Some things remain constant and some things seem to be continuously changing. The SEO landscape – for instance has always been dynamic. New trends come like a whirlwind and by the time we adjust, they aren’t new any more! Well, it’s always good to be prepared. To prepare you for SEO in 2020, here are a few trends to watch out for.

Prepare for ‘Zero Click Searches’

SERP features that were meant to offer better search experience for users – such as featured snippets, Google’s Local Packs, Knowledge Graphs, etc. are now things that lead to ‘Zero Click Searches’. Who’ll click on the link when the user’s query is answered in the SERP itself? In terms of SEO for 2020, be aware of these results for your website and don’t panic. These are usually people who are looking for quick answers or your phone number or contact details etc. These types of searches won’t convert anyways. Next, identify the keywords that actually drive clicks and optimize for those.

Prepare to optimize for Rich and features snippets

In continuation with the previous point where Zero Click Searches are so prevalent, the information you share on the rich snippets is important now, more than ever. You can get either rich snippets or featured snippets. Rich snippets are those that show images in addition to text information about the link. Featured snippets is an entire block of information that is shown at the top of the SERP.

Prepare for the ever changing Local SEO

A huge number of Zero Click Searches turn out to be Local Searches. These usually contain terms such as ‘address’, ‘phone number’ or ‘near me’. The trick is to create a separate Google my Business page. People who want more will definitely go to your website – and convert. Backlinks are still an important feature for Local SEO.

Prepare for organic and paid searches

One of the most essential trends for any marketer is that organic search is pretty much dead. Paid advertising works brilliantly for social. Paid ads for search will definitely be more in demand and hence more expensive in the near future.

Prepare for ‘machines that learn’

Since a very long time, Google has been using learning algorithms to improve their user’s experiences with search results. In 2020, clearly, avoid keyword stuffed pages – they have not worked in the past and will not work in the future too. Essentially, Google uses three mechanisms:

• Neutral Matching: figures out the meaning of the query
• RankBrain: relies on the collected data about user’s behaviour and adjusts the SERPS
• BERT: algorithm that is used for analyzing the structure of a search to better understand the context in which keywords are used.

So, every time you think that you’ve nailed it. Everytime you think that you’ve earned the ‘expert’ badge for SEO, the rules change and trends change – and you need to put yourself into a continuous learning mode. Always keep your hand on the pulse and adjust your work to the new challenges – and you’ll be fine – as trends come and go!