SEO Tips for 2022

Introduction

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a constantly evolving industry that requires marketers to stay on top of the latest trends and algorithm updates. That doesn’t mean the principles behind SEO are changing, but search engines are now placing a greater emphasis on certain ranking factors. As we head into 2022, here are some key takeaways you should keep in mind as you plan your SEO strategy.

SEO is not dead

• SEO is not dead. Like the stock market, SEO has its ups and downs, but it’s a long-term strategy that will continue to be important for years to come. If you’re looking for an quick boost in traffic and rankings, look elsewhere.
• SEO is a long-term process with continuous improvement as its goal. It’s never-ending because there are always new technologies that can help your business rank higher and newer strategies to try out that can improve your visibility in search results.
• A successful SEO strategy should be treated like any other project: start with researching what goals you want to achieve, build out a plan with measurable objectives (e.g., increase average time on site by 20%), then execute on that plan over time based on measurable progress towards those goals (e.g., increase conversion rate 10%).

SEO is changing

SEO is changing, and it’s becoming more complex.

The days of focusing on just keywords and links are over. SEO is now about creating a user experience that delivers people what they’re looking for in the most natural way possible–and getting them there as quickly as possible. That means that your content needs to be optimized for mobile devices, but also easy-to-find on Google search results pages so people can find you when they need you most.

Amongst those who have tried to optimize their site for organic search results:

• 100% report that it’s become harder to measure success (76% say “much harder”).
• 97% think it’s gotten more difficult to control all the ranking factors (77% say “much more difficult”).
• 82% say optimization is now much harder than ever before (60% say “a lot harder”).

SEO requires full integration with other departments

If you’re looking to succeed in SEO in 2022, you need to think beyond just what happens on your own website.

In order to do this, it is essential that the team at your organization understands the importance of integration.

You cannot simply create content, push it out and hope that people will find your site if you are not also working on other aspects of search engine optimization (SEO).

SEO is a team sport: A successful strategy requires full integration with marketing, content and development.

Content is king and always will be

There is no doubt that content is a cornerstone of SEO. In fact, it’s the most important part of SEO. Content is at the heart of SEO and without it, you’re not going to be able to rank high on Google.

Content should be king in your mind because without great content, you’re not going to have any way to rank among your competitors or stand out from them!

Link building will continue to be essential for SEO success

Link building, the process of building links to your website from other sites on the internet, will continue to be essential for SEO success in 2022. Link building is still a critical part of SEO strategy and will remain so for years to come.

Mobile friendliness continues to be of paramount importance

Mobile friendliness continues to be of paramount importance, as it has been since mobile usage first surpassed desktop. In fact, according to Google’s own research, mobile-friendly websites are:

• 2x more likely to be found by search engines
• 2x more likely to convert visitors into customers (when they come from searches)
• 3x more likely to be shared socially
• 3x more likely to rank higher in the search results

Website speed is essential for user experience, engagement, and conversions

Website speed is essential for user experience, engagement and conversions. When a website is slow it can affect user experience, engagement, and conversions. The longer a page takes to load the more likely a user will abandon the page. There are many factors that can contribute to slow loading times of your website such as:

• A slow server
• Overly complicated code
• Too many files being downloaded at once

SEO’s like to plan ahead if your site isn’t ready for 2022 then you need to get started today.

SEO is not dead and it has not changed that much over the last few years. In fact, it has become even more complex as a result of changes in search engine algorithms, which are designed to provide users with better results (and therefore more traffic). SEO requires full integration with other departments such as sales, marketing and content production in order to make sure that all teams are working towards a common goal: building links and ranking well on Google search results pages (SERPS).

Bottom Line

It is important to remember that the end goal is not simply traffic from Google; it is about increasing revenue, returning visitors and achieving the company’s overall goals. It is very rare to see SEO benefits that cannot be combined with other marketing efforts in order to achieve better results.