Did you know that there are over 3.5 billion Google searches per day? That bottles down to 40,000 searches per second per day!

0.78% of Google searchers click on links from the second page, while the top result in Google’s organic search results receives an average CTR of 31.7%. 

Yet, you might have experienced searching your product or your business site and found it somewhere on the second or third page. Bummer, right?

Not to worry, read on to know about the top 10 SEO trends that will help to keep you at the top in this congested industry.

Ten Trends to Focus On

Grace yourself; your business is about to take off. 

Focusing On Google’s BERT

BERT is Google’s way to comprehend words in the context of search queries. 

For tech-savvy people, BERT is a neural network-based technique for natural language processing pre-training. 

In simpler terms, this technique allows Google to behave like a human brain, in essence having the ability to predict or interpret the searcher’s intent. Interesting, right?

If your content does not provide what the user was looking for, it is not BERT friendly. And while BERT won’t de-rank your site, since it is not a penalty algorithm, it will favor sites other than yours that are BERT friendly. We don’t want that happening, do we?

This is why it is important as a SEO article writer to focus on the value your piece provides. Your content should answer consumer queries and offer actionable information.

What You Can Do

The simplest and efficient way of being a BERT-friendly site is to know the keywords you are using and the category they fall in. You would not want to use informational keywords on a service’s content. 

Keywords such as “SEO expert” are multi-intent keywords. The searcher can either be looking for ways to become an SEO expert or an SEO expert for hire. 

That’s why always research the keywords and find those words’ intent before starting work on your content.

Focusing On User Intent

Your content promotes your product to the audience. For that, the audience has to be able to access it easily. 

How?

Put yourself in the consumer’s place. Derive content that is based on the intent of their search queries, not just words.

The emphasis on this is because user intent is critical for Google, and since they hold 90.1% of the total search engine market share, that means what Google focuses on should be the primary focus for you. 

What You Can Do 

You should construct content with a firm understanding of your audience and how that may satisfy their need.

Therefore, investigating top keywords you need to rank for as a brand or that your intended interest group may use isn’t adequate. Instead, try to research the intent of those selected keywords and integrate only those that match the content’s objective.

Though this is an incredibly time-consuming task, keyword research tools will help you in doing this successfully.

Focusing On Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence is changing how individuals find and interact with online content. Google’s AI is critical. Introduced some time ago, the algorithm — termed RankBrain — plays a vital role in Google’s positioning components for search engine results pages (SERPs) results.

What You Can Do 

The utilization of AI and machine learning continues to grow and bear fruits. It would be efficient as well as influential in decoding algorithms and creating profitable strategies.

According to Adobe’s latest Digital Intelligence, businesses are 28% more favorable using AI, while retailers are investing $5.9B this year in AI-based marketing to better improve customer experience.

Integrate Artificial Intelligence. That’s the way forward.

Focusing On Voice Search & Search Queries

On account of advancements like Apple’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa, voice search innovation has progressed significantly. As design has improved, it’s additionally gotten more famous. Indeed, the increase in families’ number to own a smart speaker by 2022 will be 55%. 

What You Can Do

To enhance voice search, understand that when people type in a search engine, they use short sentences compared to when they speak. Knowing that identify your keywords and recognize more extended expressions that individuals use in regular discussions.

Voice searches do better with prolonged and natural-sounding sentences. 

Focusing On Semantic Search 

 Semantic search is how search engines utilize data to understand the context and meaning they need to find the most relevant content possible. And Google keeps getting better at it, which makes it highly important for you to focus on as well.

What You Can Do

To genuinely address semantic search, make content intended to respond to an inquiry that your intended searcher would present. 

Further, try to enhance content instead of solely focusing on keywords.

Above all, write for people, not search engines.

Focusing On Video 

Emphasis on video is due to user demand. 

87% of video marketers highlighted traffic increase, and 96% agreed on seeing explainer videos before buying.

And of course, Google favors content with videos only due to user demand.  

What You Can Do

The options are endless, but you can try the following:

• Distribute or repurpose online videos to your YouTube channel.
• Repurpose the best pages driving natural inquiry to your site into video content.
• Influence live video through Facebook, Linked In, and Twitter.

Focusing On Local Search 

When individuals think about the web, they regularly think about the world. 

The truth is that many people use web search tools to discover limited products and ventures. They may be chasing for a local eatery, for instance. 

Local SEO is crucial — and it’s advancing. 

About 88% of consumers’ local business searches translate into either a call or visit the business within 24 hours, and 97% of them looked online to locate a neighborhood business.

What You Can Do

Google My Business page is a wonderful option to have when focuses on local search. 

Implementing a backlink profile is likewise significant. There you can check what sorts of backlinks your rivals get for motivation and focus on those yourself.

Focusing On Quality & Authenticity 

Google has continuously broadcasted to the world that it cares a whole lot more about the quality and authenticity of content than the authority of a given domain.

This means “EAT”—expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness—still matters, especially for small businesses.

What You Can Do

Besides following EAT, here are other ideas that you can try:

• Create Buying personas,
• Use content and copywriters, and
• Produce content that meets your clients need

Focusing On Long-Form Content

As indicated by the State of Content Marketing Report, long-form content of 3,000 or more words is likely to get twice or more traffic. They likewise accomplish 3.5 times more backlinks than articles of the average length of 901 to 1,200 words. 

What You Can Do

• Separate your content into headings and subheadings to make it more readable,
• Use HyperLink to relevant and definitive sources that have a strong domain authority score, and
• Ensure that you create easily sharable content.

Focusing On Customer Segmentation

Customer segmentation is becoming increasingly popular. It groups people by their personality, buying characteristics, and demographics.  Understanding these characteristics gives your business the methods of optimizing conversions within each group and growing your brand in such a way that meets the needs of the diverse groups that make up your total customer base.

What You Can Do

Categorize your customer base under buying characteristics or purchasing power.

For instance, you can have two individual email records for the two groups divided under buying characteristics and send targeted content to each group.

Doing this increases your conversation rate as well as helps to form a personalized relationship with your customer.

Final Words

There are layers and layers of components when working on SEO, as you have seen above. You can no longer find shortcuts. Instead, an SEO strategy has to be data-centric and focused. Stay up to date with the trends to stay at the top. The right methods and SEO tools will help you find the right strategy to achieve the desired outcomes.