they shouldn’t be taken too much into account.
• On the contrary, it is always essential to identify which keywords can lead to clicks. For example, using one of the many online programs to do keyword research such as Rank Tracker in combination with your Google Search Console account, you can analyze which keywords of those you are optimizing bring clicks. This saves a lot of time and effort by optimizing, for example, the website for queries that include keywords such as “when”, “how many”, “what year”, and so on.

These processes are vital to content, of course, but they shouldn’t be the only focus of your SEO efforts.

Optimize a website for Rich and Featured snippets

As zero-click searches are becoming more frequent, as we said above, the information shown on the SERP itself is becoming more important than ever. Two great ways to stand out is to work hard on Rich or Featured snippets.

The Rich Snippets, who, in addition to the title and description, show images, stars for reviews, product prices, etc., are easier to get, but they also bring major improvements CTR For Click Trough Rate (acronym CTR) or click rate we mean the number of times users click on a link or banner ad, in …lower than a Featured snippet. The result will be more noticeable even if your position in the SERP remains the same.

The Featured snippet, ie an entire block of insurance information that is shown in the upper part of a SERP, carries large increases in CTR. But getting one is a little more difficult.

What could we do? Obtaining both of these types of fragments requires, above all, that the data be structured. Using a tool like a WebSite Auditor we can check if the data on the website is already structured. If they aren’t, check out this guide on how to use structured data.

Using Rank Tracker to find the best opportunities for Featured Snippets we don’t have to just search for the keywords we’re raising in the ranking In Google. Get a good ranking for relevant keywords for …, but in particular, we need to work on keywords for which your competitors have already obtained a Featured snippet.

One important thing to remember is that, including first place, no position is guaranteed to get Rich or Featured snippets.

Local SEO is changing

A large number of the aforementioned zero-click searches are local searches for which results are shown on the SERP itself, in so-called Local Packs. For mobile devices, a single local package can take up the same space as an entire SERP shown to a user.

You can cover a large number of searches, mostly those containing keywords such as “near me” or “address” or “phone number”, in one go, by creating a Google My Business page for your company.\

But this should only be the beginning of your efforts. A large number of searches will not end on local packages. People who want to compare products, look for more detailed information, etc. will continue to go to the website, and this is where traditional SEO practices become important.

Have a solid profile backlink In economic parlance, a competitor is a company in the same sector or a similar sector that offers a similar product or service. 

A specific feature of local SEO is that you need to have as many backlinks as possible that Google believes are locally authoritative.

And of course, remember to keep track of your local ranking performance. Keep in mind that the slightest change in position will affect the type of results the user will get.

Neural Matching, RankBrain, and BERT Google have been using learning algorithms for years to improve its users’ search experience and help avoid web pages containing keywords. In 2021, this will be more important than ever thanks to the release of Google’s latest algorithm called BERT.

Now, as far as we know, Google uses three mechanisms: the first is Neural Matching, which understands the meaning of query Whenever we look for something on an engine… The second is RankBrain, which adjusts the SERP based on data collected on user behavior. The third is the newly implemented BERT, which is the algorithm that is used to analyze the structure of a search to better understand the context in which the keywords are used.

With Neural matching and BERT algorithms, there isn’t much we can do, Neural matching is the backbone of Google, and BERT requires you to write good content.

But RankBrain should be considered very carefully. The goal here is not simply to rank a website for any keyword. Now, and increasingly in the future, intent matching is critical to creating successful content.

Because right now, a simple ranking with no matching intent could cut us off from a huge number of SERPs.

To understand the correct search intent, you need to have a feel for what you are classifying right now. Using the Rank Tracker software you can monitor the results to see which content Google considers exactly relevant to the searches you want to rank.

Once you have successfully determined the intent of the search queries you want to rank for, you need to create content that matches the intent of the users in their search.

The construction of the brand

One trend any marketer working today should know is that organic social is dead. While paid advertising is a paid message that a company sends intending to inform or influence the people who receive it … still works brilliantly for social, the fact that more and more companies are doing it creates a real trend where the ROI. ROI is typically the measure … for paid ads, it is assumed that in 2021 it will be decreasing.

At this point, since paid advertising will become more prevalent and expensive, for all those who want to grow with these strategies.

Do not forget, finally, that the linkless mention is becoming increasingly important, with Google and Bing confirming that are used as a ranking signal.

First of all, we have to go and build relevant mentions. And for 2020, we need to pay the same attention to building quality link profiles, as well as managing linkless brand mentions.

Using what is called social media listening, for example, will allow you to monitor every mention of not only the brand but also the type of service/product being provided.

This allows, first of all, to interact directly with your customers. Secondly, it allows building brand awareness or brand awareness through a public customer care service that helps inform people who are interested in a product about any campaigns or promotions that may be underway, etc.

Also with this search, you can search where the main competitors are mentioned and start a campaign to be mentioned there as well.

Finally, by using social listening tools, marketers can build brand awareness through direct interaction with their customer base.

Why SEO trends are important for work in 2021

Whenever marketers think they have gained definitive advantages with SEO, the rules start to change again. A great example is how local SEO has changed. Today, having Google My Business is becoming more and more important for companies that operate locally and want to give more visibility to their website, and this is just a symptom of a broader trend.

We need to always keep the pulse of the situation and therefore, adapting our work to the new challenges that we will begin to face in 2021, will allow us to provide the best possible results to our customers.