5 SEO Trends to Watch in 2024

The way we use the internet and find information is constantly changing, and at an increasingly rapid pace. To stay relevant in 2024 and beyond, you’ll need to develop a forward-looking approach to your visibility and discoverability online.

I’ve been watching the latest trends that are shaping how to stay ahead with your online presence, and how they are unfolding. There is new potential that artificial intelligence, changes in search and consumption habits, and search engine evolution, are bringing to SEO – an already continuously evolving matter.

These are the top five that you need to be watching, and adopting to stay relevant in 2024.

AI-powered SEO

We are in an increasingly fast-paced business landscape, and staying ahead means you need to adopt the latest available technology. A prime example is the recent surge in AI tools and capability.

It feels like it has its hands on everything nowadays, and SEO is no exception. Used effectively, it can revolutionize how you improve your online presence.

Here are some of the ways I am seeing it help organizations with their SEO:

1. Insights

Advanced algorithms can efficiently process a lot of data, and quickly, offering rapid and precise analysis. This is enabling organizations to extract valuable information regarding user actions, preferences, and any emerging patterns. Using this effectively can help you align it more closely with the latest needs of your intended audience.

2. Keyword research

In the past, manual keyword research was common, though often yielded inconsistent outcomes. Now, artificial intelligence algorithms can quickly analyse keyword performance, competition, and relevance. It can create data-driven, targeted keywords for businesses. The accuracy AI offers can aid in ensuring that you create content that aligns with audience needs and expectations.

3. User experience

By understanding user intentions and actions, AI offers insight into the user experience. This data can shape the changes you make to website content and make the way you tailor it to audience needs and feedback more dynamic. Reacting quicker to how users react to your content can boost user engagement, and lead to better conversion.

4. Analytics for strategic planning 

AI algorithms are capable in predictive analytics, so anticipating trends and making data-informed decisions in your planning can be made with more confidence. Using the analysis it delivers, you can make proactive adjustments to your content strategy to keep up with any trend developments, and maximize any opportunities.

5. Time and resource efficiency

Streamlining processes through the implementation of AI is the reason most people adopt it in the first place. Tasks ranging from optimizing content to building links can be automated, which are often time and resource intensive to get even the very minimal results from.

Mobile-first indexing

A notable development in recent years is the growth of mobile-first indexing. As users have shifted their search habits more heavily to their mobile devices, it is having significant implications for website owners and digital marketers.

It has had a big impact on how they now approach their SEO strategy.

A paradigm shift 

A trend that has grown sharply – as smartphone and tablet capability has improved – is recognition by search engines such as Google to emphasize the significance of mobile content in indexing, and also ranking.

They have transitioned toward mobile-first indexing and away from the conventional desktop-centric approach, giving primary consideration to mobile versions of websites. As users increasingly rely on mobile devices to access information, this is a trend set to stay. 

Google’s algorithms now evaluate the mobile version of your site first. It considers its responsiveness, loading speed, and overall user experience as – by nature – most mobile users are likely to be less patient or on the go than if they are at their computer.

By optimizing your website for mobile you will not only cater to what is becoming the majority of internet users, but also align with Google’s strategy, thereby likely to see a boost to your search engine rankings.

The user experience underpins Google’s approach to ranking sites, and prioritising mobile indexing echoes their focus on this. A website optimized for mobile use, offering easy navigation, speed, and concise content contributes to longer engagement on devices that are designed for quick use. 

As with any website on any device, positive user experience correlates with improved conversion rates. The fact that mobile is seeing the biggest increase in traffic means it is right that it should get more attention, and rewards sites optimized for it.

There is a growing emphasis on mobile-centric indexing, and it is crucial you prioritize it to maintain search engine rankings. Mobile devices are improving and becoming more innovative, so making it part of your SEO strategy will help you stay competitive going forward.

Content quality over quantity

You will no doubt be familiar with the phrase “content is king”, and it’s true in some ways.

However, a shift has taken place that puts more emphasis on content quality over quantity. 

In the pursuit of more visibility, for many years the trend has been to produce a substantial amount of content. While high volume may attract some initial attention, the long-term engagement and organic growth really comes from the quality of the content. 

Search engines now employ sophisticated algorithms to assess the relevance and value of content. User satisfaction, on-page time, and overall user experience are crucial factors that are considered.

Content of high quality – having relevance, depth of information, and authority in the field – not only has more chance of engaging the audience effectively, but also matches with what search engine algorithms are looking for.

Quality content positions a brand as an authority in its respective field, giving users a credible source that offers valuable insights. Delivering content that is informative, well-researched, and thoughtfully presented establishes a brand as a reliable resource. This can contribute to gaining organic backlinks – a critical factor in how a site ranks.

Additionally, the trend towards evergreen content, that addresses timeless issues, is proving to be growing in influence. Quality content that withstands the test of time not only contributes to sustained organic traffic, but can also reduce the need for constant content creation.

This means website owners can focus more on crafting impactful pieces that resonate with the intended audience, not just adding as much content as possible.

Video in SEO

Including video content in across websites is not only increasingly common, but is proving to benefit ranking performance for those that adopt it.

Google is promoting the use of video, meaning there are a lot of advantages that video integration can offer to your overall SEO strategy.

Multimedia content – specifically video – is delivering higher engagement levels compared to conventional text-based material. Integrating video into any of your online platforms is likely to enhance user interaction as video grows in popularity and provides a more immersive experience for your audience. The increased interaction rates will have a positive influence on your visibility on search engines. 

Visitor engagement time – so how long a visitor spends on a website – holds high significance in terms of search engine optimization. Incorporating video into your content is likely to enhance engagement time, if it is informative and entertaining. You’ll see lower bounce rates, indicating to search engines that your website holds relevance and value for users.

Search engines prioritize enhancing the user experience, and incorporating videos is seen to add dynamism and interactivity to your website. A carefully optimized video can convey information in a swift and effective manner, improving the experience you are offering users.

Search engines depend heavily on written content to grasp the meaning of a webpage. Offering precise transcriptions of videos not only broadens the reach of your content, but also improves the search engine’s capability to analyze and organize your material.

Multimedia content has proven very successful for widespread sharing across the whole range of social platforms. Likes, shares, and comments – or social signals – play a significant role in search engine algorithms. A video that captures substantial engagement across platforms will quickly increase visibility, and positively impact SEO.

The emergence of topical authority

A key factor influencing website search engine rankings is topical authority. This goes beyond conventional keyword optimization, focusing on positioning your website as a respected source within a particular area of expertise.

Why topical authority matters

Search engines have evolved to better comprehend user intent, which has seen a departure from the heavy focus that was previously put on keywords. Topical authority indicates expertise in a specific subject matter, and if search engines recognise this on a site, it is rewarded with an improvement to rankings in search results.

This leads to increased organic traffic and improving the credibility of your website among users, further growing your topical authority.

Content quality is king

Not just content, but quality content, is king. Generating valuable and relevant content is the cornerstone of establishing authority in a subject area. Spending time researching your area of focus, and creating detailed, enlightening pieces that answer the concerns, pain points, and inquiries of your intended audience will be rewarded.

Vary the formats you produce content in to accommodate a range of audience preferences. Consider written articles, visual posts, videos, and audio content, to appeal to a broad range of consumers. Showing a variety of content highlights your ability to deliver it in different ways, which will reinforce your overall authority on the subject.

Establishing connections through link-building plays a significant role in enhancing SEO. Obtaining links from reputable websites relevant to your content contributes to the credibility of your site. It indicates to search engines that your content is valued by other, and hopefully established, players in the field.

Cultivating a sense of community within your field, by actively participating in conversations with your audience, has numerous benefits. Using any social media, forums, and comments sections that you operate or engage with will build a network of connections. Not only will you improve your brand image, but also reinforce your expertise in the subject matter as search engines see you active across the topic.

These trends will lead to SEO success

SEO has long been viewed as a necessary evil – something that has a mystique about it that only its experts can master. Technology, and the modern ways that search engines assess web content, is leading a shift in accessibility and fairness in the way websites attract visitors.

AI now plays a pivotal role in keyword research, user experience, analytics, and resource optimization. It has become the key that has enabled search engines to quickly recognise the quality of content, and reduce the “keyword stuffing” that plagued low-quality websites.

Keywords still play an important role, but automated keyword research reduces the guesswork previously costing ranking positions and missing the target audience.

The shift to more mobile-centric use means optimizing websites for it is essential. Many web developers will tell you that they now design websites mobile-first too, underlining the importance Google are putting on the mobile experience.

Mobile isn’t the only rising trend in online search. The significance of video content in SEO is also increasing. Engaging videos contribute to reduced bounce rates, improved user experience, and longer engagement – all of which impact search engine rankings. You can’t. do a Google search nowadays without YouTube videos dominating the top of the search.

Quality content not only captivates the audience, but also helps position a brand as an authority, and they are recognising this much more effectively. This – and the other trends in our list – contributes to establishing topical authority, which is the biggest take away from our 5 SEO trends this year.

Produce high-quality, diverse content, secure backlinks from authoritative sites, and actively engage with the audience, and you will soon reap the benefits of being an authority in your field.