Though no one knows with full certainty what the world of organic search has in store in the upcoming year, there are hints SEOs are picking up on. Some of these observations are based on topics that keep arising in the SEO space (see BERT), and others can be based on hunches and looking at trends across the market and not just search. Here are my bold predictions for 2020.
Prediction #1: Google and JavaScript
In my opinion, Google will continue trying to improve its ability to crawl JavaScript efficiently. I’m hoping to see some strides in the frequency of JavaScript crawls but highly doubt it’ll be perfect in 2020. I would continue weighing the UX pros against the SEO cons when working with sites that heavily rely on them.
While this will help with many of our SEO challenges of trying to help build beautiful websites that can be rendered and properly indexed by crawlers, it will hopefully push the industry in the direction of understanding the backend a little more. Oftentimes, there is a line in the sand separating SEO best practices and backend development that is ultimately responsible for implementation. Once Google perfects its ability to crawl and render JavaScript sites (again, probably not in 2020), SEOs will need to become more well-versed in the language.
While no one will expect an SEO agency to ship code anytime soon, saying JS is always bad for SEO will no longer cut it.
Prediction #2: More YMYL Industry Shakeups
I also believe the trend of content quality targeted algorithm updates will continue. There are still many YMYL industries that don’t deliver when it comes to expertise on their pages. It is hard to predict where the next wheel spin by Google will stop, but I would expect at least one serious update in 2020 that will trigger flashbacks of the “Medic” update and will upset many site owners that were not proactively improving their sites in the past 2 years. I would keep my ear to the ground when it comes to major algorithmic updates. This leads to my final prediction tied to industry-specific updates.
SEOs should keep their ears to the ground when it comes to major algorithmic updates. #ipragency #seopredictions Share on XPrediction #3: The End of Fake News
With the upcoming 2020 election, I expect some type of action against misinformation. With some heat coming in the direction of Google from presidential candidates, some type of response would make sense. As Google’s dominance of the US market persists, laws must begin catching up. Elections have already proven to be a litmus test of how we poorly police online activity in 2016. While Twitter was savvy enough to end user ability to promote political activity on its platform, other platforms continue receiving political ad spend. And whilst Google made a half-hearted attempt to display its concern for targeted political ads, it will be under the magnifying glass in the upcoming election from both sides of the political spectrum. Their ability to swing elections could lead to the beginning of a review of their US monopoly.
With the upcoming 2020 election, I expect some type of action against misinformation. #ipragency #seopredictions Share on XPrediction #4: More 0 Click Results
The SERPs will likely see continued testing and possibly new features that make search for specific answers more seamless. Like the recent “mortgage calculator” addition, many other new features are probably in the works. With tons of schema to leverage, we might see something pretty cool (depending on how you look at it).
As mentioned by Rand Fishkin in his latest SMX East presentation, the number of 0-click results is on the rise. While for some it will spell disaster and lost traffic, others will find opportunity in the exposure. However, with KPIs always at the forefront when clients are renewing (or ending) engagements with SEO agencies, the conversations may need to shift as the already difficult challenge of measuring results could get even more complicated.
Prediction #5: User Data Property Rights
A conversation about user data ownership rights will begin to pick up steam. With the topic heavily pushed by a presidential hopeful, Yang, data as a property right could be something the US legal system will be addressed soon. After many egregious acts already surfacing (e.g. Facebook location tracking without user permission), people around the world will begin caring about their privacy and start to understand the real value behind their personal data. 2020 will include more talk of alternative search engines but will not put a dent in its market dominance by Google. As much as we all love the idea of DuckDuckGo not tracking you, only a select few will break old habits and change their preferred search engine within their browsers. However, savvy users just might give alternative search engines a try before going back to Google for all their search needs.
People around the world will begin caring about their privacy and start to understand the real value behind their personal data. #ipragency #seopredictions Share on XIn Sum
Take my predictions with a grain of salt but keep them in the back of your mind as you plan for 2020. If you are expecting to rely heavily on JavaScript for your site, you might be more ok in the SEO sense than ever before. Consider the implications of implementing (or not implementing) schema markup on your site. Understand how personal data is being monetized by tech giants and watch how people respond when this information is disseminated more and more through popular media channels. Keep on top of the election news as this may spill into our industry in unexpected ways and change everything.
I hope my thoughts on 2020 got you thinking about things other industry experts aren’t discussing. Though it was tempting to go the Search Engine Journal route and put BERT on the top of my list, my goal was to try identifying issues in their infancy that no one else is paying attention to. Keep your eyes peeled and ears open because 2020 may just be the year when SEOs will need to start thinking about the bigger picture instead of staying hyper-focused on the latest algorithm update.
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