One word that characterises SEO practitioners is adaptability. With Google introducing new updates often, SEO experts need to keep up with the latest trends to get the desired results. In fact, the recent pandemic brought about some drastic changes in every field, including how we market our products. A lot of brands are giving more importance to online marketing, thereby making it important for the industry experts to keep a track of the latest SEO trends. Similar to the previous years, a number of updates were also introduced in 2021 such as Maverick, BERT, and this trend will continue in 2022. Expect SEO to be more sophisticated in the coming time.
So, if you are preparing your SEO strategy, let’s look at the three SEO trends that will have the biggest impact in 2022.
Artificial Intelligence
For a long time, almost everyone was using basic SEO strategies to improve their ranking. However, it is expected that AI will change the way sites rank on search engine result pages and marketers need to adapt to this change to stay ahead. Thanks to AI, SEO practitioners can use it to create SEO strategies. Major search engine algorithms depend on AI, which includes RankBrain and BERT. Not just this, AI also helps in data analysis, which is an important aspect of your SEO strategy.
Google’s AI algorithm RankBrain is expected to become an important ranking factor for SERPs in 2022. Although Google has still not revealed how RankBrain learns and analyses content, it is believed that user experience is an important ranking factor. Expect CTR and bounce rate to be two crucial factors in getting a website ranked on Google as per the RankBrain algorithm.
EAT Principle
The quality of content is a critical ranking factor for Google. But, what does ‘Quality Content’ mean? This is where Google’s EAT Principle comes into the picture. EAT stands for
E - Expertise
A - Authoritativeness
T - Trustworthiness.
Content producers need to weave a story around these three important factors. Understanding the target audience and writing accordingly will establish your expertise and authority in the particular domain. Similarly, SEO practitioners have to ensure that the page links to reputable sources. Having authoritative links in the content will help you meet EAT criteria.
Voice Search
A Google report highlights that 55 percent of teenagers and more than 40 percent of adults use voice search at least twice a day. So, if voice search is not a part of your SEO strategy, it is high time to up your game. Considering the popularity of Google voice search, it is important to create content using long-tail keywords to rank better for voice search results. Having more questions in the content will make it more voice search-friendly. When creating content around voice search, make sure you optimize it specifically for mobile.
Other Important Factors to Look at
Include videos
Videos are the future of search. Including video content in your SEO strategy is an aspect that cannot be neglected. You can create short as well as long videos on topics that are relevant to your domain. Also, ensure to include a user-friendly video channel description so that the video ranks better. Don’t forget to add keywords you want the video to rank for in video descriptions. The use of hashtags is also recommended.
Pay attention to internal linking
Develop depth for the content in the form of topic clusters. You can establish your authority by creating in-depth content and interlinking multiple pages. If possible, get subject-matter experts to work on the content part, so that you can represent expertise and gain the trust of readers.
Meet core web vitals and UX
Many websites saw a drop in SERPs after the roll-out of Google’s Page Experience algorithm. The mobile user experience and page speed were the key issues with these websites. Lesson learnt is that webmasters must ensure the website meets the Page Experience criteria set by Google and it should pass the Core Web Vitals test.
Parting Thoughts
SEO plays a pivotal role in how your website is ranked. It is, however, evolving and getting more complex. Keeping up with the current and upcoming trends will keep you on momentum and assist in creating SEO strategies that work well for you as well as the clients.
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