We all know how 2020 went.

Google was surrounded by various consequential, societal and privacy issues. And, now there is more austerity on the roles and responsibilities of the leading search engines.

December was no better, Sundar Pichai testified at a hearing on his company’s use of consumer data, in 2018

After all the drama, we know that users are now more rooted to know how Google will value the general searcher’s knowledge.

Before we define how it is essential to accommodate a more seamless user experience, let’s reminisce the leading concerns that Google combated in 2018-

 The Confirmation Bias

The first issue that search engines and social media platforms have been combating since last year is confirmation bias. This is pretty widespread as the tech giants are being blamed for not engaging in the information analysis.

The data is served to the users who lack core components for a fuller and actionable picture.

This is followed by the audience’s general evaluation of the information before digesting the same. People do not validate the source and expect that search engines would only rank authentic information.

The question, however, remains: can we hold responsible search engine algorithms for the results and content it holds?

The Accuracy of the Algorithm

Is search engine algorithms infallible? Digital marketers know that this is not right because every day they work to leverage the flaws in the algorithm.

The accuracy of the results especially when we talk about fact-based information is highly significant. We know that users live in their bias bubbles depending on the environment they have been exposed to.

Digital marketers take advantage of the blissful ignorance because users are not able to discern facts and fiction themselves.

The question here is that should not search engines imbibe more accuracy and detect false news (one of the biggest and critical issues in the contemporary world!) before it reaches the users.

Is there any Political bias?  

During the recent congressional committee hearing of Sundar Pichai, there were copious accusations levied of political bias. We know that despite the authentication of these claims, Google has responded in some form.

Privacy Concerns

There had been hordes of concerns regarding the privacy of the user. Starting with Europe’s GDPR to placing users in a filter bubble to being questioned about the data record for a particular location, most of the users do not understand that when they agree to privacy terms & conditions and enable location-based settings they are giving away their privacy to Google.

Last year was quite hard to even for Google and it let Pichai state that they deliberate a lot more and even are more thoughtful in its work now.

So how do you think Google intends to work in 2021? 

As search generates the highest amount of revenue to the company Google must keep its users fascinated. At this point, it remains critically important to understand the mechanics of search and know how to add value and compile where SEO efforts should be supplemented. Google will now be aiming to –

● Google may prioritize branded names. This includes popular names, news outlets, well-known websites etc that are aligned with the user conscious.

● It will extend the semantic fact-checking, flagging of pages that exceed a certain threshold

● Medic Update suggest that there will be more focus on medical answers and their relevance (seeking expert advice)

● Multiperspective answers for combatting confirmation bias

● It is traversing from being a simple information hub to being a financial hub

● Google will be more severe about the prioritization of HTTPS sites.

● More education and transparency in the political agendas

● Enhanced auditing and notifications of hacked sites.

● In SERP, users will witness visual identification of sites with higher risk or that are believed to be compromised.

So How Should Digital Marketers React?

Finding A Seamless Experience- Not every site can mimic the tech giant Amazon, but we can work towards providing a more seamless experience to the users. This includes website search, voice search, app integration etc. Invest in high-quality UI/UX design services, so that no one hopes out of your website just because they didn’t like the feel and look of your site.

You need to understand the customers buying intent, behaviour and journey and create an infrastructure that would promote conversions. Every customer will have a different journey and you would have to personalize its experience.

You need to ensure that you are providing them with relevant information and not merely preparing an advertising copy to market your product/service.

Ensure technical SEO – Make sure that your pages are crawlable. The search bots can render and index the site otherwise your site will not perform well. You need to make sure that all signals are clear and aligned. You need to automate wherever possible. Prepare a detailed checklist for all the technical SEO factors.

Content Strategy – You need to analyze what is working and what is not. If some content piece is working, work to improve and enhance it. If something is not working, you should build a strategy to optimize or cut. Research keywords, the search landscape, site performance, develop audience segments and common user journeys.

The E-A-T Analysis – You need to make sure that your website and content reflect your brand expertise, authoritativeness, and integrity. Especially make sure that you present the right information about us and contact us pages and these are backed by genuine reviews.

Make sure that the content is up-to-date and all the information is factual and correct. Review the site and identify opportunities. Does the Schema markup, recognize and approach any common user queries with elaborate description?

Hire the Professionals

Are you looking for a top website development services company? Research a lot, enquire whether the coders of your prospective development agency are well-versed with the SEO aspect of the site because that’s the secret to survive in the present thickly competitive world.