5 Most Important SEO Trends In 2022
Businesses are trying to get back on their feet post-pandemic and competing for the top spot on Google's SERP. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a crucial factor in attracting consumers. However, SEO is constantly changing, so you need to stay up-to-date with the latest trends to ensure your content tactics remain effective. If you're still using the same old SEO methods, it's time to learn some new ones.
Many older SEO methods are no longer practical, and some outdated tactics like keyword stuffing can actually harm your SEO. It's best to constantly adapt your SEO strategies to the latest trends to ensure your approach stays effective. Here are some of the key SEO trends in 2022 to watch out for.
Mobile Friendliness
By 2025, it is estimated that 75% of internet users will only access the internet via mobile devices. Therefore, mobile-friendliness is a crucial factor in SEO, as Google made it a ranking factor back in 2015. More importantly, content must be optimized for mobile devices, as Google rolled out mobile-first indexing in 2019. Hence, the mobile version is now considered the "primary" version when ranking content, rather than the desktop version.
Role of Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence (AI) continues to transform how people interact with online content. AI will play a crucial role in SEO in the coming years, with Google's RankBrain algorithm being a significant factor in determining SERP results. Since Google's RankBrain was revealed, many companies have wondered how it will impact their SEO.
User experience is one of its main ranking factors, although Google has not revealed exactly how RankBrain learns and analyzes content. RankBrain will prioritize content based on click-through rate and time spent on site. To improve your SEO strategy, focus on creating well-organized and valuable content that will engage and interest readers.
"EAT stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness — the three things Google looks at to judge quality content."
Google's EAT Principle
Google has said that content quality is essential for ranking well. However, this can leave companies wondering what Google actually means by "quality content." For improving the quality of your content for SEO purposes, it is vital to keep the EAT principle in mind — expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. These are what Google looks at to determine if a web page has quality content, so keep these factors in mind when creating content for your website.
Video Content
Video platforms are exploding in popularity
Online video platforms like YouTube have exploded in popularity in recent years, and many companies are using them to engage with customers and expand their reach.
Optimize your video channel description
Include a user-friendly overview of what your channel is about, and use relevant keywords and hashtags to help your video content perform in search.
Voice Search
Voice searches are becoming more popular, and this has implications for SEO. People use different search terms when typing versus speaking, so optimizing for voice search requires a different approach. A professional can help you with this, but you can also do some things on your own, like creating an FAQ page with brief, relevant answers.
Content based on initial questions and brief answers, followed by a fuller discussion, can help you rank higher for voice searches. SEO tends to change regularly, and it's important to keep a close eye on the latest changes to search engine algorithms. The trends above are some of the key factors to watch in 2022 — keep yourself updated by following our blog or our social media handles.
