As 2024 is underway, DigitalParc has been hard at work formulating new plans and strategies for all of our clients’ success into the new year. Analyzing Google trends, site design standards and more is always the matter of focus around the turn of the new year. Being on the cutting edge of these developments ensures we serve our clients and maintain their competitive edge on their industries.

What are some of the top Digital Marketing trends to look out for in 2024 and beyond? Read more below to see what your business needs to be focusing on to stay atop the rankings and generate more leads this year.

Helpful Content Revolution

For the past few years, Google has been pushing updates to its search ranking algorithm to be better at recognizing content that is actually helpful for users, rather than filler content that historically was good for SEO but not great for real people to find what they need. This old practice is sometimes referred to as keyword stuffing which worked back when Google’s algorithm was much simpler. Now, the game has gotten tougher to rank with those simpler practices. Google’s algorithm has really grown up before our eyes and frankly become more human-like. It has become very good at identifying content on websites that will be helpful to real users looking for goods, services or information on the web.

For hard-working and dedicated business owners, this is a good thing. As this emphasis on helpful content continues, businesses that are legitimately good at what they do will be rewarded — as long as they can properly showcase what they do. That’s where a digital marketing firm like DigitalParc comes in to manage your presence online, both on-site and off-site, helping you get more leads to do what you do best: serve your clients.

Helpful content at its most fundamental level refers to the idea of providing the most clear and concise description of what your business does for its clients. The basics of:

  • What you do.
  • Where you conduct business.
  • What sets you apart from competitors.
  • What tips and insights you can offer that will help users decide to do business with you or learn more about the industry.

Frequent Site Updates

It doesn’t matter what size your business is, where you’re located or what industry you are in, updating your site frequently is a must. This isn’t a completely new development in SEO, but the emphasis has never been greater with the amount of competition plus the more deliberate nature of Google indexing crawls being less frequent.

With Google reducing the frequency of crawls to index pages on websites, frequent site updates can help give additional signals to Google that your site is one worthy of being indexed. With robust content that is up-to-date, Google’s view of your website as a current and authoritative voice in your niche will be beneficial for organic rankings leading to new business.

 

Local Rankings Have Never Been More Important

Depending on the scope of your business, local rankings will have a different weight to them. If your business specializes in selling goods or services within a defined local area, local pack rankings are something you absolutely need to focus on in 2024, if you aren’t already. Google reviews have a significant impact on giving the map-style results at the top of SERPs (search engine result pages). Given the value Google puts on these rankings vaulting ahead of organic rankings, it’s imperative for businesses to find a place in these results.

The statistics don’t lie, either, as 44% of local searchers clicked the local pack results, compared to 29% of the organic results and 19% for paid ads. Sites listed in the top-3 local pack results receive 126% more traffic than businesses in the organic results below.

If your business provides local goods or services, it’s imperative to start driving Google reviews, presenting an updated Google Business Profile listing and showing up on the map.

Site Update Designs

As 2024 rolls around, that means there’s more hackers and bad actors across the world cracking their knuckles and rolling up their sleeves to wreak havoc on good websites to promote their own, shadier sites and businesses. We’ve noted an uptick in spam and hacking attempts, which often prey on vulnerable website plugins and outdated site infrastructure.

A fresh website build can help mitigate these problems drastically. With a new website, not only do you get the support of updated and secure infrastructure, but you get an updated design and the latest user experience (UX). Both Google and real people take site design very seriously. If load times are slow for a website, which older ones nearly always have problems with, Google cannot properly crawl a site, or will devalue it in rankings for being a waste of time for users. Twofold, if a user gets to a site that is slow, hard to navigate and looks untrustworthy for being outdated, it can push someone to look elsewhere for the goods or services your business provides.

Conclusion

Another new year with new expectations and new trends for the world of digital marketing. This may seem like a lot to focus on, but it’s important that your digital marketing be taken seriously. The digital marketplace is more crowded than ever, with businesses vying for supremacy in all industries and realizing that there are plenty of opportunities to gain new customers thanks to organic searches, paid ads and more. Make sure your business can not only keep up in 2024, but have your best year yet by getting ahead of the trends.

DigitalParc can help you get ahead of the curve, as we do for our numerous clients who have trusted us with their digital marketing efforts for the past 15 years. Reach out to us today to see how we can take your business to the next level and drive more leads.