Search engine optimization (SEO) is the most consistent and perhaps the most valuable marketing effort you can invest in. Contrary to popular belief, SEO is not anywhere close to slowing down.

In fact, Merkle’s 2019 Digital Media report shows 22% of the increase in website visits was driven by SEO. This goes to show that SEO is growing and is here to stay.

It is therefore essential to keep up to date with different updates and strategies that will help your business this year and beyond.

To start, here are some of the SEO trends that you will find useful:

User focus – Expect SEO to focus on what is good for the user. If you have been practicing in the past 10 years, you would understand that Google (and other search engines) are most keen on giving the user the best possible experience.

Therefore, if Google decides to direct a user to your page, it believes that you can give that person the needed information and experience.

Search intent and conversion – Your content and SEO teams should think of fresh information that would be valuable to the user. And where is the best place to get this information? The answer is on search engine returned pages (SERP).

Go to the SERP and check the results — these should tell you the intent of the user for looking up a word or phrase.

Page experience and core web vitals – Google announced in 2020 that the page experience and Core Web Vitals of sites will be ranking factors in the May 2021 algorithm. Bottom line, Google uses the website’s speed as a ranking factor.

Adapt quickly – Take note of what Google is changing in the SERP and learn to adapt quickly. Your goal is to keep up with the competition and not feel helpless if you suddenly find your site a few notches below your previous rank.

Depth of content – As Google emphasized in the past few years – content is king. The search engine and its users want to make sure that what they are dealing with are reliable sites. In producing your content, see to it that you know everything there is to know about your niche. Give them a single place to satisfy their quest for knowledge or products.

Internal linking – Internal linking is an old tactic that continues to work to this day. It helps your users and the search engine to find the pages you care about. Have a site hierarchy to make sure that both the user and Google know where they are headed.

Automation – AI, machine learning, and natural language processing use are growing. Many businesses are turning to automated tools to get things done faster and more efficiently. Go and use AI for different business processes.

Local search – Local SEO is helping a lot of retailers gain more traffic. These days, local SEO has rapidly expanded with Google showing more local news in search. Even if you don’t have a physical store, you should include local in your SEO efforts.

For example, try adding a location on your keywords, if you offer divorce advice online, try adding something like “divorce mediation in Vaughan.”

Creativity – Sometimes, you will never see change coming and you need to be creative with the way you adapt to these changes. One of the best ways to show that is by using your keywords properly – avoiding stuffing and content syndication.

You need to know how to position your keywords in such a way that the search engine and users would want to read all that you’ve written.

Where to Effectively Position Keywords

Keywords should be strategically placed throughout your website so both search engines and users know what topics you are covering. Make sure that the keywords look natural throughout the page, not that they are just placed there randomly.

To make sure that you are maximizing their potential, add your keywords in these places:

Title Tags – This is the first place that search engines will scan and what users will see first on the SERP. You want to emphasize the keywords that you are using and what better place but the title?

The title tag is not just found in web browsers but also on tabs. You want to make the keywords stick subtly but strategically. Your visitors are humans and they remember products, services, and information if they see them in an intelligible manner.

Meta description tag – Within the header are some meta tags that only the search engine can see. Among these meta tags, the meta-description tag is considered the most effective place to add your keywords. The meta description is the tag you see underneath the link.

It should be concise — around 150 characters. With this limited window, you need to be creative with the way you position your keywords.

Meta keyword tag – The weight of meta keyword tags as a ranking factor is still heavily debated but, websites need to use this to illustrate how the keywords relate to the content of the page. You need to use keywords that are relevant to your website in general and the page you want to rank.

Headers and subheaders – To improve your title and subheaders, make sure to use your keywords. It will emphasize the content and make it easier for readers to scan the page quickly. Make sure to keep it clear, concise, and relevant.

Page Content – The page content is the reason why you have a website. This is what people are clicking your site for.

In writing your content, consider the depth of the topic, the freshness of the concept you are trying to present, the value of the information you are trying to relay, and the keyword density. The key is to never overuse the keywords in the content.

They should blend in, make things feel more natural, avoid overselling and add value to the reader.

Link text – Your content is more credible if you link it with other reliable information. Not only are these helpful in telling your visitors that the content they are reading is well-researched but they can also signal search engines that yours is trusted by other sites.

Working with the top SEO marketing companies will give you a good idea of properly using your keywords. With their knowledge and experience, they will be able to get the right SEO strategy to suit your website’s needs.