2020 SEO Trends to Expect

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Every SEO professional knows that much can change over the course of a year. As Google adopts new technologies and makes changes to its algorithm, everything we thought we knew about SEO best practices can change in the blink of an eye.

As we begin this new year, it’s a smart idea to take a critical look at the trends on the horizon of the SEO landscape, and map out your route to staying competitive. We asked our SEO experts here at Whitecap to compile their insights and predictions for key 2020 SEO trends.

Below, we dive into the top trends that every SEO professional needs to know in order to be successful in 2020. We recommend using these trend predictions to shape your digital marketing strategy in the new year.

Zero-Click Searches

Thanks to the rise of SERP features like featured snippets, somewhere between one-third and half of all search queries are now zero-click searches. This means the user’s query is answered at the top of the SERP itself, and doesn’t require clicking through to a webpage.

Zero-click searches are increasingly common in database-style searches (i.e. dates, currency conversions, time zones) as well as “what is” and “how to” queries. Brand information and star ratings are also common zero-click searches.

In 2020, expect to see an even greater focus on rich snippets, featured snippets, and zero-click searches. Google has a vested interest in keeping users on the SERPs as long as possible, and these on-page features are key.

As marketers, continue to focus on optimizing your content for featured snippets by prioritizing concise, easy-to-digest copy that answers the question quickly. We predict this shift will be one of the single biggest game-changers for the SEO landscape in the coming year.

Mobile-First Indexing

In 2018, more than half of website traffic in the U.S. came from mobile devices—and those numbers are continuing to increase each year. As a result, Google began introducing mobile-first indexing. But what does this mean for online brands and marketers?

In simplest terms, mobile-first indexing means that Google looks at the mobile version of your website rather than the desktop version to determine performance. In other words, the mobile version of your website becomes the predominant version used for indexing and ranking.

Without a doubt, this rise in mobile-first indexing will continue to shake up SEO best practices in 2020 and beyond. If your mobile website isn’t optimized, your rankings could start to suffer big-time. 

PPC Automation

Automated technologies are rapidly taking over the world of search engine marketing, and those systems and tools are expected to gain even more traction in 2020. 

Certain aspects of digital marketing—like storytelling and human connection—will remain impervious to automation. But when it comes to PPC, automation will be an incredibly useful tool for strategically improving marketing campaigns. 

Some of the key PPC advertising automation trends on the horizon include automating ad rules (like schedule and budget), bid management, reporting, and even ad copy. Keep a close eye on news from Google in the coming months to stay on top of the latest automation technologies.

Schema Markup

Expect to see a continued emphasis on schema in 2020. Schema, or structured data for SEO, refers to microdata that can be added to your website’s HTML in order to improve the way your site’s content appears on SERPs. Adding schema markup to your HTML enhances rich snippets that are displayed below the webpage title.

For ecommerce companies and other online marketers, this means the ball is in your court. It’s up to you to present as much data as possible to Google in the most optimized form possible if you want to stay competitive in the 2020 SEO landscape.

Additionally, this growing emphasis on schema will play an important role in leveraging other SEO trends in the new year. For example, optimizing content via schema markup can lead to better results in terms of voice searches, zero-click searches, and more.

Voice Search

Smart devices and virtual assistants like Google Home, the Apple HomePod, and Amazon Alexa have already disrupted the SEO landscape—and those changes are expected to reach all new heights in 2020 and beyond. 

The majority of voice search queries include keywords such as “how,” “what,” “where,” and “best.” These terms indicate that users are looking for quick, factual information in order to make their decisions and purchases.

As more users adopt these types of devices and experiment with voice searches, optimizing online content for voice search will become a “must have” rather than a “nice to have.” Ecommerce sites will need to heavily consider this fact when conducting keyword research and optimizing content.

User Experience

What is the common thread linking each of these 2020 SEO trends? They all center around enhancing the user experience. From voice search and mobile indexing to schema markup and zero-click searches, Google and other search engines want to give users more options than ever before when it comes to searching for content online.

In 2020, this focus on user experience (UX) will become even more important. Smart SEOs will prioritize UX design by focusing on user intent, rather than simply matching for specific keywords. 

This includes creating high-quality content that provides genuine value to readers, as well as good web page design and improved user experience after leaving your site (think remarketing and drip campaigns).

Of course there will always be external factors on search such as COVID-19 since users search to make sense of what's happening in their lives.

As we enter this new decade, we look forward to meeting these changes to the SEO landscape head-on. Which 2020 SEO trends are you most excited to explore? Which trends do you predict will be the most challenging to address and adapt to?

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