When you begin your Search Engine Optimization (SEO) efforts, you may be aware that you need to cover the basics like selecting a keyword for your article and using it throughout the text, as well as in labelling any images you add into your article. However, the popular search engines update their algorithms frequently and a large part of an SEO specialist’s job is dedicated to figuring out new changes in the algorithm. By keeping up with trending SEO techniques, one is able to stay afloat and keep themselves ahead of their competition.

Listed below are four important SEO trends that you need to be aware of in 2021:

1.      Measuring your website’s vitals

A new term that has emerged this year related to SEO is “core web vitals” which essentially refers to Google’s set of metrics that measure a website’s speed, its responsiveness, and its stability. This in turn refers to your website’s Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), First Input Delay (FID), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). LCP is Google’s metrics that measures page speed and how long it takes for content to load. FID is Google’s metric that measures the webpage’s responsiveness. CLS is Google’s metric that measures the website’s visual stability. In order to check where your website lays on these metrics, you may use tools such as Google Search Console and Lighthouse.

2.      Applying the EAT Principle

The EAT principle is essential if you are looking to master SEO in the long term and keep up with Google’s ever changing algorithm. EAT refers to expertise, authority and trustworthiness and essentially refers to measuring your brand’s reputation on the world wide web. Google essentially ranks websites on the basis of their SEO efforts and their reputation. Websites that have high brand authenticity, and are well-known tend to rank higher in Google’s search rankings. In order to apply the EAT principle and perform well, ask customers to give you reviews on popular review websites such as Amazon and Google Maps.

3.      Updating old content on your web pages

While creating new content is essential, you shouldn’t neglect your older content. You don’t want your old content looking irrelevant in light of newly published one, and hence it is essential that you constantly make an attempt to update older content in addition to publishing new one. Since you have spent a lot of time and energy drafting those posts, don’t let them go to waste and miss out on their potential. To start off, you could do a link audit which essentially means finding and fixing any broken external links that you may have on your web pages. Update internal links too and link current posts with older ones to let Google’s crawlers know there exists a relationship between these web pages.

If you are running a busy health care practice and struggling to handle the SEO yourself, you could consider outsourcing it to a SEO company such as First Page Reviews.