UNLOCKING SUCCESS: THE TOP 12 SEO TRENDS SHAPING 2024

BY HEIDI MCIVOR ALLEN

The past year has witnessed a significant transformation in the world of marketing. The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) has made content creation more accessible than ever before. Meanwhile, the rising costs of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising have led marketers to explore organic search as an affordable means of reaching their target audience online. In this dynamic landscape, understanding the key SEO trends of 2024 is essential to stay ahead of the curve and optimize your SEO strategy.

“When you change one thing, you have the ability to change EVERYTHING.”

1. SEARCH INTENT TAKES CENTER STAGE

Search intent remains the guiding principle for organic marketers in 2024. Understanding the true intention behind user searches is crucial for creating relevant content. While traditional categories like Navigational, Transactional, Commercial, and Informational searches have been useful, recent trends show a rise in Transactional and Commercial keywords, with a decline in Informational and Navigational queries. Some keyword tools now provide search intent data alongside search volume and cost-per-click metrics, helping marketers align their content with user intent.

2. THE SURGE IN QUESTION KEYWORDS AND ANSWERS

Answering questions continues to be a valuable SEO strategy this year. The “People Also Ask” results now appear in over 90% of searches, making it an excellent opportunity to rank on the first page of results. You can enhance your visibility by identifying relevant question keywords and incorporating them into your content, such as through FAQ sections, blog posts, or dedicated Q&A pages. Question keywords often have lower keyword difficulty, making them suitable for newer websites.

3. EMPHASIZING FIRST-HAND EXPERIENCE

First-hand experience remains a significant factor in ranking content. Google incorporated “Experience” into its E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) algorithm, highlighting the importance of real-world examples, case studies, and data in content. Leveraging your experience in your content strategy by showcasing real-world insights and client success stories can set your content apart.

4. BUILDING TOPICAL AUTHORITY

Topical authority is crucial for ranking well, especially in niches, like news, health, finance, and politics. Google’s Topic Authority system prioritizes websites with expertise in specific topics. Building topical authority involves producing high-quality content that explores topics in breadth and depth, using internal links to showcase content relationships, and earning backlinks from authoritative sources in your industry.

5. HARNESSING TOPICAL MAPS

Topical maps, a growing trend in 2024, provide a roadmap for comprehensive content strategies. These maps outline the content needed to cover a topic thoroughly. AI tools can streamline the process of generating topical maps. Implementing topical maps and using AI to create content ideas around mapped topics can result in improved organic rankings.

6. AI-GENERATED CONTENT AT SCALE

AI-generated content is on the rise, with experts predicting that 90% of online content will be synthetically generated by 2026. Marketers are using AI to create content quickly, but it’s imperative to focus on quality and user value. AI can aid in content generation, however it should be a starting point, with human touch added to meet user intent and provide valuable content.

7. REGULAR CONTENT UPDATES

In the face of increased AI-generated content, competition for keywords intensifies. Regularly updating content is vital to maintain rankings. This involves confirming the accuracy of data and statistics, linking to the latest research, rewriting content, checking and repairing links, and building new backlinks.

8. ELEVATING BRAND SIGNALS

Brand signals, including branded anchor text, branded search volume, and online brand presence, gain importance in 2024. Establishing your brand online and leveraging it through linking to social media, robust About and Contact pages, public relations outreach, and directory listings can strengthen brand authority and visibility.

9. USER INTERACTIONS AND ENGAGEMENT METRICS MATTER

User interactions, such as clicks, attention, and query entries, are essential ranking factors. Creating engaging content with interactive elements, like jumplinks and carousels, can positively impact user engagement. However, it’s crucial to ensure interactions enhance user experience rather than disrupt it.

10. MOBILE PAGE PERFORMANCE REMAINS CRITICAL

Mobile-first indexing is the standard in 2024, emphasizing the importance of well-performing mobile pages. Responsive design, adherence to character limits in meta descriptions, and regular quality assurance for mobile pages are fundamental.

11. PRIORITIZING PAGE EXPERIENCE UPDATES

Google’s emphasis on page experience continues to grow. Google’s Core Web Vitals now include Interaction to Next Paint (INP) as a metric, measuring a page’s response to user interactions. Ensuring your pages meet these standards is necessary for SEO success.

12. THE VALUE OF SEO COMMUNITIES

SEO communities play a crucial role in sharing insights and experiences. Connecting with others in the SEO industry through events, conferences, online groups, forums, and podcasts fosters collaboration and helps navigate the evolving SEO landscape.

Embracing these 12 SEO trends in 2024 can help you adapt to the changing digital landscape, optimize your SEO strategy, and stay competitive in the online market.

HOW MCIVOR MARKETING CAN MAKE THESE SEO TRENDS WORK FOR YOU IN 2024

In 2024, McIvor Marketing is well-positioned to harness the power of these SEO trends to elevate your digital marketing strategies. Our commitment to creating user-centric content that aligns with search intent ensures that your clients’ websites will offer valuable information to their target audience. By focusing on answering questions and leveraging first-hand experiences, we’ll craft content that not only showcases expertise, but also resonates with users.

Building topical authority through comprehensive content strategies and embracing AI-generated content tools will enable us to streamline the content creation process while maintaining quality. Regular content updates and attention to mobile page performance will help protect and improve your clients’ rankings.

Elevating brand signals and optimizing page experience will further strengthen your clients’ online presence. McIvor Marketing’s participation in SEO communities will provide valuable insights and collaboration opportunities to ensure success in this dynamic SEO landscape. Together, we’ll make these SEO trends work to establish your clients as industry experts in 2024. Contact us to learn more.

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