In the ever-evolving landscape of search engine optimisation, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for digital success.
To help you stay ahead of the curve, we’ve tapped into the collective wisdom of industry trailblazers, SEO mavens, and digital marketing visionaries to uncover the trends, strategies, and innovations set to redefine SEO in 2024.
Here’s what they had to say…
Our Panel of Experts:
- Ronald Osborne, Founder at Osborne Digital Marketing
- Sally Howard, Founder at 49 North Digital
- Emma Hull, PR Manager at The Balance Agency
- Richard Michie, CEO at The Marketing Optimist
- Matt Greenwood, SEO Manager at Reflect Digital
- Gareth Hoyle, Founder at Marketing Signals and Coveragely
- Jessica Redman, Founder at Didgeheads
- Stephen McCance, Operations Director at Red Cow Media
- Ryan Jones, Marketing Manager at www.SEOTesting.com
- Dushko Karamanolev, Head of SEO at Visibility SEO
- Jen Macdonald, Marketing Manager at Evolved Search
- Dan McCartney, Head of Organic (SEO & Content) at Embryo
- Lexi Mills, CEO at SEO agency Shift6 Studios
Ronald Osborne, Founder at Osborne Digital Marketing
“As an SEO expert who ranks for challenging terms against large competitors (just look at my ranking keywords) and presents with major organizations like SCORE, I believe that SEO will become only more challenging and expensive for SEO agencies to manage. Why do I believe this?
“Because every system we see currently being developed is to deliver a tailored result for the end users. We are already seeing a touch of personalization with the new update from Google with their SGE. As they collect more data on the user, the content delivered to them will become more tailored than ever before. Google themselves has stated numerous times this is its end objective.
“Additionally, becoming a well known figure is more important than ever before. One year ago, it would take my team three hours to create an insightful article, and now Chat GPT does it in 10 minutes. Think about it this way: how could Google save millions of dollars on crawling and indexing AI mass spammed websites? EASY, they can see if the source trying to rank for that term is well known; if it is, Google will rank the page; if not, no index. So, Ronald Osborne at Osborne Digital Marketing is more likely to rank for his target keyword than a competitor because Ronald, has links for trusted sites and is known to Google. This will be a HUGE hurdle to overcome in the near future as SEO will only become more competitive than ever before.”
Sally Howard, Founder at 49 North Digital
“Generative AI will become more prominent in Google Search meaning that some websites will face a reduction in traffic as Google tries to create the best user experience possible.
“Should SEOs and business owners be freaking out about this? Not necessarily.
“Whilst it might mean that review-style websites primarily used for affiliate marketing could see a long-term drastic reduction in traffic and revenue, it’s still in Google’s best interests to drive traffic to actual websites because they generate lots of their revenue through Adsense.
“Likewise, if you’re an e-commerce brand, Google will link to your products even when using Generative AI – so it’s a win-win.
“For Gen Z, Google could be “dying“. Though I prefer to call it a downward trend. Many in this age group are turning to social media platforms like TikTok to search for products and services whose SEO capabilities rival that of Google.
“For business owners, this means that you may want to shift where you’re prioritising SEO depending on your target demographic; prioritising social media SEO as opposed to website SEO. ”
Emma Hull, PR Manager at The Balance Agency
“John Mueller recently spoke about the importance of digital PR towards SEO at a conference, meaning that companies wanting digital PR in 2024 will likely explode. However, we know there are several stand-alone digital PR agencies that build links, but not necessarily in line with an SEO strategy.
“Digital agencies that can align strategies such as SEO and link-building will see a huge benefit in 2024, as businesses will want teams to align goals, strategies and not double up on efforts. SEO teams and digital PR teams will need to work closely together so that digital PR and link-building efforts aren’t wasted – sending links to already ranking pages, getting links to pages that need it and so forth. Businesses that are combining both SEO and PR efforts will seek more benefits than businesses doing stand-alone PR, or stand-alone SEO.
“They both go hand-in-hand but building links to the wrong sites, or doing SEO without white-hat link-building will mean businesses will need to spend more time rectifying this. This is why I think digital agencies will see a huge uplift in prospecting and prospective clients, while PR agencies may see a significant downfall.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Richard Michie, CEO at The Marketing Optimist
“Unfortunately, I think the biggest trend in SEO is going to be AI generated content for get rich quick and lazy organisations. With the use of generative AI from the likes of ChatGPT etc all we are going to see is slow death spiral into awful repetitive content.
“What this rush to bottom does create is an opportunity for businesses who are investing in real writers who optimise sites and make them informative and entertaining to read. Writers and content creators who can speak with authority and with a unique brand voice will outperform auto-generated content in the long run, but that’s not trendy, or cheap.
“Humans can instinctively tell the difference between a real, informed, passionate writer and a computer regurgitating content which has already been written by someone else.
“Not only that but Google will be able to spot it a mile off. And as Google continues to improve its E-EAT rules which look for “content created to be original and helpful for people” I expect sites full of ChatGPT content to be penalised the same way link farms were killed off.
“The biggest trend will be AI generated content, but it should be human generated content.”
Matt Greenwood, SEO Manager at Reflect Digital
“Trying to predict the direction of SEO at a micro scale is a fool’s game. To understand where the industry is going we need to look towards it’s guiding light – Google. With the advent of ChatGPT we saw a fundamental shift in how content is being created for the internet – and with it a serious shake-up in the SERPs. So far we’ve seen sites achieve rapid growth and expansion, as well as many of those then experiencing sudden, sharp declines in visibility.
“This indicates that Google’s approach currently favours human-generated content, but struggles to detect it until sites reach a certain scale. It’s no surprise then that in 2024 Google will likely get much better at detecting and understanding the nuances and differences between AI-generated content and that of humans.What they do with this information will be interesting to see. In the latest Helpful Content Update we saw them remove mentions of favouring human-generated content – potentially signalling a relaxing of attitude towards high-quality AI content.
“It’s going to be a turbulent year, no doubt fuelled by Google’s own proper foray into the LLM ring in the guise of Project Gemini – if it survives the antitrust lawsuit that is…”
Gareth Hoyle, Founder at Marketing Signals and Coveragely
“AI will become more important not less. Google already utilizes AI to help improve its search results via Natural Language Processing, individual personalization plus spam detection to name just three. This capability will only become more sophisticated in 2024, not less. Expect greater usage of ChatGPT as well, with greater refinement and more plugins, allowing those who work in SEO to complete more tasks using AI content generation.
The demise of links as a key ranking factor will not happen. Many have tried to write the obituary for links and whilst other SEO factors have come to greater prominence in the past few years, the fact is that links are still a vital part of ranking well and will continue to be so in 2024. If you are ever unsure, try and find a site ranking well with no links.
E-E-A-T will become ever more critical. E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness) has been around since 2014 as a concept, although it has really come to the fore in the past 3-4 years – most notably around the algorithm updates that impacted medical/health sites (YMYL). Expect this trend to continue as Google seeks to broaden the scope of E-E-A-T, as it did in 2023 with the product reviews update in April of this year.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Jessica Redman, Founder at Didgeheads
“Search Engines are going to change in the next year more than they have changed in the last decade. With the advent of AI and Google’s release of SGE, it’s clear that the days of search being a simple list of blue links are numbered.
“SGE will make Google SERPs more like a magazine editorial – they will be full of images and more engaging content, & Google shopping will be at the forefront of search, rather than a separate tab hidden away. This means that users will be able to ask Bard or BingChat for product advice – the AI will suggest products and the user will be able to purchase or read more without even leaving the SERPs.
“What does this mean for websites? A significant decrease in organic traffic. Generic queries at the top of the funnel will be answered by AI – therefore, content plans will move away from these types of “top 10 listicle” “how to” type guides. There will be more focus from SEOs on lower funnel, highly niche queries that cannot be answered by AI, and optimising product pages to feature in Google shopping. Most brands will be using AI to create content, and they will focus more resource on content design. This is content that features imagery, videos, snackable content, graphs, tables – simple text blogs will no longer do.”
Stephen McCance, Operations Director at Red Cow Media
“In 2024, we’re expecting AI to play a much bigger role within SEO. We have been experimenting on some of our test sites in recent months, generating AI written content and implementing everything from page titles and meta descriptions through to on-page content and AI written guest posts. The results have been very interesting, we’ve seen rankings increase by over 70 positions in the space of a week for certain keywords.
“At the same time of course, there is a battle underway between some of the big tech companies to get the biggest slice of the AI pie and we fully expect Google’s Natural Language Protocol to morph into their own version of ChatGPT. We foresee that webmasters will have to pay for this via their word count but in return will get content that will help their website improve. It will become a major ranking factor on Google’s algorithm.
“SEO will effectively be monetised at this point for Google, something that they have been unable to do until this point. Previously, they have focused on giving SEO less impact by increasing the amount of space taken up by Google Ads, Maps, Google Shopping etc…but in this scenario they would be able to make money from every single part of Google Search.”
Ryan Jones, Marketing Manager at www.SEOTesting.com
“It is hard to talk about or make predictions for SEO in 2024 without talking about artificial intelligence.
“In the last 12 months, we have seen it transform from almost a ‘gimmick’ to something many marketers use daily. SEO professionals, in particular, now use it for keyword research, content clustering, content creation and lots more. With that will come changes in how Google and other search engines treat it. We have seen this already with the recent Google ‘Helpful Content Update’ changing their classification of helpful content from ‘human written’ to simply helpful content.
“There will be a time when you will see AI-generated content ranking well in the SERPs regularly. It’s starting to happen already! I believe many SEO professionals will move from using AI as a tool for certain tasks to performing most (if not all of their tasks) with AI. In fact, I think 2024 will see the day an entire SEO strategy is ideated, planned and performed entirely with AI.
“I don’t believe AI will cause the mass layoffs some experts are projecting, but if you are not using AI regularly now, you should start learning how to use it. Fast.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Dushko Karamanolev, Head of SEO at Visibility SEO
“AI-powered tools and algorithms will be central to SEO strategy, automating tasks such as keyword research, content optimisation, and even user experience improvements. SEO professionals will increasingly rely on AI-driven insights to refine their strategies and gain a competitive edge.
Google’s emphasis on user experience will reach its zenith in 2024. Core Web Vitals, mobile-friendliness, and page speed will be non-negotiable factors for high search engine rankings. SEO experts will need to prioritise delivering a seamless and engaging user experience across all digital touchpoints.
Optimizing for voice-activated devices and visual search engines will be imperative. SEO professionals must adapt by creating content that answers voice queries effectively and optimises images and videos for search engines.
Google’s ongoing commitment to E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) will intensify. High-quality, authoritative content from credible sources will consistently rank higher. SEOs will need to focus on building trust and authority within their niches to maintain visibility.
In an age of growing concern about data privacy and transparency, blockchain technology will emerge as a game-changer for SEO. Blockchain can provide a secure, transparent, and verifiable record of SEO efforts, ensuring trust between clients and agencies. It may also play a role in combating click fraud and improving ad performance.”
Jen Macdonald, Marketing Manager at Evolved Search
“Every year we look at the development of SEO, whether utilising new software or simply following Google’s latest algorithm update. Still, in 2024 we could be seeing more changes than ever before. As user behaviour shifts, Google will continue to emphasise the importance of E-E-A-T and use machine learning in a much more sophisticated way to personalise results and focus on intent.
“Content quality and relevance will continue to be at the core of SEO, however, next year users need to be at the centre of everything we do. SEOs will need to get more creative to develop in-depth content that stands out and provides genuine value, this includes adopting AI-generated content and not shying away from advanced AI tools. Mirroring this concept is the growth of video content, which will need to be optimised in a way that accommodates search intent, such as targeting conversational keywords for voice search and generating transcripts to cater to every type of user.
“Mobile-first indexing has also been a priority for Google for a while, so in 2024 this trend is likely to be fully established and crucial for SEO success. Alongside this, privacy concerns may begin to grow as we have search at our fingertips, and therefore search engines might end up prioritisng security-compliant websites.
“No matter the trends, 2024 will see SEOs at the top of their game to keep up with competing brands and audience needs.”
Dan McCartney, Head of Organic (SEO & Content) at Embryo
“Since 2018, Google’s Core Algorithm Updates have been hyper-focused on providing a better experience for their users. This attitude is now at the heart of everything Google does. The recent adoption of AI is no exception, as well as the quality of your website’s overall Page Experience for your end-user.
“In 2024, we’re going to feel a renewed focus on Technical elements of a website that impact a user’s Page Experience, as well as a change in attitude towards AI-generated content.”
Core Web Vitals becoming more vital
“In March 2024, a Core Web Vital metric (First Input Delay) will be replaced by Interaction to Next Paint. This means Google will be more intricately measuring how fast and responsive your website is when a user wants to navigate through, rewarding or punishing visibility accordingly.”
Search Generative Experience changing approach to content
“At the end of this year, Google will be launching the Search Generative Experience, which utilises AI to answer a user’s questions based on available resources in the search results. Having top-quality, long-form helpful content for your user is absolutely paramount in 2024 to appear in this new feature and not fall behind.”
Change in attitude for AI-generated content
“After recent guideline updates, Google won’t care if your content is generated by a human or a machine, as long as it’s fit-for-purpose and “created for people” (quoting their most recent guidelines). So expect to see a rise in AI-generated content (if you can spot it).”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
Lexi Mills, CEO at SEO Agency Shift6 Studios
“In 2024, SEO success lies in your search presence and digital footprint, not just rankings and on-site conversion. When someone types in your brand name, what shows up becomes a trust or mistrust signal well before they click on any links. So when we consider rich results relating to brands and their key terms, digital real estate forms the equivalent of a shop window. It highlights the best of your brand with smart answers and a well-built-out knowledge graph on the left-hand side. As the industry evolves, we will move towards a focus on ‘search real estate’, with brands investing in SEO and PR skills to architect a digital presence that builds trust and thus increases brand value and conversions.
“Reputation management is another important trend to consider. From an SEO standpoint, sinking negative search results becomes much easier if you already have profiles set up that are being utilised and assets that can be promoted. It is better to proactively cultivate a positive online reputation instead of waiting for something to go wrong and having to develop a reactive strategy. As such, we anticipate a shift towards SEO-informed decisions within robust reputation management strategies across various industries.”
For any questions, comments or features, please contact us directly.
