Latest SEO trends and predictions: What you need to know in 2024

The world of SEO isn’t static – it changes all the time. Google is constantly issuing new updates which tweak and refine the functionality of search. This often creates a little chaos as SEOs discover how best to leverage the changes into increased visibility and improved search rankings. On top of this, new technology and tools are appearing all the time, and this helps steer and influence SEO trends. 

While I have been off on maternity leave for the past 9 months, the world of SEO certainly hasn’t been standing still and waiting for my return. So, what are the key changes you should be aware of from the last few months, and what predictions do we have for SEO trends going forward?

 

Recent SEO changes you should know about

AI copywriting tools

The rise of AI has been sudden and all-encompassing, with AI tools now used for everything from branding to content creation. 

The percentage of AI-generated content is rising steadily as AI tools become more sophisticated. AI copywriting tools use machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) to write whatever you’d like, whether it’s a blog post or some ad copy. 

While AI-generated content isn’t a replacement for great writing from your content team, it can certainly help accelerate and streamline content creation, particularly if used in the ideation and research stages.

Diversified ways of searching

Voice search is already well established – and growing in popularity all the time. In fact, nearly half of consumers (48%) use voice search when it comes to making a purchase.*

Search has diversified further with the advancement of visual search, too. Tools like Google Lens and Bing Visual Search allow users to search using uploaded images or their device’s camera. People currently use Google Lens for 12 billion searches every month** – and this figure is only expected to rise. Because of this, you’ll want to pay extra attention to the quality and relevance of images on your website – particularly if you are an eCommerce brand. File names, alt text and structured data are all important to consider as well.

Even better content

The value of expert, useful, well-written content is something Google has been shouting about for years now – and that’s not about to change. In fact, recent Google updates show it’s more important than ever.

Google’s ‘E-A-T’ guidelines (Expertise, Authority, Trust) expanded in 2022 to E-E-A-T, with the new ‘E’ standing for experience. With the content author’s personal experience and subject knowledge now a clear ranking factor, the importance of subject matter experts has grown. So too has the value of interview content and quotes, as these help lend authority to your website.

Building up a bank of related content and clearly displaying your authors’ expertise in the form of author bios can help ensure your content fits the E-E-A-T guidelines.

SEO trends to look out for in 2024

Technological advancement is key in the future of SEO, and AI is already reshaping the landscape. However, this isn’t the only thing on our radar.

Zero-click searches

With Google advancing and adding new features, zero-click searches (where a user searches for something but fails to click on any of the results) are becoming more frequent.

One key reason for a zero-click search is that the user received all the information they needed from the Google search page. Google is capable of pulling up all sorts of information and displaying it directly in the search results – whether it’s a mathematical calculation, the address of a local business, or the cast of a film.

As Google search becomes more sophisticated, it’s even more important to optimise your content to increase the chances of it being displayed in prime position at the top of the results as a featured snippet. That way, if a user does decide to click through, you are likely to be their first destination.

Topical authority

We’ve already mentioned how important it is for your content authors to be experts in their subject matter. As we move forward, finding new ways to demonstrate this expertise should be a key consideration. 

As well as building up a deep and comprehensive catalogue of relevant content on-site, you could look to get your authors featured elsewhere, for example on authoritative news sites and relevant blogs. Make sure they are involved in trending and emerging conversations, as this will help position them as leaders in their field of expertise.

Using AI to streamline

We couldn’t finish talking about the future of SEO trends without mentioning anything to do with AI. We think the key thing to remember is that AI tools aren’t a replacement for real people, but a way to make their lives easier. 

Becoming familiar with AI tools, whether it’s for copywriting or catching emerging trends, is definitely worth the time. There is an ever-growing list of tasks that AI can help you with, including (for instance):

• Analysing data sets
• Summarising articles
• Writing captions
• Creating images and artwork
• Taking notes
• Summarising meetings

While AI-generated content is rarely suitable to use as-is, it can be an incredible time saver and a great starting point.

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