3 Things You Need To Know About SEO In 2021
There’s no question that especially in the past 10 years the internet has become an increasingly valuable asset for businesses.
Over time, it has evolved to the point that online advertising and strategies have become a normal part of a successful business. Currently, online advertising values at more than 400 billion dollars annually, far more than the TV ad industry. 🤯
Ranking higher than your competitors is crucial to the success of your business if you choose to participate in the digital marketing competition. SEO helps make this happen by optimizing your site and content to rank well in search results.
However, life on the internet as a business has changed, so SEO strategies must adapt (hint: mobile-friendly websites). This has led to some major changes being in the works for 2021. Here are 3 things you need to know about SEO in 2021. 👇
Mobile-First Indexing
One of the first and BIGGEST changes to expect in 2021 has to do with how Google sorts and indexes your website’s data. This change has to do with mobile-first indexing. Although Google has used this method of indexing for years, it’s scheduled to become the default for all websites in March 2021.
The primary reason for this change is the increased use of mobile devices. You probably do this yourself and already know this, but have begun to use mobile search as a primary way to find information for work, school, and personal use. At this point, about 63% of all Google searches are done on mobile devices.
It’s worth noting that mobile and desktop versions of a website don’t always match up in content. Google only indexes one version (usually the desktop version).
However, Google has noticed the increased number of mobile searches and has responded by making mobile-first indexing the default. Site owners can still manually change it back to the desktop, but unless you intervene, your website will be indexed for mobile use. This is meant to accommodate the overwhelming number of mobile searches.
Core Web Vitals
Another thing you need to know about SEO in 2021 has to do with core web vitals. This change will be made by Google in May 2021 and will introduce the concept of “page experience signals”.
Up until now, Google has tracked what users do while visiting a website. This change is meant to capture how a user “feels” when interacting with a page. This is done through the analysis of core web vitals with attributes such as:
- Mobile-friendliness
- Safe browsing
- HTTPS
- Intrusive interstitial guidelines (popups)Â
Although these concepts have already been around and affected Google rankings, page experience signals serve to stabilize these concepts by providing them with a new framework. The goal is to provide users with a quality experience as well as quality content.
These changes let non-AMP (mobile-friendly) content become eligible to rank in the Top Stories feature on mobile devices. Any pages that meet the Google news content policies will be eligible for listing. However, priority will go to pages with the best page experience.
WP 5.7
WordPress 5.7 was released on March 9th, 2021. It was the first major release of the year and brought several new features and improvements.
Editor Improvements
WP 5.7 brought many editor improvements, making it more effective than its previous 5.6 update. These editor improvements serve to make it easier for editors to customize and enhance their editing experience should you choose to build your website strictly with WordPress.
Easier Movement From HTTP To HTTPS
Another feature of WP 5.7 has to do with HTTP. Previous versions of WordPress required webmasters to manually move HTTP to HTTPS by updating each URL embedded in their content.
This update allows you to more easily move one to the other as the availability of HTTPS will show up as a critical site issue. When editing your site, under “tools” you can update URLs without having to manually change each one.
Standardized Color Pallet For WP-Admins
WP 5.7 also standardized its color pallet. WordPress has always had a somewhat limited selection of color schemes. This update collapsed WordPress’s color schemes in the CSS, providing a palette with a wider range of light and dark color options.
Lazy Loading iFrames
Lazy Loading is a technique that improves your website’s speed when loading a page. Lazy loading tells the user’s browser to load certain items when they are viewed. This update, all embeds that use iframes, like YouTube videos, will use lazing loading o improve your page loading speed.
Although it’s impossible to know every SEO change in 2021, there are many big changes that we do know about. Understanding these changes and their impact on your website will help you prepare for what’s to come.
Let Us Help!
If you need help with SEO or your website’s mobile design, don’t hesitate to contact us. We truly give our clients the websites that suit their needs and make them stand out. Inque Media helps local businesses increase their digital footprint through SEO, social media, advertising, and more!
Natalie Thibault
Owner of Inque Media
