The Future Of SEO

Everybody Wants To Know: What Is The Future Of SEO?

What will happen in the future? What is the future of SEO, or Search Engine Optimization? It goes without saying. People want to know what is coming so that they can prepare for it. This attitude applies to SEO strategies as well. Since people’s rankings are on the line, they want to know what is coming so they can make SEO adaptions quickly and get that edge over their competitors.

SEO may not be the same as it was in the early 2000s.  With technology advancing and how it is applied to change, you can bet that SEO rules and strategies will be upgraded, outdated, or just changed. It’s of the utmost importance to have an SEO professional optimize websites.

The 5 Golden Rules Of Google

What follows are some of the general rules that Google applies to rankings through Google’s search algorithm:

1. Keep crawling and indexing simple.
2. Keep content unique. Also, focus on keywords but do not overstuff or you will receive a penalty.
3. Create good content. You want people linking to your site not fleeing it.
4. Build backlinks. Another positive to help you rise to the top in your niche.
5. Provide a positive user experience. This keeps visitors coming back for more and converting into a customer.

But algorithms change and while most of those changes work with those rules, some do not. It is best to stay up-to-date on all changes so you can optimize your SEO strategy. To get algorithm news just go to MOZ, Google Webmaster Central Blog, Search Engine Watch, & Search Engine Land.

Predictions For The Future Of SEO 

Experts are already weighing in on what is going to happen to SEO methods in the future. These are not only predictions; These are current and rising trends that will only grow to be more necessary in the future. Understanding these trends and starting early will help you gain an edge over your competitors. 

1. User Experience Will Become More Important

Google is built for users. With that being said, keyword-optimized content and technical tweaks aren’t enough to fuel SEO success. Knowing how internet searchers use the internet and making sure your website is optimized for user experience and user interface (UX & UI) is going to be the key.

Understand how users are interacting with your website and how they scan through information. Your website content has to be unique, engaging, interesting, and high-quality if you do not want to miss out. Users and Google will reward websites that focus on the user experiences and help users find answers or solve their problems. 

Try free analytic tools to help you get a grasp on this issue and see what searchers are doing.

2. Optimize For Mobile Search As Well As Desktop Search

According to research, the United States alone had 211million search users in 2020. Since, 2020 and with the COVID-19 pandemic, this number has only increased. Mobile search is just as important as desktop search. Search engines have incorporated mobile use into their algorithms.

Now, more than ever, it is important to have a responsive website design that will cater to mobile and desktop users.  In addition, if you own an eCommerce business, having easy payment option integrations with your existing check-out will help improve user experience, which will improve mobile SEO.

3. Local Search Is Increasing

Local SEO goes hand-in-hand with mobile SEO. As users are using their handheld devices more often, they are searching more topics like ‘restaurants near me’.

This means that having a listing in your local directory and an updated Google My Business page is essential to your business.

4. Artificial Intelligence Will Change The Game

AI will help search engines learn patterns, understand the content better, and make them more accurate. Also, it is thought that Ai will eventually kill off Black Hat SEO. Google has been working on AI search factors for a while now, and other search engines may follow suit.

Eventually, AI may run all internet searches.

5. Voice Search Will Become Normal

Information will have to be provided under new formats to accommodate the growing number of internet users who use a voice search function. This includes getting their content ready for search engines looking for this feature on a company’s websites

6. Blockchain Will Revolutionize SEO

What this technology will do is help erase the trend of providing fake news. Besides using voice, visual, and standard search functions, blockchain is seen as being able to offer authentication and author attribution.

This will help filter out bad sites that do not constructively contribute to a searcher’s knowledge, etc.

7. Virtual And Augmented Realities Will Be A Part Of Organic Searches

These two technological advances focus not on how everyone searches but address other vital parts of SEO functions. These functions work on how website owners build links, interact with visitors, and create leads. 

The addition of AR and VR may force search engines to adapt their criteria and index criteria to include these features in their ranking stats. 

8. More Importance Given To Search Intent and Increasing Zero-Clicks to Websites

The talk is that any website that loads in over 2 seconds is going to be penalized. SEO is not about the keyword or keyword phrases. Search engines are going to strive to see the intent behind the use of certain words and base their results on that forecast.

In addition, a common trend seen in search communities is a zero-click search trend. With Google and search engines constantly evolving to optimize for search intent, features like Featured Snippets, Videos, and People Also Ask are ways for customers to quickly receive information without ever having to click on your website.

It’s important to keep your website information fresh, engaging, and useful.

9. Video Content Will Be A Necessity

Google is constantly optimizing its user experience. When users search for a specific topic or utilize a long-tail keyword, videos are beginning to show up in the search engine results.

The future of SEO isn’t driven solely by written content. It will soon be driven by videos, podcasts, social media, and interactive tools where audiences can engage and manipulate on-page features.

10. Other Platforms Instead Of Google Will Rule SEO Rankings

The talk of the town is that Google criteria may take second, third, or even fourth place in the SEO ranking area. The rumor is that powerful search engines like Amazon and other social media outlets will eclipse Google and change SEO rules and strategies once again.

Some Final Words

Looking into the future is something just about everyone wants to do. But they may be surprised at what they see and wish they had never looked. Predicting the future of anything, including SEO is not something that can easily be done.

There is no magic crystal ball that will provide any real insight into the future of search engine optimization. The best thing to do is to weigh the words of the experts, analyze what each search engine is doing and what changes they are making to their algorithms, and try to get ahead of the crowd.

Some predictions look good, but humans can be fickle. While some lie to be innovative, up-to-date, and very trendy, others are more conservative and opt for less exciting search options. Time will only tell which prediction is the correct one.

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