Ok Google, How Do We Stay Friends in 2020?

Considering the rise of screenless (voice) search, changes in smartphone usage and video consumption trends, Google has introduced some major changes in the workings of its search engine result pages (SERPs). Here is a compilation of five actionable SEO tips to adapt to these changes in 2020.

Since the launch of Google in 1998, its SERPs have periodically seen some major changes. The changes include the introduction of paid ads, image results, knowledge graphs, and featured snippets.

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Featured snippets are one of Google's most recent developments and have changed the search landscape. A featured snippet is a content block above the first organic result that succinctly answers the search query, which led to the term – position zero.

Example of Google's Featured Snippet With a Concise Answer to the Search Query

Featured snippets enable users to get a gist of the required information on the go without clicking on a link, but this has impacted the click-through rate (CTR) of websites' organic results. Marketers need to adapt to this change and rethink their approach to SEO.

In this article, we will look at five actionable tips that will help you win at SEO in 2020.

1. Prioritize Mobile Experience in 2020

According to Statista, approximately 60% of the search traffic comes from smartphones. Recognizing this shift in user behavior, Google introduced mobile-first indexing, which uses the mobile version of website content for indexing and ranking purposes.

Marketers need to optimize the website content for mobile devices to increase the chances of being seen higher up in SERPs. Here are two key recommendations to optimize your website for mobile:

1. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly: Your website’s mobile version should provide a seamless reading experience to your visitors. Google has outlined three key points for an optimized mobile experience. You can perform a mobile-friendly test to check if your website is mobile-friendly.
2. Optimize Page Load Speed: Google considers page load speed as a ranking factor, and a slow loading website is linked to a high bounce rate. Take the PageSpeed Insights test to get custom insights and boost website speed.
    

Learn More: Link Building for 2020: What Works and What to Avoid

2. Optimize for Voice Search

The ubiquity of voice assistants on smartphones and smart speakers has boosted the growth of voice search. Gartner predicts that 30% of the searches will be screenless by 2020, while comScore’s prediction says it could reach up to 50%.

One thing is for sure: You can’t ignore voice search.

Users prefer a screenless search while they're multitasking or looking for answers to basic questions on the go. Google calls such instances micro-moments – intent-rich moments (I-want-to-go, do, know, buy moments) when a person uses their device to seek specific information. Content that ranks well for voice search queries tends to be conversational. Creating question-answer themed content around micro-moments is a surefire way to optimize your website for voice search.

3. Aim for Position Zero

Ranking for featured snippets is highly competitive, but it is one of the most effective ways to boost search CTR. If you are planning to get your content featured at position zero, here are a few tips to help you get started:

1. Identify keyword phrases for which you rank on the first page of Google. Check if any of those keywords have a featured snippet.
2. Create various questions around the keywords and answer them succinctly in a blog post. The optimal length of content in featured snippets is around 40-50 words.
3. Use headings and subheadings to rank for instructional/how-to content.
4. Use the People also ask section on the SERP to get more ideas.
    

The 'People Also Ask' Section on Serps Can Help You Come Up With More Ideas For Featured Snippets

Learn More: Search Engine Optimization: The Role of Structured Data

4. Understand Search Intent

A keyword on its own can’t tell you what the user is looking for. For instance, a Google search for marketing automation doesn’t reveal much about the purchase intent, and therefore, Google often returns informative content in SERPs. Google’s Hummingbird algorithm favors content based on the semantics and context of the query rather than individual keywords.

Therefore, brands should focus on creating content that targets different stages of the marketing funnel (top, middle, bottom-of-the-funnel), and devise appropriate questions/keyword phrases for each stage. For instance,

1. Top-of-the-funnel: What is marketing automation?
2. Middle-of-the-funnel: What are the features of a marketing automation tool? 
3. Bottom-of-the-funnel: Top marketing automation applications for startups, or how much does cost?

We conducted a Twitter Poll in January 2020 to ask marketers what they would prioritize in their 2020 SEO strategy. Here's what we found: 

Screenshot of the MarTech Advisor Poll Results 

Almost 30% aim to understand search intent, a close 29% crave position zero, and 26% are getting to mobile experience. 

5. Diversify Your Content Mix

In his 2015 talk, Dr. Pete Meyers said Google is making a shift towards becoming a content creator from being a content curator and the introduction of featured snippets is one of such examples. For many how-to queries, Google displays YouTube videos as featured snippets before the rest of the organic results.

This is one compelling reason to include videos in your content mix. Besides, videos are powerful enough to keep your audience engaged. By embedding videos on your websites, you entice visitors to stay on your website, which boosts the dwell time. High search CTR and dwell time are essential for rankings. Therefore, to rule the SERP rankings, it is imperative to introduce various content formats like video and podcasts along with text-based content.

Learn More: Marketer's Guide To Building Backlinks, Gaining Referral Traffic And Establishing Thought Leadership

Wrapping Up

The dynamic nature of SEO keeps marketers on their toes in their journey to the top of SERPs. While content is still king, to win at SEO in 2020, it should also be a function of user intent.

In short, the easiest way to stay friends with Google is to optimize your content for voice search and improve the mobile experience.

Which of the tactics are you going to implement in 2020? Tell us on LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter.