The battle for online presence will continue to get competitive in the next 2 years. E-commerce sales have been on an uptrend since 2014. This year, global online retail sales are expected to hit US$6.9 trillion. In 2026, total e-commerce sales worldwide are projected to be at US$8.1 trillion.
For your online business to reign supreme, your SEO game has to be on point. Over the last few years, technological innovations were introduced that changed how consumers interact in the digital space. Of course, changes in online behavior will influence how the search engine’s algorithm functions.
Put simply, you can’t expect to get better results from your SEO strategy if it stays the same and you don’t adapt to changes in the Internet landscape.
Here are 5 key SEO trends that will shape your optimization strategy in 2024. Let’s start with the technology polarizing consumers and businesses alike.
1. The Increasing Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) in SEO
AI and ML are innovations that are often used interchangeably when discussing trends in technology. While there are similarities in the concepts, AI and ML have different applications.
AI is a field of technology whereby machines and computers are designed to understand human behavior at the cognitive level. AI seeks to learn how humans see, process, and react to information.
By doing so, the AI will be able to process Big Data and make decisions and recommendations from a human perspective.
ML is a component of AI that uses an algorithm to help the technology improve its performance over time by learning from experience. The ML algorithm can process and analyze data to help it make better decisions. The more data the ML processes, the better its performance.
Think of AI as the system of technologies that allows machines and computers to process data from the perspective of a human and ML as one of the tools or processes it uses to collect and understand data.
The ability of AI and ML technologies to gather, process, and analyze data at levels that mirror human intelligence and behavior has influenced the changes in search engine algorithms. Search engines have incorporated AI and ML technologies to improve the accuracy by which they retrieve results for search queries.
From simply matching keyword searches with relevant content, AI and ML technologies have given search engines the ability to understand the intent and purpose behind a particular search query.
For example, with AI and ML technologies, search engines can categorize user intent as follows:
- Informational – To search for information that’s specific to a topic.
- Commercial – To search for a specific product or service to compare.
- Navigational – To search for a specific website.
- Transactional – To search for a specific product or service to buy.
AI and ML technologies can also understand user context or the set of circumstances behind the search query. For example, AI and ML will use the following factors to understand context:
- Language
- Location
- Type of device
- Time of search
- User’s search history
- User’s search settings preferences
Given these developments, how do AI and ML technologies impact SEO strategies?
The impact of AI and ML technologies will be felt in the quality of content. The content that you create must comprehensively answer the questions presented by the query including details that are specific and relevant to the topic.
Google introduced its AI-powered search tool called Google SGE. SGE stands for Search Generative Experience which is described as having the capability of delivering accurate but concise results to user queries.
How does Google SGE work?
Let’s say a user launches the following query:
“Why does lifting weights lower the risk of premature death by 65%?”
Not only will Google SGE present website links that are most useful, relevant, and informative to the search query, but it will also provide an accurate and concise answer:
“Lifting weights has been found by several studies to lower the risk of premature death by 65% because strength training can improve the health of joints, connective tissues, and muscles; regulate blood sugar, increase the production of testosterone, and enhance fat-burning metabolism.”
The reason for this is that Google wants search results to be more conversational, interactive, and user-friendly.
Thus, for your web page to appear in the Google SGE results, your content must be complete and as detailed as possible.
- Include supporting topics or sub-categories that aren’t covered by other websites but are relevant and useful to the query.
- Embed the content with links to reputable and relevant sources.
- Present the latest information about the topic.
In combination with the usual metrics for analyzing user behavior such as bounce rate, click-through rate, average time on page, page views, and pages per session, search engines will be able to come up with search results that are more accurate and customized for users.
SEO is no longer just about finding and using the right keywords. You have to produce content of the highest quality; one that will impress the search engines and the users.
2. Voice and Image Search Will Remain Popular
In 2018, Gartner predicted that e-commerce websites with voice and image search capabilities would increase their revenues by 30% within 3 years.
Voice and image search aren’t innovations. However, it can be said that they are the byproducts of AI. These technologies have become popular with consumers because they make it easier, more convenient, and faster to run Internet searches.
Voice search was developed from AI voice recognition software, a type of program designed to analyze human linguistics. The AI processes, analyzes and tries to understand the words, phrases, and phonemes used by a human to run search queries.
In contrast, image search is a technology that analyzes the defining features of an image – its lines, shapes, colors, and textures. After analyzing the components of the image, the search engine will go through its database and retrieve images that have similar characteristics.
Voice and image search will remain popular in 2024 and beyond because consumers will always be impatient. They will demand search results to be delivered faster by the search engines.
Thus, for your SEO strategy to succeed in 2024, it must incorporate processes and tools that support voice and image search.
- Include long-tail keywords in your content. Long-tail keywords are great for emphasizing user intent because they offer the search engine more details about the particular search.
For example, instead of just using “maplewood guitars’, you use the long-tail version “benefits of maplewood fretboard for electric guitars”.
The long-tail keyword has 3 words that further define the search – “benefits”, “fretboard” and “electric”. It’s structured in a way that a voice search on the topic would be carried out by a user.
- Write blogs and articles conversationally. How would you run a voice search for the best Spaghetti and Meatballs in Denver, Colorado?
Exactly like that – “best spaghetti and meatballs in denver colorado”. Alternatively, you can be more specific – “which restaurant serves the best spaghetti and meatballs in denver colorado”.
For a food review article, you can create a sub-header “Best Spaghetti and Meatballs Restaurant in Denver, Colorado’. Writing conversationally works best because voice search IS conversational.
- Use relevant, high-quality, and original images for your content. It’s tempting to use stock images because they’re readily available. But what if another website is using the same stock images?
Google always rewards websites with original content and that includes images. Make sure to use the right image format.
JPEG works well with small-sized images. Meanwhile, PNG is the ideal format for images that have a captivating background.
Your website must be equipped with voice and image search capabilities. Users prefer to patronize websites that can provide them with results in the fastest time possible. This is especially true for users of e-commerce websites.
3. Establishing Topical Authority
In the section on the emerging prominence of AI and ML technologies in SEO, we mentioned the importance of producing content that “comprehensively answers the questions presented by the query including details that are specific and relevant to the topic”.
This is what establishing topical authority means – presenting yourself as an unquestionable expert on the topic.
You are an authority on the subject matter; a reliable go-to source of information for anyone interested in learning more about the topic.
No less than the Internet’s most dominant search engine, Google defined the meaning of topical authority in 4 letters – EEAT.
- E – Experience
- E – Expertise
- A – Authoritativeness
- T – Trustworthiness
Based on Google’s criteria, you can’t be considered a topical authority on a subject matter overnight. You might not gain that reputation even after one month or one year.
To become a topical authority, you must be consistent in your efforts to show the search engines that no other business represents EEAT more than you.
- Focus on creating long-form content such as blogs that exceed 2,000 words.
- Write blogs that are as comprehensive as possible. If the blog has 4 sections, make sure these sections include all of the pertinent information about the subject matter.
- Support your content by linking to reputable sources.
- Present the latest information, development, numbers, and figures in your content.
- Consistently produce high-quality, well-researched, and optimized content. Aim to build an impressive library of articles on various subject matters that are specific to your business.
The challenge in creating long-form content is that it takes time. For example, a 2,000-word blog can take 4 hours to complete. The time allotted for writing a blog includes research, review, and quality control.
4 hours is a lot of time! Those are hours that are best allotted for handling the core functions of your business.
Your best option is to outsource content creation to a qualified third party such as Mountaintop Web Design. Our blogs and websites have received awards from respected bodies such as UpCity and Clutch.
If you’re interested, contact us and we’ll schedule a free 30-minute consultation to discuss your SEO content strategy.
4. Greater Focus on Video SEO
A 2023 study conducted by Wyzowl revealed the following statistics that proved the effectiveness of video marketing:
- The percentage of businesses that use video marketing has increased from 61% in 2016 to 91% in 2023.
- 90% of businesses report that video marketing generates an ROI of 90%.
- 87 % of businesses believe that video marketing helped increase sales.
- 82% of customers who have viewed a video say it convinced them to buy the product.
- 87% of customers share the opinion that videos make a brand more trustworthy.
It was estimated that there were 3.48 billion viewers of video-based content in 2023. You can expect the number of digital video views to continue its upward trajectory in 2024 and the years after.
Video marketing is effective because…
- It can communicate information more clearly with the use of audio and video features.
- According to Hubspot, videos can improve the conversion rates of landing pages by as much as 80%
- Videos can quickly establish an emotional connection with the audience.
- Videos improve brand recognition.
- 84% of consumers prefer to share videos over other forms of content.
You don’t need the aforementioned statistics to convince you to include video marketing in your SEO strategy for 2024. As a consumer, you probably use videos to learn more about a business, a brand, and a product.
Here are a few tips on how to get the most out of your video marketing campaign:
- Create your video descriptions using high-ranking, high-search volume keywords.
- The keywords must appear naturally in the title and video description.
- Include descriptive hashtags to help search engines and users understand what the videos are about.
- The thumbnail is important! Use a high-resolution image that’s relevant to the subject matter of the video. YouTube recommends 1280 x 720 pixels.
- Include timestamps to make it easier for viewers to search for relevant content.
Short-form videos that run no longer than 2 minutes are ideal for selling products and services. Long-form videos that can have a duration of up to 1 hour are great for building your reputation as an expert on the topic.
5. Content Velocity and the Importance of Refreshing Content
Content velocity is a term used to describe the volume or amount of content that’s created and published within a specific period.
We noticed that on YouTube several content creators assure their viewers that they will be posting videos regularly. By “regularly”, they mean at least one new video per week.
Today’s audience has a voracious appetite for content. A 2022 study by Statista showed that content creators were posting up to 30,000 hours of content every hour.
The challenge for content creators is consistency.
“How do I create high-quality content that’s fresh, unique, relevant, informative, and useful to my audience consistently?”
Sometimes the well of creativity can run dry. Or you could have a case of writer’s block.
The best solution is to refresh existing content by updating the information and doing minor rewrites.
If you’ve been writing blogs or producing videos consistently for the last few years, you must have built an impressive content library by now. The content that you’ve created are assets that you can recycle, reuse, or repurpose.
Thus, if you wrote a blog 2 years ago and updated it, the people who’ll be reading it today will view it as new information. Your 2-year-old blog will be unique, relevant, informative, and useful to a new audience.
Conclusion
Earlier, we described AI and ML as technologies that are “polarizing” both consumers and businesses because there’s fear it can replace the human asset.
Is this true?
The answer is “No”.
You can ask ChatGPT to create content but it won’t have the feel of an article that’s written by a human being. Mimicking human behavior has its limitations because it’s based on observation and analysis, not experience.
Big Data cannot help the AI feel what consumers are going through at the time of the search. AI and ML can identify context but they cannot accurately pinpoint the thought process that initiated the search.
A good example is music that’s created by AI. Consumers complain that AI-generated music comes out as repetitive, formulaic, and lacking “soul” and emotional depth. They can’t connect or relate with the artist who created AI-generated music.
There’s also the risk of copyright infringement when creating AI-generated content because learning is based on experience. AI won’t be scouring the Internet for similarities.
Technology can try to incorporate a measure of human intuition into search but nothing beats emotion-driven content in connecting with a human user. Content needs substance but substance needs intent to be effective.
Are you stumped by your SEO strategy for 2024? Let’s talk about it! Avail of our free 30-minute consultation and we’ll map out an SEO strategy that will deliver measurable results this year.
