It’s safe to say that last year was one of the biggest years of change in SEO history, and it looks as though 2024 will be following suit. Because of this, SEO proficiency is more important for businesses than ever before. Not only does it play a critical role in driving organic traffic to your site, but it also helps you to cultivate a strong, unique digital presence for your organisation. 

However, with SEO trends forever evolving at a lightspeed pace, it can be tough to understand what works and what doesn’t in the current moment. If you want to stay visible on search engines, you really can’t afford to fall behind. Fortunately, we’re here to help you prepare for what lies ahead. In this blog, we’ll dive into the SEO trends we expect to dominate the SEO sphere in 2024 and beyond!

1. AI Content Crackdown

Last year, we saw a gradual, more widespread acceptance of AI and machine-based learning within content creation spaces. While AI tools like ChatGPT continue to gain positive public interest, in 2024 Google will inevitably maintain its crackdown on AI-generated content, particularly that of a low-quality, and continue to prioritise human-generated content.  

While there are definitely ways that your business can be using AI to its advantage, you still need a great SEO strategy to underpin your marketing efforts. If you let AI do all of the work for you, you can expect Google to rightfully reject your content. You’re better off thinking of AI as a handy assistant that can help to streamline your processes, rather than your appointed content writer! 

2. AI for Answer Generation

While we’re on the subject of AI, it’s also starting to make waves in search engines – another huge development that has the power to switch up how SEO operates.

AI-powered algorithms are skilled in the art of adapting to evolving search patterns, user intent and content preferences, which helps to create a flawless user experience. As a result, you should be looking to optimise your content for AI analysis. 

This will mainly involve refining your blog content creation process to take a more personalised approach by maximising your keyword research and analysing current trends in search queries. In doing so, you’ll help to improve algorithms and establish a stronger sense of brand authority in your niche. 

3. Mobile-First SEO

Mobile devices have unquestionably become the predominant method of accessing information online, with 63% of Google’s organic search traffic last year coming from mobile sources.

To successfully respond to this pivot, websites should prioritise mobile-first indexing – which is what successfully ranks their web pages at the top of search engine results pages (SERPs). In simple terms, mobile-first indexing means that Google will prioritise the mobile version of a website over the desktop version to determine its ranking on a SERP. 

What this all means is that your mobile site needs to be fantastic in order to stay ahead of the curve. As a business, try focusing on creating a seamless, user-friendly website with swift loading speeds and an intuitive reader interface. 

4. E-A-T: More Important Than Ever

Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness (E-A-T) will remain key players in determining your site’s rankings as Google continues to prioritise high-quality content that establishes itself as a credible information source. Your business should always be striving to create content that demonstrates the values of E-A-T in any given niche. 

For example, using correct grammar, citing credible sources properly, sharing relevant and up-to-date information and maintaining a clean, professional appearance are just a few simple ways that you can create stronger E-A-T signals to increase traffic.

5. Zero-Click Search Optimisation

Even if you’re not familiar with the term ‘Position Zero’, anyone who’s performed a Google search before will know what it looks like. Almost all SERPs have featured snippets that provide a concise summary of a search query; Position Zero refers to this featured snippet, which is typically found below the paid search results and above any organic results. These featured snippets can appear in the form of a paragraph, a list, an embedded video or something else, and is generally the content that stands out the most on a landing page. 

While zero-click searches now make up 50.3% of all Google searches, regardless of whether or not a user clicks on Position Zero content, the feature snippet alone takes up a significant amount of SERP real estate, making it an invaluable tool for brand exposure. So, how do you make it to this highly coveted spot? 

Here’s the thing: Google only really grants Position Zero to the page it deems the most valuable and concise. This means that your content must be extremely clear and answer search queries directly if you want to obtain a featured snippet. 

Embrace the Future of SEO

And there you have it: five strategies to help you master the SEO landscape in 2024. However, while being aware of what’s trending is all well and good, applying these trends to your digital marketing strategy is something else entirely. If you’re struggling to know where to go from here, Bigg can help.

Bigg is the go-to digital marketing agency for strategies that really work. Offering a comprehensive suite of services, including SEO, content creation, paid advertising, social media and much more, our team of experts work to stay on top of trends and ensure that your content ranks highly on search engines. Our innovative, results-driven approach is designed to help your business build brand awareness and generate conversations. 

Want to find out more about what we can do for your business? Get in touch with us today.