A search engine optimization campaign can help attract more visitors to your website. However, you have to use it in the right way. According to Google’s statistics, there are an estimated 3.5 billion searches a day. Although only 0.78% of Google searchers click on results from the second page, the #1 organic search result receives an average clickthrough rate of 31.7%. here are some SEO trends For 2021which you get more more traffic

What do these stats mean?

In order to generate organic traffic, you need to rank on page one of the SERPs. That’s where SEO comes in. However, SEO is constantly evolving. We’re going to explore 10 important SEO trends that you can leverage in 2021 to achieve success. They include

  • Core Web Vitals 
  • Google’s BERT
  • Keyword research
  • Original content
  • Voice search
  • Artificial intelligence
  • Video marketing
  • Featured snippets
  • Influencer SEO
  • EAT & branded SEO

We’ll give you tips, suggestions, and resources for each trend and how to optimize for them.

SEO trends to watch in 2021

In order to rank higher—or simply maintain your rankings—you must keep evolving your SEO strategy in accordance with Google’s algorithm as it constantly changes. Below is a breakdown of Google and SEO trends so you know what tools to use and what strategies to prioritize for 2021.

Google ranking factor Core Web Vitals

Google announced three new metrics, called Core Web Vitals, in May 2020 to be used for measuring user experience: Loading, Interactivity, and Visual Stability. Page speed is essentially what all three metrics are about: When it loads, when it gets interactive, and when it is stable while loading.

trends in SEO for 2021: core web vitals

In May 2021 Google’s ranking factors will include Core Web Vitals, meaning you have to pay close attention to them in order to appear on the first page. User experience metrics will determine which one is ranked higher in search engine results if there are two pages with the same content. More small business SEO strategies here.

2. Intent matches are looked for by Google’s BERT.

Google’s BERT algorithm (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) uses machine learning and natural language processing to better understand search queries. Almost every query in Google English is supported in more than 70 different languages.

Now that Google’s BERT update has been implemented, Google’s algorithm can now interpret a searcher’s intent via its search bots. Now, Google understands an object’s functionality a lot like the brain.

seo trends for 2021 BERT

Also, this means websites that have a mismatch between intent and content will be negatively impacted. No matter how high-quality your long-form content is, if it doesn’t satisfy user intent, then BERT devalues your piece of content and favors another that does.

There is one important thing to note about Google BERT. It’s not a search algorithm. It’s an integral part of Google that helps it understand what their users want by understanding search queries. This means that it won’t penalize or de-rank sites equally. Instead, it will show favor to the sites that deliver the most relevant results to users, which is what Google has always strived to do.

The content you are providing should be user-friendly and meet their search needs. Otherwise, you won’t rank for that keyword. The user-intent can be satisfied through publishing valuable content.

How to optimize for Google’s BERT

Search intent describes exactly what a user is searching for when they enter a certain keyword into a Google search. What do they want an answer to? A list of options? A how-to tutorial? Do people want to read reviews on products or buy them? Google search users have a great deal of intent, so it’s important to match your content and keywords accordingly.

An example is if someone is searching “seo” on Google it means he is looking for detailed information about seo. But keyword “seo services” indicates the user wants to find someone to provide them with “seo services.” The keyword “seo” is an informative keyword whereas the “seo services” keyword is a commercial keyword.

It’s possible that some keywords could have multi-intents like “seo expert”. Perhaps the person searching for “seo expert” is looking for someone to hire as an SEO expert, or they want to be an SEO expert themselves.

seo trends for 2021 keyword intent seo services

Do a Google search before beginning to create content for a keyword! Before creating the content, this strategy can help you understand the intent of a keyword so that you can be sure it will succeed.

seo trends for 2021 search keyword intent BERT

3. The importance of keyword research is going to increase.

More than half of all searches are zero-click searches. More than half of the Google searches (approx. 175 billion searches a month) end without a click. This is because with such rich results in the SERP—Google business listings with menus and contact information, Featured Snippets with answers, related questions with accordion answers, and more—consumers can get the answers they need without even having to click a result—or even finish typing out a query…

seo trends for 2021 zero click searches

However, this only holds true if your website, ads, Business Profile, and blog content cover the right keywords according to the searcher’s intent. Since the SERP is constantly evolving, and with so much competition out there, it’s important to do some keyword research to find keywords that will drive traffic and sales for your business.

seo trends for 2021 keyword research

How to do it?

Look for long-tail and targeted keywords for your business. You need creativity and skill to get those keywords. But the secret is Google Search Console — your gold mine where you can easily find unique keywords for your business.

Use SEO tools wisely. Before you choose a keyword, it’s a good idea to check the SERP for that keyword. In a recent experiment, I discovered that if a keyword is targeted correctly, even a low-volume keyword with only 10-20 searches per month can earn thousands of dollars in a month. That’s why you need to conduct your keyword research with patience and look for keywords that are easily ranked and can generate revenue for you.

4. Content is still king for Google.

Since content plays an important role in ranking and SEO, genuine content helps businesses in more than just branding. This is exclusive content that hasn’t been published anywhere else.

seo trends for 2021 unique content

The same thing happens here. You would not buy a shirt that is the same color and design as the one you already have. Several thousands of pages of similar content on the same subjects are indexed on Google. If you created a piece of content that matches content already ranking on Google, why would Google rank yours above it? The purpose of creating authentic, useful, and valuable content in your brand voice and language is to help people see past the top-ranked results. 

Material such as case studies, experiments, customer testimonials, company milestones, and more can be used to create unique content. Google and your audience will trust your content because you’ll be identified as a trustworthy brand.

5. Voice search will be a top SEO trend in 2021

What you need to know is that most of the voice search queries are quite specific and long-tail. Voice search users look for specific answers on their query. So such users are a higher conversion probability than all other users who are still in the consideration stage of the funnel. It is expected that voice search optimization will continue trending as more people choose to use it with the passing of time, making it a requirement in terms of SEO.

6. Artificial intelligence

The SEO and marketing industry is also being transformed by AI as well, just like in most industries. Google uses AI to provide searchers with the results they are looking for. Here’s a fact: Google utilizes AI for search results.

seo trends for 2021 artificial intelligence

But how can AI help with your SEO strategies?

The search engine algorithms used to rank web pages take years to master. So it takes a lot of time to develop strategies accordingly. In addition to SEO experts’ help with such strategies, the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning would change the game. It would be more efficient and powerful for decoding algorithms and creating strategic plans.

Several companies, including HubSpot, Frase, and MarketMuse, provide AI-based solutions that can aid SEO efforts, and in the coming years, these tools will become a major trend.

7. Video marketing

Regardless of whether you’re into videos or not, the number of people who use YouTube has skyrocketed to 1 billion users since its inception late last decade.

seo trends for video marketing in 2021

Yet how can video content be optimized for search engines? Begin by optimizing your video channel name and description. Though the description shouldn’t be overloaded with keywords, it should provide a short but concise description of what your channel is about.

Optimizing for YouTube, for instance, you might want to use their autocomplete feature. The search box will pop-up with some topic suggestions after you begin typing. These keywords can be used to improve your video’s reach by targeting the right set of audiences.

8. Featured Snippets

Position Zero or Featured Snippets appear on SERPs in a rectangular box at the top of results.

seo trends for 2021 featured snippets

Search engine optimization snippets are helpful to both consumers and websites.  The Google algorithm bots do not allow you to choose the content that appears in the Featured Snippet for any given search.

Marketers and SEO experts use a few strategies to get your page in the Featured Snippet, although the exact method isn’t clear. For example, to appear in the featured search results, the answer needs to be specific, and the more specific it is, the more likely you are to get selected.

9. Influencer SEO

Influencers have millions of followers, which could potentially convert into customers if you can reach out to them.

seo trends 2021 influencer seo

Influencers who have built trust with your target market for years can help you push your brand to new heights. Consequently, 89% of marketers believe this approach is comparable to or even better than other marketing techniques.

Yet the choice of influencers should be done carefully. Not every influencer is going to help your brand, you need to pick the ones with the right audience—which is the audience you want to target.

How do they help?

Link building

Ranking factors are determined by the number and quality of backlinks. Not just any backlinks will work. You need high-quality backlinks. And that’s where an influencer can help you. With an influencer or influencers by your side, you can increase your chances of getting a natural high-quality backlink for your website.

Brand visibility & engagement

The content created by influencers is unique, valuable, and helpful, as they know what their audience likes or dislikes. Influencers understand and relate to people, so the content they create is of interest to a particular group of people.

Viral content has a soft spot in search engines. As a result, when an influencer shares a post with the share-worthiness traits, the content is shared by a lot of people, thereby raising the rank of the aforementioned web page in the SERPs.

Social media traffic

Viral content is always a great way to create social media engagement and referral traffic.

Bonus Tip: EAT & branded SEO

Content quality is one factor Google takes into consideration when ranking websites. However, does quality work alone? That’s where EAT comes in: expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.

seo trends for 2021 google EAT

Brands are the future of SEO, which is shifting from ranking on search engines to ranking on authority sites. Hence, you will rank higher on Google in the upcoming months if your brand is more popular and authentic.

Build brand awareness for brand search queries and put efforts into your 2021 SEO campaign to improve your brand’s reputation. Search engines include a ranking factor called brand queries, which help to establish you as a trustworthy brand.

It is even more crucial if your work involves YMYL (Your Money Your Life). Improve your EAT, as Google itself points out that it is incredibly conscious of ranking YMYL sites and taking your EAT seriously.  (EAT is not seen directly in Google’s ranking algorithms, but some of them do consider EAT for sites)

Media publications on your business such as newspapers, magazines, radio, television, television, etc. help improve your EAT with well-described author profiles, addresses, details concerning the founders and top-level executives, awards, and appropriate contact details.

Leverage these SEO trends to drive traffic in 2021

As we move towards 2021, these are the SEO trends you need to pay attention to. Keep these trends in mind and keep driving relevant traffic to your website throughout this year and in the years to come.