6. User experience will be the differentiator
When creating content, especially SEO content, many marketers have been known to focus on catering to Google. But Google will be catering much more to its users.
Rather than just optimizing for keywords, Google will focus on the overall user experience with the goal of creating a more delightful web. While this will include things such as the UX design, site load time and more, how content gets delivered to users will also be critical.
The best information will still be given priority but if that information is just as in-depth and presented better somewhere else, except that somewhere else to be higher in the rankings.
What to do
While focusing on creating high-quality content should be a priority, don’t neglect things such as how fast your page loads, the positioning of images and the mobile responsiveness of your pages.
Another thing to consider is making your content as personalized as possible. Personalization has been shown to have a positive impact on UX.
One way of taking personalization beyond the design stage is through conversational marketing. Adriana Stein of IDI says
“People want to feel heard and appreciated as an individual and they have the power to ask for that, because there is so much market saturation. Mass media marketing is dead. People want communication at a 1 to 1 level in a manner that’s relevant for them. Especially due to COVID-19, empathy plays a strong role in making sure that customers are satisfied with your marketing and communication strategy.”
Cater to your users instead of just catering to algorithms and you’re likely to see improved benefits.