Even though SEO is still based on the same basic ideas, algorithm updates and search trends change and affect how we optimize our web pages.
So, what does the fact that search engine technology is getting better this year mean for your plan?
Here are the top SEO trends in 2022 to keep an eye on if you want your traffic and keyword rankings to keep going up.
SEO Trends in 2022 to watch out for (FUTURE of SEO)
Understand Your Site’s Core Web Vitals
COPYRIGHT_MARX: Published on https://marxcommunications.com/seo-trends-in-2022/ by Keith Peterson on 2022-07-19T08:47:54.906Z
You might not have heard of the SEO term "core web vitals" yet.
But by 2022, it will be very important that you know what these terms mean and how they are measured.
In May, Google will release Page Experience, a new ranking system that uses a page's core web vital scores to decide how it should be ranked.
Then, what are core web essentials?
Google says that they are a set of measurements that look at how fast, responsive, and stable a website looks.
how do you keep track of it?
Google has updated a lot of its tools so that they can measure important web metrics.
Each of these tools has reports that tell you about the health of your core web vital metrics and what you can do to improve them.
Before the new page experience update goes live, you might want to spend some time in each of these platforms to learn about these reports and how you might be able to improve your scores.
Optimize For Google Passage Ranking
Google started what they call "Passage ranking" in October of 2020. This is a way to rank parts of web pages along with the whole page.
What's the point?
This means that Google can pull out parts of a page even if the page is about something different than what is shown in the SERP.
For example, let's say you wrote a blog post about social media marketing and talked about different parts of it, like tools, strategy, metrics, networks, etc.
Even if you didn't optimize for the keyword "social media marketing tools," your page might rank for that term.
Google is indexing a part of your post about social media marketing tools because it is relevant to the rest of the post.
Focus On Featured Snippets
If you aren't already using them, you should start using featured snippets in 2022.
Featured snippets, which are also called "the holy grail of search," show up in a rectangular box at the very top of the SERP page.
Even though you can't choose the content that shows up in a featured snippet, you can make your content better so it's more likely to show up in one.
Here are some suggestions.
Long Term Keywords
If you aren't already using them, you should start using featured snippets in 2022.
Featured snippets, which are also called "the holy grail of search," show up in a rectangular box at the very top of the SERP page.
Even though you can't choose the content that shows up in a featured snippet, you can make your content better so it's more likely to show up in one.
Here are some suggestions.
Use Questions
When you write content, you should keep the user's goals in mind.
Most of the time, people use Google to find answers to questions.
So, writing content with these questions and answers in mind will help you get more featured snippets.
SEMrush found that question words like "why," "do," and "can" led to the most featured snippets, while "where" led to the fewest.
Format Wisely
There are four different kinds of formats for a featured snippet: a paragraph, a list, a table, and a video.
Keep these different formats in mind when you write your content.
Also, keep in mind what a featured snippet is meant to do.
Google wants searchers who want an answer quickly to be able to see information clearly and easily.
So make it easy for them to read quickly.
That doesn't mean you can't have longer paragraphs of text in your posts, but you should put them after the definition of your featured snippet.
This needs to be short, easy to understand, and to the point.
Support Multiple Long-Tail Keyword Phrases
Google's search engine improves with every algorithm update.
Google now understands keyword subtopics.
Google now understands that "budget equipment," "premium picks," and "small space ideas" are relevant subtopics for "home exercise equipment," so SERPs will display a wider range of results.
SEO implications?
Shorter-tail keywords will have more competition.
If you use long tail keywords, or keywords with three words or more, your domain will rank higher for the relevant phrase and possibly related phrases.
Example:
If you're trying to rank for "custom branded apparel," include "logo jackets for companies," "branded sweatshirts and tshirts," and "sweaters for businesses" in your content.
This lets Google know that custom-branded apparel is related to other long-tail keywords.
Don’t Forget About Images
Google Images gets 20% of U.S. web searches.
To master SEO in 2022, you must optimize images for search.
First, use high-quality, keyword-relevant images.
Your image should tell users about your content.
Before uploading images, always compress them.
Google ranks pages based on speed.
Images account for 21% of a webpage's weight, so even one large image can slow it down.
Put People Also Ask
Google's "People also ask" feature appears in 48.6% of searches, according to a study of 2.5 million queries.
With its prominent placement at the top of the SERP (and often above position 1), everyone will want to rank in it.
In your content, answer common questions.
Use SERPs or a keyword tool to find long-tail question keywords.
Include questions in H2s, H3s, and H4s or add a FAQ section.
This strategy will help you rank higher on SERPs in 2022, even if the page where you provided the answer ranks lower.
Keyword Clustering
SEO requires keyword research.
Effective keyword targeting has become more granular and complex as Google's NLP technology has advanced.
No longer should landing pages and blog posts target single keywords.
2022 is the year to aim higher, since Google ranks landing pages for multiple keywords.
Clustering keywords is an advanced keyword strategy to boost rankings.
It involves identifying multiple keywords with similar search intent and creating "cluster" pages.
In the example below, we could use keywords like:
- interview scheduling software
- interview scheduling tool
- online interview software
- virtual interviewing software
Beat Out Competition With These Important SEO Trends In 2022
You can't keep up with every change Google makes to its search engine.
Even though it's helpful, it's hard for a busy marketer to keep up with the latest trends.
So the most important thing to remember about SEO is to always optimize for people.
Stop trying to write things that search engines will like.
In 2022, every SEO technique and trick is based on people and their experiences.
So spend your time and energy making high-quality content that answers and informs your target persona.
This is the basis for any good SEO plan.
From there, you can use the important SEO techniques of 2022 to tweak, improve, and make your work more effective.
People Also Ask
How SEO Will Change In 2022?
By 2022, you can expect SEO rankings to be more about providing high-quality, useful content to internet users.
Content that only tries to fish for an audience by linking to irrelevant sources won't work as well as it does now.
Is SEO Relevant In 2022?
Will SEO still be relevant in 2022?
Yes, naturally.
Even though some SEO strategies that used to work stopped working, SEO kept getting better.
It is always changing to try to better match what users want. To get better, it gets rid of spammy and ineffective methods.
Is SEO A Dying Industry?
Don't be fooled: SEO is not going away, but it is becoming much more than it was years ago.
If you've been thinking about whether or not to invest in SEO for your business, keep reading to find out why SEO is not dying but actually thriving.
Conclusion
Overall, website owners and digital marketers should stick to the basics of SEO this year.
But pay attention to tools and technologies that can help your team save time and get better results in less time.
Here are the best SEO strategies for 2022, based on the above trends.