In The Drum this week, Paul Melis predicts four changes to SEO content we can expect to see in the coming year.
1. Length: it’s not all about word counts
Is your blog post too long? Is your long read too short? The ‘correct’ answer? It doesn’t matter. Content creators need to focus less on word count and more on how well they are answering their customer’s questions or giving the reader what they are looking for.
2. Voice search will change everything
By 2020, voice search is expected to account for half of all online search.
Think about how people search to make your content work for both voice and text search. For example, the average text search phrase is one to three words, while voice search phrases are, on average, three to six words.
People are also more likely to phrase a voice search as a question. Conversational content that answers questions head-on is likely to perform better.
3. The importance of position Zero
Voice assistants will read out the position zero result of a voice search before any other result. So, even if you dominate page one results, if you don’t hold the zero spot you won’t get the voice search traffic.
Position Zero describes the ‘featured snippets’ that appear before the search results.
Expect blogs and other written content to include more structured data, rich data snippets, and content designed to rank above position 1.
4. Make it personal
We live in the age of the individual consumer and increasingly people will expect content they engage with while searching or browsing to suit their preferences and interests.
Expect SEO content like blogs, website copy and landing pages to become more tailored. Profiling users by persona or using forms, quizzes and surveys to understand more about who you’re talking to can help to serve more personalised content.
Stay ahead of these changes by finding ways to make real conversation with your customers and tailor your content to show you really understand them and what they are looking for.