SEO Trends 2024: Tips to Help Improve Your Website Ranking

Vikas December 11, 2023 0 Comments

Search engine optimization is the basis of a website’s online visibility. This is the only channel that did not suffer a decline in the conditions of a full-scale invasion: in 2023 in Ukraine, the total volume of investments amounted to 6 billion 815 million UAH. Ukrainian digital specialists sincerely trust SEO optimization, and the potential for further increase in investment volume is only increasing.

However, nothing is permanent in the SEO space. Since search engines are constantly improving their algorithms, digital professionals need to stay up to date with the latest trends, trends, and changes. We suggest being proactive and familiarizing yourself with the most important SEO trends in 2024.

SEO Trends to Consider in 2024

The field of search engine optimization is transforming due to changes in user behavior, how search engine algorithms work, and other factors. If you don’t take into account industry trends, you can say goodbye to good positions in search results.

Any competitive brand needs to stay ahead of its competitors. So, what new challenges will you face in the coming year? We tell you below.

The emergence of Google Search Generative Experience

Search Generative Experience (S.G.E.) is Google’s AI-powered search engine. SGE is currently available to a limited number of users in the United States.

Google introduced Search Generative Experience (SGE) to improve the user experience and develop search in the future. To do this, Google uses generative artificial intelligence to provide quick, concise topic reviews to improve search results.

This phenomenon is becoming more common, changing the way users interact with search engines and how websites are optimized to attract traffic.

What can we expect from this trend? First of all, we should talk about the transition to a more interactive and convenient search, where the algorithm understands and provides for the needs and intentions of the user. However, it is not known exactly what factors influence the links that appear next to a fragment. Perhaps this is precisely the problem that frightens many specialists.

But the good news is that you don’t have to abandon traditional SEO practices because of the advent of SGE. While AI-generated results may change user behavior, SERPs still contain traditional search results.

Adapting content for voice search

From a novelty to an integral part of working in the digital space, this is exactly what can be said about voice search. According to statistics, more than 1 billion voice requests are made every month. As of 2023, 27% of people use voice search on mobile devices.

With the growing number of voice assistants (Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri) and devices supporting these technologies, optimizing content for voice search should be part of your SEO strategy in 2024.

Optimizing content for voice search goes beyond simply adding long-tail keywords or phrases. It’s about having a deep understanding of what questions users might ask out loud. For example, creating rich FAQ sections based on these queries will improve your chances of getting featured in voice search results. In addition, the content should be tailored to answer in both simple and understandable language and in a more expert way.

Search without clicks

Now for the bad news: non-clickable searches are on the rise. According to the study Semrush, 57% of mobile searches and about a quarter of desktop searches do not result in a click. This means that when making a search query, the user does not click on any of the suggested results.

The problem isn’t always errors or irrelevant search results. Google’s advanced SERP features such as knowledge panels, snippets, and quick action tools immediately satisfy user intent and provide concise, to-the-point answers.

For example: When searching for celebrities, Google immediately returns the person’s biography and other important information. Store opening hours or contact details can be found directly on Google Maps. Google also provides quick calculation, transformation, and conversion tools for search queries such as “dollars to hryvnia”, “miles to kilometers”, etc.

It’s no surprise that many SEOs are concerned about this trend because it can reduce website traffic. But there is a solution: try to create content that will make people watch the extended answer. How to do it:

answer frequently asked questions;
add question words;
structure information in a natural way;
add images, videos, and other media files;
use micro markup.

EEAT and emphasis on experience

Google is concerned about the amount of AI content that is spreading so quickly in modern realities. The search engine wants to make sure that content is created by real people with practical experience to improve the quality and relevance of search results.

In 2022, Google added another content quality criterion to its EAT framework.EEAT— experience, expertise, authority, and reliability. Therefore, for a search engine, the hands-on experience of content writers has become another important factor in determining the quality of a web page.

Improving your EEAT score is a long-term endeavor that requires creating high-quality content, quality backlinks, and positive user reviews. In addition, it is not only the quality of the content that is important but also the authority of the person who creates it. Among the recommendations:

add topic clusters to create a robust content ecosystem;
be honest: indicate sources of information, check facts;
add author biographies to the blog page: describe their experience, credentials, qualifications, etc.;
write for people, not algorithms.

Popularity of video content

Video content isn’t just about short skits on TikTok or reviews on YouTube. Today, this format opens up new horizons and opportunities for many brands, because:

In 2022, video made up 82% of all internet traffic, up from 73% before the pandemic.
96% of people have watched explainer videos to learn more about a product or service.
In 2023, 91% of companies used video as an online marketing tool.
The number of digital video viewers worldwide is expected to reach nearly 3.5 billion by the end of 2023.

So, have you already picked up a video camera and are ready to film? Well, wait a little longer and do a little brainstorming with video ideas. As the popularity of this format grows, the competition for the audience’s attention is correspondingly intensifying.

We recommend starting with keyword research to use relevant variations in your title, description, and video tags. Use design tools to create attractive and relevant thumbnails to improve click-through rates. Lastly, add metadata and descriptions with targeted keywords to allow search engines to understand your video content faster.

Changing user search intent

Understanding search intent is a key component of an SEO strategy because it ensures that content matches the user’s needs and desires. With the advent and development of AI and other technologies, the nature of queries is changing: users are looking for instant answers and using voice search capabilities.

User search intent is shifting toward transactional and commercial queries as Google recalibrates SERPs to shift attention away from purely informational content. To adapt to changing user search intent and adjust your strategy, follow these tips:

Understand the new purpose of your keywords. Determine how keywords related to your business are being used in new ways. Make sure the content effectively answers user queries.
Optimize for transactional queries: Ensure that product pages, pricing pages, and other transactional content are optimized for search engines and users.
Monitor how these changes affect your traffic and conversions. Make adjustments to your daily work as needed and monitor the effectiveness of your efforts.

AI content and technologies for content creation

Even though Google insists on “real content for real people,” artificial intelligence will still be an integral part of the work of digital professionals in 2024. Of course, we’re not talking about writing texts from A to Z using ChatGPT (you shouldn’t do that 🙂).

Although AI technologies will not replace human talents one hundred percent, they will significantly facilitate the performance of several routine tasks of an SEO specialist:

Setting technical tasks for editors and copywriters. In a few minutes, AI tools will create a document with the structure, and purpose of the future text and write down the desired keywords.
Generating ideas for SEO content. Of course, talking to a chatbot is no substitute for informed keyword research. At the same time, AI tools will help generate content ideas with less effort and save time.
Keyword research tools can help you automate processes that require manual processing of spreadsheets.
Auditing and monitoring platforms can help identify changes and technical issues on any website.

Relevant content that is updated regularly

With competition growing rapidly and content to suit everyone’s tastes, regularly updating content is key to maintaining a web page’s ranking in search results.
The content lifecycle is accelerating, so what was relevant yesterday may lose its value today. But when we talk about updating content, we shouldn’t just focus on maintaining up-to-date facts and figures. Make sure the content matches the user’s search intent and competes effectively with new content on the same topic.

Conclusions: What else should you pay attention to in 2024?

As we see, in 2024 SEO will not disappear anywhere – the field will develop, and adapt to technological progress and new challenges. The basic principle of content optimization will remain, but the strong influence of new trends such as AI technologies, voice search, changes in user search intentions, etc. cannot be denied.

Finally, we would like to draw your attention to several more important trends that await digital specialists in 2024:

The rise in popularity of AI-generated images. There is a possibility that AI-generated images will rank in search results. However, it is unknown exactly how Google will process AI images and what impact they will have on SEO.
Google is expanding and improving its shopping features – Merchant Center, Google Shopping, etc. E-commerce websites should use these platforms to gain additional display space in the Shopping section.
User-centric. Search engines favor websites that offer a seamless and valuable user experience. Factors such as page loading speed, mobile responsiveness, and content relevance play a key role in determining a web page’s ranking.
Increased emphasis on multimedia content, including video and interactive elements. Search engines are more likely to reward websites that engage users with rich and interactive content.