6 SEO Trends Established During Global Pandemic
Search engine optimization is in constant development. The global pandemic of 2020 has influenced almost everyone and everything in the world, not excluding SEO. COVID-19 resulted in significant changes when it comes to internet searches and traffic.
It has boosted many online retail businesses as well as credible sources of information. A lot of people rely on digital services now, whether these are students that look for top-notch assistance from essay writing service, parents looking for home activities with kids, or people searching for open local businesses.
Some of these new trends are here to stay and it is essential to know them to adjust a marketing strategy and digital presence. Here are the main trends in SEO established during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Local SEO
This is one of the main shifts that happened because of COVID-19. Due to the inability to travel long distances a lot of people are now more interested in local businesses. Another reason is that many want to support them. Local SEO has given small businesses a competitive curve.
One of the main tools is Google My Business. It helps companies to let customers know about changing working hours and special offers. People are now more prone to visit a business that is nearby. What does it mean? It means that small companies new to rely on local searches in terms of their content marketing strategy and use of keywords, as well as LTK. It is easier to get a higher ranking in Google with them and attract new customers.
Mobile Optimization
This trend has been around for quite a time but has gained momentum during the pandemic. People use mobile devices to search the web more often and this number continues to grow. It is expected that by the year 2025 three quarters of all internet searches will come from mobile devices.
What does it mean? Google has already announced that they use mobile optimization as a ranking factor. It means that any website has to perform well on a smaller screen.
If the website is not optimized for mobile devices, it will get a lower ranking. It is one of the top priorities now for any digital presence to adjust to smaller screens.
UI/UX
User experience is one of the crucial factors nowadays. It is not only about relevant and quality content but about the experience on the website. First of all, it also impacts Google’s ranking. Secondly, poor UI/UX results in high bounce rates.
What does it include? Several factors, such as intuitive design and ease of use influence users’ behavior. Another essential feature is the loading speed. And last but not least – safety. The use of security protocols for a website and save payment getaways is a must if a business wants to grow.
Core Web Vitals
This is another concept Google has introduced in 2020. These are three factors that impact user’s experience and websites’ ranking.
LCP measures how long it takes for the main content of the page to load. The norm given by Google is no more than 2.5 seconds. FID measures how long it takes for the page to become interactive for users. The norm is less than 100 ms. CLS is about the volume of unexpected layout changes. The number should be less than 0.1.
These are technical details that seem minor but can seriously affect a company’s digital presence. It is crucial for a business to invest in the proper website development and adjustment.
Zero-Click Searches
You’ve probably seen these snippets. When a person googles something, they get instant answers right on the SERP page, hidden by snippets. It means that a user can get an instant answer without actually clicking the webpage. The main goal is to make searches faster and more convenient for users.
For content creators it means that they can adjust their content to these zero-click searches, to rank in top. It is all about writing content that directly answers the popular question. It is also vital to use proper keywords and adjust the page’s layout.
Longer Content
This is probably not a huge surprise for experienced marketers, but longer content performs better than short pieces. Users are looking to get all the details on a topic on one page. That’s why pieces with more than 3,000 words perform three times better.
If you are interested in attracting a new audience and growing organic searches, it is essential to invest in long-form content. Of course, such pieces require more work and dedication, but the result is worth it.
In Summary
COVID-19 has made significant shifts in the way people interact with digital pages. The focus shifted to a more secure and comfortable user experience as well as local businesses. It is now extremely important to care for website performance as well as for content quality. Businesses and companies need to make their web platform mobile-friendly, high-performing, and, most importantly, secure in terms of data and usage.