Google introduces 500 to 600 algorithm changes every year. With each change, new search engine optimization (SEO) trends emerge. Neglecting to apply these SEO trends could cause your organic SEO rankings to drop.

As your rankings drop, consumers could struggle to find your business online.

Here are seven essential business SEO trends you need to apply this year. With these tips, you can boost your rankings to appear at the top of search engine result pages (SERP).

Rank up with these seven essential trends today!

1. Core Web Vitals

Google prioritizes websites that offer the best possible online user experience (UX). In 2020, Google switched to mobile-first indexing for all websites. It predominantly uses the mobile version of your site to determine your rankings among other websites.

Now, Google also uses its Core Web Vitals to determine your rankings and website UX.

Google’s Core Web Vitals determine how your pages perform based on real-world usage data. You can fix poor user experiences across your site to encourage visitors to explore your content.

The longer they remain, the higher your dwell times will rise. Your bounce rate will begin to decrease, which can improve your search engine rankings.

If visitors leave without exploring, however, your bounce rate will start to increase instead.

These user-centric ranking factors will ensure visitors have a positive experience as they explore your site. To appeal to this SEO trend, you can:

• Enable browser caching
• Delete unwanted codes
• Use page caching
• Find better hosting
• Optimize all images
• Minify CSS and Javascript codes
• Eliminate unnecessary third-party scripts
• Set fixed dimensions on images
• Preload custom web fonts
• Use a content delivery service
• Limit embedded content and iframes

Consider working with an experienced digital marketing agency that offers web design and development services. With their help, you can improve the technical SEO across your site for a better UX.

2. EAT

When writing content for your search engine optimization strategy, make sure to convey EAT:

• Expertise
• Authority
• Trustworthiness

EAT can help prove your brand credibility, which could encourage more consumers to trust your business. Building brand trust could help you generate more leads and sales. You can demonstrate EAT within your blog content by:

• Generating backlinks from high-authority domains
• Keeping content information accurate and up-to-date
• Generating reviews and responding to them
• Including your credentials
• Adding author bios to blog posts
• Completing a content audit
• Building a content marketing framework
• Generating mentions from trusted resources
• Telling your brand story

Look for credible influencers within your industry niche as well. Then, have them promote your brand. Leveraging their credibility could increase your own.

When writing blog content, make sure you’re providing readers with valuable, helpful information they can’t find anywhere else. High-quality content could turn you into a thought leader in the industry. You can become a go-to resource for your audience, allowing brand trust to grow.

3. Artificial Intelligence

In order to keep up with business SEO trends, it helps to gain a better understanding of Google’s search engine algorithm. The algorithm relies on machine learning abilities to better understand consumer needs. As a result, Google is able to understand the user’s search intent.

Their search intent indicates what the consumer expects to find after completing a Google search.

Search intent is often:

• Navigational
• Transactional
• Commercial
• Informational

Understanding the user’s search intent is a key part of an effective content marketing strategy. Otherwise, you won’t create content your readers want or need. They’ll leave your website, causing your bounce rate to rise.

Meanwhile, they’ll start to turn to your competitors for help.

To appeal to the user’s search intent, keep up-to-date with your keyword research.

Focus your attention on longer keywords that are phrased as questions. Then, try to provide a brief answer to the question at the beginning of the post. Go into more detail within your content.

Answering the consumer’s question with a brief summary could help your content appear for featured snippets.

Featured snippets appear at the top of search engine result pages in the Knowledge Graph. They’re formatted as summaries, lists, and videos. Formatting your content for featured snippets can help you appear at the top of the page.

Then, consumers will start to see your content before anyone else’s online.

4. Voice Search

Appearing for featured snippets and focusing on longtail keywords can also help you appeal to voice searches.

In fact, over 40% of all voice search answers come from featured snippets. About 75% of voice search results rank in the top three for that query. Nearly 50% of consumers use voice assistants for general web searches, too.

Use your keyword research to determine what questions your customers are asking while online. Then, create content for those longtail keywords.

To appear for featured snippets and voice searches, consider using Schema Markup, too.

5. Predictive Search

As Google’s machine learning abilities expand, how it interacts with search engine result pages will continue to change. For example, Google now tries to predict what consumers want to find during searches. As a result, it provides predictive search results to further improve the user’s online experiences.

To appear for predictive searches, make sure you understand who your customers are and what they care about. Create personalized content based on their needs and goals.

Otherwise, consider working with a digital marketing or SEO agency to boost your rankings.

6. Image and Video Optimization

Consumers no longer rely solely on text search results to find the answers they need. They also look at images and videos on search engine result pages. To appear for these searches, make sure you’re optimizing your image and video content.

First, make sure to include your focus keyword in your image alt text. Change the image file name based on your keyword as well.

Consider adding a transcript to your video content, too.

Optimizing your images and videos can help you generate more traffic based on different search behaviors.

7. Local Search Listings

Don’t neglect your local SEO! Local SEO can help you appear in front of nearby consumers.

First, make sure to update and optimize your Google Business listing. Start generating fresh reviews to boost your brand’s credibility, too.

Otherwise, create location-specific content on your website.

Appearing for more local searches can help you generate more traffic, leads, and sales.

Rank Up: Apply These SEO Trends Today

Improving your search engine optimization strategy can help you appear in front of more customers online. Use these SEO trends to give your rankings a boost. Make sure you’re keeping up with new trends to get ahead of competitors as well.

Remember, you’re not alone. Want help boosting your SEO rankings?

Make contact with our team today to get started.