Why SEO Still Matters In 2024
Since COVID-19, the digital climate has been changing more rapidly than ever. Platforms and strategies have risen and fell. Things such as keyword stuffing have been put in their grave, and artificial intelligence (AI) has risen from the ashes of what seemed to be an innovation wasteland.
With all of the changes over the last several years, some traditional content has been perceived to have taken the backburner to things such as video and social media. This is simply not the case as organic search is still producing 53% of overall website traffic for key industries.
With this in mind, it is more important than ever to drive deep into your content strategy, but before we get there, let's look at some reasons why Search Engine Optimization (SEO) still matters in 2024
The Basics Of SEO
SEO is a very important part of the online marketing ecosystem. A carefully curated SEO campaign will ensure that your website gets the notice it deserves and utilizes tools that optimize a website's technical configuration, relevance, and popularity. As a consequence, your site ranks better on Google and, in turn, gets more clicks.
Search engines (IE Google) are designed to deliver the best search experience they can to users. To do so, it prioritizes Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness (EEAT) to deliver the best results for each search.
Additionally, Google allows businesses the opportunity to pay for advertorial placements at the top of search result pages. This gives businesses the chance to rank better on searches that they believe will land them sales. These rankings are not organic searches and will typically be mixed in at key places around the search engine results page.
Simply put, SEO is used to raise your ranking in organic search results, and there are several traditional ways in which you can do that, including:
On-Page SEO: The easiest thing you can do. Strategies include optimizing meta titles and descriptions with targeted keywords, using header tags to structure content, and optimizing images with alt text
Content Marketing: Tell the story of your brand, your products, and your process by creating high-quality, valuable content that is regularly updated and refreshed.
Backlink Building: Utilize your network to acquire high-quality backlinks from other reputable websites, influencers, and other partnerships.
Technical SEO: Optimize your website for speed and responsiveness. Ensure that everything works correctly and the user experience (UX) is easy to navigate
Long story short, the key to effective SEO in 2024 is still about posting quality content and building a positive user experience.
Mobile Search And The Changing Landscape Of SEO
While the traditional tactics of SEO are still relevant, several changes have a huge impact on contemporary SEO strategies. For one, the second E of EEAT is a new factor in Google’s quality rater. Experience and relevance mean everything, and this is changing the way that keywords are used.
User experience has always been very important, and with the rise of mobile and voice search, this user experience is getting a bit more complicated. According to a report from Hitwise, nearly 60 percent of all online searches are being carried out on a mobile device, with some sectors running as high as 76 percent (healthcare).
This is a huge factor in optimization, and ensuring that your website is optimized for the web is vital to staying competitive when trying to rank high on the search engine results page. It is also important to consider voice search as it is a platform that is on the rise.
In addition to mobile, generative language models and Artificial Intelligence algorithms are being integrated into the current search engine ecosystem. In theory, this should improve user experience by allowing businesses to analyze large volumes of data to identify trends and create more targeted SEO strategies.
In short, some of the most groundbreaking changes in SEO revolve around experience and creating a more streamlined, conversational search experience.
Is SEO Still Important in 2024?
As long as search engines are around, SEO will always be a vital part of your website's overall growth strategy. Currently, organic search is responsible for more than half of website traffic; therefore, SEO is here to stay.
To stay ahead of the curve in this new year, content creators should use updated SEO strategies to get the most out of their websites; however, content and experience should steer your process rather than focusing only on SEO tactics.
A Note On AI
For those who are concerned about the role of AI in the SEO world, don't be afraid. AI is a great tool that can help speed up research and content creation. Additionally, there are so many tools that utilize artificial intelligence so that you can better understand what search engines are looking for and how to better target users with the appropriate keywords.
Tips For Optimizing Your SEO In 2024
If you want to boost your SEO in 2024, we have a few ideas to leave you with so that your website will continue to climb up the ranks of search engine result pages:
Create Location-Specific Content: Utilize local keywords and accurate business information for your local demographic. Search engine result pages have become very competitive over the last several years, and it is easier to rank higher when focusing in on a smaller market segment.
Optimize Google My Business: This is another way to improve your local marketing strategy, and many businesses are not taking advantage of it.
Focus On Topical Authority: As Google continues to prioritize EEAT, it is important to establish yourself as the go-to source for information about a particular topic or niche.
Refresh Old Or Out Of Date Content: We now live in a world where updating and refreshing your content is pivotal to maintaining your relevance. Things change, ideas change, and if you find yourself left behind, well, your website will also be.
Embrace The Machine: AI is here to stay. As scary as that may be, it can be a useful tool for creating content and researching ideas. Utilize AI as a tool, but don't rely on it to create your content. It is still new and not always accurate.
SEO - A Worthy Investment
The times are indeed changing, but one thing remains the same. SEO is still vitally important. It drives organic traffic and improves visibility when properly implemented. Search engines are unlikely to abandon SEO as a way to understand and rank websites, and AI is not taking over…yet.
Investing in your website’s SEO is vital in 2024, and when used in conjunction with a greater digital marketing plan, can be a game changer for you and your business. To learn more about how we at Buffaloe Creative can help you plan for the future of SEO, give us a shout; we look forward to working with you!