Trends for 2024: How to adapt?

In this article, you’ll find

Let’s not be confused about anything:

This is NOT your typical “SEO in 2020” guide.

We will discuss the top SEO trends and share our opinions, as well as how you can adapt.

This article will be a great resource for you if you want to optimize your site in 2024.

SEO Year in Review

SEO strategies for 2024 and beyond will be shaped by some of the important changes that we see as we look back at 2023.

Let’s review the main changes and trends.

The importance of first-hand experience is now more important than ever

First-hand experience is now a major ranking factor, thanks to the guideline that was updated in 2023. This shift emphasizes the importance authentic experience-based content.

Recent Algorithm updates – Author Entities are more important than ever

The latest algorithm updates have also increased the focus on author entities.

Google has become more adept at recognizing the author of content and giving them a higher value.

Content linked to reputable and knowledgeable authors will gain an additional layer of trust, which can influence rankings more than before.

Marketers use AI tools to save time

In 2023, AI-based marketing tools will be used by a growing number of marketers. These tools are now essential for streamlining SEO tasks, from content generation to ideation.

Search capabilities are available with AI tools

We have not seen a change in the search behaviors of people despite the increasing capabilities of AI-based tools. Google is still the most popular search engine.

We haven’t noticed a drop in organic traffic as a result of these AI tools.

Let’s now talk about SEO trends that will be coming in 2024.

1. AI boosts scale, but also makes it more important to provide original value

We see AI as both an opportunity and a danger.

Let us explain.

AI is very good at creating generic, based off of existing SERP content.

AI is a real threat to generic content that floods the internet.

If everyone relies solely on AI to create content, we will see the same thing over and over again.

It is the same for an individual website.

You, as a blogger, run the risk of relying too heavily on AI to create content for your blog. The majority of it is already published elsewhere.

Even AI writing companies are aware of this. Jarvis is a good example. One of the first things they did after raising a large sum was hire freelance writers to produce content for their website.

Even a company that is at the forefront of AI-based writing acknowledges the value of human writers.

Human creativity and insight are crucial.

Another interesting fact is that senior writers are in high demand. The demand for senior writers has increased despite the use of AI to create content.

How AI can boost scale

AI is a kind of writing assistant that has many skills. Here are a few ways you can use AI to increase scale:

• Ask AI to act like an editor to help you apply a voice and tone that is established to your draft
• Information that is already known can be summarized
• Shorten existing copy
• Bullet point long paragraphs
• Create a table using the information that you have.
• Create top-level outlines. (More on this below)

Let’s walk through the process of creating top-level outlines. This is the kind of outline that sets the foundation, but does not get into details.

You, as the expert, will then be able to fill in the details and add the unique insight and depth only a person can offer.

You can also give these outlines to subject matter experts or writers to build on.

Even when you use chatGPT to outline content it is important that your prompts are very specific.

As an example:

But here’s the thing. You could miss out on important points if you rely too heavily on AI.

You might have missed a crucial aspect or an interesting angle that you would have considered. Don’t limit your creativity to the AI’s suggestions.

You could conclude that AI will not replace SEOs. Combining human and machine is the key to success. The SEOs that use AI effectively will be the ones who win out over their competitors.

2. AI can’t write quality content, but first-hand experience is the key.

Search engines are now looking for authenticity and depth in the content they display.

Google’s updated EEAT guidelines were released in December 2022. Since then, the first-hand experience of a user has become a factor that helps determine whether a piece of content is trustworthy.

You need to give your readers what they want. This is usually a deep dive on specific lived experiences.

First-hand experience has become the new differentiator for generic content and high-quality material.

Consider, for example, an on alternative data written by someone who has worked in a hedge-fund. Their experience in the field adds value to their content that goes beyond a simple overview.

It is important to focus on personal experiences and what you have personally experienced. This will resonate more with your users.

Imagine that you need to publish content that AI cannot write. You can publish content that you have created yourself, such as your own opinion, your own interpretation of data, an analysis based on the data you collected, or anything else.

This approach doesn’t only apply to written content.

Consider how users search on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok or Reddit.

People are often searching for a personal touch, a human touch, which includes real opinions and real experiences.

This is a striking contrast to the traditional search engines, where results can feel impersonal or generic.

How to double-down on first-hand experiences

You may now be wondering what you can do to maximize your first-hand experience.

Gary Vaynerchuk said, “Document. Don’t Create.”

Documenting what you already do is a better option than creating new content.

What if I have no experience in the topics that I wish to write about? – You might wonder.

If this is the case, you could interview a SME and use their insight to create your content.

SMEs can help you in two different ways.

They provide you with valuable and unique insights.

Second, they can help you to increase the authority and distribution of your content.

Author entities are the next SEO trend that we will be focusing on in 2024.

3. The value of Author Entities is higher than ever

Search engines such as Google will have to adjust to AI-generated content.

There have been cases where credible websites, such as Sports Illustrated, were caught publishing AI articles using fake author profiles.

Search engines are faced with a difficult question. They risk giving low-quality AI-generated content a pass if they rely on the authority of the site.

Google’s likely reaction?

Increase efforts to identify AI-written content and evaluate it.

Content that is associated with a recognized author who has relevant experience and expertise gains a layer of authority and trust.

Google prefers content that is created by individuals who are knowledgeable and well-respected.

This is like giving your information a name and a personality, which will further cement the relevance and trustworthiness of the content to both search engines and users.

How to use Author Entities

How to use author entities in SEO for 2024

• Create author pages for your website. Create author pages on your site. Include information about the authors’ backgrounds, their areas of expertise, their links to posts, and their social media.
• Publish the same author on other websites. This will increase the author’s footprint and help Google and readers recognize that the author is a real person.
• Then, co-distribute the content with them. Make the content more credible and obvious by adding a human touch.
• Encourage guest bloggers who have done well to come back a few times.
• You can publish the work of established authors

This article is a good example of all the above, and especially of establishing author entities.

Brian Dean, one of SEO’s biggest names and former owner of Backlinko, will be one of our authors. This part is pretty obvious.

Brian shared his thoughts on trends with Branko, who writes on several marketing blogs and has a page as an author on this blog.

4. The SGE may change users’ search behavior, but it isn’t stealing all of your traffic

Google is rolling out AI SERP snippets or, as they call them, Search generative experience (SGE).

The AI will answer the user’s questions based on content already on the internet.

As in the example below. You can ask Google complex questions like “which is better for a family of three with a dog and children under 3 years old, Bryce Canyon” and get a summary on why both places are good options. You can also read about other peoples’ experiences and recommendations by clicking on the human-written content.

You may wonder if that will steal your traffic.

The short answer to this question is no.

Why? SGE summarises a quick response, but still directs searchers to best-ranked content for additional information.

People will continue to read full articles as they value trustworthy content.

When it comes to questions like choosing the best vacation spot or product reviews, they want the truth.

When they want the real scoop, they won’t settle for a snippet generated by AI.

Consider it. You want to know what people have experienced when you are planning a vacation or purchasing something new. You want to know the details first hand, as well as the pros and cons. Only a person who has actually been there can give you this kind of insight.

SGE may change the way that we search, but it won’t be the end of your traffic.

Focus on producing content that is authentic and rich in real-life experiences. This is what makes people come back to your site and why Google ranks it.

Google could be its biggest competitor if it manages to get SGE right. This is especially true if Google can figure out how adapt their advertising business to SGE.

It doesn’t seem like Google is launching SGE to change the game. It feels more like Google is trying to keep up.

How to optimize for SGE

What does this mean to us in the SEO industry? Don’t panic and overhaul your entire SEO Strategy for SGE.

SEO basics haven’t changed much. Create reputable content and get solid links. Most importantly, provide real value for your audience.

Remember all the excitement about voice search? Everyone thought voice search would be huge. But it ended up being more hype than anything. Voice search is used by many, but the ranking system for it is similar to that for text searches.

SGE could be headed in the same direction.

It’s important to stay on top of the latest trends, but you should also focus on achieving that first place on Google.

5. SEOs now focus on optimizing for user signals directly

Google had to disclose some patents that they use in their search algorithms during the big antitrust lawsuit.

Google relies heavily on user feedback to rank content and not just a deep analysis of the content. They are really good at determining if the users like what they found.

It’s actually easier to understand how your users feel about the content than your own content.

SEO will now be more focused on optimizing user satisfaction and engagement.

A few years ago, a company of glasses deliberately annoyed its customers to get them to write about it and create backlinks.

Google figured out their strategy and it was a disaster. They killed off the rankings of the site and created something that could instantly identify the sentiments surrounding the brand.

Google now analyzes how users interact with a webpage to determine its usefulness and relevance.

They have systems that can detect negative links and penalize them accordingly.

It’s important to note that, while user feedback is very important, your website’s content also counts. Your brand’s sentiment and reaction across the internet is also important.

This is exemplified by the top-ranking page for “QR code scan” that has no content, but only a QR code scanner.

The importance of user signals, such as bounce rate, in ranking success is highlighted by this.

We can therefore say that in the future, successful SEO strategies will focus on user expectations and needs beyond traditional content.

How to optimize for user signals

Here are some tips on how to keep your users interested:

• Monitor metrics that indicate user engagement, such as time spent on the page, bounce rates, button clicks, and interactions with features. These metrics will give you an idea of how your users interact with your website. You can then adjust your web page.
• Content should be matched to the user’s intent. Align content to what users want — not more or less. Don’t hide the answer under a mountain of text if they are looking for an immediate response. Make it simple for them to locate the answers.
• Include visual elements such as videos and infographics. These visual elements will engage your audience and make them want to read the content.
• Add interactive elements like polls, quizzes, and comment sections.

6. The importance of matching search intent is growing

Ranking factors have always included matching search intent. It’s becoming more and more important.

Google’s Quality Rating Guidelines now focus on search intent.

Take a look why it’s important to get this right.

Imagine that you are searching for the “best running shoe”. You click a link and expect to see a top list of running sneakers. You land on a page that sells a pair of specific running shoes.

This is a classic case of matching the keyword, but missing the mark completely on the intent.

What will you do as a searcher in this situation?

You’re likely to leave the page, and then open another that matches your search.

Google’s algorithm will see that you didn’t get what you were looking for if the first page isn’t re-directed.

Google will then prioritize pages that are relevant to the search.

How to optimize for search intent

To optimize your content, you must first identify the search intent.

Use the Semrush Keyword Magic tool. Enter your target keyword into the tool to find out what the user intent is behind each related keyword.

You can also search for your keyword and analyse the top SERPs. You can see what content is ranked on the first page, and what purpose it serves.

It’s important to understand the intent behind the keyword search. This will help you create content that answers the query and is relevant to your audience.

7. UX is a growing factor in SEO strategies

We spoke about user signals. User experience (UX) is one of the factors that contributes to positive user signals.

Google’s algorithm takes into account the speed of your website, its ease of navigation and how users interact with it.

Core Web Vitals was in 2021 a ranking factor to assess the UX of your site. Google has identified three web page metrics it considers to be extremely important.

• The largest contentious paint (LCP).
• First input delay (FID)
• Cumulative layout shifting (CLS)

But in march 2024 Interaction with Next Paint (INP), replaces the FID.

INP is similar but more advanced than FID.

This includes all interactions with the page, such as:

• Clicking a mouse
• Tap on a touchscreen device
• The key is pressed on a physical keyboard or an onscreen keyboard

FID, however, only counts the first interaction.

How to optimize UX

Optimizing UX is about making your website as intuitive and easy to use as possible. This includes:

• Site Speed Improvement
• Limit pop-ups, and be intentional about which ones you keep
• How to create a page that is easy to navigate
• Make your CTAs and any other monetization contextually relevant
• Link only to useful content

8. Domain Authority is fueled by narrow topical relevance and genuine backlinks

Links used to be the main factor in domain authority.

No more.

Google now also assesses the topical relevance of your website.

Relevance in terms of topic is how authoritative and focused your content on a particular subject is.

It’s not only about producing a lot of content.

You need to show that you are an expert in the field.

This doesn’t mean backlinks are no longer important.

You do.

It’s now the quality of these links that counts. It’s important that the links come from sources which are genuinely authoritative and relevant to your niche. People who click a lot on your links.

For example, imagine you’re a chef specializing in Italian cuisine. Google will consider you an expert if your website contains content about Italian cuisine, including regional recipes and traditional cooking methods, as well as links from other websites.

How to increase topical domain authority

Link building should be based on relationships.

You can do this in a few ways:

• Guest posts Publish by a guest and share content with a ranking potential. This is a good example of a relationship-based link. When real experts collaborate to drive traffic, it results in a flood of clicks on the links.
• Triangular Link Exchanges: Trade links with legitimate sites that are topically relevant to your content. Search for sites that have content managers that genuinely assess whether the links placed will be useful to readers.
• Link Magnets: Create a page about the statistics, tools, templates and original resources you have created.
• Website Portfolios: Create a few websites to cover different aspects in your industry, and only post links that will be useful to readers.

9. Search engines are facing a new form of competition from social networks and AI chats

People are asking if AI chats such as ChatGPT or Bard will replace search engines, like Google.

There’s little danger of this happening in the near future.

The number of Google users has not changed despite ChatGPT being the fastest-growing app in history.

There’s also a good reason.

It takes a great deal to change people’s behavior.

The majority of people have become accustomed to searching for information. It’s in our lexicon. We literally say that we Google stuff.

Search engines and social media platforms compete with each other.

TikTok is a popular app that helps young people find restaurants and vacation spots.

Even when they need to learn how to do a task, they turn to TikTok.

Here’s the thing. TikTok and ChatGPT cannot match the authority and depth of a Google search engine. Particularly for serious queries.

You wouldn’t, for example, turn to TikTok and ChatGPT to get advice about your 401k. You need to use reliable and expert sources. Google is an excellent place to find accurate, reliable information.

How to adapt to alternative search methods

We’ve already said that people’s search behaviors aren’t likely to change anytime soon.

If you want to keep up with the SEO trends we recommend:

• TikTok can be a great tool to optimize captions and leverage your audience if they are on TikTok.
• Include explainer pictures and create a YouTube presence when Google embeds visual search results
• Google will try to mimic the experience that users have when searching for information on TikTok and Instagram by using schema markup.

10. Local search results are richer and more mature

Local search is a mature part of SEO. In 2022, 98% consumers will find local businesses online, up from 90% today.

Local search is becoming more sophisticated. It involves things like:

• Local Search Ads: Businesses increasingly use targeted advertising in local search results.
• Review Management: Businesses focus on getting reviews, but also managing them. It involves encouraging customers to write reviews, responding and using feedback to improve products and services.
• Ratings Together with reviews, star ratings and overall star ratings gain more weight in local searches algorithms. A higher rating can increase a business’s visibility in local search results.
• Coverage of Schema: The Schema markup helps search engines to understand your content. This makes information more available to customers and improves a website’s visibility on local searches.

Local search is also being challenged by social media platforms such as TikTok.

TikTok is particularly popular with Gen Z for finding local restaurants.

How to optimize for local search

Local search optimization involves a mix of traditional SEO techniques and local SEO strategies.

Here’s what you need to focus on for 2024.

• Add some life to your Google Business Profile: The GBP often gives customers their first impression of your company. Make sure to optimize your Google Business Profile (GBP) – select the correct business category, include a well-written description, add appealing photos and add hours of operation.
• Create a system to encourage 5-star reviews. 76% percent of consumers look at reviews before making decisions. Encourage your customers to write reviews. You should also actively engage them. Thank customers for positive comments and offer solutions when someone writes a negative review. Also, we highly recommend tools to help you scale 5-star ratings and user-generated material.
• Implement local businesses schema: Use Schema markup to better understand and index you site. Include information such as business hours, location and services on your site.
• Be active on social media. If you want to reach your audience, be sure that you’re also on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram. Include details about your business, such as your location and hours of operation. Also, actively post content that will attract customers.

11. The Voice and Visual Search Is More Mature

Voice and visual search is definitely evolving based on the current trends.

What you should know

Voice Search

Since the early days with Siri and Alexa, voice search has evolved a little.

This is the most common use for it:

• Quick Fact Checks: E.g. “What is the capital of France?” and “How old was the Eiffel tower?”
• Local Business Searches: People often ask, “Where is the nearest coffee shop?” and “List of Italian Restaurants near me.”
• Voice search is used when hands are busy. For example, while cooking, they may ask, “How do I make caesar salad?” or, when driving, “Navigate to the nearest gas station.”

Backlinko has been trying to figure out how content ranks for voice searches.

It turned out to be more hype than reality.

The top Google search result is usually the only one returned by most voice searches.

Voice Search: How to optimize for it

What is the best way to get your content included in voice searches?

Visual Search

Visual search is a great tool for:

• Shopping
• Directions
• Finding landmarks
• Local Business Reviews
• Translation
• Recipes
• Nutrition information
• There’s more!

This includes Google Lens searches as well as uploading a picture to Google’s search box.

Visual Search Optimization: How to optimize for visual search

We conducted the first visual ranking factors study a while back.

Here are some highlights of that research.

• Make your site mobile-friendly. Google Lens returned 9 of 10 results from sites that passed Google’s mobile-friendly test. Google prefers mobile-friendly sites because the vast majority of Google Lens searches occur on mobile devices.
• Use image SEO methods, such as optimizing filenames for images and alt text. These seem to help Google Lens rankings.
• Include text with your image. Google Lens images are more likely to be pulled from pages that have a lot of text (on average 1,600 words).

What will be the future of SEO in 5-10 years?

SEO’s evolution will be constant over the next five-ten years. Not dramatic.

We could be wrong. Here’s why our conclusion is not hyped up.

In the last 10 years, we’ve seen many major technological innovations.

• GenAI adoption rates have reached unprecedented levels since Fall 2022
• Algorithms that are self-teaching and have been using machine learning for several years now
• Even SEO tools make data available to everyone
• Content tools to help us automate and scale our efforts

Search engine usage is still relatively unchanged from the user’s perspective.

AI may be changing the way people search, but it will take a long time for this to affect their behavior.

It’s not likely that many people will switch to ChatGPT, Bard or other AI-generated tools from Google.

The new tool seems to have a similar effect, namely, increasing the market share, rather than reducing it. Email is still alive and well, even if Slack is your preferred tool.

The algorithm changes appear to have only slight changes in the user’s behavior.

We would like to suggest that search engines refine their definition of a good website and a good piece of content. Search engines haven’t been trying to redefine good websites or good content.

Take E-E.A.T. This was an experiment to refine how Google determines whether or not you adhere to the first principles of SEO. This is not an attempt to redefine SEO.

You’ll be at the top of the list if your article is based on the first-hand knowledge of an expert in the field, uses engaging visuals to keep readers interested, presents information that is so unique that it merits links from other quality sites within your niche and utilizes distribution within a vocal group.

You were in the clear if you had your article published on a website with a cluster of related content, a domain that is well-known and liked by your niche, a clean information architecture, a wealth of schema and lightning fast load times.

The same will be true in 2024.

It’s Your Turn

This is how we are preparing ourselves for SEO in the year 2024.

What part of the article about SEO trends will you apply? What are you not happy with?

Please let us know right away by leaving a message below.

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