You should know these current SEO trends if you want to rank in Google

SEO has become more complicated and complex due to the changes of recent years. There are more than 200 ranking factors, some of which fluctuate in importance due to continuous improvements in new algorithms.

However, if you master the new requirements, you will have a good chance of continuing to be found at the top of Google's search results.

Sebastian discusses the 6 most important SEO tips and trends in his video.

6 SEO tips and trends - get started right from the beginning

In our article, we present our top 10 trends in search engine optimisation: easy to understand and crystal clear.

Let's take a look at Google's first significant criterion.

1. Mobile first

The number of people accessing the internet via mobile devices is constantly increasing. So much so that in 2016 Google gave more importance to the mobile version of a website than the non-mobile page.

Mobile vs. stationary internet use

Mobile internet use overtook desktop use as early as 2013.

Mobile vs. desktop search queries on the US market

In mid-2015, there were more search queries via mobile devices than desktop computers for the first time

How it used to be

On 21 April 2015, Google announced: "As announced earlier this year, today is the day we're launching our Mobile Friendly Update."

This update penalises websites that are not optimised for search queries on smartphones.

However, the update did not affect Google's normal index. Instead, it added an index for mobile devices.

If a user searched on their smartphone, they were presented with different search results than when searching on a desktop device.

Here is a graphical representation:

With the Mobile Friendly Update, there was one indexfor mobile websites and onefor desktop websites

If your website was not optimised for smartphones, it could still rank in the normal index.

This has changed since the Mobile First Update.

The mobile-first algorithm now only searches the mobile index, regardless of the device from which the search originates. Accordingly, it only delivers mobile-optimised search results in the top positions.

What is mobile-optimised content?

Mobile-first optimised websites contain everything that the desktop version of the site contains.

No hidden content. No separate version for smartphones.

If Google detects two versions with different content, your website will be devalued.

For this reason, a website with a responsive design is the best choice in most cases to comply with the mobile first algorithm.

By the way: Google does not count tablets as mobile devices. Read more about this in their SEO overview for mobile devices.

If you want to know how to make your site mobile-first ready, we recommend you take a look at the Google Developer page for mobile sites.

2. User search intent - one of the most important SEO trends in online marketing

The next important criterion in SEO trends is the search intent of Google users.

If you do not take search intent into account when creating or optimising your website for search engines, there is no chance of ranking in the search results.

Thanks to Google updates such as Humminbird, RankBrain, BERT and the previously announced MUM update, the search engine understands better and better exactly what its users are looking for.

Not only which search term (keyword) is being searched for, but also what type of content is expected by the searcher.

Is it general information on a topic? Or detailed product information? Perhaps users are also expecting an article with a list of important SEO trends, like this article.

What types of search intentions are there?

Here is a quick guide to the different types of search intent:

In Google's Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines - more specifically in section 12.7 "Understanding User Intent" - you can find detailed information about Google categories.

Next, let's move on to the updates that have had a huge impact on Google's algorithms.

BERT

The acronym BERT(Bidirectional Encoder Representationsfrom Transformers) is the name of a Google update that was rolled out in 2019.

Since this update, the Google algorithm has taken into account

• the search intention of users
• the context of longer search phrases(long-tail keywords)
• the entire context of a search term (natural language processing, NLP for short)

In addition to the algorithm's understanding of language, this has also improved the accuracy of search results in the SERPs (search results pages).

Artificial intelligence - RankBrain

Google launched RankBrain(Machine Learning) at the beginning of 2015. Google attempts to "understand" whether the search results delivered are relevant based on the searcher's search query and their behaviour on the website visited. Google learns more and more with each individual search.

The algorithm evaluates

• which search results are clicked on (click rate)
• how quickly the user returns to the search results page (bounce rate)
• how long the user stays on the website and engages with the content offered (dwell time)

Google uses these values to calculate the relevance of a page in relation to the searcher's search intention.

Google Hummingbird

Hummingbird was one of the updates with the biggest impact in the history of Google updates. According to Google, around 90% of search results were affected when it was introduced.

The algorithm is designed in such a way that it not only understands the keyword, but also the entire search query in its meaning and semantic environment.

Hummingbird, RankBrain and BERT have led to an enormous increase in the quality of search results. And to a rethink in the methodology of search engine optimisation.

You see: Google knows what people are searching for - and only delivers relevant results.

The following trend also fits in with this.

3. SERP snippet optimisation

An SEO topic that we believe is still underestimated: SERP snippet optimisation.

Title link and meta description

An optimised meta description and a meaningful title link in the search results help Google users to decide in favour of your website - and Google to recognise the relevance of your page.

Both the title and the description should arouse the user's interest and motivate them to click.

Google watches very closely:

• which search results are clicked on,
• how long users stay on a website and
• how quickly they return to the Google search results.

The more people click on a search result and the longer they stay on the website, the more relevant this website is for Google. The result: better ranking positions.

It is therefore worth optimising titles and meta descriptions.

Read here how you can achieve better rankings through optimised SERP snippets.

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4. Structured data (Schema.org)

One of the trends in search engine optimisation is undoubtedly the provision of structured data, for example via schema.org.

Structured data helps crawlers such as the Googlebot, the Google Image Crawler or the Bingbot to better understand and interpret the content of a website: Content such as reviews, recipes and events.

Structured data helps crawlers such as Googlebot, Google Image Crawler or Bingbot to better understand and interpret the content of a website: Content such as reviews, recipes and events.

What is the advantage of structured data for search engine optimisation?

The labelling of structured data using JSON-LD, microdata or RDFa is not a ranking factor in itself.

However, if a search result stands out from the others so that users are more likely to click on your page, the click-through rate increases.

If your content is correspondingly good, this increases the time spent on the page.

You already know that these signals to Google can improve your ranking.

Basically, it's similar to the meta description.

There is a video by Sebastian on the topic of structured data for Google: In it, you will not only learn the basics, but also two ways in which you can integrate structured data into your website.

5. UX - User Experience

The next SEO trend is also unstoppable. It is not a top-ranking Google ranking factor explicitly confirmed by Google, but it has a huge impact on your rankings.

Update: With the Google Core Update in March 2024, Google included "Helpful Content" and therefore also UX in its core algorithm.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Which search queries do users use to reach your website?
• What is the click-through rate?
• How long do they stay on your website?
• How high is the bounce rate?

For example, you can analyse the click-through rate in your Google Search Console or the dwell time and bounce rate in Google Analytics. If your website has poor SEO KPIs such as a low dwell time or a high bounce rate back to the Google SERPs, then you should do something about it.

Find out what you can do in a moment.

How to increase the user-friendliness of your website

• Answer all questions that users might have about a topic
• Ensure a clear navigation structure.
• Let your website visitors know immediately what they can expect on your site. Keyword: content "above the fold".
• Ensure a clear page structure by using short paragraphs and lines, sufficient white space or media content such as videos.
• Add statistics, infographics and other useful content.
• Ensure short click paths of no more than 3 levels in depth.
• Provide further relevant information through external and internal links.

OnPage criteria - technology and structure

The on-page criteria of technology and structure are influential topics. We would particularly like to emphasise

• the loading speed
• content maintenance
• internal link building

6. Loading speed - the page speed update

As early as 2010, Google said that page speed was one of the ranking factors. At the time, however, this only applied to desktop searches. Since July 2018, Google has been looking at how fast your mobile pages are. And uses this as the primary ranking factor for mobile searches.

And as you know, the mobile index has been decisive since the Mobile First Update.

Waiting is annoying. Both for you and for your website visitors. No user waits several seconds for a website to load completely.

A study by Google proves this impressively:

Source: https: //www.thinkwithgoogle.com/

This means only one thing for website operators and SEOs: make your website as fast as possible.

As an SEO and online marketing agency, we adhere to Google's recommendation to use tools such as Lighthouse or PageSpeed Insights. This is because they can be used to measure the page speed of websites and make improvements.

If you would like to find out how to optimise your page speed with Google PageSpeed Insights, take a look at our article.

Google Core Web Vitals (Page Experience Update)

You can't avoid this criterion now and in the future: the page experience of a website.

The update was rolled out for mobile websites in June and August 2021. The rollout for the desktop version of websites started in February 2022. The Core Web Vitals also applied to the desktop ranking from this point onwards.

The page experience update includes three core web vitals metrics that measure various factors of the page experience or the loading time of a website.

• Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) measures the perceived loading time or loading speed of main content from a user's perspective: How quickly do users see the content of a page?
• Cumulative Layout Shift (CSL) evaluates the visual stability of a website: Is the website layout stable? Do graphic elements shift during the loading process?
• First Input Delay (FID) measures the responsiveness and interactivity of a page: How quickly can users interact with the website by clicking and scrolling?

In the Google Search Console , you can create a report for your website using the User Experience > Core Web Vitals function.

As you can see, it's all about the user experience.

If you want to find out more about Core Web Vitals, it may be worth taking a look at this article. In it, we not only explain the two main data types of the Core Web Vitals. We also show you how you can optimise your website's Core Web Vitals.

7. Index control: Remove low-quality content from the index

Are you asking yourself the question: What is low-quality content? Or what does index control mean?

Then read on.

What is low-quality content?

Removing low-quality content such as thin and duplicate content is part of our daily work as an online marketing agency.

This refers to

• Outdated articles or discontinued product and service pages
• Content that does not generate any traffic
• Articles that are thematically irrelevant
• Website content whose title link and/or the same meta description are not "unique"
• Job adverts that are no longer up to date
• Employee profiles of former employees

Why all the effort?

Well, Google evaluates the quality of content - both old and new articles. And Google's aim is to provide its users with up-to-date, relevant content with added value.

Therefore, newly published content ranks better than outdated content.

Why should you remove low-quality content?

In its current Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines, Google states that inaccurate and meaningless information is categorised as low-quality.

The more low-quality content there is on your website, the worse it is: because a lot of low-quality content has a negative impact on Google's view of your brand's authority.

But not only that, these pages also steal valuable crawling budget. Since every website only has a limited crawling budget, this should be used for the most important pages and topics.

Find thin content with these tools

By now you know what low-quality content is and why you should remove it.

Now the question is how to find and remove the affected pages.

There are several SEO tools that are suitable for this:

• Google Search Console
• Ubersuggest
• Ahrefs Site Explorer
• Matomo Analytics
• Piwik PRO Analytics Suite

We have removedGoogle Analytics (GA) from this tool overview for good reason. As you may have already heard, the Austrian data protection authority determined on 13 January 2022 that the integration of GA violates the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

If you are interested in the topic or are looking for a solution, you are welcome to take a look at our article TTDSG 2022 & Google Analytics ban in Austria and the EU.

How can you remove thin content?

There are various ways to remove thin content from your website.

• Enhance content: Add relevant content, storytelling elements, references, bulleted lists, infographics or video content to pages that are out of date but relevant to the topic.
• Mark page content with the nofollow link attribute: Mark newsletter landing pages, download pages or libraries with the nofollow attribute.
• Delete content: Delete content that is irrelevant to your brand, such as expired product pages or discontinued service pages.

Let's continue with the trends relating to internal and external links on your website.

8. Internal link building

This SEO trend also relates entirely to the benefit and experience of your users.

By linking topic-relevant pages to each other, you provide further information for every blog article and every subpage. This gives the reader a comprehensive insight into the respective topic.

In addition, intelligent internal link building extends the length of stay, which has an extremely positive effect on your positioning in the SERPs.

Another advantage of internal link building is that you make it easier for Googlebot to crawl your website and show it the way through your website.

In short: you help Google and your visitors to better understand your website and the related topics.

9. Backlinks

Yes, backlinks are still an important ranking criterion and should therefore be part of your SEO strategy. Even if inbound links no longer carry the same weight in search engine optimisation as they did years ago (back then, you could still achieve top rankings with excessive link building alone).

However, this is not because backlinks are worth less, but because other SEO factors are gaining in importance. Like the previously mentioned SEO trend, for example. And the one before that. And the one before that...

The type of backlinks has also changed significantly.

For this reason, you should definitely check your link profile and eliminate links from pages with poor quality. This is the only way to ensure that your website is not in a badneighbourhood.

This process can be very time-consuming - but it is very important for the visibility of your website.

Here are 15 valuable tips on how to get backlinks relatively easily.

Let's move on to our last SEO trend, which will become increasingly important in the future.

10. Become an authority in your industry

Google favours strong brands. However, it will take some effort and a holistic SEO strategy before Google recognises you as such a brand. This is because search engine marketing (SEM) - consisting of SEO and SEA - is just one of many disciplines in a balanced marketing mix.

What is meant by this?

The aim of all SEO measures relating to brand authority is as follows: When customers think of a topic, product or industry, you want them to think of your brand.

You can strengthen your brand authority with the following content:

• Blog articles with tips and FAQs
• Videos (YouTube channel)
• Podcasts
• Tools such as calculators
• Webinars
• Comparisons

This successful website is an excellent illustration of this SEO trend:

finanzfluss.de

E-E-A-T: Expertise, Experience, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness

Although Google's E-E-A-T concept is not new, its four evaluation factors influence both brand awareness and visibility in organic search results.

This is how E-E-A-T is made up:

• E for Expertise: what expertise does the author have in the relevant field?
• E for Experience: What experience does the author have in the respective field?
• A for Authoritativeness (authority): How well known is the website, brand or author? What references from qualified and trustworthy sources are available?
• T for Trustworthiness: What about website security (privacy policy, SSL encryption)? What about good reviews? Do qualitative backlinks refer to the site?

Increase brand visibility

The more search engine users search for your company or brand, the more the visibility of your brand increases.

That's why we're going to look at how you can draw users' attention to your company in search engines.

What measures can you take to increase your brand's online visibility?

As an SEO and online marketing agency, we recommend the following measures:

• Google Ads display advertising
• Facebook Ads
• YouTube advertising
• Promote blog articles via social media (social media)
• Publish guest articles

If you want to find out how your online visibility is doing, just read on.

How can you measure or compare the visibility of brands?

Google Trends is a free tool that you can use to measure the visibility of a brand. But not only that ..

Example 1:

... with the Google Trends tool you can compare the visibility of your brand directly with that of a competitor.

Example 2:

Conclusion: The current SEO trends are a mixture of familiar and new topics

User-friendliness, user experience and search intent are not new, but they are increasingly moving to the forefront of SEO ranking factors.

The Page Experience Update, including the Core Web Vitals, was not so long ago. And as if that wasn't enough, the next Google update MUM is already on the horizon.

As you can see, there's a lot to do.

If you want to build a solid SEO foundation for your website, there are many different factors to consider.

If you focus on the SEO trends presented here, you are already well on your way and will be rewarded with more visibility and website visitors.

Frequently asked questions and answers

What are the most important current SEO trends?

• In addition to on-page optimisation, SERP optimisation (keyword: structured data) should also be targeted.
• Building your own brand authority is becoming increasingly important.
• User experience first.
• Video content is becoming increasingly popular.

How relevant is search engine optimisation?

SEO is the most important online marketing channel: Organic search accounts for 53.3 % of all web traffic.

To create a strong brand, SEO should be combined with other channels at the same time.

Which ranking factors are currently important?

Websites are primarily assessed by Google according to these factors:

• Domain authority (backlinks)
• Consideration of the search intention
• qualitative content (specialist knowledge or expertise)
• Trustworthiness
• User friendliness (usability) and user experience (user experience)

In addition to the loading speed of your website, you should also keep an eye on your own brand visibility.

In short: To be successful with SEO in the long term, you need a holistic SEO strategy.

How do I improve my Google ranking?

If you want to improve your ranking, then you should definitely optimise

• your content
• the internal and external links
• the structure of your website
• the page speed

All of these factors also have a positive influence on user signals such as dwell time, bounce rate and click-through rate, which are transmitted to Google.

Other SEO measures around this help you to build your brand and improve its visibility in the organic search results of search engines.

Do you have questions about an SEO trend or would you like professional help with the online marketing of your website?

Then simply contact us. Write an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. call us on +43 1 353 2 353 or send us your enquiry using our contact form.