7 Important SEO Trends for 2021
2021 is going to be all about user and search intent. This may not be a new trend. However, it is important to revisit these two concepts frequently. User and search intent is forever changing, and especially after the year we have had, things may have changed at a more rapid pace. Search intent is also expected to become far more important. Another suggestion to looks out for in 2021, is the rise in semantic search. We look at 7 SEO trends that can help improve your site ranking in 2021.
1. Image Optimization
Search engines can’t read an image, hence why we use “alternative” text. As for 2021, each image should have a unique title and alt text that includes the target keywords. Including alt texts will also help for image search queries and can help bring traffic to your site. Using captions on your images can also increase the on-page time.
2. Meta Descriptions
The trends for 2021 is to keep them short – especially for mobile. The suggested length of meta descriptions is between 120-130 characters to have a better CTR. It should also include words that sell.
3. Voice Search
The search engines are looking for natural language, so if you want to keep on top of SEO trends for 2021, it will be good to brainstorm the questions people might ask about your targeted keywords.
4. Local Search
Optimizing for local search is already incredibly important. But in 2021, you could be left behind by your competitors if you don’t make it a central focus.
There’s so much emphasis on shopping locally, and small business owners need our support more than the big-box retailers! Buying locally is likely to become a norm, so make sure you’re ready to welcome users with:
- Frequent blog posts
- Backlinks
- How to guides
- Getting a listing on Google MyBusiness
5. Video Optimisation
It’s predicted that by 2022, 83% of the world’s internet traffic will be video.
Webmaster’s need to stop thinking about YouTube as a video site. Instead, they should see it for what it is: the second largest search engine in the world.
When it comes to uploading a video on YouTube, webmasters should write compelling content and titles, and optimize their video channel name and description in a user-friendly way.
The same goes for video on your site, too. Ensure your videos are optimized in terms of keywords, size, CTAs, upload speed, descriptions, and use captions.
6. Internal Links
Internal links within the text are important as a good SEO practice. They send strong signals to search engines about another page’s relevance on your website, and how you place value on that page. You should not just add an internal link because it is a requirement. Instead, use them naturally to add value to the content for your users to learn more about the topic.
You can also use strong anchor text. The goal is to use an anchor text that includes your target keyword of the page being linked to. This practice is about sending signals to search engines and users about what you think is valuable information to support the current page’s content.
7. Content
When it comes to the body of content, you will want to keep your sentences and paragraphs short. The majority of users scan the content and ignore anything that looks hard to read – especially on mobile.
The keyword density for your focus keyword may become irrelevant. Instead, webmasters should use the target keyword and its related keywords naturally throughout the content.
In terms of length of content, the longer the content, the better it will be. Bullet points, bonding of keywords, and use of italics may also prove to be effective in 2021.
