It’s no secret that the SEO landscape is continuously evolving. To stay ahead of the curve, you have to be aware of the upcoming and current SEO trends that can reshape the industry. Understanding these trends will help your websites rank higher, drive more relevant traffic to your sites and connect with more prospective clients. Today, let’s prepare your business for the future of SEO by discussing six SEO trends in 2024 that will also likely make waves in the next few years. We’ll also share valuable insights and tips on how you can adapt to these SEO industry trends. 

1. AI and Machine Learning on SERPs

When talking about SEO trends for 2024, you’ll likely touch on the topic of artificial intelligence (AI) as well. The integration of AI and machine learning into search engine results pages (SERPs) is poised to reshape how users do their queries online.

One of the recent developments is Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE). Launched as part of Google’s continuous efforts to integrate AI into its search functionalities, SGE represents a significant leap towards making search interactions more intuitive, comprehensive and user-friendly. For now, it is only available to a limited number of people in the US. Still, it doesn’t hurt to prepare for it as early as now because it can massively change how the SEO industry works in the future. 

Here’s a quick look into what SGE is, how it works, and its implications for users and marketers alike:

What is Google SGE?

Google SGE is an experimental search tool that leverages generative AI to enhance how users interact with search results. It provides users with more direct or summarised answers and insights into their queries, moving beyond the traditional list of links on SERPs to offer a more engaging and informative search experience. 

What are the Key Features of Google SGE?

• AI-Powered Summaries: SGE can quickly identify and summarise the key points of a webpage, providing Google users with the information they need without having them sift through multiple links and sources.
• Follow-Up Questions: SGE enables users to ask follow-up questions directly within the search interface. That feature alone can facilitate a more conversational and dynamic exploration of different queries and topics.
• Content Discovery: SGE uses AI to summarise information from various sources and provide direct answers. An SGE snippet also includes links to relevant websites and other resources to help users discover a broader range of content. 

The Impact of Google SGE

For Users

Beyond being an SEO trend, SGE promises to make search more efficient and enjoyable by reducing the time and effort needed to find useful information. Its ability to provide quick summaries and conversationally answer follow-up questions could transform how we search, making the process more natural and intuitive.

For Marketers and SEO Professionals

The introduction of SGE poses new challenges and opportunities for SEO strategies. As SGE emphasises direct answers and summaries, traditional SEO techniques may need to evolve to ensure visibility in this new search environment. It’s still unclear which specific factors influence the links that appear alongside an SGE snippet. But one thing’s for sure: you have to continue creating high-quality, authoritative content—something that SGE can easily interpret & summarise. Focus on producing articles that SGE can recommend as additional sources for its snippets. 

Plus, with the ability of SGE to generate content based on a variety of sources, you need to post unique and remarkable insights to get that coveted spot in the snippet. 

2. Zero-Click Searches 

Even if SGE hasn’t been deployed fully, SERPs now display tons of information that satisfies users quickly, leading to another SEO trend in 2024: zero-click searches. 

Zero-click searches are queries that do not lead users to click on any link in the organic search result. Instead, the answer to a user’s query is displayed at the top of a SERP, often in the form of featured snippets, knowledge panels, or direct answers, allowing users to find the information they need without visiting a third-party website.

The Rise of Zero-Click Searches

The prevalence of zero-click searches has been increasing over the years. In 2020, nearly 65% of Google searches ended without a click-through to a third-party website. This change in SERP display and user behaviour has had a significant impact on SEO marketing, prompting SEO marketers to adapt their strategies.

How to Prepare for a Higher Instance of Zero-Click Searches 

As SERPs continue to improve, zero-click searches will likely be more prevalent. So, if you’re a business owner or marketer, how can you prepare for this SEO trend?

• Optimise for Featured Snippets: Creating concise, informative content that directly answers users’ queries can increase the chances of being featured in a snippet. That way, you can maintain brand visibility despite zero clicks.
• Improve Local SEO: Optimising for local searches and ensuring accurate, up-to-date information on Google Business listings can help your business stand out in zero-click searches. With your contact information on display, potential customers can reach out even without clicking on your website link. 
• Leverage Structured Data: Using schema markup to provide search engines with detailed information about your website content can improve its chances of being featured in rich snippets and other SERP features.
• Diversify Traffic Sources: Expanding beyond SEO to include social media, email marketing e.g., cold emailing, and paid advertising can help your brand reach your target audience in a zero-click search environment.

3. Emphasis on E-E-A-T

The concept of E-A-T, which stands for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, has been a key in Google’s approach to assessing content quality. However, a new dimension has been added, leading to the emergence of E-E-A-T, where the first ‘E’ stands for Experience. This means Google is not merely looking for content that demonstrates expertise, authority, and trustworthiness but also values content created by individuals with first-hand experience in the subject matter.

The Future of E-E-A-T in SEO

As Google continues to refine its algorithms, E-E-A-T is likely to be one of the SEO trends in 2024 to watch out for. Content that aligns with these principles is poised to perform better in search rankings. So, incorporating E-E-A-T into your SEO strategy is more than about adapting to current SEO trends; it also helps you prepare for the future of SEO.

How to Optimise for E-E-A-T

• Showcase Real Experience: When creating blogs and other types of content, highlight your real-life experiences as marketers or industry players to add credibility and depth to your content.
• Demonstrate Expertise: No matter which type of post you create, ensure that your expertise is evident, including your qualifications and achievements related to the topic.
• Build Authority: Building backlinks has been a tried-and-true SEO strategy for good reasons. So, continue to earn backlinks and social signals from authoritative sources to signal to Google your content’s authoritativeness.
• Maintain Trustworthiness: In the age of AI-generated content, your web pages will likely stand out when you always provide accurate, fact-checked information. That can help build trust among search engines and users alike.
• Create Comprehensive Content: Improve your E-E-A-T approach by developing in-depth content that covers topics thoroughly and links to reputable sources.

4. The Rise of Video SEO

Video content has surged in popularity, becoming an indispensable part of the online world. As a result, Video SEO has emerged as one of the most critical SEO trends for 2024. It prompts businesses, marketers and content creators to optimise their video content to improve visibility and engagement on search engines. 

The Importance of Video SEO

Nowadays, videos, especially the short-form types inspired by TikTok and Instagram Reels, can capture and retain the audience’s attention more effectively than text. They can lead to higher engagement and conversion rates if you use them to showcase your products, services and brand stories. In terms of SEO, videos can appear in a prominent position within SERPs if they are optimised for relevant queries.

How to Hop on the Video SEO Trend

• Write Keyword-Rich Titles and Descriptions: Incorporate relevant keywords into your video titles and descriptions to improve search relevance.
• Create High-Quality Thumbnails: Create compelling thumbnails that encourage clicks, as they serve as the visual representation of your video on SERPs and video platforms like YouTube.
• Provide Transcripts and Subtitles: Add transcripts and subtitles to make your videos accessible to a wider audience, including non-native speakers and those with hearing loss. Plus, doing so means providing additional text for search engines to index.
• Pay Attention to Engagement Metrics: Encourage likes, comments, and shares, as these engagement metrics can signal to Google and other search engines that your content is valuable and should be ranked higher.
• Submit Video Sitemaps: Submit a video sitemap to search engines to help them find and index your video content more effectively.

5. Refreshing Existing Content

A conversation about the latest SEO trends won’t be complete without putting a spotlight on content. As search engines continue to refine their algorithms, the freshness of content can play an impactful role in how pages are evaluated and ranked. Let’s talk about the importance of content refreshes and how this SEO trend can benefit your business in 2024.

Why Should You Refresh Content?

• Staying Relevant: Around 328.77 million terabytes of content data are created each day. How will yours stand out? Search engines usually favour content that is current and provides the most value to users. So, refresh your content to signal to search engines that your information is up-to-date & relevant.
• Improving Rankings: Refreshing content can lead to improved search rankings as it may be re-evaluated by algorithms and deemed more valuable than outdated content.
• Enhancing User Experience: It’s human nature for people to trust and engage with content that reflects the latest information, trends, and data.

How to Refresh Your Content

• Update Outdated Information: Apart from creating new blogs and other types of posts, pay attention to your old articles & pages, too. Review your content to ensure that all facts, figures, and references are current and accurate.
• Add New Sections or Data: Incorporate new findings, statistics, or relevant developments that have occurred since the original publication date.
• Improve Readability: Revise your content to improve its readability and user engagement. Consider breaking up text with subheadings, bullet points, or multimedia elements.
• Optimise for New Keywords: As search trends change, new keywords may emerge. Perform a single-page optimisation and update each page to include these new keywords where appropriate.
• Promote Revisited Content: Once refreshed, your content must be promoted through social media, email newsletters, and other channels to attract new visitors.

6. Local SEO Remains Essential 

A significant portion of all Google searches have “local intent.” That means users are looking for products or services (and corresponding reviews) in their immediate area. So, if there’s an SEO trend that will continue to dominate in the next few years, it’s local SEO. It is the practice of optimising a business’s online presence to attract customers nearby.

How Local SEO Benefits Your Business

With local SEO, your web pages can rank in the Google Map Pack (the box that appears at the top of Google search results with local business listings). That is crucial for local businesses, as it drives high brand visibility and both website and foot traffic.

Plus, with the majority of local searches conducted on smartphones and mobile devices, local SEO ensures your business is easily discoverable by on-the-go users. 

Refine Your Local SEO Strategies 

• Google Business Profile Optimisation: Keep your Google Business profile up-to-date with accurate business information (operating hours & contact numbers), respond to reviews, and utilise all available features to enhance visibility.
• Local Keyword Research & Optimisation: Conduct local keyword research to understand how people nearby search for your business. Then, incorporate these terms into your website when creating new or refreshing content. 
• Structured Data: Use schema markup to provide search engines with detailed information about your business, such as location, hours, and services offered.
• Tech SEO: Use an SEO Checker to find and fix technical issues on your site

Is SEO Still Worth It This 2024?

Yes. As we wrap up our exploration of the trends that can reshape the future of SEO, one thing is clear: SEO is still worth it. SEO will continue to exist and evolve, adapting to technological advancements and changing user behaviours. The question is: can you adapt as the SEO trends change? This is where Canty Digital can be of help. 

With years of industry experience, Canty Digital’s team of #DigitalMarketingNerds is here to help your business adapt to emerging and current SEO trends and use them to your advantage. Whether you own an e-commerce business, law firm, healthcare facility or any other business, you can count on our SEO team to expertly assist you. 

Give us a call today. Let’s talk strategy and more.