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n 2021, a strong online presence is more crucial than ever. Digital marketing has overtaken every other form of marketing in an attempt to grab the attention of the 4.66 billion active internet users as they browse the web.

From multi-national corporations to entrepreneurs, no business owner can afford to pay the price of ineffective digital marketing strategies. It takes far more than creating an eye-grabbing website to thrive online in the modern age. An effective digital marketing plan will ensure that the right people can easily find your business, the cornerstone to any good digital marketing plan is SEO marketing.

By investing in SEO, you will be more likely to rank highly when web users search the internet for services and goods similar to yours. For example, if someone heads to Google and searches ‘accountants in Gold Coast’, the top results will be the accounting firms which have ensured that their website is SEO-friendly.

SEO algorithms are constantly changing which means that a SEO plan which was effective in 2016 is unlikely to hold the same level of efficacious in 2021. But it isn’t just the algorithms that are always in flux. As new technology and possibilities emerge, consumer expectation and behaviour also start to change, this leads to new SEO trends emerging. With all this in mind, we have highlighted the top 6 trends your digital marketing strategy needs to consider to stay ahead of the competition in 2021.

6 Top SEO Trends in 2021

1. Valuable and relevant content

One of the main ways to drive traffic to your website is by filling your website with content containing keywords which web users key in when hunting for businesses similar to yours.

This led to plenty of businesses owners creating unengaging and invaluable content in the hopes that this would boost their search engine ranking positions.

However, algorithms are able to detect how satisfied visitors are when they land on one of your webpages. In short, customer satisfaction (i.e. giving your visitors exactly what they were looking for) is crucial to your SEO rankings. For the best results, you’ll need to ensure that all the information provided on your website appears credible and trustworthy. Furthermore, long-form content reaps better rewards than shorter articles, pages with 3,000 words of content or more are more likely to be engaged with and shared.

2. Provide a (positively) unforgettable user experience

The effort put into making your website seamless, engaging and enjoyable doesn’t just create a good impression with your visitors; it can also boost your ranking positions on search engines.

Once you’ve got your content taken care of, you will also need to consider how your visitors navigate your website. The simpler, faster, more accessible and barrier-free your website is, the better the user experience (UX) will be.

Don’t allow your visitors to find slow-loading pages or complicated menus; ensure efficiency is at the heart of your web design to bring down your bounce rate.

If you’re not sure what bounce rate is, it’s when someone visits your website and leaves without interacting further with your site. The bounce rate will show the percentage of visitors who bounced. Simply put, a high bounce rate is bad, and a low rate is good.

3. Make Sure Your SEO is Mobile-Friendly

Mobile web browsers now outnumber the people who choose to browse the internet on their laptop or computer. As we’ve already mentioned, providing an exceptional user experience is key to an effective digital marketing strategy, this means that all websites should be as easy to browse on smartphones as they are via the web.

So for better SEO, you need to take into consideration your site design, site structure, page speed and more to ensure a quality mobile user experience. Mobile SEO has been important for many years now, but still many companies don’t have a mobile-friendly website. This will hurt both your SEO and your audience’s perception of your business, and in fact 52% of users are less likely to engage with your company again due to a bad mobile experience.

So, if your website is not mobile-friendly then make sure in 2021 you change that.

4. Standout in ‘zero-click web searches

Google is always looking for ways to make the process of browsing the web simpler and faster. Hence the introduction to ‘zero-click’ web searches.

Usually, when you enter keywords in Google, the top results can answer a query without the need to click on any of the links. SEO services experts can optimise content to make it more likely that your website will appear as one of those top results with relevant and structured content. By taking advantage of SEO trends such as these, you won’t only please your visitors, but search engine algorithms too.

5. Optimising web security

The web security status of a website is yet another consideration for search engine algorithms when they decide how websites should rank. The safer your site, the more traffic is likely to be driven to your website. Web security can be optimised by using SSL certificates and specialised plugins.

SSL certificates help to protect sensitive data such as passwords, personal information and credit card information. While plugins can secure websites, fix hacks and help to prevent future attacks. There are free security plugins available, bear in mind that the average website is attacked 44 times every day, cyber security definitely isn’t something that you’ll want to skimp on.

6. Get local with your SEO

In 2020, shopping local and scoping out local businesses became a massive part of consumer behaviour; a result of the global pandemic. As the appreciation for local commerce continues to rise, the number of opportunities for businesses to grab the attention of local consumers continues to rise also.



Google My Business is an incredible tool for businesses to put themselves in front of local consumers. It may have been around for a while, but with the travel restrictions which kicked in during 2020 and may be set to continue throughout 2021, it is more important than ever for local businesses to actively use Google My Business.

The feature can allow businesses and brands to keep customers and potential customers updated with delivery options, special deals and opening hours. If your competition uses Google My Business and you don’t, you’re likely to find yourself beneath them in Google rankings.

Ready to make sure your SEO is on-trend in 2021?

It may be relatively easy to explain SEO tactics in simple terms, but when it comes to creating an effective SEO plan which is tailor-made for your business, for professional results, you’ll need a professional SEO service.

If you’re keen to bring more traffic to your website, our digital marketing team which has been passionate about helping businesses thrive since 2009 will be more than happy to bring you up to speed.