Can you believe 2021 is about to end in less than three months? A lot has happened this year in terms of SEO and Google. With the sheer volume of content on the Internet today, there is a lot of competition, and it is hard to get your brand the spotlight it deserves. This is why SEO is still an important tool for websites and blogs. We have compiled a list of eight SEO trends by the top digital marketing agency in Boston to improve the rank of your website in the last three months of the year.
1. Three things Google looks at
With Google’s update in the May-June months, web vitals have become the center of attraction. The three main core vitals that the search engine giant focuses on are the Largest contentful paint (Loading), First input delay (Interactivity), and Cumulative layout shift (Visual stability). While these are not a make-or-break ranking factor, they certainly help make your website more appealing in Google’s eyes.
2. Ranking the passage
Google Passage Ranking is a souped-up version of featured snippets that Atlanta SEO experts are going crazy over. This is a new tool from the search engine giant that ranks relevant passages in an article independently. It has now become a ranking factor that could boost your page’s SERP rank. Long-form writeups with dedicated sections and subheadings can help you ace this tool.
3. Prioritizing featured snippets
Featured snippets have been getting a lot of attention for a little while now. They help you rank right on the top of the search results, where you are more likely to get leads. Thus, you should attempt to enter the snippet game by adding snippet baits of 40-60 words in every article.
4. Increased visual search
Visual search is not yet a game-changer in terms of SEO. However, Google Lens and other visual search tools are already successful, with millennials (younger and older) using them more. Therefore, it is important to optimize your page for visual searches by making them mobile-friendly.
5. New rules of domain authority
Domain authority is no longer just about links, and Google also uses Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EAT) to rank your page. While it has always been a part of the algorithm, it has become even more important in 2021 in the age of misinformation.
6. The rise of video snippets
If you have Googled anything recently, you may have come across YouTube videos at the top of your search results. Yes, they are video featured snippets. 2021 is a great time to utilize this trend by SEO optimizing your YouTube videos and adding embedded videos in your blogs.
7. Guess the intent
Today, Google is more likely to rank your blog if it matches the search intent of the keyword, as it constantly strives to offer relevant information to users. As such, your content strategy should also focus on the search intent of your audience.
8. Combating crowded Google
Google SERPs are increasingly getting crowded with snippets, “People also ask” sections, carousels, ads, and more. Therefore, if you want to stand out among these, you need to focus on optimizing your URLs, titles, and meta description with relevant words.
Conclusion
Mastering SEO and Google can be quite a difficult task to surmount. The rules of the game are constantly changing every few months and definitely every year. If you want to get your website ranking at the top, bringing in more leads, you need to be in tandem with the latest trends like optimizing content for featured snippets and search intent.
