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Search Engine Optimization Trends to Implement in 2021

Rich Keller • Dec 23, 2020

Search Engine Optimization Trends to Implement in 2021

SEO TLDR 2021

I'm always researching SEO techniques and trying to stay on top of the trends in SEO. This can be a time-consuming deep dive that can prove to be difficult to learn what the next big thing in search is before it's too late. For the past few months, there has been a lot of chatter about what the next trend in SEO will be, and with the December Google Update, it's become increasingly apparent that it won't be just one trend. Google is firing on all cylinders this year and telling SEO's that all aspects of a website have become part of the ranking algorithm. I've been scanning all the chatter online after the December update, and here's a shortlist of what I think, and what I will be focusing on into 2021. I'll save you some time to get up to speed and have created the ultimate SEO in the 2021 TLDR list.

TLDR - Here are the top trends to follow closely in 2021

AI will get into SEO
New AI-driven methods and strategies used by both SEO professionals and search engines promise to index and rank content faster and better than ever before.
User Experience Gets in the Front Seat
Google wants everyone to have a great experience, if your site is slow, or hard to navigate, you will see rank drop.
Search Intent Over Keywords
While keywords remain fundamental in planning and writing content, user and search intent is really what get's google to put your content in front of searchers asking specific questions.
Voice Search Optimization
Siri and Google Voice searches are no longer locked to people on their phones. Now any search can be completed by asking any IOT device like your fridge, toasters, TVs, speakers, and even thermostats.
Prepare for Visual Search
Now you can search for images or anything that is showing on your screen, no typing, no voices, all visual. Is your website ready for that? Probably not.
Google EAT 3 Squares a day
This will remain a core part of the Google algorithm. It may evolve, but will be the first step in making sure quality content is what Google indexes.
Mobile SEO First
Mobile-specific optimizations will matter more than ever in 2021.
Featured Snippets Grow Up
In the past you could have featured snippets if you wanted to, but it wasn't officially required or recommended, but now the experiments are over, and now Google is pushing snippets 100%
More Video In SERP
That Video Carousel in the SERP is where you want to be, of course, if you have no video, you'll never get clicks here.
CTR and Customer Retention Matters
Nothing tells Google your site is what people want more than that precious click-through. But they must stay and even better come back later. Then you are a shoo-in for the next person using the same search.
SERP & Knowledge Graph Optimization
Getting Impressions on GSC but no clicks? Your SERP Sucks, Fix It ASAP.
Core Web Vitals are a Thing
This showed up quietly in GSC, but never really seemed ready for prime time. Another experiment by Google that will be a key factor in your rank.
Long-Form Content
Why write 500 words, when you can write 4000.
Zero-Click Gets Worse
Inside the knowledge graph is a new potential purgatory of zero clicks showing your content, but again keeping the user in the SERP causing no one to click through to your site that Google thought had the best content anyway. I don't know one website owner that likes zero-click BS, but it's Google soccer ball, and we want to keep playing don't we?

If you know and have heard of all these trends, great, you are ready to tackle SEO in 2021, however, it's a never ending trip, so if you'd like to dig into all the articles discussing these trends, check out some of the expert SEO sources I regularly read and follow.

SERP

12 SEO Trends to Know for 2021- An Effective SEO Strategy Will Need to Include Video; 9. Image Optimization Will ... (semrush.com)
10 Important 2021 SEO Trends You Need to Know- 8 Dec 2020 ... Trend #1: Focus on User + Search Intent · Trend #2: Customer Analytics, Retention & Lifetime Value · Trend #3: Brand SERP Optimization, ... (searchenginejournal.com)
Top SEO Trends Every Marketer Needs to Know in 2021 | Cardinal- 23 Sep 2020 ... How search engine optimization is evolving in 2021 and strategies on how marketers can adapt to these new SEO trends. (cardinaldigitalmarketing.com)
What Will Influence Your SEO Strategy in 2021? - Digital Marketing, Advertising, SEO, Social Media, Website Design & Online Marketing- 8 Sep 2020 ... Top SEO Trends for 2021 · 1. Featured Snippets: The New Google Page One · 2. Influencers: Social Media Meets SEO · 3. Secure Websites: ... (rapidboostmarketing.com)
SEO Trends for 2021 That You Need To Know- 3 Feb 2020 ... The world of search engine optimization can change in the blink of an eye. Stay up to date with the latest SEO trends for 2021 and beyond. (marketing.sfgate.com)
2021 digital marketing trends: 25 practical recommendations to implement- 21 Sep 2020 ... These searches are not logged in Google Search Console and have very little relation to SEO. So, businesses can tap into any voice-based ... (smartinsights.com)
Search trends: how will search marketing and SEO evolve in 2021? – Econsultancy- 4 days ago ... 2020 has been an eventful year for SEO practitioners, PPC specialists and anyone working in the field of search marketing. With so much of our ... (econsultancy.com)
Moving Forward: 2021 B2B Marketing Trends- 7 Dec 2020 ... B2B Digital Marketing Trend #4: Reinvest in Search Engine Marketing for the Long-Term. When it comes to SEO, it is a common misconception ... (mavencollectivemarketing.com)
Social media trends to optimize your strategy in 2021 | Smart Insights- 3 Nov 2020 ... Social media trends 2021: Optimize your digital marketing strategy for social success ... Dmitrii Kustov, Internet Marketing Director, Regex SEO. (smartinsights.com)
5 Digital Marketing Trends for 2021 – OpenHouse.ai- The first digital marketing trend that homebuilders should be looking to integrate into their marketing strategy is Content Marketing and SEO. The term Content ... (openhouse.ai)
5 Digital Marketing Trends in 2021 | Wingman Direct Marketing- 2 Dec 2020 ... Search engine optimization (SEO) has changed drastically since the last century (anyone remember Ask Jeeves?). Now, SEO is not shaped by ... (wmdm.ca)
Top Nine Search Engine Optimization Market Trends For 2021- 23 Jun 2020 ... Top 9 SEO Market Trends for 2021 · Artificial intelligence will dominate · Voice Search · More results through rich snippets · People will look for ... (longisland.medresponsive.com)
Your Guide to SEO Trends 2021- 7 Dec 2020 ... Search engine optimization is the process of attracting organic (free) traffic from the search results in search engines. You want people who are ... (business2community.com)
Top 8 Website Trends to Grow Your Brand Online in 2021- 20 Nov 2020 ... Top 8 Website Trends for 2021 & How to Make Them Work to Grow Your ... Performance; Search Engine Optimization; Customer-first Approach ... (reaction.ca)
5 SEO Trends to Know About in 2021 | Eden Advertising- 30 Nov 2020 ... Eden takes a look at 5 SEO trends that will make an impact in 2021. ... on the horizon in the world of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). (edenadvertising.com)
2021 SEO Trends: What are the Project SEO Trends for 2021?- 15 Dec 2020 ... When executed correctly, search engine optimization (SEO) is an effective way to draw traffic to your website. A crucial component to any ... (soundst.com)
SEO in 2021: The Definitive Guide- This is a complete guide to search engine optimization in 2021. Learn about SEO trends like voice search, video, search intent, new on-page SEO techniques, ... (backlinko.com)
9 Emerging Search Engine Optimization Trends For 2019 [Infographic]- 12 Mar 2019 ... So what are the latest SEO trends that you need to know about? The team from ... The Marketing Calendar for 2021 [Infographic]. Linqia has ... (socialmediatoday.com)
Search Engine Optimization Market Size 2021 By Share, Industry Statistics, Trends Evaluation, Business Challenges and Investment Opportunities Analysis till 2026- 1 day ago ... Search Engine Optimization Market Size 2021 By Share, Industry Statistics, Trends Evaluation, Business Challenges and Investment ... (marketwatch.com)
Discover the enterprise SEO trends of 2021- Enterprise SEO trends 2021. Search engine optimization (SEO) is now more critical than ever, and organizations with SEO siloes in their marketing departments ... (siteimprove.com)

Questions

Questions used across top search results:

What digital marketing trends should we review?
What marketers should do about Google My Business
What Brands Need to Know About Hiring a Social Media Marketing Agency
How Do I Add My Business to Google Maps?
What marketers should consider in the post-COVID-19 world
What marketers should focus on with regard to search intent
What marketers should focus on with semantic search
How Google Passage Ranking Works
What marketers should do about quality content
What marketers should do about zero-click search results

Statistics

Factual sentences referenced across top search results:

In fact, the percentage of households predicted to own a smart speaker by 2022 is To optimize for voice search, consider your keywords. ( semrush.com )
This change makes sense, given that nearly 73% of internet users will access the internet solely via mobile devices by 2025. ( semrush.com )
According to our State of Content Marketing Report , long reads of 3,000-plus words get three times more traffic and four times more shares. ( semrush.com )
Here are the top 10 trends you need to know in 2021, according to the experts. ( searchenginejournal.com )
In 2021, tracking brand SERPs and knowledge panels will become the norm, according to ( searchenginejournal.com )
With Google introducing Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor in 2021, page experience metrics can no longer be ignored, according to ( searchenginejournal.com )
In 2021, prepared to work harder than ever before to assess, adopt, and execute, according to ( searchenginejournal.com )
2021 should be your year to build scalability into your SEO if you're going to get ahead of your competition, according to Mark Traphagen, Vice President of Product Marketing and Training, seoClarity. ( searchenginejournal.com )
They defined it as “Most intend to leave home to shop for necessities but maintain low engagement in shared services.” Here are some of the searches that went up in 2020, according to this infographic ( business2community.com )
It's predicted that by 2022 , 83% of the world's internet traffic will be video. ( business2community.com )