SEO Trends in 2024: What to Follow and What to Skip
In a country like UAE, where something is always trending, SEO can change in the blink of an eye. SEO was all about keyword stuffing and backlinks a few years back. But what we see today is that user experience, AI-driven algorithms, and local SEO are given more importance. Search engines like Google constantly come up with new rules and regulations for ranking search results. Hence, businesses have to keep up with SEO trends in 2024 to stay ahead of their competitors in the online world.
However, not all trends are for all businesses. Some will be important for improving your search results, while others might be hyped but won’t be of much relevance to your business. It’s all about knowing which trends to follow and which ones to skip to get the best results. Partnering with a reliable SEO agency in the UAE can help businesses identify the most effective strategies tailored to their specific needs.
In this blog, we’ll walk through the major SEO trends in 2024 and help you decide which ones align with your business needs in the UAE.
1.AI SEO
AI is a game changer in most industries in the UAE, including the digital industry. Hence, there are AI tools to improve your SEO rankings, too. From analysing keywords to content creation, there is a tool for everything.
No doubt, AI is a powerful tool in reducing workload. But you cannot solely depend on it. Even though AI can assist you with the data analysis content draft, you must review the final output. Regularly updating AI systems, focusing on creativity, and being transparent about AI usage help maintain trust and quality.
Should You Follow or Skip this SEO Trend?
AI is not going anywhere in the long run. To rank among the best in your industry, you need to level up your AI skills. Though AI can prove to be efficient, you cannot rely on it as it could lead to low-quality content. While working with an AI tool, you can fact-check the content to ensure creativity and quality while doing content marketing for SEO.
2. Core Web Vitals
In SEO, there are many approaches through which you can measure the speed and performance of your website. Each method has its own pros and cons. With so many metrics to choose from, sometimes it can be confusing.
To avoid the confusion, Google has introduced Core Web Vital. These metrics fix a specific score to rank your website. If your website obtains the perfect score, it has a higher chance of landing on the first page. In 2024, Core Web Vitals remain critical. These include:
- Site speed.
- Visual stability.
- Interactivity.
Should You Follow or Skip this SEO Trend?
The CWV trend is not to be missed. It will play a key role in improving your SEO performance. To ensure that your website is fast, smooth, and optimised for mobile use, consulting with a digital marketing agency in the UAE is key.
According to Google guidelines, to improve your Core Web Vitals, you need to get a perfect score for the following metrics:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): The LCP measures your website’s loading performance. To provide a good user experience, it is advised that LCP occur within the first 2.5 seconds of the page starting to load.
- Interaction To Next Paint (INP): INP measures responsiveness. You need an INP of less than 200 milliseconds to obtain a perfect score.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): CLS measures visual stability. Work on having a CLS score of less than 0.1. This will ensure a higher chance of ranking for your website.
3. Voice Search Optimisation
Voice Search optimization is the process of ranking online through voice searches. It gives you the chance to have your pages selected on top of SERPs when users perform a voice search using smartphones or voice assistants. Voice search has been on the rise for a few years now, and it’s expected to grow even more. With more people using voice assistants like Siri and Alexa, their search for information has become more conversational.
Voice search is different from traditional text-based search. They contain long-tail keywords and are more question-based.
Optimising for voice search involves using natural language and providing clear, concise answers.
Should You Follow or Skip this SEO Trend?
Even though voice search is growing, the real question arises if you must follow or skip this trend. The answer depends on the nature of your audience. If your audience is young and uses mobile devices and voice assistants regularly, this trend is essential for your business. However, if you have an older audience who prefers the traditional way of text search, then this trend is worth skipping.
4. Google E-E-A-T
High-quality, well-researched content is essential to maintaining your website’s ranking. This is where Google EEAT comes in. Google EEAT refers to Experience, Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness. It’s the framework that Google uses to rank your website based on the quality and credibility of your content. A good website content must have the following criteria:
Experience:
The topmost element of the framework defines the experience of the content creator. Content written by an experienced author is prioritised as trustworthy. Audiences are more likely to read such content based on first-hand or life experience.
Expertise:
This element reflects the author’s level of knowledge on the specific topic. Google increasingly emphasises this element as part of its ranking criteria, aiming to prioritise content from reliable, knowledgeable sources.
Authoritativeness:
Authoritativeness considers the extent to which a content creator is known as a go-to source on the topic. Authority, expertise and experience go hand in hand. You can’t have authority on a topic without experience and expertise, and vice versa.
Trustworthiness:
Trust is the most crucial element of EEAT.
A trustworthy content is up-to-date, accurate and flows well. In addition, it’s important for the site itself to be trustworthy, such as being secure for shopping or including data privacy guidelines.
Should You Follow or Skip this SEO Trend?
This trend is a must-follow not only in 2024 but also for years to come. Any trend that improves your content quality should not be missed. Invest time in creating detailed and credible content. The higher your contents trustworthiness, the better its ranking.
5. Video SEO
Video SEO is the process of getting more views on your videos through Google. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok are the hubs of video content. Compared to blog SEO, video SEO grabs more attention in a shorter time.
Elements like video titles, descriptions, and tags can boost your video’s visibility. Google also loves videos that are concise, informative, and easy to follow for the audience.
Should You Follow or Skip this SEO Trend?
We cannot ignore the fact that the human attention span is reducing. Hence, video SEO has become a crucial element in grabbing the attention of your audience. A good quality video content can increase their chances of landing on the web search results page.
6. Featured Snippets
A snippet is a part of your website that answers a specific search query. Google is still experimenting with feature snippets, which are valuable in 2024 and beyond.
There are different types of snippets, such as paragraphs, definitions, answers, lists, and tables. These snippets are designed to provide immediate answers, often leading to zero-click searches.
Should You Follow Or Skip this SEO Trend?
If you are looking for more brand visibility and credibility, we would recommend following this trend. To appear at position zero on Google, focus on creating content that answers common user questions. Use bullet points, lists, and clear, concise language to improve your chances.
7. Mobile-First Indexing
Mobile devices are dominating the digital world, especially in the UAE. If your website isn’t optimised for mobile devices, you risk losing significant traffic and rankings. To reduce such risks, Google introduced Accelerated Mobile Pages, a framework that improves website performance on mobile devices.
Should You Follow Or Skip this SEO Trend?
You cannot skip mobile optimisation. It was a priority before, it is a priority now and it will always be a priority. Ensure your site is mobile-friendly by using responsive design, optimising load times, and simplifying navigation.
8. Near-Me Searches
Near-me searches are a necessary part of SEO trends in UAE 2024. With more people searching for businesses nearby, optimising for local SEO is crucial. This is particularly relevant for small businesses looking to target local customers.
To improve your local SEO, you must focus on Google My Business profiles, customer reviews, and local citations. If you run a business with a physical location in the UAE, focusing on UAE Local SEO trends is essential.
Should You Follow or Skip this Trend?
You cannot ignore the two important words in Local SEO, ‘Near-Me,’ especially if you’re a small business or have physical locations. Local SEO is a powerful way to connect with customers in your immediate area. Ensure your Google My Business profile is up-to-date and encourage positive customer reviews.
9. Visual Search & Image SEO
Visual search is gaining popularity in 2024 at a breakneck pace. It is more common in industries like fashion, home decor, and retail. Users can now search by uploading images instead of typing queries.
To take advantage of this trend, businesses should optimise their images. They must ensure the images are high-quality and include relevant alt text. Descriptive file names and schema markups are also encouraged to enhance image searchability.
Should You Follow or Skip this SEO Trend?
If your business benefits from visual content, then you should not miss this trend. Image SEO helps drive traffic from users searching visually. However, if visual content isn’t relevant to your business, focus on other SEO strategies.
Which SEO Trends to Focus on in 2024?
The SEO trends in 2024 demand attention, but only some trends are worth pursuing for some businesses. Focus on the trends that align with your business goals and target audience.
- If you want to improve visibility in the UAE, prioritise UAE Local SEO trends.
- For content creators, ensure you’re following E-A-T guidelines.
- If video and voice search matter to your audience, optimise for those formats.
To learn more about how to improve your SEO strategy in 2024, check out our SEO UAE service page or our recent blog, The Role of Content Marketing in SEO for UAE Businesses. For a more personalised strategy, visit our homepage and get in touch with our SEO experts.
Staying ahead of these trends will keep your business competitive and visible in search results throughout 2024 and beyond.