As SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is constantly evolving, let’s dive into what this new year has in store for us. More and more each day, search engines are focusing on creating a user-centric approach. It’s no longer just about pleasing search engines, but rather users on the other side of the screen. We’ve recently experienced a huge AI (Artificial Intelligence) adoption and widespread across all industries, especially in the digital realm. However, what exactly does this mean for SEO and what changes will it bring to this year?

2024 is projected to be a big year for changes. SEO is evolving and shifting into a human-centered approach focusing on quality, enhanced user experience, and personalization. We’ve outlined below 4 upcoming trends and changes you need to keep an eye on if you want to succeed in SEO this year.  

1. Google Search Generative Experience – best known as SGE

SGE, or Google Search Generative Experience, is Google’s new Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning powered search. This new search experience is not currently live yet on search engines, but definitely something we must keep an eye on as it is planned to be released later this year. Users can tap into this early-stage experience in Google Labs. 

Now, how does SGE work? Every time users type in a search query or initiate a search using Google’s search engine, it will deliver an AI-generated snippet. This AI-generated snippet of information is constructed by collecting several pieces of information from different websites and sources online that Google selects based on their quality and relevance to the search query. This is expected to speed up and enhance the overall user experience and user-search interaction by providing users with quick and relevant answers without having to visit a website to attain information. Some marketers are now referring to this as a ‘Zero-Click’ model. As a result, this new search experience will most likely decrease the volume of organic traffic generated to websites.

SGE will allow users to ask follow-up questions on their searches allowing for a conversational engagement search model. But what exactly does this mean for websites, content creators, and marketers? That organic, high-quality content is more important than ever. 

Content should be simple, clear, and relevant to audiences. Content development should focus on standing out in a human-first ecosystem and not search engines. We recommend staying away from automated content generators, such as highly popular Chat GPT, and rather take this as an opportunity to create original content where you focus on your niche and connect with your audience.

2. Enhanced User Experience

Generating a human-first approach is transcending into search engines. As a result, focus on developing content that answers questions and serves the needs of real humans, not just algorithms. This AI-powered SEO evolution focuses on enhancing the overall user search experience to offer quick and precise answers to search queries. As a result, we recommend you shift your content strategy to be optimized for AEO – Answer Engine Optimization. Last, but not least, make sure your website is user-friendly, loads quickly, and is readable. If a search engine, like Google, can not understand and read your content, it will consider it as an empty page, thus never making it into SGE snippets.

3. Personalization

With the rise of artificial intelligence and machine learning in search engines, not only will ranking factors evolve, but it also puts personalization at the forefront.

Search engines will now be taking into account all websites and pages a user visits, and placing these higher within the organic search results, thus putting a greater value on returning visitors. Google is also rolling out a new ‘follow’ feature that allows users to follow a query and receive relevant and new information as soon as a user opens Google. This means that the SERP – search engine results page, will be different for each user depending on their preferences and engagement with brands, and not just based on location and language- among other elements.

Some marketing experts predict the Google SERP could soon start looking more like recommendations on popular social media applications such as TikTok and Instagram, where a user sees suggested content based on previous engagement and interaction.

4. Video 

We’ve seen the importance of video rise over the last couple of years. While this may not be a new trend, this is without a doubt a priority for your 2024 marketing strategy, including SEO. Not only are users sharing video more than any other type of content across the web, but video now appears on search results. Thanks to AI, search engines can now index and understand video content. As you add and incorporate video into your SEO strategy, remember to do the following to increase your ranking on SERPs:

1. Create videos that resonate with your audience
2. Optimize your videos with the right keywords, metadata, and descriptions
3. Include transcripts and thumbnails

AI adoption is making a great impact on SEO and will continue to evolve throughout the year, shifting to a more human approach focusing on quality, better usability, and personalization. How will you stay up to speed with this transformation? Comment below!

Fernanda Padierna

Fernanda creates and manages all digital marketing campaigns for our agency. With extensive industry experience and education, she brings top notch SEO, SEM, and analytical skills to the team. 

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