SEO is always evolving, so it’s necessary to work with providers that can change with the times. The new year brings with it some better opportunities and the chance to improve upon the results achieved in 2020.

Here are 4 SEO tips to implement in 2021. 

1 Aim for Higher Quality Backlinks

Google algorithm updates including the most recent December Core Update have provided a clear indication about a move to higher quality. Backlinks are needed that will raise the bar for the current backlink profile to improve the Domain Authority (a Moz.com metric) of the site. This can have the effect of raising all boats for future ranking ability. 

Use a reliable provider of SEO services. Avoid flash in the pans that set up shop three months ago and don’t have provable results. Do your research to find a serious SEO agency that will act more like a partner than a hired hand to support the goals for your website. 

2 Overhaul Content to Adapt for Changes in Search

Increasingly, Google has been experimenting with providing answers to searchers’ questions that include part of an answer, rather than a complete one. Initially, this was evident in providing YouTube results where the video was adjusted to start not from the beginning of the clip, but later into the video. This afforded the viewer the chance to get the answer in a video format while cutting out irrelevant information. 

Starting in 2021, Google has announced that they’ll be providing other types of answers such as from a blog post, which will highlight and jump to the specific answer to the searcher’s question. This makes increased use of strong sub-headings a must. As a result, content that is currently ranking well should be updated to ensure every sub-heading and section is clearer and can provide a useful all-in-one answer. Doing so will help sites and their content stay relevant after the Google search change. 

3 Perform an SEO Audit

Have an agency perform a proper SEO audit for your site. This gives them to chance to look over the entire site, check all the on-page SEO and other factors, so that they’re taken care of properly. In so doing, they will ensure that there are no broken links, embedded videos that have since been removed from the video hosting services, or other problems.

Google is starting to look at older sites with a poor structure or old content that’s outdated and reducing their ability to rank, so an audit can help to avoid that.

4 Publish More Regularly

Just like with putting more lines in the water with fishing, publishing more frequently allows greater opportunity for an article to go viral on social media or for Google to favor it.

Indeed, sites that regularly get improved with new content and updates to older content frequently make gains in rankings outside of more backlinks being added to drive results.

To make strides in your SEO game in 2021, make smart moves to get better results and adapt to the changing search environment to stay relevant.