SEO 2022 Best Practices That You Should Follow
SEO
is vital for customers and getting found. It's the way your company
communicates directly with Google and other engines.
SEO
trends continue to change and often feel like a moving goal.
It
can be overwhelming to keep up with SEO trends at times, but it would be a
disservice in your business not to.
Although
it may seem like the 2022 SEO trends are familiar, the power they hold has
never seen such an impact. Here's what to know.
AI Will Play Its Most Heaviest
Role to Date
As artificial intelligence continues search and social expert its transformation of how we interact online content, it is essential that you incorporate it into your SEO strategy. This will play the greatest role in your 2022 success.
Did
you realize that Google has a specific AI algorithm called
RankBrain. Perhaps it was not something that crossed your mind, but it is
worth considering.
RankBrain
is expected be one of the most significant factors in ranking on Google
SERPs. Google won't give away all the details of RankBrain. But, we do
know click-through rate, page time, and other factors will impact how RankBrain
prioritizes content.
We
may be exaggerating, but we are not. Let's start from the beginning.
AI: When and Where is It Used?
This is a major shift in how we create, push, and
optimize content. It will also change the way marketing teams function. Content creators will need to create content that targets
specific search opportunities. They also need to be aware of the potential
competitive opportunities AI can reveal.
While the art of writing is an art, there are science
behind choosing the topics you should tackle. AI will quickly identify hot topics in the industry and
potential gaps. The content should be well-organized and valuable.
Apart from choosing the best topics, strategizing also
includes recruiting SEO experts on staff. They will need time to analyze these
opportunities and strategize.
A key part of the strategy is looking at the hosting
website. Is it reliable Or is it slow and constant crashes
affecting your customer experience?
How
can I get an edge over the rest?
- Refresh content: It's very easy to start writing and then
forget all about it once you hit publish. Get out of this trap. Removing irrelevant content, adding new material and
changing the tone of writing to match your brand's needs are all ways to
get out of that rut. Although page
age can improve search ranking, don’t let it make your piece obsolete. If necessary, you can change the publication date. Although it may not appear to be new, your visit
history will still apply and help you rank your content.
- Make SEO easier with automation: Automation helps you to track and analyze your
SEO strategy.
AI will make your company more competitive by integrating
it into your SEO strategy.
Content Will Always Be King
For blogs, 800 words are no longer acceptable and 2000 is
long-form. To stay relevant, credible, and rise up the
ranks in 2022, you'll need pressure. Long-form content has become more like
3,000 word content.
Studies show that long content dominates page 1 on search rankings.
But why?
You may be asking yourself what the value of long-form
written content, particularly in marketing. Google isn’t counting the words you write. At least, there isn't any proof. It is a contributing factor to how much time people spend
on your webpages. It does more than this.
Ask yourself this question: What is the purpose of what
you create? To convert these curious readers into real customers. You have to put in extra work.
There
are 4 MAJOR advantages to long-form contents
- Higher Online
Visibility. This correlation is due to post length, search engine ranking and
the relationship to Posts over 2,000 words easily reach the top
rankings. Long-form content
will establish your brand's authority in the field. This can help you gain more organic traffic.
- Better Link
Building. The
long-form content of Long-form content provides ample space and allows for
the addition of links. Let businesses know that your links are being used.
They'll be more inclined to share your content in the hopes of increasing
their own link building efforts.
- Social Sharing. Long-form detailed articles can encourage
readers share because they have a greater likelihood of finding something
that resonates with them. You should ensure your blogs have social icons on the
page to encourage sharing.
- Higher reliability, when done correctly. It is important to offer value to your
audience. To make them more
likely to keep reading your next post, give them what you promised. You will gradually establish your brand as an industry
professional. Your visibility will
increase as trust builds, which can lead to increased conversions.
Meet Google's EAT
This topic was touched upon in our last year's SEO Trends
and Strategies. However, Google
constantly emphasizes the importance of quality content in ranking success. What is quality content? Google recommends that you start with the EAT principle.
Expertise
It is not enough to be an expert in your industry. It is not enough to know your industry well. You also
have to be able communicate effectively. Find out what your audience is searching
for, then create the content. To better guide your content, make sure you
understand the "why" behind the search.
Think about the stage they are at. This content should either be considered for the top or
bottom of the funnel. No matter where the content lands, it must
be balanced between being complete and easy to understand.
It's a good idea to plan ahead while you are on this
path. What is the next search your audience might be looking
for? Prepare content that will meet these searches to stay
ahead of your competitors.
Authoritativeness
Once you have the knowledge, it is time to make yourself
an authority. Citing experts and linking to reputable sites will add
credibility to your message.
Your brand will be more authoritative if your links are
used by others. You can also show authority growth by getting your
content distributed widely.
The more people that search for your company name, the
better. If a keyword is included, consider it a success for your
SEO strategy.
Trustworthiness
This could impact your Google rankings. Google guidelines state that bad reviews indicate low
quality. Negative reviews should be addressed and corrected by
your company. You might send a customer Google Review Link to
customers if you aren't bringing in any reviews.
Automating this process can save you time and help your
staff reach out to customers.
Google will not only reward businesses with positive
reviews but also many other ways to increase trustworthiness and rank your
website higher in search results.
- Display clearly how
customers can reach your business.
- Your website should
include a physical address. It should match the address on your Google listing.
- Have a secure
domain. Google values your
HTTPS site because it ensures that your users' data is not stolen by a
third party.
- Your privacy policy
should be visible on your website.
- Make sure to
clearly list your return and refund policy.
- Add details to the
description section of products and services that are listed on your
website.
You may recognize some of the information. Do you feel like you are in a complete circle? This should be a key component of your personal SEO
strategy.
You'll need to ensure that your business is YMYL (Your
Money and Your Life) compliant.
It is content that, if presented incorrectly,
untruthfully, or deceptively could have a direct impact on your readers'
happiness, safety, and financial stability. How can you tell if your content falls under the YMYL
category for your business?
Google lists the following YMYL topics:
- Current events and
news related to business, science, politics and technology
- Law, government, and civics-related subjects (voting social services, legal issues or
government bodies, etc.).
- Financial Advice about taxes, retirement, investments and loans
- Shopping information such as research purchases
- Information on medicines, hospitals, emergency
situations, and other medical advice
- Information about people belonging to a specific ethnicity, race
religion, nationality or sexuality.
Add video to your game plan
It would be an understatement to say that video platforms
have boomed. You have likely seen the rise of businesses using video
platforms such as TikTok and Youtube to their advantage.
It is impossible to browse the internet and not come
across a video. Optimized video content should also be part of your SEO
strategy.
Think about this: Where are you looking when you search
online for something? Are you looking for something more than the
first page? Or do you just scroll through the tabs and refine your search? Do you simply type in more keywords to get the results
that match your search?
The problem is that not many people will recognize the
video tab in Google searches. It's important to work hard to get your video
listed on the universal search.
How can you optimize video for search?
Your videos' rank in search engines depends on how
authoritative your site is, how direct it is and how well it compares to other
videos in similar searches.
Choose your platform carefully
Different platforms serve different purposes, so consider
your purpose for adding video. Do you want to increase brand awareness or
drive traffic to your website? YouTube may be a good platform for you if
you are looking to get your name out there.
Traffic goes to them, and your video could be followed by
theirs. Yikes. It is important to investigate all options.
When you can, transcribe
Captions may be added to videos during scroll sessions. Closed captions make your videos easier to find and allow
bots to use the additional text as copy to rank for more searches. Your rankings will be affected more by longer-form video
content.
Your thumbnail captures attention
Your thumbnail is your first impression. It plays an
important role in whether people click on the video. You want to be high-quality, relevant, and eye-catching.
The thumbnail should depict the activity being performed. A landscaper might want to publish a video about the
importance of leveling foundations before paving. The thumbnail should show
that person.
Customized
thumbnails give videos a 30% better play rate than videos without them.
Give thought to your title
When it comes to title and description, video is just
like a blog post. Make sure you write a compelling title and meta
description.
Use simple, but powerful words to make a bold statement. Include keywords that have a high search volume. If in doubt, ask a difficult question or make it urgent.
You can now hear the words "Now, Hurry, Must
see." This is the point.
Verify relevancy
If you want to rank high in search engine results, the
video should be accompanied with relevant content. Also, ensure that the page is
search-friendly. You should ensure that the video you want
to rank first on a page contains multiple videos.
Google will only show one video per page in search
results. It's better to not add other videos to a page if you want
to rank a particular video.
You can embed your video but not everywhere
Although it may seem absurd, you should not embed the
same video in more than one place. This will make you and your competitors
more competitive. Instead, try to see if information from different pages
can be combined with subheadings.
SEO is constantly changing so it will be difficult to
keep up with the latest trends in SEO. It may sound like yet another task on your
to-do list, but the light at the end is that you can combine these trends and
optimize your content to increase its rank.
You can use AI to engage long-form posts, or you can
create new video content frequently. Map out your SEO strategy for 2022, and be
intentional about how you implement it.
Tim Sabre
Tim
Sabrehave helped over 11,000 businesses and
counting. A search
and social expert, assisting many
businesses and brands get the most from their online presence Trained and led
teams in 3 countries with over 27 Certified Google AdWords Specialists.
Currently offering my services as a freelance digital consultant.
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