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 freelance digital consultant 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 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.
