These are the 2024 SEO trends you need to know

If 2023 brought seismic shifts in how marketers approach their work, what can we expect for 2024?

While Search Generative Experience (SGE) is the most significant development search marketers are anticipating, there are still other search engine trends to look out for, especially in the local SEO space. SEO experts must develop a “hyperlocal” mindset as consumers focus on what’s near them at a neighborhood—not citywide—level. In addition, there’s an opportunity for growth in SEO opportunities outside of the English language.

Ultimately, the biggest priority for marketers is to become proactive instead of reactive. We all know how long it takes for changes to take hold after implementation. Playing the waiting game could leave you in the dust.

You Should Be Planning for SGE Already

SGE has been discussed a lot in the past, but it’s really impossible to overstate just how seismic a shift it will have on the industry. That’s why it was a little surprising that a November 2023 survey of 1,000 revealed that just under 50% of the surveyed marketers didn’t have a fully finalized strategy for SGE.

It’s a big deal! That hesitation has already put them behind.

SGE is a major leap forward for zero-click content designed to answer user questions through Google without clicking on an actual page. And while SGE isn’t intended to answer every question under the sun, it can still provide helpful insights and information in this zero-click context.

Matthew Santos, Senior Vice President of Product and Strategy at NP Accel, notes:

“At the SMB (small- to medium-size business) level, I think this is a new feature that gives the little guys a fighting chance of finally showing up above the fold on short-tail queries. 94% of the SGE section results are completely different from the organic 10 blue links below it. So, to me, it shows that Google is hungry for new brands to come onto the scene and grab some market share.”

SGE is very much a work in progress, though. Unfortunately, accuracy can be a struggle, given the rise of AI-driven content (and self-cannibalization). But over 65% of the marketers surveyed by NP Digital don’t feel that way. In fact, many of them thought it’d be more accurate than conventional results.

How can you build a strategy to put your content front and center in AI experiences like SGE?

Focus on generative engine optimization (GEO). Diversify your strategy beyond the basics of SEO. Include time to value in your articles and posts, and don’t forget to emphasize a good user experience (UX) as part of your decision-making. Getting your content mentioned across the web helps bolster your authority and promotes you as a reliable source.

Where have you heard that before? Oh, yeah: E-E-A-T.

Some of the best ways to focus on E-E-A-T include ensuring you have author pages that show your writers know what they’re talking about. In addition, you should make a concrete effort to include subject matter experts (SMEs) in every piece of content you produce.

In addition to GEO, there’s another optimization tactic you should focus on: search experience optimization (SXO). SXO prioritizes success metrics like conversions or lead generation based on your site’s metrics, not Google’s.

Finally, reconsider any preexisting notions about ultra-long-tail-keywords with seven or more words. In 2023, those types of keywords drove an increasing amount of revenue compared with years past.

The Future of Link Building

You can’t talk about SGE without talking about link building.

Earning links helps Google understand that your content is worth paying attention to, but how you build those links is different. Your priorities should now include things like:

• A better focus on quality over quantity links, either through cultivating good ones or manually disavowing spammy or low-quality ones.

• Asset formats that will help you earn links, like quizzes.

• Focusing on data and figures that will appeal to publishers and major sites (a cornerstone of your digital public relations (DPR) strategy)

• Using AI and machine learning to help with outreach and relationship management.

Consider SEO Opportunities Outside of English

Nearly 59% of content online is in English.

But there’s a problem with this: Most of the world doesn’t speak the language.

However, every problem comes with a big chance to score a win. And for SEOs, that means targeting SEO opportunities in other languages. While many major companies already do this, mid-size and startup organizations should start. One effective strategy is to localize (not just translate) effective content on your site into different languages. You can also optimize your website architecture for multiple languages. And if you need help identifying markets where multilingual SEO makes sense, consider using your analytics platform to investigate where your users are coming from.

In 2024, NP Digital will take global SEO opportunities to heart as it continues expanding internationally.

That’s not just good for the agency. It’s good for their clients, too, as the agency continues to rack up awards from industry-leading publications like The Drum.

Hyperlocal SEO Is in the Spotlight

Local SEO has always been important, especially for industries that serve customers at multiple locations. But now, it’s becoming a critical part of all marketers’ strategies. Instead of focusing on SEO for a market or city, consider the idea of hyperlocal SEO.

What is hyperlocal SEO? The strategy drills down to specific neighborhoods and localities instead of cities or metropolitan areas. The days of “restaurants in my city” might be over. Instead, the search might include specific street names, subdivisions, suburbs, and ZIP codes.

How can you be proactive and anticipate this shift? Easy: Start thinking about geotargeted keywords to connect with local searchers. Optimize your pages for terms that contain city names, neighborhoods, and distances.

That hyperlocal focus should extend to regular updates to your Google Business Profile and Apple Maps pages. Ensure information is accurate. Don’t forget about social media, either. Your name, address, and phone number should always be correct. Regular audits go a long way toward ensuring your next customer can find you.

Content Isn’t King Anymore (But It Is Relevant)

Let’s talk about content.

If there’s one part of the marketing world that is particularly shaken up by AI, it’s content creation. AI-generated content is practically everywhere, and it’s challenging some of the conventional wisdom.

The prevailing wisdom used to say that “content is king,” but that adage comes from a time when there was a lot less of it available. These days, writers and marketers produce nearly 4.6 billion pieces of content each day.

Does that mean blogging isn’t worth the effort? Absolutely not. It’s just more challenging to stand out. If you’re not standing out, you might not see the return on investment (ROI) you want. After all, over 96% of the content indexed in Google sees no meaningful search traffic.

So, how do you manage the issue?

The same way you always have, just dialed up to 11: Create unique, fresh content surrounded by a good UX, then promote it effectively.

Great content these days might focus less on passive consumption and more on interactive elements like demos, quizzes, and augmented reality (remember the Apple Vision Pro?).

Attention spans are shorter. The “TikTokification” of online video has emphasized smaller content, especially when you have a short amount of time to get your point across. That translates to text content, too.

Smaller word counts that get your point across faster might be a lot more powerful than 5,000-word deep dives.

Kim Scoppetta, Senior Director of Content at NP Accel, points out that:

If blogging isn’t your thing, consider podcasting. There are over a billion blogs out there versus between 3.2 million and 4.3 million podcasts. And while those are still huge numbers, it makes podcasts a much easier medium to impact. You still have put out a quality product, though.

Ultimately, you need to put effort into your content, which might need a different focus than the traditional text medium of years past.

Social SEO Is Taking Up a Bigger Search Share

In last year’s recap, NP Digital talked about how social media platforms like TikTok are turning into new, more popular search platforms. That’s still true. You’ve probably even noticed that social media posts on platforms like X, TikTok, and other networks are taking up a larger share of high search results.

What this means for marketers is that including social SEO considerations and optimizations needs to be a part of content creation for social posts. In practice, this looks like:

Kayla Bautista adds,

Conclusion

There are still a lot of unknowns in search trends for 2024, especially given how long it is taking for SGE to roll out. But that doesn’t mean you can’t proactively prepare for them or make efforts to adopt the strategies outlined above.

Marketers looking at where SEO is headed in 2024 should clearly be thinking about how content volume isn’t as important as content quality. While you should still keep a regular cadence, the influx of AI-generated content means shorter, quality content is at a premium.

As more brands rely on AI to pump out content, building your brand is more important than ever before, as is consistent messaging across all channels.

Finally, don’t underestimate the importance of global SEO outreach, especially if you have customers who don’t speak English or live abroad.

This article originally appeared on NeilPatel.com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.

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