With year 2019 coming to a close, we are faced again with the question “What SEO strategies will work and help boost our websites’ rankings in the year to come?” If you have been using SEO to augment your website’s rankings on search engines and relying on it to boost your earning potential, then you probably know how important it is to keep track of new trends and techniques in search engine optimization.
This 2020, here are some SEO strategies and trends that you need to keep in mind when trying to dominate in the SERPs.
Optimize for BERT
BERT, or Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers is the search algorithm launched by Google in October 2019. According to searchenginejournal.com, it is the largest change to Google’s search algorithm so far since the launch of RankBrain in 2015. The launch of BERT, however, does not mean that RankBrain is dead. In fact, BERT was launched not as a replacement to RankBrain, but as an additional method to better understand content and search engine queries.
The BERT update is said to have impacted all search engine queries by 10%. This means that the search engine traffic of many websites may have dived low since the update took effect. It may be hard for SEO practitioners, particularly those who are used to using keywords, to optimize for BERT, since it is designed to understand and use natural language to come up with search results. This does not mean, though, that it would be almost impossible to get your website in rankings with BERT. Publishing high quality content that are geared more on attracting human readers instead of just the search engines is still the best way to go.
Focus on Producing High-Quality, Information-Rich Content
In all changes in algorithm made by Google, there is always one constant: high quality content. No matter what changes in algorithm takes effect, you can never go wrong if you always focus on publishing high-quality content meant to provide readers with the information they need. Don’t just focus on keywords; focus instead on giving relevant information that may likely be of help to your readers. In other words, produce content that provide solutions to problems that your readers may have. This way, you can never go wrong with your SEO campaigns.
Localize Your Content
We use SEO to target not only local clients, but international clientele as well. This strategy has worked well in the past, but in today’s SEO, especially in 2020, localization of content seems to be the best way to go. This means that you should craft your content in a way that it would be easier for local readers to understand. Yes, we can easily have our website content translated automatically through various means, such as using plugins in the case of Wordpress, but sometimes, such translations are made poorly and may not serve readers well in other parts of the world. To avoid this, it is highly recommended to invest on localizing your content, or having it translated specifically for the local audience that you are targeting.
Improve Your Brand’s Credibility
The overall reputation of websites and content authors play a crucial role in the SEO strategy of 2020. This means that e-commerce websites, blogs, or companies that have poor reputation among its readers or customers will have a hard time competing in the SERPs. Any negative feedback and reviews about your brand, as well as security issues on your website, can have a huge impact on how your website will fare in search engine queries.
Make Use of Mobile SEO
Most customers are now on mobile. To gain more reach, you should make your websites compatible not only with desktops but with mobiles as well. Prioritize designing your websites for mobile devices and understand how mobile SERPs work. If you can, invest on creating a mobile app that will make it easier for your customers and readers to find and contact you.
Enhance User Experience On Your Website
Overall user experience is a technical foundation for any successful SEO campaign. If you want your website to rank well in search engines in 2020, consider improving your site speed and page loading capability. Check the speed of every page you have and make sure that your entire website loads fast in any major browser. Online readers can be low on patience and may leave your website immediately if it takes time for it to open.
These are just a few of the SEO strategies and trends that can help boost the visibility of your website in 2020. If your website traffic has taken a dive lately, try to see the possible reasons why it happened and what could be done to bring your website again in searches. If you are having a hard time keeping track of new SEO strategies and trends, you might want to invest in SEO automation, especially if your business is already growing.