There are very few environments and industries that drastically change and rewrite the norm as much as digital marketing and SEO specially. 2021 was no different. As the world recovered from Covid 19, Ecommerce sites were bigger than ever, meaning so was digital marketing. Need help with your own digital marketing or SEO strategy? As a digital marketing agency here in Essex, we’re happy to help.
Here are 3 trends we saw take the spotlight in 2021 that look like they’re here to stay.
SEO enters the image and video world
Google images and other competitor sites already allow for image searches based on keywords imputed by the user. With the invention and mass installation of Google Lens on various android devices throughout 2021 however, this has been taken to the next level.
For those who don’t know, Google Lens is one of Google’s newer and more incredible developments. In short, Google lens acts as a search engine for images when you don’t know the keyword associated. For example, “big white building by the river in London” might take hours out of your day trying to filter through all of the options before finding out what the building in front of you actually is. This is where Google Lens comes into play. People can take a photo of something they want to know about and Google does the hard work for you, so you can learn you’re standing in front of Old Billingsgate Market with one click of your camera shutter.
Beyond informational results, Google Lens also allows people to receive search results that lead directly to product pages. This is a huge game changer for SEO. If you offer the same product online that someone is holding physically in their hands at a much cheaper price, being the first thing they see when checking prices on Google Lens could well be the difference between them putting the product back on the shelf or into your site’s online basket.
To capitalize on the increased amount of visual searches that your product may receive, you want to make sure your image and video SEO campaigns are in tip-top shape. For starters, apply the basics:
- always include correct and descriptive alt text in your image descriptions
- add images to your sitemap or create a dedicated site map just for your images
- include any SEO keywords that you are targeting in the file name of your image
- use top-quality images and videos so Google can recognise the same product
Sustainability And Renewable Energy Is More Important Than Ever
One trend we’ve seen across so many company’s branding in 2021 is a passion and urgency surrounding renewable energy, environmentalism and reducing your carbon footprint.
We saw a real increase in popularity and sales for sustainable and eco-friendly brands, such as Carlsburg who have really pushed their aim of being 100% sustainable. This especially targets the younger consumers. This goes well-beyond the market for dedicated, specifically produced with environmentalism in mind, green products as every brand can benefit by broadcasting their sustainable practices and internal improvements.
With the right digital marketing design and strategy, the best companies can visually communicate your brand’s environmentalism without saying a word on a television advert or any kind of press release.
The key is communicating your sustainability through your existing branding and content by tweaking it slightly, to make environmentalism part of your identity, rather than pushing it as a separate string to your bow as this may seem forced. There are plenty of different ways depending on your branding route, such as displaying a banner across your site, or highlighting it on social media. You can even opt for less subtle methods, such reusable tote bags over plastic ones or conveying green and recycling themes in your content or products.
Local SEO
Finally, the last big push we have seen in 2021 is the importance of Local SEO. Google frequently updates their local SEO algorithm, so if you’re a local business, it may seem like your appearance in local results fluctuates regularly, without any obvious reason why. The only thing you should do to try and avoid this and be seen favourable in Google’s eyes is to continuously update your business’ appearance in local results too. In a way, local SEO can be even more successful for businesses than regular SEO practices as people searching for a specific type of business or service with their local geographic location often have more intent to purchase, so it’s easier to convert them into leads.
To put it simply, if you don’t have a Google My Business listing, you need one. You can do this by signing up for Google My Business and either claiming your listing if you already have one that you don’t have access to or creating a new one from scratch. This helps you rank higher in Google SERPS, and also gives you the chance to offer additional information about your company to online searchers. Fill out all the information you possibly can, making sure it matches with your website and any other citations. This includes phone numbers, addresses and ways to contact you.
Additionally, you want to incorporate local keywords prominently into your broader SEO strategy. Obviously, prioritize the name of your city or town alongside the service in question. For example, Drainage Company in Grays & Dartford for a company such as First Call Drainage UK would be a great way for them to optimise for both their local location and their service provided. Even for ourselves, as an SEO agency in London, we look to be a visible as possible!
