Predictions For 2020: Experienced Industry Leaders On SEO, Analytics, And Engagement

No one knows what the future holds, but we think it's worth a guess. Here at Botify, we were curious to hear from boots-on-the-ground SEOs as well as those in the tech space about the transformation they've been seeing this year and what they think that might mean in 2020. We spoke with in-house SEOs, consultants and agency SEOs, content professionals, and those in the technology space to come up with a well-rounded list of recommendations you can take with you into the new year. So settle in -- it's time to learn!

Dan Shure on making room for nuance in SEO

Dan Shure is an SEO consultant for the likes of WGBH, host of the SEO podcast Experts on the Wire, and SEO industry speaker. Dan's been steeped in the world of SEO since 2007, so we knew he'd have great advice for SEOs going into 2020. No surprise here, it did not disappoint.

"My hope for 2020 is that SEOs stop diagnosing core updates by only using overall site traffic or overall site visibility, and rather do deeper segmenting by keyword, keyword type, page, and page type."

When you're working on sites with hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of URLs, you need a way to group your URLs into logical categories for more precise analysis.

Shohei Narron on data integration and automation

Shohei Narron is the Technology Alliances Manager at Looker, a unified business intelligence platform. He mentions that organizations are collecting 61% more data year over year, yet use only 20-50% of it.

"To break this paradigm, we're now seeing data being integrated into daily workflows rather than users having to find and pull information themselves."

Louise Wiseman on server-side rendering and UX

Louise Wiseman is an SEO Manager at TUI, a UK-based travel company.

"Our main priorities that we've woven into our strategy focus on react.js and a server-side rendering solution."

She also advised that SEOs be vigilant about schema and optimizing for zero-click searches.

Alexis Sanders on cross-channel integration

Alexis Sanders is an SEO at performance marketing agency Merkle.

"Strong digital programs will require more cross-team and cross-channel integration."

She recommends establishing a unified report, ensuring all channels are unified around a CX vision, and testing different channel mixes.

1. Establish a unified report focusing on core business initiatives.
2. Ensure all channels are unified around a CX vision.
3. Test different channel mixes and identify synergies.

Brendan Cottam on mobile-first indexing and JavaScript

Brendan Cottam is the Senior Marketing Manager, SEO at Wayfair.

"Two things are top of mind for me: mobile-first indexing and JavaScript."

He also insisted on the importance of effective communication in conveying SEO stories.

Maria Cieslak on not using JavaScript as a scapegoat

Maria Cieslak, Head of Technical SEO at Onely, highlights that JavaScript is often wrongfully accused of causing SEO problems.

"JavaScript is treated as evil in our industry."

She emphasizes the need to focus on basic on-page or technical SEO issues.

Jonathan Cherki on transparency and intent

Jonathan Cherki is the Founder & CEO of Contentsquare. He believes privacy laws will push brands to prioritize transparency.

"Transparency will go a long way for brands in 2020."

Aleks Shklyar on JavaScript, content quality, and SERP feature additions

Aleks Shklyar is an SEO Engineer at iPullRank.

"Google will continue trying to improve their ability to crawl JavaScript efficiently."

He also discusses the importance of content quality in "Your Money Your Life" industries.

Tyler Reardon on developer collaboration and data

Tyler Reardon is an SEO Manager at Chewy. He underlines the importance of learning programming languages for better collaboration.

Niki Mosier on staying vigilant with JavaScript & SERP changes

Niki Mosier is the Senior SEO Account Manager at Two Octobers. She emphasizes monitoring how JavaScript is rendered and the evolving SERP landscape.

Frédéric Clement on innovating your marketing strategy

Frédéric Clement is the Chief Marketing Officer at Lengow. He expects significant changes in ecommerce strategies in 2020.

Alina Benny on creating content for searcher intent

Alina Benny leads the content and SEO at Nextiva. She stresses the importance of search intent in content strategy.

Robin Nichols on personalization and privacy

Robin Nichols is the Senior Global Content and PR Manager at AB Tasty. She discusses the increasing demand for data privacy alongside personalization.

Closing thoughts & Botify's hope for 2020

The range of opinions indicates that search is a highly diverse field, filled with specialized individuals. Each brings valuable insights to the conversation about the future of SEO.