Hello All!

Before we begin this new year and take it head on it always makes sense to think about which direction to head.

SEO is a mix of strategies and tactics and it would only make sense to think about which would work in the year 2020 as we embark on the journey.

After reading a lot of blogs, following discussions and other sources, I would like to put down the top 10 trends to focus on in 2020. Let’s begin…

Optimize for BERT:

User experience and their journey should still be the number one priority for anyone trying to optimize for search engine expecting readers to convert.

By stating the above I am trying to hint at the ergonomics of the content structure and its delivery.

So, henceforth it would be a good practice to create content which is kept while keeping user intent in mind rather than just matching strings.

Some experts have even gone further to add that keyword research tools might become less authoritative because the basic data set for content creation will be suggested by the queries being searched for.

A practice that I sincerely follow is networking with the potential client to understand what exactly are their concerns and problem statements and how do they behave online when it comes to searching solutions for these pain points.

This basically redefines the phrase, ‘Customer is the King’.

I would say have an empathetic attitude towards your client, provide them with valuable and good quality services. Go beyond the sale, provide them with a long term solution. They will remember you when they hit another roadblock. Build relations.

A practice I recommend is developing a healthy link between the business developing team, namely sales and marketing. The sales team really has the insight that marketers can work and leverage on. Together the team could benefit a lot more than working in silos.

Always focus on collaboration and the ultimate vision of the customer.

I always emphasize a holistic marketing approach and I think in 2020 and beyond this is going to be much more important.

Focus on the quality of your content

There is no denying the fact that content will always be the king, always. But do not misunderstand me, when I say content is the king I mean to focus your attention on quality. After all who wants a sub-quality king, right?

Create. But create something useful. Put yourself in the users’ shoe, would you want crappy data, all it does is restate what’s said and beats around the bush?

NO! You want content that is to the point, provides good insight and provides you with a solution.

So, learn how to write. Easier said than done.

May the best content win, is what Google’s team monitoring content online say, I am sure.

In this SEO eat SEO world, only the quality shall win. Unless you provide value, you are not going to reach far.

My suggestion: Focus on the problem statement defined by the client rather than a keyword. Google is changing the algorithm play rapidly in a bid to differentiate the good from the bad and you will only benefit if you adopt this mentality early on.

Marketers need to realize it’s okay to create less but create quality content. This will reward them and their team in a big way in 2020 and beyond.

Audit your own website and pages for the content that overlaps in the keyword ranking.

Optimize for users rather than search engines.

Revisit and revise.

Diversify

By saying that I mean to create content for the international market and not just the English speaking audience.

Think Global.

Today, Neil Patel gets his major traffic from countries outside the United States, wonder why? Because he understands the power of globalization. Think about it, if your English speaking client has a problem, who is to say that non-English speaking potential clients cannot have the same problem?

Create for everyone, but keep the focus on quality and user intent.

Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (E-A-T)

Let’s admit it, Google kind of owns the major search traffic and the majority of the visible internet.

So, it will be in your best interest to not cut corners for small and cheaper wins. Always think long term if you want to play the game and win.

Also, Google is working hard to provide the best possible solution to a user’s search intent. So, if your organization has a bad reputation or not so satisfactory customer feedback then you might want to work on your business and marketing issues first.

Understand this, if you do not have the expertise to YMYL (Your Money, Your Life) queries, it is going to become painfully difficult for you to receive organic traffic and visibility. Think about it, would you go to a doctor who gives you a placebo when you tell him you have a limb missing? (Tell me how did you like that joke…haha)

Internet authorities want to fight against plagiarism, fake news, and bad quality content. Guess who authors those contents, and who should be punished for those? Yes, the authors. Their reputation will be at stake here and onwards as the fight for genuine, quality content rises in this data ocean called the Internet.

Read about how does no follow, schema and other technical optimization techniques work and pay attention to those while publishing your next content and even while revising your old ones.

Focus on User Experience (UX)

Be with the user. Keep the user in the mind while designing your web property. Guide him right from the time s/he enters your website till s/he exits and even after that, but not in a creepy way.

When a user is searching for keywords online it basically means they are looking for answers or support. All I am saying is be that guiding light.

Make the user experience so smooth that they spend more time on your website than they initially intended to.

Work on the front as well as back end with technical SEO. Utilize schema, structured markup, EAT, etc. to their best possible extent.

Formulate an exit strategy for your visitors by utilizing exit pop-ups, drip marketing, add them to your funnel, personalize their experience with you.

Martin Splitt, the friendly internet fairy, as his LinkedIn emphasizes on the importance of technical best practices for search engines and websites as Google sees it.

You cannot ignore the time it takes for your website to load and the page speed. Think about it, when do you want the search results for a query you put in your search bar? Yesterday!

Rethink, Revise, Re-engineer your web properties.

Mobile search is on the rise

Look at your analytics, go on, you will see the trend shift. Don’t have the analytics account? Make one. But answer this, where do you watch cat videos when you are bored at a dinner date? Your mobile phone.

And the trend shift shouldn’t surprise many as it is your most accessible source to internet and cat videos.

In the days past the site, developers used to optimize the website for desktop first and then mobile, the tables have turned now, industry experts suggest you make the site optimized for mobile-first and then desktop.

Analytics junkies need to focus on mobile metrics first and then desktop. And it would only make sense to understand how mobile SERP works.

Understand Structured Data

Do you understand how structured data works? If not, then it’s about time you did.

Believe it or not, search engine algorithms still struggle in understanding content and if it doesn’t understand your content then guess what will happen.

You need to help search engines understand your content and you can do that by adding structured data to your content.

Structured data enables better analytic insights which ultimately will help you understand what works and what doesn’t work. Also, remember to update yourself about the new markups that keep popping up.

Optimize local SEO

I think this year Google will really focus hard on local SEO. Look at the google home on your phone and you will realize it is already happening with location-based news and events.

If your entity doesn’t have a Google My Business page yet, then be quick to act because if you miss this train, you are going to be far behind the finish line.

It’s not difficult to learn how the layout is set and the function of each element. Take the course from Google and optimize it.

Knowledge Panel

Google is continuously trying to optimize a user’s search result and it’s trying to do so by optimizing the knowledge panel, among other ways.

Entity based search is what brings a searcher closer to their desired result and Google is continuously working towards doing just that.

Link around things and not strings, provide value.

Automate

Imagine how easy, convenient and fast your life would get if only you could automate repeatable tasks that take most of your time.

Have you ever considered programming? No? Then please do. Learning isn’t difficult at all and it will get easier if only you learn by doing.

Automating tasks will free your time up to think about coming up with solutions to a problem.