SEO is constantly evolving. Indeed, Google is constantly evolving its algorithms to improve the user experience of Internet users.
Therefore, the definition of SEO in 2020 will be significantly different from the one that prevailed in 2018 or 2019.
In this article, we’ve compiled the major search engine optimization trends for the coming year. These are the areas on which you absolutely must work to progress in SEO in the coming months.
CREATE HIGH-QUALITY CONTENT FOR ITS TARGET AUDIENCE
DEFINE YOUR PERSONAS
In 2020, we must accept that we can no longer produce content for everyone.
To position yourself at the top of search results, you need to adopt a specific, user-centric approach. This approach requires detailed knowledge of its target audience.
Today, socio-demographic targeting is no longer enough. You have to be able to create content that perfectly meets the issues of your target customers. Upstream, we will therefore draw up a “robot portrait” of our ideal clients.
The method of marketing personas makes it possible to identify “typical profiles” with regard to the following elements:
Sociodemographic characteristics: age, sex, profession, family situation, geographical area, CSP, etc.
Professional characteristics (in B2B): position, level of responsibility, type of company, typical day
Problems: main challenges to be solved, breaks, motivations, …
Information research: media used, reference media, research habits, etc.
Once we have drawn up these target profiles, the personas will be the compass of all our marketing actions and, in particular, the recipients of our web content.
Recent developments in SEO invite us to think first about creating relevant content for a persona before thinking about optimization for search engines. However, this does not mean that the two are incompatible. On the contrary!
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE LONG TAIL
Our increased knowledge of customer issues will allow us to create more specific content.
Either way, it’s not really a choice. In 2020, it is almost impossible (or very expensive) to rank on generic keywords. They are too competitive. So, either we are in a niche market or, if not, it is better to opt for so-called “long tail” keywords.
Long-tail keywords are expressions, combinations of words, which individually generate less search volume than generic keywords but which, taken together, can represent up to 80% of queries.
Skillful use of the long tail makes it possible to create content that meets the needs of our audience but also to diversify our content ideas. This is the guarantee, in the long term, of a better positioning on a wide range of keywords without immediately running up against the glass ceiling of already established competition.
E-A-T OR THE SECRET OF QUALITY CONTENT ACCORDING TO GOOGLE
In 2020, you should no longer expect to arrive on the first page of search results overnight.
To position yourself well on Google, you have to patiently develop your brand by building your expertise, your authority and making it trustworthy. Or, in Google language, E-A-T for Expertise – Authority – Trustworthiness.
Since 2018, Google gives a very important place to these 2 criteria to evaluate the quality of a page.
Expertise essentially consists of creating content that brings real added value to its audience in a particular area. This requires knowing the expectations of its target customers, researching keywords but also understanding the intention behind the request. Finally, expert content is also content that adapts the speech to its interlocutor.
Authority mostly results from inbound links to your site. If another expert quotes you as a reliable source of information or if your name is automatically associated with a topic, you are no longer just an expert but an authority.
Finally, the confidence you inspire depends on several factors. In the first place, it results from your ability to protect yourself from negative opinions by offering your customers/users a quality experience. Your “trustworthiness” also increases when you benefit from positive opinions on review sites, on Facebook, or even on Google My Business.
MAKE YOUR BRAND A MULTIMEDIA “HUB”
THE IMPORTANCE OF VIDEO TO GAIN VISIBILITY
Video is a very popular format with Internet users. According to a study cited by Smart Insights, when a page offers both editorial and video, 72% of users prefer video to learn more about a product or service.
By embedding videos on your web pages, you encourage your visitors to stay longer on your site. The average user spends 88% more time on a site that has video content. However, Google considers the time spent on a site as a criterion of user satisfaction and therefore as a guarantee of quality.
Another advantage of video is that it can be shared well. 83% of consumers say that they would share a video that they like with those around them. Video is therefore an ideal format to increase brand awareness and engagement.
In terms of SEO, the presence of video results in the SERPs offers an opportunity to rank on keywords that would be difficult to achieve with editorial content.
MOBILE AT THE HEART OF SEO STRATEGIES
69% of online media time is spent on a mobile device. If we want to offer a quality experience to its target customers, this experience must therefore be optimized for mobile.
Google has also integrated this development with the implementation of its mobile-first index. Now, it is regularly the behavior of your pages on mobile that comes into play for SEO.
To be effective in SEO in 2020, it is essential to adapt to user behavior and offer an optimal experience in mobility, in terms of accessibility and display (responsive design).
VOICE SEARCH: THE FUTURE OF SEO?
According to Google, voice search already accounts for 20% of searches. And, given the development of voice assistants, the trend is not about to weaken.
Therefore, if we want to be successful in SEO in 2020, we must position ourselves for voice search.
In practice, what does that change?
First, the voice search impacts the formulation of queries. They are no longer formulated in the form of keywords but in natural language. So we already have an advantage if we work on the long tail and its complex expressions.
Second, the presentation of search results is completely different. With voice assistants, no more lists! Only one search result is highlighted. It is, therefore, necessary to optimize its contents to reach this famous “zero position”.
FROM SEO … TO SXO
WHAT IS SXO?
At the crossroads of SEO and UX, SXO (Search eXperience Optimization) aims to improve the overall search experience of the Internet user.
SXO concerns both the search engine’s query and website browsing experience from the first visit to the conversion.
In practice, it is above all a matter of integrating the user journey and its satisfaction into a global SEO strategy.
GOOGLE AND THE SXO
The rise of the SXO responds to recent developments in the Google algorithm. Google’s desire to offer its users the best possible response to their queries prompts website owners not to focus solely on SEO but on a wider “window of opportunity”.
. To reach the top Google positions and maintain yourself, you have to, as we have seen with the EAT concept, create quality content and be trustworthy.
Concretely, Google is interested in the CTR (rate this click) on the SERP but also in what happens after the Internet user has clicked on a search result. How much time does he spend on the site? How many pages does he visit? Can he find what he is looking for? Has there been a conversion?
HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR SXO?
Improving your SXO mainly comes down to adopting a user-centered approach. This requires an excellent knowledge of his personas and their search habits.
To increase CTR, we can rely on the variety of content formats to appear in different forms in universal search results.
The quality of content is also an essential issue for SXO. Relevant, readable, illustrated content is more likely to capture the reader’s attention and keep them on the site longer. To increase navigation time, internal meshing is another good practice. By offering additional content to the Internet user, we encourage them to continue browsing and we increase the chances that they will click on a call-to-action or make a purchase.
Based on recent developments in the Google algorithm, the logic of the search engine lies in improving the search experience.
To be successful in SEO in 2020, it will therefore be necessary to create user-centric content and offer high-quality UX.
Finally, to respond to different ways of “consuming” content, it will also be necessary to diversify content formats and optimize SEO for each type of media.
