2020 is the year that made online services, businesses, and engagement in general a necessary part of life, thanks to the pandemic. The drastic increase in the number of people going online and doing their daily activities like communicating and shopping meant it was necessary for site owners and businesses to leverage this and change up some tactics to make sure to drive at least part of the increased traffic to their own sites. 

It’s already 2021, and a lot of working, socializing, and shopping is still spent online. It also means that there are a lot of new search engine optimization trends and tactics to learn, and businesses should definitely take advantage of this to make the most out of the year. 

Here are the ways that experts like those from the top SEO companies California, are optimizing this year. These tips are worth learning and adding to anyone’s existing SEO knowledge.

1. Mobile-friendly

One of the basic but most critical ways SEO experts are optimizing is making sure websites are mobile-friendly. Google has been running its mobile-first indexing methods since 2019, which looks at a site’s mobile version as its main version instead of the computer browser versions, and this definitely impacts a site’s ranking when it comes to search results. In 2021, this will remain critical, especially as so many people still do their browsing and shopping on their mobile phones. Making sure that the site is mobile-friendly can help improve its search rankings. Fortunately, Google has tools to help site owners check their site’s mobile accessibility, and these should definitely be taken advantage of.

2. Video content

In 2021, video content will be highly important, especially as videos have been booming over the past few years. Getting a channel up on YouTube is the first step, but making sure all other information on it, including the channel’s name and its description, is well-written. One tactic that SEO experts suggest is to ensure that the channel’s description isn’t stuffed with keywords, but instead effectively communicates the kind of content being uploaded on the channel. Keywords can certainly help in video descriptions, however, and anyone who wants to make a YouTube channel has to make sure that videos have the proper keywords so that they can easily be found on YouTube search results.

3. Long-form and short-form content

Another relevant tactic is to balance both long-form and short-form content. While well-written long-form content has always been a great way to hook in readers, it can also be prone to verbal padding. Readers also won’t always have the time to go through long-form content, besides, so a good mix between the two – of course, with appropriate accompanying keywords – will help increase traffic and improve search engine rankings. Mixing up the types of content will also ensure that there will be a variety of content for site visitors to choose from.

4. Update a page or post title

Revising a post or page title is simple, but effective, way to optimize. Revisiting old content and updating the title means getting the chance to bring it up to date and make it relevant in the current time, and it also means being able to fix page titles to make fit the current trends and formats that improve search engine rankings. This could involve updating titles with newer or better keywords, and updating them regularly depending on how well they perform. 

5. Voice search

Something that has already gained traction and will definitely be a bigger way of searching is voice search, especially as gadgets like smart speakers are rapidly becoming a common household item. It’s important, then, to work on optimizing voice search, because it will be a critical way for businesses to improve their websites. One way to do this is to create content that answers questions, to make sure that users who ask things like how or what will get the responses that will help them the most. 

6. Local SEO

It’s convenient and safer to go online and look for services, which is why local searches are something that businesses should take advantage of. Local SEO tends to drive more traffic to a particular business because users are looking for places around them, with the intent to visit these services and establishments, so businesses should definitely look into optimizing for local SEO. Some steps to do this are to update the name, address, and phone number, or NAP details, on the website or social media pages. Creating a Google My Business page will also help immensely.

7. Image files

Finally, one incredibly helpful tip that SEO experts suggest to optimize websites is to optimize image files themselves. One great way is to give them file names and alternate text that make use of relevant keywords, because these will affect search engine rankings.

8. Loading speed

Website loading speeds are always important and slow site speeds can put off users, and image optimization can help improve this. Compressing image files to reduce their file sizes makes for smoother site loading speeds, making the experience for the user better and faster. There are, thankfully, plenty of excellent image compression tools to make the process more convenient.

9. Staying relevant in online searches

With the pandemic still around, and with the online habits of consumers being the norm for the foreseeable future, it’s important for businesses and website owners to make sure the information and products they share are showing up search results. The reality is that everything right now is done online, and it can be a struggle for any business not to have a solid online presence, or have an easy-to-navigate website running great mobile, because this could lead to customers moving away from their products and traffic on sites slowing down to a trickle. Also, better search rankings mean better chances to be seen and to sell, and as a result this will also increase opportunities for businesses to get a better online presence through backlinks, reviews, listings, and mentions. 

Conclusion

The trends and tactics listed above are all quite timely and important for anyone who wants to update their SEO knowledge for their own sites and businesses. These are tactics based on what experts like those from experienced SEO companies California have predicted would happen in 2021. Learning all of these can lead to better site traffic and success overall, for anyone who wants to boost their know-how and apply such great tactics.