If your business has an online storefront, you are probably aware of the crucial role SEO plays in expanding your online presence and generating more organic website traffic. In fact, 53% of all trackable website traffic comes from organic search results.
However, Google search algorithms are constantly evolving, making it extremely difficult for businesses to keep up with the latest SEO practices. To help you out, we’ve compiled a list of top SEO trends and techniques that will have a huge impact on your search engine rankings in 2022.
Top 6 SEO Trends to Follow in 2022
Artificial Intelligence Will Play a Significant Role in SEO
Google recently declared that their AI algorithm RankBrain will be their third most important ranking factor. Though Google has not revealed the inner workings of how RankBrain works, experts believe that user experience, click-through rates, and website dwell time will be key factors that influence how RankBrain prioritizes content.
If Google finds that visitors quickly leave your site after landing on it from a Google search result, it will negatively affect your search engine rankings. Additionally, your customers and prospects will lose trust in you and choose your competition.
When revamping your SEO strategy, it is critical to create well-organized, easy-to-understand content that offers users exactly what they’re looking for. Avoid using clickbait headlines that can mislead users, which in turn increases bounce rates.
User Experience
Since Google’s 2021 page experience update, user experience on websites has become as important as the information you provide. In cases where highly competitive pages with similar content compete for top spots on SERPs, UX is extra significant as it can make all the difference in your website ranking.
With 53.98% of all web traffic coming from smartphones, mobile optimization is no longer an option for businesses—it is a necessity. Other UX metrics Google considers when indexing your website include page speed, site security, content layout, pop-up implementation, and user-friendliness.
Long-Form Content That Complies with Google’s E-A-T Principle
SEO experts are constantly emphasizing the importance of quality content. But, what exactly do they mean by “quality content”? According to Google, your content needs to reflect your expertise, authority, and trustworthiness—the E-A-T Principle.
To create E-A-T compliant content, you need to create buyer personas to help you understand different kinds of customers and what they’re looking for. You can use this knowledge to design content that specifically addresses their problems, encouraging them to stay longer on your website.
Informative and in-depth content pieces of over 2000 words have been shown to rank better in SERPs. Additionally, relevant content enriched with detailed information is more likely to be bookmarked, which can significantly improve your SEO score.
Optimize Content for Search Intent
It is no longer enough just to integrate popular keywords into your content. You also need to understand why or how people look for particular information online. This will not only help you upgrade your SEO strategy but also allow you to better fulfill the needs of your target audience.
There are three primary search intents businesses should be aware of:
Informational
This includes generic searches by users looking for more information on a subject. For example, someone renting a new house might look up stuff like, “what is renter’s insurance?” to figure out if they need it.
Some keywords used in informational queries are:
- What Is/Are
- How to
- Best Ways to
Navigational
This refers to searches conducted by users who already have a particular product or company in mind. A consumer who wants to get botox treatment may type in a search query like “best botox treatment near me.” Other keywords used in navigational keywords are:
- Business/Product name
- Service Near Me
- Directions to
Transactional
Transactional queries are posed by users who are ready to take action or buy a certain product. Examples of transactional search queries would include “best coffee maker under $300” or “order cake online.”
To stay on top of search engine results, you need to figure out the perfect strategy to tackle different types of user content and answer queries in the most concise way possible.
Focus on Video Content
With online video platforms like YouTube getting more and more popular, businesses can no longer ignore the power of video marketing. Also, most people would rather watch videos than read long posts to save time.
From tutorials and how-to videos to informational videos, you can create concise, easy-to-follow videos on topics your target audience are interested in. This will increase the chances of your content being shared on social media, which is a smart way to generate more leads for your website. Moreover, video content can increase visitor dwell time and positively affect other user engagement metrics that influence SEO.
Accessibility, Diversity, and Inclusion in SEO
To make search engine content more accessible to all users, companies like Google and Bing have started prioritizing website accessibility. At the 2021 Google I/O Developer Conference, developers introduced new accessibility features and settings like Live Transcribe, Live Caption, Sound Amplifier, and others to make the internet more accessible.
Optimizing your website for voice search will make it easy for visually impaired users to find your website and increase your SEO as it uses featured snippets to answer queries. Many platforms now offer intelligent closed captioning functions to make videos more accessible to deaf or hard-of-hearing users. Don’t forget to edit the captions to ensure they match your video.
As Google strives to be more inclusive and accessible, language inclusivity is another major metric that affects your search engine rankings. When writing content, be mindful of the language you’re using. Avoid gendered terms like “gentlemen,” “boys and girls,” “guys,” etc. Instead, use inclusive words like “folks,” “friends,” and “everyone” to respect and acknowledge the identities of all people and remove assumptions.
SEO can be a tricky and time-consuming process—but it is worth your investment. At Cerberus Digital Media, our team of SEO experts will help you create a website that both Google and your customers will love. Schedule a call today to evaluate the effectiveness of your existing SEO strategy and find out how you can improve your search engine rankings.