WHAT WERE THE TRENDS THAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SEO 2020 AND SEO 2021?
Below, we present the highlights of the most representative SEO trends last year, how these new forms of search occurred thanks to the evolution in consumer behaviors in the world.
There were changes in the positioning of search engines, as well as new presentations in the algorithms in charge of determining the hierarchy of the ranking of results in Google, also the new behaviors of consumers were analyzed, with respect to search modalities, as well as interaction with web pages, this is how the new trends that encompassed 2021 were determined.
First let’s look back at 2020 from an SEO point of view:
GOOGLE CORE UPDATES IN 2020
There were a series of Google core updates in January, May, and December 2020 that featured significant changes, most notably the latest one that significantly changed the way you view dictionaries and encyclopedias.
SEARCH CONSOLE API UPDATE AND REQUEST INDEXING FEATURE
They improved the following:
- More up-to-date data and a new filter feature
- Domain property support in the Sitemaps API.
- Discovery Document Migration Guidelines.
Likewise, the “Request indexing” function was enabled, where website operators can now inform Google about new subpages for a domain and accelerate the indexing of new websites.
Likewise, there was an update in the
GOOGLE CORE WEB VITALS
Core Web Vitals are part of the page experience, combined with UX attributes, so they become a ranking factor.
Providing concrete and measurable KPIs for this new search engine ranking element.
These are formed from the metrics:
LARGEST CONTENTFUL PAINT (LCP)
The time it takes to load the main content of your website, which is the first impression you have, so Google seeks to optimize this metric, and if the quality rating guidelines are followed, the main content serves to rate and position the site in the first results.
The main loading time (LCP) must be less than 2.5 seconds and in the case of sites with values between 3.4 and 5 an improvement in their loading time will be required.
FIRST INPUT DELAY (FID)
It refers to the time when the user can interact with the loaded website for the first time. Users should be able to interact with the website after a maximum of 100 ms when the site has already loaded.
CUMULATIVE LAYOUT SHIFT (CLS)
Visual stability of your website. There are sites that do not offer the best experience for users according to the negative elements in their visual composition, so Core Web Vitals are now a parameter for the positioning of websites.
This is measured by the “Impact Fraction” metrics that analyze the percentage of screen movement during site loading and the “Distance Fraction” that provides information on the distance by which content moves during loading relative to the viewport.
So, based on these new metrics established by Google, a series of values must be considered to meet the new requirements and SEO positioning.
To be sure that these values are correctly measured, it is important to consider an SEO agency that is in charge of using pages to measure the metrics and guarantee the performance of the website in accordance with Google’s new implementation, with the Core Web Vitals.
At Online Design and Optimization we know perfectly well the new trends in SEO 2021 , below we present the most relevant ones.
SEO TRENDS 2021
Search engine optimization, SEO, is always evolving, so you have to stay up to date with all these changes and new Google regulations, as well as new user behaviors in their online shopping and search patterns. the Web. Last year, a series of new trends were presented that encouraged the optimization of users’ search results:
1. RELEVANT AND VALUABLE CONTENT
Useful content is a factor for SEO strategies, in a trend that has been fundamental from the beginning.
This is because Google rates all positioning factors according to the satisfactory user experience, and to obtain this satisfaction, it is necessary to provide users with relevant and valuable content that can inform and provide the information they are looking for.
Since, if not, users will leave the page and this will directly affect the authority and positioning of the site.
This means that in addition to losing a potential customer, the relevance of the site will also lose value and it will now have a negative image in the eyes of the user.
Valuable content is one that focuses mainly on the needs and desires of customers to base their strategies, in this way the demands of visitors are met and, consequently, Google bots also consider it important, due to the interaction, time and other metrics that allow us to understand it as a valuable site.
The contents, in turn, must be presented in an interactive and dynamic way so that they can attract and retain the attention of users more easily and increase the possibilities of satisfaction to motivate them to continue browsing the site.
2. COMPLY WITH THE EAT PRINCIPLE
Hand in hand with the previous point, Google rates content according to its quality, but how does it know when content is quality if it cannot interpret it?
Well, for this, the EAT principle was created, where the search engine considers three factors to be able to rate the pages and know if they deserve a good positioning in the search results:
- Expertise (level of knowledge)
- Authoritativeness
- Trustworthiness
These are the three factors that Google considers to evaluate the quality of each of the searches.
To meet these factors, you must first
Determining who our content is directed to, this implies understanding our buyer persona and with this the type of content that they need and understand (level of knowledge) is intended.
Then the search intention is established according to the market (authority).
And finally, content is created that generates trust in the public (reliability).
3. USER EXPERIENCE (UX) AND MOBILE SEO
User satisfaction is, if not the key factor in determining the positioning of a website, hence its great importance for SEO strategies.
In 2021, not only was content considered useful to determine user satisfaction, but, with the appearance of Core Web Vitals, sites are expected to provide a complete experience.
This complete experience refers to all the interaction that the user makes within the site, from the loading speed when accessing the page, the creation of intuitive menus, interactive content, the visual stability of the site and some other factors.
Although user experience UX also refers to the adaptation of websites for any electronic device, such as smartphones, tablets, desktop computers, and thus any device where the website can be accessed.
In 2019, Google implemented mobile-first-index, where the search engine first checks the mobile version of the website instead of the desktop version.
This is due to the increase in users accessing the internet through their phones, where it is estimated that by 2025 73% of internet users will access only through their mobile devices, so SEO strategies must be directed them.
4. VOICE SEARCH
Technological innovations, such as Google’s virtual assistants, Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, brought with them the new trend of voice search.
To adapt to this new situation, voice search must be optimized, using keywords that tend to work best with long, natural phrases.
5. SEARCHES WITHOUT CLICKING
Google makes frequent changes to the design of SERPs (search results page) to adapt to new user behaviors and provide fast and effective experiences, for 2021 one of the new trends was clickless search, where results appear at the top of the first page.
6. LONGER CONTENT
Experience, authority and trust are the pillars of SEO trends 2021 . To guarantee the quality of the content to users, it is recommended that a more in-depth investigation be carried out, since this will make it more complete and, consequently, longer. Around 3,000 words are recommended, because these get greater traffic and organic reach.
Achieving this content involves dividing it into H2 and H3 subheadings to make it easier to crawl, especially for mobile websites. Likewise, link relevant and authoritative sources with authority and they should be easy to share, with links at the beginning and end so that readers can access the page with a single click.
There are tools, such as the SEO Content Template, that help optimize content, offer recommendations on length, related keywords, and perform a deeper analysis of Google’s top-10 pages.
7. LOCAL SEO
Coupled with the pandemic and the economic crisis, new alternatives to support the local market were presented; especially due to transportation limitations that led people to look for local establishments to consume the products they needed.
Local SEO arrived during this period and since then one of its best tools has been Google Business Profile, where local businesses were able to establish their schedule changes, include special offers, delivery options, etc.
8. SITE SECURITY
The year 2021 was characterized by an audience aware of the threats present on the internet, where protection became a trend in behavior.
Likewise, Google considers site security as a metric to determine relevance and thereby designate a position, for this it is important to include security features on the site such as specialized plugins and SSL certificates. With this, users will feel safe accessing web pages, as well as Google.
9. IMAGE OPTIMIZATION
Images today can also serve as a visual element, such as links to buy products, obtain information, etc. For this there must be proper optimization for the images.
These must be relevant, of quality and personalized with the name of the file so that it is relevant to the content of the page. Likewise, ALT tags must be used for crawlers to position the images. Finally, the images should be added to the sitemap, where they are easier to crawl.
10. VIDEO INCLUSION
Audiovisual content took off even before 2021, but in that year the trend increased to become a key factor for SEO strategies. Video optimization occurs through the name and description of the video channel, where all the information and resources of the channel must be provided.
Keywords are crucial here, as they tell us what people are searching for in relation to the topic of the website.
Since their implementation in 2017, featured snippets have been a great element implemented by Google, where long and extensive content is no longer as relevant.
A featured snippet will help keep you ranking at the top of a search while generating great traffic. Within them a large amount of information is displayed, it can be structured as a question and answer section or enriched with images, star-based reviews, product prices, etc. To achieve them you have to base yourself on the relevant questions and keywords on the site.
SEO is becoming more and more complex, you should no longer simply optimize keywords and titles, in 2021 the trends were mostly focused on providing the best experience to users, from Core Web Vitals to searches by Voice control and SEO for images and videos. You must always stay up to date with new algorithms and new Google implementations.
11. FEATURED SNIPPETS
Therefore, hiring an SEO agency will be your best option to correctly optimize your website and gain organic positioning.
We invite you to learn about our packages and services that we have for your website and brand, where we will help you implement your SEO strategies, based on 2021 SEO trends .
Contact one of our consultants by phone from anywhere in the Mexican Republic at (800) 890 3864 or write to us in our online chat from anywhere on the continent. We also have offices in Colombia, Peru, USA, Costa Rica, Argentina and Chile to provide you with the best service.