This year is characterized by the fact that the RankBrain website ranking algorithm is operating full force.
The algorithm is built using artificial intelligence and machine learning. Other words saying, the algorithm looks at how you interact with the search results, which sites you go to and how much time you spend on them. Despite the fact that there are over 200 factors that influence page ranking, behavioral factors are fundamental.
The second most important aspect is the mobile-friendliness. Mobile penetration is increasing every year. Now it is more than 55% of the traffic. The search engine evaluates the mobile-friendly version, even if you open the website with a computer. If you produced bad mobile experience or your website is not mobile-friendly at all, it will big a big disadvantage.
Third is presence of video content. Last 5-year trends proclaim the users preference for visual and video content. The presence of videos is regarded as a significant advantage.
The fourth trend is quality content. Unique images and text. Even though there were still chances to get traffic from the search with copied or slightly modified content before, there are no such chances anymore. The photos repeatedly used on other websites can also be regarded as a disadvantage.