Now that 2019 has come to a close, it’s time to ask the first questions of a new year about SEO. 2020 is bound to have many more advancements and changes, particularly in areas of machine learning and artificial intelligence. You should also consider the strategies that have worked for you in the past year and if they will carry over to SEO practices in the future.
After all, SEO is all about adapting and maximizing results. Let’s have a look at some questions to ask about SEO in 2020, so you can succeed right from the start of the new year.
1. Do meta descriptions still matter?
The short answer is, “Yes.” Remember, descriptions assist with elevating the user experience (UX). Of course, the importance of meta descriptions has changed over time. These days, you can worry less about using keywords and focus more on compelling descriptions that prompts people to engage with your site and content.
2. How long will it take to see results from SEO in 2020?
Search engine optimization continues to be a slow-burning flame. Even as the digital universe becomes more expansive and the delivery of results quickens, your SEO efforts are going to show up over time. If you want to see results faster in 2020, then you need to devote time to the things that are going to be the focus of 2020, including:
- The amount of content you generate
- The quality of that content
- How well your audience receives that content
- The size of your site
- The strength of your domain authority
If you have a larger site with high traffic, you should see results within a few days. Smaller, newer sites might take a few months or even a month to see results.
3. What is BERT and user-focused optimization?
The BERT update, which was introduced by Google in 2019, focused more on natural language processing (NLP). Google has also placed an emphasis on “intent matching” over “pure string matching.” In other words, the content you create is going to have to match the user’s intent instead of a keyword or phrase that they might use to search.
This means that keywords in general may become less relevant in 2020 while quality content is thrust upon the top podium.
User-focused optimization puts the emphasis on content, as well as the buyer’s journey. Now, you need to consider the entire process, not just the funnel, to build a community that keeps coming back for more.
4. What should I focus on for content?
Content ultimately affects your entire SEO strategy. In 2020, your content is going to be pivotal. Not only you need to consider long-tail searches, you need to satisfy your users. Focus less on the topic and more on fulfilling a need. Understand your audience and their search habits, the questions they need answers for, and how to answer those questions throughout the entire buyer’s journey.
5. Should I be worried about E-A-T?
Google recently introduced something called E-A-T, or Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, to help companies with excellent reputation and service stand out among the competition. Of course, this can be make rising above a rough start difficult for certain businesses, too.
If your company has struggled with poor customer service, unfavorable ratings, and trust issues in the past, 2020 is going to introduce even more hurdles. However, you can counteract this by focusing on delivering quality content to your audience and combating the presence of fake news.
You can also take anything that makes you favorable, such as facts about your supply chain excellence, enhancing user experience, offline content, better branding, and quick customer service.
Final Thoughts
2020 is already starting off strong for SEO. Rather than focusing on a single keyword, long-tail search phrases have taken the lead; and you need to enhance your content to fulfill an intent rather than offering up a topic. It will be interesting to see how the latest predictions progress into the future.