SEO Trends for WordPress 2024: Staying Ahead of the Curve

SEO trends are forever changing but with rapid development in technology, they are more dynamic than ever before. Therefore, it is now an important job for any personnel to follow up to these trends.

Internet in 2023 have been dynamic and full of surprises. Mainly, due to the rise of Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) in every market, surfing the internet has become easier and challenging on the same hand. Whilst the user gets easier search results for their queries on the Internet, we the content creators are getting our hands full to get the recognition our content deserves for its via conversion rates and page ranking. Many experts claim that because of the introduction of A.I. in the search result pages (SERPs), ranking and click through rates will have less priority than that of conversion rates, lead generations and aspects of that similar approach.

We’ve accumulated some of the trends that will be followed up by search engine optimization (SEO) in the year 2024 as per experts on the fields. These SEO trends are the expected to be central point of everything that is to happen in the next year. So, rest easy and let’s catch up to these upheaval trends for optimizing.

Must Know SEO Trends for WordPress 2024

Major Google Algorithm Update and Communities reaction

A major advancement in the SEO trends, the Helpful Content Update was first made public by Google on August 20, 2022. Afterwards, the update was applied worldwide in all languages in December 2022. But in September 2023, the development that took everyone by surprise and completely changed the SEO’s scene. These algorithmic improvements primarily targeted penalizing websites that gave priority to producing content for search engine rankings over providing useful support to users. In line with the changing landscape of search engine optimization, the main goal of the HCU (Helpful Content Update) was to assess the value of content on the Internet for users and modify ranks accordingly. This update represented a sea of change in the SEO trend environment, virtually overhauling the entire ranking structure.

Moreover, there was wide range of mixed reactions throughout the communities of webmasters and SEO following personnels. Major scream was how Google de-rank their website and how “SEO” is dead. It is said due to the huge proportion of websites and their pages losing the ranks and traffics.

We’ve fetched one of the most discussed topics on r/SEO, a subreddit for webmaster to discuss and help each other. In this topic, the user u/HardbaconApp discussed about whether creating new content or refurbishing old one’s are deemed helpful as per Google’s new update.

The bottom line is the development of HCU’s update has taken the websites by surprise and everybody is working hard to re-establish their contents on the SERPs.

Well researched and helpful contents

Upon the development of the HCU, writing and publishing helpful contents has become more important. Your page or site will be penalized if you target to rank for search engine by stuffing keywords, buying backlinks in an unorthodox manner, and plagiarizing contents.

On the other hand, Google will prioritize your page if it deems your website as well optimized, well researched and created with the intent of helping their audience. Take your time, research and verify your contents before publishing to the Internet. Creating engaging contents will surely boost your website to the ranks but SERP ranks will matter less due to the embedding of Google’s SGE (Search Generative Experience) which we’ll be discussing down below.

Introduction of A.I. for Search Queries

Google introduced another major update, not algorithm but this update can literally change the search result pages and their impact completely. And now content and website optimization as per SGE has become one of the most followed and pursued SEO trends for this year. Google’s SGE (Search Generative Experience) is a A.I. powered system introduced by Search Labs on 10 May 2023. The generative A.I. will provide the users with artificial intelligence generated results as per their search queries. They will also provide notable links to the pages they extracted information from. You can also “ask for a follow up” for your query to find out more information.

This will change the search experience and result pages for both user and content creators. Most of the users will not go through web pages after their search because everything they will be needing will be served on the plate by SGE. But Mordy Oberstein from Wix claims to Moz that integration of AI onto search results could backfire Google. Because people always pursue more humane and original content.

Human nature tends to gravitate towards direct sources of information. People generally prefer to engage with actual web pages, a behavior unlikely to be drastically altered by SGE.

Instead of focusing solely on the potential effects of SGE on web traffic, it might be more prudent to pay attention to advancements in Google’s algorithm itself. These improvements could have more substantial implications for SEO and web traffic than the introduction of SGE.

2024 SEO and Content Trends: Top Predictions from 27 Industry Experts (By Oberstein). (2023, December 19). Moz. Retrieved December 28, 2023, from Moz

AI Copywriting Tools for fast content creation

Even though Artificial Intelligence was introduced much later, AI Copywriting tools were on the market from early 2000’s. The most notable tools, Grammarly was introduced in 2009, as a grammar checker and writing assistant. Since then, many tools and platforms have emerged and are capable of imitating the writing of people. These tools can write as like human just by filling simple parameters like URL, product type, or keywords.

These tools have been consistently talked about and are one of the best used SEO trends on today’s world. You can create a blog for your website in a matter of minutes. Some of the notable copywriting tools for content creation are: Open AI’s ChatGPT, AnyWord, CopySmith, Cohesive etc. Utilizing these tools for content writing or for inspiration can really help you in optimizing your content, especially with Google’s HCU.

Voice Search becoming more popular

As per the Statista, Voice search in United States alone is expected to show a growth in coming years. There is active 142 million Voice Search users in the country. And by 2026, the users’ number could reach up to 157 million. And this is US only, the growth is rapid in case of other countries too.

These statistics showcases the rising popularity in voice search, and it will surely grow by 2024. This is also another key trend in context of SEO because the keywords used for typed search and voice search can be different. For example, let’s say you want to buy a bicycle. If you are doing it by typing you would search with keywords like “cheap bike stores near me“. But if you do a voice search, you will say “Where are the best and cheap bike stores near my house“. These are different keyword that you would have to optimize separately. You’ll need to be on top of your SEO games to catch up to this trend.

Integration of Visual Contents

Visualization is the key to success in the future. At least in the context of web contents. People are leaning towards visual contents like Images, GIF or Video rather than long text-based contents. It doesn’t mean you have to follow this trend down to the core to uplift in SEO rankings. The key is the integrations of all types of contents proportionately.

On the other hand, visual content requires lot more optimizations for properly integrating to your contents. For example, if you are writing blog, you’ll have to optimize your image, gif or video so that your users will have proper experience exploring your contents. Furthermore, Google uses Core Web Vitals to determine your website ranking. And optimized Visual media plays an integral part in your core web vital score.

So, if you want to follow this SEO trend and integrate visual medias to your website, make sure you are using optimized medias and adding “alt txt”

New Generation on Mobile Phones

People are shifting towards portable devices. As per the Hubspots research, 54% of consumers primarily use their phones for searching. The same research says that 80% of total Gen Z uses phone to search while Millennials and Gen X are not behind with 62% and 66%, respectively.

The stats showcase the importance of optimizing your content for mobile responsiveness. The usage is growing day by day and in no time, it will be better to prioritize the optimizations for mobile devices rather than desktops or laptops, maybe in 2024. Responsiveness will be a key factor for next year’s SEO trends.

Shifting to Social Platforms

It is rather amazing to know that many people (15%) are shifting towards Social platforms searching rather than search engines. Many of them also prefer the combination of the both platforms.

This statistic highlights the importance of rallying your business towards social media and involving with your customers and users. Social Media is the wild card for any type of business. Huge chunk of world’s population is involved in different types of social media and spends much of their time. Using such platforms has been and always will be beneficial for businesses, big or small. Utilize social media for growing your website and business.

Improvements to the Page Experience

For a webmaster or site owner, user’s page experience should be one of the most crucial aspects for SEO. In fact, Page Experience is one of the most talked about SEO Trend in 2023. Particularly, due to Google’s core web vitals assessment.

This is the sample report for amazon website. The following statistics shows the speed of core web vitals for amazon’s website. From the above we can clearly see that the people are having good experience from the website. That’s why they are one of the top-ranking websites for many keywords. Value your website’s elements like Total Blocking Time (TBT), First Contentful Paint (FCP), and Last Contentful Paint (LCP) to boost up your website’s visibility.

How do you integrate SEO trends?

Focus on the Conversions of your Products or Services

Perhaps the good side of addition A.I. into the search engines is that the site-owners can focus optimizing their conversion rate. Conversion rate can be defined as the action you would like your users to take when interacting with your website. Meaning, if you are into e-commerce website, sales would be your conversion. And the rate of conversions would be given by total number of website visitors to total number of conversions multiplied by 100. Don’t worry you don’t have to do the math; you can just use your Google Analytics to assess your converted actions.

Conversions can also be directly related to the revenue or lead generation of your users. Furthermore, you also need to focus on regular aspects of SEO like: quality link building, content creation and optimization. With the introduction of SGE, focusing on conversion would be more beneficial to you rather than trying to rank higher.

Generate Leads and focus on User Engagements

Lead Generation has always been a great SEO trend to pursue. Having factual information about your users and re-targeting them with your marketing strategy can be beneficial for your site and business. Moreover, focusing on engaging your users on your website will make Google think that your website is well optimized. Generating leads can help your website get more traffics and hence will also assist indirectly for user engagements.

Keep in mind that User engagement is also directly related with page experience. If you have good page experience, you’ll have better user engagements on your website.

Increase your brand’s visibility

Increase your brand awareness and visibility with marketing campaigns on search engines and social medias. These will help your business get recognized by wider set of audiences and possibly help you with the conversions so that you can generate more revenue. Furthermore, increasing your brands awareness will establish authority on your product which in turn will attract more users and hence increase your website’s traffic.

Brand visibility is a tougher task to do but once succeed, it will be worth all the hard work. You can use various methods like re-targeting, ad campaigns on search engines and social medias, physical marketing (if you have a localized market), run contests relative to your services and many more.

Integrate well-researched contents and optimize it for Google’s HCU

Google’s new update HCU requires your content to be well-researched and helpful to your audience.

The first step in producing high-quality material is in-depth research on the subject, using dependable sources to ensure accuracy. Produce original, educational content that benefits readers. Use tools such as Google Keyword Planner to optimize content for relevant keywords. For readability, use subheadings, bullet points, and brief paragraphs. Use social media to spread the word about content to boost website traffic and visibility.

Wrapping Up!

Finally, understanding the ever-changing field of SEO trends for WordPress in 2024 is critical for online success. Adopting major trends like voice search optimization, mobile-first indexing, and AI-driven content strategies is critical for improving search engine rankings and providing a seamless user experience. Staying ahead requires a comprehensive approach that incorporates technical SEO, user-centric design, and relevant content.

To survive in the digital age, it is critical to maintain a proactive commitment to being educated about emerging SEO trends. The constant evolution of search engine algorithms necessitates a planned approach that emphasizes both current best practices and foresees future improvements. By keeping flexible and implementing the most recent SEO trends into your WordPress approach, you can position your website for long-term development and success in the competitive online world of 2024 and beyond.

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