Google’s constant updates to search results compel SEO professionals to remain ahead of emerging trends. Given the abundance of trends, discerning which to implement and which to disregard becomes crucial.
Using metric tools for SE, major SEO trends are identified to assess their potential impact. It’s pivotal to evaluate these trends by assessing forecasted organic search trend data, allowing for informed decisions and avoiding falling into the cycle of negligence.
1. Video SEO
Should You Follow? — Yes
Video content has seen a significant rise, especially on platforms like YouTube and TikTok. These platforms demand tailored SEO strategies. The trend for YouTube SEO and TikTok SEO shows steady growth.
Creating video content not only enhances visibility but also drives more interest in websites and businesses. Major players in the industry, like Ahrefs, SEMRush, and Websimilair, have leveraged video content effectively. Their popular YouTube SEO channels are a testament to the efficacy of such strategies.
Educational resources such as the Ahrefs Academy further support the integration of video SEO by offering guidance on SEO best practices and product usage. This approach underscores the essential role video content plays in modern SEO strategies.
2. Voice Search
Voice search trends have seen fluctuations over the years, often driven by industry announcements like ChatGPT’s new voice capabilities. Despite the occasional surge in interest, the overall search volume for voice search has been declining. This is well-documented, as shown in Keywords Explorer of metric tools.
Should You Follow? — No
The consensus among experts is that optimizing for voice search may not be a productive use of resources. Consider the example of a business that fully embraced voice search; it appears more as a PR move rather than a sustainable SEO strategy.
A LinkedIn poll further emphasizes this sentiment, showing that the usage of voice search remains limited among users.
In the end, investing time and effort into voice search optimization doesn’t appear to be justified. The current data and user trends suggest that it’s a complex area to optimize effectively, with minimal returns.
3. Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals (CWVs) are metrics created by Google to measure the user experience of your website. By improving CWVs, you enhance the experience for visitors, and Google may rank your website higher.
Judging by the search trend data, interest in CWVs has plateaued.
Should You Follow? — It Depends
Core Web Vitals are useful for benchmarking user experience metrics. To facilitate this, Site Audit now includes CWV data.
Sometimes their importance is overstated, and there is a tendency to obsess over perfect scores. CWVs are more valuable for enterprise websites compared to smaller ones.
Resources are available for those starting with CWVs.
4. SGE – Now “AI Overview”
SGE, or Search Generative Experience, is Google’s answer to ChatGPT. Positioned at the top of the search results, it offers generative answers to user queries.
In this example, SGE appears above the traditional featured snippet:
Using data from Ahrefs or any such tool, the interest in this topic is projected to rise over the coming months:
A side note indicates that while the SGE trend has been consistent since 2015, its SEO application is recent. Variations exist, as shown below:
Should You Follow? — Yes
SGE, now referred to as AI Overview, enhances featured snippets significantly. Google asserts that no special measures are needed to appear in the AI overview; adhering to their search essentials guidelines suffices. This trend merits attention and may shift terminology from “SGE” to “AI Overviews”.
5. AI SEO
Incorporating AI into traditional SEO processes has become second nature to many SEOs. With the benefits of improved efficiency and time savings, adopting AI tools is a logical step forward. According to Ahrefs’ data, searches for AI SEO are expected to remain stable in the coming months.
Should You Follow? — Yes
AI’s persistence in the SEO landscape is undeniable. SEO needs to become proficient in using AI for SEO to enhance efficiency. Starting with resources such as relevant blog articles can help strengthen their AI SEO skills. AI tools offer a pathway to refined and effective SEO strategies, catering to both professionals and beginners.
6. EEAT
EEAT stands for experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. Google uses EEAT signals to determine the credibility of pages. Search trend data suggests a slow increase in the emphasis on EEAT in the upcoming months.
Should You Follow? — It Depends
There’s no shortage of websites that have ignored EEAT yet still ranked well. For most websites, thinking of EEAT as managing your reputation makes sense. As James Brockbank mentioned:
Thinking about EEAT like your reputation also makes it easier to understand some of the confusing things about the concept…
It’s easy to understand why reputation isn’t a direct ranking factor
— James Brockbank (@BrockbankJames) April 30, 2024
7. Programmatic SEO
Programmatic SEO is the process of creating keyword-targeted pages at scale in a near or fully automated way. This technique helps in producing large volumes of content quickly by leveraging automation tools and predefined templates.
SEOs have been creating pages at scale for many years, but this has become the latest way to describe this trend. Using metric SEO tools, the search term is forecasted to trend upward over the next few months.
Should You Follow? — It Depends
Programmatic SEO done right can be a valuable asset for your business. But when done poorly, it can appear low quality and spammy and negatively impact your brand’s reputation. Google’s John Mueller noted that programmatic SEO can sometimes be a “fancy banner for spam.”
On the Ahrefs’ blog, their Director of Content Marketing, Ryan Law has written about how big companies like Wise and Zapier are using programmatic SEO successfully as part of their SEO strategy. In short, programmatic SEO can be really useful for established websites to create a consistent experience across a certain topic.
Even at Ahrefs, they have experimented with programmatic SEO to create pages like their /SEO/for/ pages—with favorable results so far.
Before investing time and money into your next programmatic SEO project, ensure proper research using tools like Keywords Explorer to identify keyword patterns to use.
8. Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)
Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP) is a framework developed by Google to improve the performance and user experience of web pages on mobile devices. It’s generated mixed reactions within the SEO community.
Should You Follow? — No
In recent times, AMP has seen a significant decline in its popularity and usage. Several well-known entities have voiced their disapproval of AMP. For instance, Barry Adams famously declared that “Google AMP can go to hell,” reflecting a broader skepticism towards the framework.
Additionally, it has been observed that platforms like Wix are moving away from AMP. For example, the team at Wix announced that starting August 1st, they will be sunsetting AMP and will 301 redirect the AMP URLs to their corresponding blog posts.
This shift indicates a major decline in the relevance of AMP, supported by other industry players. Therefore, it is suggested to consider other more contemporary approaches to improving mobile page performance.
9. Information Gain
Information gain is Google’s patented way to assign a score to content, determining its uniqueness compared to other content on the same topic. The method encourages content creators to offer fresh perspectives and personal experiences to differentiate their work.
Data indicates that although often discussed on social media, the trend of information gain has minimal search volume.
Should You Follow? — Yes
Despite the low search volume, it is important to follow the trend of information gain. Historically, the term “information gain” has been used outside of the SEO realm, which may contribute to this:
- Running surveys
- Conducting data studies
- Sourcing expert quotes
- Creating unique illustrations and diagrams
- Integrating video content into written material
These efforts are aimed at enriching user experience and creating a lasting impression. This strategic focus on delivering unique content is a key driver of brand identity and sales.
A recent interview with Sundar Pichai highlighted the importance of rewarding originality and creativity in content creation. Pichai emphasized the importance of maintaining an independent voice and fostering an ecosystem that values unique contributions. This aligns with Google’s ethos of supporting diverse and rich content.
“How do you reward originality, creativity, and independent voice at whatever scale at which you’re able to and give a chance for that to thrive in this content ecosystem we create? That’s what I think about. That’s what the Search team thinks about.” — Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google
For content creators looking to stay ahead in the SEO game, focusing on information gain can be a vital strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Final Thoughts
Selecting SEO trends to prioritize can be challenging. Utilizing metric SEO tools search volume forecasting provides deeper insights into keyword prospects and trend stages.
This helps in making informed business decisions regarding trend adoption. Engage with expert opinions to clarify any uncertainties.
Got any questions?
