The Best Organic SEO Practices for 2021 and Beyond

Do you agree that SEO is the magic formula that will put your website on Google’s 1st page? In fact, unless you are paying attention to the latest organic SEO practices for 2021, you are risking to stay behind your competitors.

However, the SEO rules change regularly, since the search practices of the audience changes and so does Google’s algorithm. Therefore, keeping up with the changes and adapting to them is essential in order to witness success.

Are you interested in knowing more about the best SEO practices for 2021? Check it out and don’t forget to implement them on your website!

The Importance of AI into the Search

Machine learning has played a very important part in the process of obtaining growth and evolution of the search engines. In fact, due to AI, Google has changed its algorithm in its very core.

Starting from 2018, Google has been integrating an algorithm that allows improved semantic context in the indexation process. In addition, Google will implement the natural language processing elements further on. This will result in a more thorough understanding and validation of your website.

The implementation of AI will lead to an SEO field, where the content you create on your site wouldn’t only revolve around keywords and artificially-created content. It is expected that all the content you will provide on your website will be purposeful and will provide the audience with insightful information. This leads us to the next step which is about creating content for humans, instead of content for search engines.

Content Created for Humans, Not Only for Search Engines

The primary function of search engines is to meet the user’s intent. For that reason, Google has invested a lot into AI in order to understand the user’s intent. Therefore, as a result, websites that offer content created exclusively to match the user’s intent will have a priority in the SERPs.

All of the improvements that search engines have introduced, such as NLP, content contextualization and trusted entity assessment have a goal to serve the user’s needs. In 2021 and beyond it is expected for website owners and marketers to write content exclusively for users. This means that optimizing it for machines will not be that important. Therefore, website owners should follow the content approach based on user experience, authority, expertise and trustworthiness.

Also, content that includes images and videos will attract a significant portion of the audience, compared to text only. The growing emphasis that Google puts on the visual assets should be a reason for website owners to focus on the visually appealing content creation process.

Mobile-First Focus

Do you know that according to a survey, about 50.71% of the searches happen on a mobile device, while 45.53% of the searches happen on desktop?

The growth of mobile searches has been evident lately and we can also see that Google practices are all about mobile-first indexing practice. Therefore, optimizing websites for both desktop and mobile devices is essential for success. Providing a good user experience is one of the most valuable assets that a website can offer. Google certainly appreciates it by giving these websites a priority in the SERPs.

To optimize your website for mobile devices, you have to pay attention to some core on-site optimization elements. Those are: construction of the website, styling, image requests, and compression of fonts, buttons and elements.

Emphasis on Privacy and Security

You certainly are aware that HTTPS is a ranking signal for Google even from 2014, right? However, even in 2021 there are plenty of small businesses that still haven’t shifted to HTTPs.

So, in order to get recognized by Google and also get a credit for the services and products that you offer on your website, privacy and security should be important to you as a website owner. Prior to providing value, you need to focus on providing security and privacy to your users. In addition, not only will Google provide your website a good ranking if it, but it will also be a deciding factor to users once they land on your site.

The Significance of Local Search Optimization

Recently, local SEO is becoming a thing, especially for websites that have a physical location. Local SEO is all about meeting the needs of users looking for a service nearby. Therefore, if someone searches the word “restaurant” on Google, nearby restaurants will show up with the help of Google Maps and Google My Business.

In addition, website owners should invest their time in regularly posting on their Google My Business profiles, posting photos, posts and also interacting with users that leave reviews or send them messages through the profile.

Conclusion

All in all, we can see that the ordinary SEO methods which are keywords research and some basic SEO features, such as the speed of your website are just pieces in the big puzzle. Due to the continuous evolution in the SEO rules, your techniques should evolve accordingly.

Therefore, get ready to create some purposeful and cool content, especially visuals which will fulfil the needs of your users. The quicker you adapt to the algorithm changes, the better. And also, don’t forget that SEO is all about serving customers while pleasing the search engines in the process.