It’s that time of the year when you look forward to reading about SEO trends for 2022. It may not be the first time that you hear about these tactics, but there’s always something to improve regarding content and optimizing your overall site.
We keep you up to date when it comes to the latest Search Engine Optimization trends to ensure your strategy is effective. SEO constantly changes, which means you can’t afford to stay behind.
Top 8 SEO Trends for 2022
Here is what SEO specialists should take note of as they revaluate their content strategy for a fruitful year ahead:
1. Long Content
There have been many discussions about which content is better, long or short form? It seems like the sometimes “dreaded” long-form content is most favourable. Writing lengthy content can improve your traffic and search rankings.
We are talking about having quality website pages of 3000 words or more. This involves having appropriate headings H1’s, H2’H3’s, and paragraphs that give you bit size content. State of Content Marketing Report said pages with 3000+ words received more traffic and shared.
It is easier for users to consume small pieces of content on their mobile phones. Good long copy must not be boring or have unnecessary information. It needs to be well researched, written, and engaging to achieve higher search rankings to be successful.
2. Follow Google EAT Principles
For ranking success, Google emphasizes quality content. In this case, EAT principles should not be forgotten because Google uses these factors to determine quality content on a website. When you develop appealing content for a web page, you need to be aware of EAT (expertise, attractiveness, and trustworthiness).
3. Mobile-Friendly Website
In 2015, Google made mobile-friendliness a ranking factor. It means your website should always be optimized for mobile devices and should be a responsive design. Mobile-friendly indexing means search engines first look at the mobile version rather than the desktop when ranking content. Many people use their smartphones to access information, 2025 is said to have about 75% of internet users using their mobile phones to get data.
You can always check your site’s usability on a small screen when you do the mobile test. Make sure you fix any mobile issues that you come across. It is important to constantly pay attention to your mobile view because it can affect your SEO. It shouldn’t take long for your content to load on the screen. Ideally, you want to have an efficient site that neatly fits your information on the screen and loads fast.
4. Ever Green Content
You’ll have to optimize the content of your website for search results. Keep track of the evergreen content you have optimized on your website to ensure that you go through your pages. You don’t want to find neglected pages that will drag your site down. The published copy should be relevant in a month or over the years.
5. Semantic Search
Semantic search when it comes to search engines determines the intent of search queries and context. You want your readers to get the best experience when they read your article. The three basic points you need to keep in mind include writing for people and not search engines, giving clear answers to what your users ask, and adding structured data. A positive user experience can yield the results you want.
6. Videos
Online video content is consumed every day. More people watch videos on their mobile since the coronavirus pandemic, with the likes of YouTube and TikTok becoming popular. When creating videos use relevant keywords instead of just stuffing keywords with a hashtag in your description. You can start off by researching the topic you discuss in the video and see what comes up.
7. Featured Snippet
Featured snippets rolled out in 2017. A featured snippet is piece of information that clearly answers a question, it can be presented in bullets, numbers, how-to guide, and so on. You want to have a rich snippet that gives users the information they need. Your content has to specifically answer questions in the best way possible. Google loves showcasing these results, and getting a snippet can drive traffic to your page.
8. Artificial Intelligence
Google’s RankBrain will be an important ranking factor for SERPs in 2022. RankBrain is a machine algorithm (AI) used by Google to sort out search results. It helps Google to understand queries better. Therefore, your SEO strategy needs to meet the AI algorithm, how you ask? Experts say a ranking factor for RankBrain will mainly be user experience. The machine will prioritize content based on the time people spend on a site and the click-through rate.
Keeping Up with The Latest SEO Trends
All SEO professionals want their websites to rank better on Google. The future of SEO is about always knowing what is trending at the time. You should be excited about what SEO has in store for you in 2022. Making sure you move with the SEO trends will help you grow because the industry is always evolving.
