The SEO Strategies You Need to Succeed in 2022

With the rise of online shopping due to COVID-19, customers have become a key player of any digital marketing strategy. With the help of the internet, customers have the power to demand their needs. As stellar digital marketers, our job is to lend them our ears.

The spike in online shopping has created a new buyer cycle. Now, searching before purchase has become a crucial step in the buying process. According to ReviewTrackers, customers only find companies with four star reviews or higher to be trustworthy.

As they say, the customer is always right! To be a successful marketer in the internet age, it’s crucial to prioritize the customer’s desires and actions when coming up with strategies.

However, after the customer, there’s another important player we need to keep our eye on— Google. As the most visited website in the world in 2022, Google has become a no-brainer for digital advertisement.

That’s where SEO comes in. What is SEO? Search engine optimization— by using smart practices, marketers can improve their ranking on search engines like Google, making their companies appear more visible and trustworthy.

Constant updates come with the territory of digital marketing. What worked in 2020 won’t have the same effect in 2022. Stay on top with these new SEO strategies tailored for 2022.

The Best SEO Strategies for 2022

1. SEO Core Web Vitals

In mid-June of last year, Google launched Core Web Vitals. By measuring your website’s performance, Google decides where to rank you. Performance metrics include:

• Loading

• Visual stimulus

• Interactivity

Google also has a Core Web Vitals tool that generates reports on your website so you can optimize accordingly. By creating an attractive website that loads quickly and encourages interactivity, your website will rank well with Google.

 

2. Mobile-First Indexing

Mobile-First Indexing is similar to the Web Core Vitals section because Google measures your page’s performance. The only difference is with mobile-first indexing, Google will give preference to the mobile version of your website over the desktop version.

Google made the move to mobile-first indexing because the majority of people carry out purchases with their mobile devices more than their desktops.

With that being said, making your mobile site user-friendly is a sure-fire way to boost sales and rankings. Searchmetrics offers some great tips to optimize your mobile site’s performance: including obtaining mobile URLs, fast page loading time, and responsive mobile web design.

 

3. Search Intent SEO Strategies

Keywords aren’t what they used to be. Search engine algorithms now prioritize keywords based on search intent, also known as user intent. Basically, this means that search engines determine the purpose of a user’s search.

Some users go on Google to find an answer to their question. Others might go on because they want to buy something while others are trying to find something. With the help of search intent, Google hones in on buyer cycles to provide relevant information depending on their needs.

That’s why it’s so important to write content that Google’s algorithm can pick up easily. For example, by writing how to choose the best barbeque, Google will assume you are in the first stage of the buyer cycle. You’re still learning about the product and need to inform yourself before the purchase. In that case, it will show you articles and guides that help you find the right barbecue and leave the ads in a narrow column to the right side of the screen.

However, if you were to write “where to buy barbecues,” Google provides a very different experience because you’re showing that you’re in the purchase phase of the buyer cycle. You appear convinced that you know what you want from the search engine, so it will provide various websites that sell barbecues and where to buy them, whether that’s locally or online.

 

4. Google Passages

In 2020, Google launched a new algorithm that favors well-formatted websites. By dividing articles in clear sections by using H1, H2, and H3 sections, Google can place individual sections in a search so users can find the most accurate information they need.

According to Radd Interactive, using keywords in headings and throughout specific passages allows Google to quickly find your content. In fact, they mark the keywords in bold to improve reading, and also to demonstrate the relevance of the article to users.

When you use relevant keywords in your passages, Google is more likely to rank your website higher in the search because you’re providing valuable information on a specific topic.

 

5. Featured Snippets

Featured Snippets tend to pop up in searches when you have a specific question. What Google does is take the most relevant passage of a webpage and places it above the organic search.

The Featured Snippet is a privileged position. What many consider to be the #0 position, since it comes before the #1 search result, marketers strive to get their web content placed there.

Getting your content in the Featured Snippet section helps your website get more traffic and clicks. In fact, some studies show that the Featured Snippet position can boost your CTR to nearly 10%.

 

6. Privacy and Transparency

As the digital market expands, many powerful websites have taken privacy measures to inspire trust with customers. While this makes things more complicated for digital marketers, respecting user privacy is key to having a successful online business in 2022.

Rock Content dives into greater detail on how to navigate the rise of digital regulation; such as increasing ad and communication frequency, embracing integrated brand metrics, and including transparency in your methodology.

 

Is SEO still relevant in 2022?

There’s lots of talk about SEO going obsolete. As the internet faces more regulations, digital marketers have to adapt to new updates and guidelines to stay on top.

Wherever the new updates take us, SEO is here to stay in 2022. Here’s what to take away to make sure your web page performs well and ranks high with Google:

• Prioritize user experience. That means creating an interactive web page that loads fast on both desktops and mobile devices.

• Break down your web content into clear sections. Use headers to your advantage so search engines can easily grab your content for specific queries.

• Be conscious of keywords and buyer cycles. Incorporating specific terms in your content will help search engines accurately position your content.

• Don’t be intimidated by the new privacy measures. Digital marketing is a constant learning process and understanding transparency will be a crucial step in the years to come.