In the ever-evolving landscape of search engine optimisation (SEO), staying ahead of the curve is essential for digital success. To help you be better prepared, we’ve put together a list of the top SEO predictions you will be seeing in the new year. From voice search, mobile-first indexing and AI to content quality and video and visual search, these are just some of the SEO trends for 2024.
Voice Search Optimisation
Voice search optimisation has emerged as a key strategy for businesses aiming to excel in a highly competitive digital landscape. With a growing 27% of the global online population currently using voice search on mobile, it’s clear that this technology is becoming favourable for seeking information online. Recent projections show that by 2024, the majority of online searches will be conducted via voice search.
As a result, long-tail keywords and natural language phrases should be incorporated into website content to align with the way people speak. Additionally, ensuring that your business listings are accurate on platforms like Google Business Profile will be crucial for voice search optimisation.
Mobile-First Indexing
Mobile-first indexing means that Google mainly uses the mobile version of the content for indexing and ranking. If your website isn’t optimised for mobile users, it can hurt your ranking in search engine results, leading to lower visibility and potentially affecting your conversion rate. Search engines like Google will be prioritising mobile-friendly websites in the upcoming year so it’s essential to review your site design, check your site speed and ensure your content displays effectively on mobile devices.
Artificial Intelligence and SEO
AI in advanced machine learning algorithms can process huge datasets to predict market behaviour and consumer preferences. It’s also worth noting that AI plays a big role in personalisation. It uses factors such as history, location and a user’s previous activities to provide a customised experience. AI-powered tools like Surfer can help SEO experts to identify the most effective keywords to include in content in order to improve search engine rankings.
Core Web Vitals and User Experience
Core Web Vitals (CWV) are metrics that measure the performance of a web page in terms of loading experience, interactivity, and visual stability. These metrics were introduced by Google and aim to provide a better user experience for all web users.
t is likely that search engines will continue to place a high importance on web vitals in the future. Google has already announced that it will be updating its search algorithm to take CWV into account even more heavily.
There are a number of things that SEO professionals can do to improve their CWV scores. These include:
- Improving page load speed.
- Reducing Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) by using responsive web design and avoiding large layout shifts above the fold.
- Improving First Input Delay (FID) by reducing the amount of JavaScript on the page and using a service worker to cache resources.
Content Quality and Relevance
Google released a statement at the beginning of the year saying it will always prioritise high-quality relevant content. And due to the increasing use of AI generated content, Google has increased the influence that content quality has in its algorithm. Throughout 2024, generative AI is set to speed up content creation and optimise marketing campaigns by predicting which channels and messages should be used.
But it’s predicted that AI will likely result in a flood of poor-quality, machine-written content and that smart marketers will use AI to automate the process that supports content creation while continuing to create high-quality human-generated content.
E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness)
Search engines like Google, are progressively prioritising content demonstrating authority. They define authority as a combination of experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness (called “E-E-A-T”). You can improve your E-E-A-T by:
- Creating high-quality content that is original and helpful to users and uses credible sources
- Monitoring and leveraging user-generated content which acts as a trust signal
- Creating a positive brand reputation
- Building authoritative backlinks
Local SEO and Google My Business
Local SEO strategies are crucial for businesses looking to increase their online visibility and attract local customers. Optimising your Google Business Profile can significantly improve local search rankings and allow the right people to find you. Local businesses can’t afford to ignore the power of local SEO in 2024. By completing profiles, using keywords and creating location-based landing pages, you can boost your local SEO ranking.
Video and Visual Search
Google Search has become a lot more visually oriented in its search results, displaying photos, maps, directions, weather and even videos when searching for a place, for example. With the rise of video and visual content, Google has plans to better integrate TikTok into its search results, being displayed in a similar way to travel searches. Google’s machine learning is also learning to read visuals so it’s important to ensure your images and other visual content is relevant and formatted in a way Google can read them.
Get an SEO Strategy for 2024 and Beyond
As long as there are search engines, SEO will exist. Regardless of the advancements in technology, it’s important that your business embraces and adapts to the changing developments in SEO.
If you’re frustrated with staying up to date or simply don’t have the time or expertise, having a trusted SEO agency can make all the difference. At Cariad Marketing, our affordable SEO services can help you create high-quality content and employ the latest in SEO to skyrocket your rankings and help you stay ahead of the competition. Talk to us to learn how.
