In 2024, the landscape of SEO is evolving rapidly with Google introducing significant updates, such as AI Overview. This makes staying ahead of the latest trends and updates crucial for maintaining a competitive edge.
Search engines constantly introduce new technologies and ranking factors that can significantly impact your website’s visibility and performance. To ensure your site remains relevant and effective, it’s essential to adapt to these changes.
In this article, we’ll explore key SEO trends in 2024. Additionally, offer practical tips to optimise your website for better search engine rankings and user engagement.
1. Consistent Publication of Engaging Content
Our first SEO trick for 2024, and perhaps the most important, is helpful content. Google’s new “hidden gems ranking system” highlights the importance of regularly publishing authentic and engaging content. Thereby, boosting visibility for smaller voices.
In 2024, engaging content remains a top-ranking factor in Google’s algorithm. Frequent publishing and content that satisfies user intent lead to quicker indexing, improved rankings, increased backlinks and increased trust with Google.
Launched this year, Google’s AI Overview leverages advanced machine learning to improve search personalisation. This update features video troubleshooting and a web filter to improve search accuracy, making a new SEO strategy your top priority.
Here’s how you can optimise for these changes:
- Ensure your content is well-researched and engaging.
- Publish and update content regularly with the latest information and trends.
- Use bullet points and clear formatting for quick understanding and retention.
- Only choose relevant headers and questions in your content.
- Always answer the question at the beginning! Everything below is additional information.
2. Speed = Winning
Speed is huge, we all know that, don’t we? In fact, Google penalises slow-loading pages by lowering your ranking.
Google’s increasing focus on AI Overviews means fast and informative websites are more crucial than ever. A fast-loading site improves user satisfaction and directly influences your search rankings. However, neglecting speed can create a negative cycle that’s hard to break.
So, how can you optimise for this nifty 2024 SEO trick?
- Aim for page load times under three seconds to prevent user drop-off.
- Use Google PageSpeed Insights to identify and address speed issues.
- Use different imagery or change the sizing.
- Leverage browser caching and minimise HTTP requests.
3. Mobile First
Neglecting mobile is like committing your website to a slow death. In fact, Google has attempted to turn sites mobile friendly within its Chrome browser. In addition, did you know that Google primarily uses the mobile version of your site for ranking and indexing?
This makes a mobile-friendly design even more critical. A mobile-optimised site isn’t just beneficial; it’s essential to meet Google’s current ranking factors.
To optimise for mobile-first indexing, you should:
- Implement a responsive design.
- Ensure that navigation and functionality are user-friendly on mobile devices.
- Make content concise if it looks too long on mobile devices.
- Prioritise mobile usability to avoid losing ranking positions due to poor performance.
4. User Experience (UX)
User experience extends beyond speed and mobile optimisation. It includes intuitive navigation, engaging content and smooth interactions. A well-designed UX reduces bounce rates and retains users by ensuring users find what they need quickly and easily.
With AI-driven search updates and personalised search features rolling out, UX becomes even more critical. Websites must provide content that directly answers queries and promotes repeat engagement.
To improve your user experience, here’s what you should do:
- Design your site for easy navigation, allowing users to find what they need quickly.
- Provide clear, concise content that answers the question.
- Add simple interactive elements to engage users.
- Replace misleading imagery and reduce its size if it hides the information lower down the page.
5. Video Content
Video continues to grow in importance, especially as AI and generative search expand. Structured data for videos ensures Google can display rich results, which is why you should incorporate videos into your content strategy.
Embedding YouTube videos onto your website keeps visitors engaged and browsing for longer. Video results on search engine results pages (SERPs) enjoy higher click-through rates, making them a valuable tool for increasing user engagement and search visibility.
This is how you can optimise for video content:
- Create videos that address common queries about your company, products, services and industry.
- Incorporate DNA videos and how-to guides.
- Use high-quality images, videos and infographics.
- Optimise videos with metadata, captions and descriptions.
- Embed YouTube videos on your site to keep visitors engaged.
6. Voice Search
With the rise of smart speakers and voice assistants, optimising for voice search has become essential. As AI becomes more embedded in search processes, voice search is on the rise.
Think of it this way, if you send a voice message to your friend because it’s easier and quicker, then why not do the same with voice search? With that being said, your content should read similarly to how you talk, ensuring it ranks for voice queries.
To efficiently optimise for voice search, you should:
- Use natural language and conversational queries in your content.
- Address common questions and include long-tail keywords.
- Adapt your content structure to align with voice search patterns and improve relevance.
7. Structured Data
Structured data remains valuable for improving search visibility. While not a direct ranking factor, it can significantly impact click-through rates and overall search performance by making your listings stand out.
Implementing structured data also plays a key role in helping search engines and AI understand your website’s content. This not only leads to better rankings but also positions your site to appear in AI-generated summaries. Why is this important?
Because featured snippets can capture as much as 42.9% of clicks, making them a key target for SEO trends in 2024.
Here’s how you can use structured data effectively:
- Implement schema markup to improve search listings with AI, rich snippets and Knowledge Graph panels.
- Regularly check for errors and monitor the impact of structured data on your search visibility.
- Optimise for featured snippets and rich results to increase visibility and engagement.
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Google was created back in 1998 and was a kitten compared to the behemoth we see before us today. In the intervening twenty-years, it has become smart, sophisticated and very, very powerful.
Its reach is truly staggering and anything that has the ability to make or break a business in the way Google can is deserving of respect.
We are moving into a new technological plane, and keeping ahead of the curve will be essential. If you need a helping hand to ensure you are following the top SEO trends in 2024, then don’t hesitate to contact us here at POD Digital.