"2020 is the year of SERP replication. SEOs are using tools like Surfer SEO look at TF-IDF and other on-page factors that help their content mimic what’s already ranking.
Don’t get me wrong, I think there’s a lot of common sense in this approach, and it can work. However, I believe those with their eyes on the horizon will continue to pursue the strategies promoted by the likes of Neil Patel and Moz, even if there is a bit of fluff or winner’s bias involved. What I’m talking about is just knuckling down and producing super high-quality content that answers the searcher’s intent.
Google is ever-tweaking its algorithm to get the internet closer to that goal, and this year’s BERT update was a step in that direction. If you want your site to perform for the next decade, you need to put quality content before any simple SEO trick that will no longer be in vogue 12 months from now."
- Daniel Caughill, Co-Founder of The Dog Tale
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"A good SEO strategy relies on high-quality content plus in-depth keyword research. If you do the leg work and use keyword research tools like SEMRush or Ahrefs, you can identify hidden opportunities and then capitalize on those opportunities by creating high-quality, keyword-informed content.
The key to great content, regardless of whether the goal is marketing or entertainment, is to understand your narrative. How should the consumption of your content marketing make your targets feel? What actions should the assets inspire? Knowing, ideally with data, how different groups of people react to your brand, learn your value proposition, and are motivated to take action is the best lesson I've learned.
In addition, there are several steps to follow to be more effective with content marketing. First, publish often, meaning every 2-3 days. Second, publish posts that are at least 1,500+ words in length. Google likes to see long-form content and consistently ranks it higher. Third, use images to break up the content and help the reader. Next, share your content on all social media channels to increase exposure. Lastly, use Clearscope.io to grade your articles and don't publish anything that is not A+. The key is to produce better content than your competitors, and if you’re able to do that, Google will reward you by ranking your site higher in search results."
- Kevin Miller, Founder and CEO of The Word Counter
"Content has always been the lifeblood SEO and I believe it would play an even bigger role this year. More so because of the COVID-19 health crisis. Marketers and independent content creators will have to really focus on delivering content that’s valuable to readers now and even after we’ve emerged from this pandemic. So, make it your goal to have the best content on the web for your niche. This allows you to compete effectively for long-tail searches (which still remains about 70% of all search queries). It will also help your build site authority and demand for your content, and can be done in a directly ROI positive way."
- Allan Borch, Founder of Dotcom Dollar
"What we are seeing work for SEO is getting searcher to their end goal with as little friction and as much information as possible. Instead of making pages longer for the sake of being long, SEOs must consider what intention the searcher has when they type in a search phrase. What do they intend to accomplish? This oftentimes means adding content and a clear call-to-action to an existing page.
For example, a contractor we were recently working with was not ranking anywhere in the top 100 for their target search terms. Some improvements we made to target pages was add supporting information about the services they provided on each landing page, like detailed descriptions of their process, types of work they do, and a contact form near the top of the page.
Having a way for prospects to contact them near the top of the page and the added content improved the rankings of their target pages, so many of them rank on page one of Google."
- John Locke, SEO Consultant at Lockedown Design & SEO4
"In 2020, Google has adapted to genuine, useful and informative content. Gone are the days of keyword spamming on pages. The search engine has been refined to prioritise giving the user the best possible experience. A clear answer to a query in as shorter time as possible is their goal. This includes well-built websites with clear and well written content."
- Andrew Witts, SEO Specialist at Studio 36 Digital
"creating content to match user intent, instead of keywords, is the key to ranking for informational type searches the rest of 2020.
Each page or post on your site should fulfill the visitor's reason for visiting, rather than just provided keyword-rich text. By providing actual information to the visitor with an in-depth, insightful, and heavily researched piece, your site will begin to rank better and your site will be relied on more heavily for these types of searches."
- Jason Boyd, Founder & Director at Evolve Digital Agency
"SEO is all about Content. For the greatest impact on SEO, structure and nurture your content in the right way. There will be a strong focus on quality content and fighting against fake news. It will be more important than ever to focus on the trust value of authors and sites. Focus on E-A-T factor – Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness. To show Google you are relevant and should be ranked higher you should: get good reviews, get link from Wikipedia or have your own page, get mentions on authoritative sites, get mentions on forums. While building relevancy with content on and off site, don’t neglect your site health and trustworthiness."
- Djordje Milicevic, Digital Marketing Manager at StableWP