The 7 Biggest SEO Trends & Strategies For The Year 2022
There is no doubt that the search engine optimization (SEO) field will continue to grow and change in 2022. Google released numerous algorithm updates in 2021, including the Core Web Vitals Update and the Page Experience Update. Accessibility, mobile friendliness, and machine learning will be the top SEO trends of 2022.
SEO Trends of 2022
Site Usability Metrics
According to Google’s 2021-Page Experience update, they prioritize site performance that creates the best user experience. Sites that do not meet the certain speed and UI/UX metrics (Core Web Vitals) or those with poor accessibility have been penalized by Google.
UX and UI play a role in almost everything that has to do with on-page SEO. It doesn’t matter how great your content is if your users aren’t able to digest it due to a poor web experience. When it comes to SEO in 2022, what features should you prioritize?
Site Speed:
Your website can lose 40% of its visitors if it takes longer than 5 seconds to load. To maintain a fast website, the right UI design elements and technical SEO are important.
Web Content Accessibility:
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a set of guidelines for digital accessibility, which are managed by the W3C, an international standards organization. A site’s organization and usage must be accessible to all users in terms of receivability, operability, understandability, and robustness.
Mobile Readiness:
Mobile devices are the most common way users access Google search. Google now indexes and ranks pages based on mobile-first indexing. For this reason, it’s vital that your mobile site loads correctly and is easy to read and navigate. Mobile-friendliness is one of the top 2022 SEO trends.
Interstitial Experience:
Similarly, interstitials (such as pop-ups, ads, etc.) should not impede accessibility or appear in a disruptive way. This is particularly true for mobile devices. These pop-ups are increasingly being penalized by Google.
2. AI-Generated Content
Every industry is being affected by AI, and SEO is no exception. A variety of marketing tasks can be automated using machine learning technologies, which can process data at higher speeds than humans can, analyze the information, and then use it in a variety of ways. Using AI in marketing (like GPT-3) will be one of the top SEO strategies in 2022 and beyond, covering everything from chatbots to data analysis to content generation.
In 2021, GrowthBar and Copy AI became mainstream content generation platforms. These tools are based on OpenAI’s GPT-3, a natural language model that produces human-like content based on inputs and algorithms – like blog posts, article titles, descriptions, social media captions, and more.
In addition to saving time and money, AI-supported content generators also provide fresh ideas and beat writer’s block.
Digital marketers everywhere will greatly benefit from these tools. The popularity of data-driven software tools for content creation and SEO is expected to increase in 2022.
3. Consistent Backlinks
Due to the spread of the disease, Covid-19 forever changed the way we consume information, and sometimes misinformation. As Google seeks to win the trust of searchers, it will place more value on backlink equity for SEO rankings. Domain authority, current Google rankings, and other factors influence the value a site provides by linking to yours.
Any good SEO strategy should therefore focus on building (valuable) backlinks. Having them is one of the best ways for Google to make sure your website is trustworthy enough to send searchers to you via higher rankings.
SEO has always relied heavily on backlinks for ranking. A link pointing to your site from another site can have a significant impact on where your site ranks in search results, with the best links coming from sites that are in the same niche or space as you and have higher domain authority. If a site like that links to a piece of your content, it tells Google that your content is worth recommending.
It is a 2022 SEO trend to have strong backlinks to your site, despite the debate over their importance over the years.
4. Semantic Search Technique
It is a phrase that is often used, but rarely explained well. With machine learning, semantic search is an intent- and context-based search. To make finding what they’re looking for easier, it uses past data and then trial and error to improve the search experience.
It is Google’s job to make it as easy as possible for consumers to get answers to queries so that they keep coming back. Additionally, you want to make it as easy as possible for consumers to find and use your site.
Semantic search is big news for SEO professionals for two reasons:
- The importance of secondary keywords cannot be overstated. Google understands the intent of searches and articles, so the keywords surrounding your primary keyword matter. In other words, instead of simply optimizing for one or two key phrases, make sure to cover a variety of ways searchers think and write about a subject. Don’t forget voice searches. With more consumers becoming mobile-first, more consumers are turning to voice searches. For this post, people are saying into their phones: “Top SEO Trends for 2022,” “How will SEO change in 2022?” “What do I need to know about SEO in 2022?” etc.
- Google users should be able to answer any question they may have. Not only does this help with number one, but also improves the user experience and keeps them on your page longer. This is partly why Google ranks longer posts better. In case you are unable to include important topics and questions organically, you can include FAQs on your posts.
5. Google’s SERP features and the Knowledge Graph
The information you want is often available without having to click on a search result. In the Google search engine results page (SERP), featured snippets provide lyrics, flight information, local businesses, and so much more.
By analyzing the user data, Google’s Knowledge Graph and Passage Ranking can provide you with relevant information. If Google offers the smallest amount of content, users will have the option of “going deeper and broader” in their searches.
However, businesses that are trying to generate leads won’t appreciate the reduced number of users who come to their sites.
How should this be handled? Search engines will be able to improve CTR when searchers can find what they’re looking for without having to click on any links. Titles, headings, URLs, and quality content will all play an important role. Try to get a passage ranking at the top of the SERP if you don’t think your entire post will rank.
6. YouTube & Video Optimization
Last year, the number of channels earning $10,000+ per year increased by 50%. YouTube, TikTok, Instagram videos, and more are being used by companies to improve consumer engagement and attract new customers on the Google Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
If you haven’t created optimized video content as part of your SEO strategy yet, you need to do so by 2022. YouTube’s videos can be enhanced by adding rich information to the title, URL, and description in addition to using keywords within the title, URL, and description.
7. Maintain EAT
EAT is a fundamental part of all aspects of search engine optimization, and isn’t necessarily a new trend in 2022.
Your content must have EAT: ‘Expertise’, ‘Authority’, and ‘Trust’ to have a good user experience, build backlinks, and end up on the SERP.
Expertise on a topic will give you greater authority on it, and trust from Google and searchers will increase accordingly. Once you have established more trust, you will get more backlinks, rise in the rankings, gain more authority, etc. It’s vital to prioritize all three elements because they create a feedback loop of higher–or lower–rankings.
In 2022, E-A-T will remain a ranking factor for Google, according to the Quality Rater Guidelines.
Conclusion
It’s important to stay on top of changes in Google’s algorithm each year when it comes to SEO trends and strategies.
While these updates and tips may seem complicated, SEO boils down to something that all businesses should be focusing on anyway: delivering helpful, accurate, and interesting information to those who are searching for it. It’s a trend that won’t go away.