Google it! – This is the answer to most questions people have these days. Today’s generation uses search engines to find answers to everyday questions, whether they’re looking for a plumber or learning a new skill. This opens up a lot of business opportunities.
It’s not enough to launch a website expecting to get traffic and converts. This is because 75% of people won’t scroll beyond the first Search Engine Results Page (or SERP) (source: Inter Growth). It is not easy to achieve a high ranking on the SERP.
It is essential to follow the latest SEO trends to rank high on the SERP. Search engine algorithms constantly change, so even the most recent trends may not yield the desired results.
SEO can be confusing and intimidating due to all the technical jargon and theories on the internet. We have created a comprehensive guide that will outline the top SEO trends for 2022. Let’s get to it.
The Ultimate SEO Guide for 2022
Optimize your Content for Passage Ranking
Google added passage ranking to its algorithm update in the previous year. This is how Google ranks content. Google can rank only relevant sections of a webpage using the Passage Ranking feature. Google does not consider the relevancy of all pages. Instead, it considers the relevance of one section.
Google says that “by understanding the passages in addition the relevance of an overall page, we can locate the needle-in-a haystack information you’re looking for (people),” which means that every section of your content must be related to the topic and highly informative. Focus on long-form, high-quality content. Then, you can break it up into sections that cover different aspects of the same topic.
Optimize for Visual Search
Visual search is the use of pictures to conduct online searches. It has gained wide acceptance over the years. Industry Arc’s global visual search market will reach $14,727 billion by 2023. If you wish to take advantage of this trend, it is essential to optimize your site, so it appears in visual searches results.
These are some steps you can follow:
Mobile-Friendly Web
Mobile-friendly websites are more likely to rank in visual searches, as visual searches are often conducted on mobile devices. Mobile-friendly websites can be built by paying attention to using lightweight images and videos, avoiding Flash, and using large fonts.
You should also run Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test periodically. This will allow you to identify issues and optimize your site accordingly.
Image SEO
When optimizing for visual searches, traditional image SEO techniques are essential. It is recommended that you use low-resolution, high-quality images on your website. It is possible to reduce file size without compromising its quality.
Alt-text is another essential feature to optimize an image. This allows the search engine to crawl and index an image quickly. Search engine crawlers do more than scan websites. They also crawl image file names. Alt-text provides context and is becoming an increasingly important factor in search engine ranking.
Format your Content for Various Types of Featured Shortcuts
The featured snippet is the most popular result on Google. This position is prominent and gives the brand more exposure. It also demonstrates brand authority. Mobile screens can have featured snippets that take up 50% or more of the screen (source SEMRush). You can see that winning a featured snippet is a way to push your competitors off the initial screen, which gives you a substantial competitive advantage.
Optimizing your content to be featured in snippets starts with user intent analysis and crafting informative content about that topic. Keyword research is an integral part of this process. It is essential to pay attention to the keywords you rank for. Improve your content and get more quality backlinks to be featured in the featured snippet. You will not be displayed in the featured summary if you do not rank among the top 10 keywords.
Add a snippet bait as an additional element to your content. You can use this block of information between 40-and 60 words to get a spot in the featured snippet. This section answers your question. You might want to create a section called “What is SEO” if you create a blog about the Beginners’ Guide to SEO. A snippet bait may look something like this:
SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of improving a site’s rank on search engine result pages and so earning organic traffic. This includes writing high-quality content and earning backlinks. It also improves the technical health of the site.
Google may show the answer to the question “What is SEO?” if someone searches for the phrase. There are many types of snippets available, including paragraph snippets, list snippets, and table snippets. You can create a numbered or bulleted table, insert tables or write a paragraph depending on the content.
It’s not easy to win without the right SEO knowledge. It’s better to hire professional SEO services to get the job done.
Optimized for Search Intent
Optimizing keywords for search engines does not guarantee a high ranking. Search engine algorithms are becoming more intelligent and can provide users with more relevant results. Matching search intent is crucial to winning the top ranking on the SERP.
First, analyze the intent of the keywords you wish to rank for. Are they looking to purchase a product? Or engage in service? Are they looking for information? Are they looking for a tutorial? Curate your content based on the search intent.
You can explore it by looking at the content on the first SERP. This will provide you with an indication of the content ranking for your keyword. Next, create content that is more informative than the rest. This content should rank high in search engine results.
This is an excellent practice to keep your content current. If your content isn’t ranking well or getting enough traffic, you should examine the content that ranks high in the SERPs for the keywords you are looking at. Scrutinize the search intent and optimize any content that is still relevant. The positive results will be noticeable.
Attention to Video SEO
According to a study, Cisco claims that online video will drive 82% of traffic by 2022. Video will be an essential part of your digital marketing strategy. These are some quick tips to optimize your video content.
Optimize Your Name: The name of the video is significant. HubSpot claims that nearly 80% of the videos that reach the top rank in the SERP have the keyword in their title.
Split the Video into Multiple Sections If you have a lot of video content to share, it is better to break it down into smaller sections with a time frame. This allows the search engine to use different parts of your video to suit different search queries.
Upload a Transcript to the Video -Transcribing the video allows search engine bots to crawl and feature it easily. The crawler can’t crawl video content, so transcriptions are helpful.
Let’s close this article by saying that embedding video into your overall content strategy is a brilliant idea due to the increasing popularity of video consumption.
Video content can be embedded in blog posts to increase user engagement and decrease bounce rate. It is no joke to create, optimize, and adequately market video content.
All these problems can be solved by engaging in digital marketing services.