Semalt Expert. 2022 - New SEO Trends
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- People Also Ask
- Long Form Content
- Video
- E-A-T
- Mobile and User Experience
- Backlinks
- Refresh Existing Content
- Conclusion
Introduction
One fact remains certain - SEO trends change constantly. The ranking factors that affected SEO ten years ago aren't the same as those that remained five years ago. In the same light, the ranking factors have changed again and will continue to change. As for why consumers are behind it.
Whenever consumers' interests shift, trends follow. Just because people are interested in cats today does not mean it will be cats tomorrow. It can be an economic dip or protests, or even a war tomorrow.
This change in interest and trends then results in a different search pattern on search engines. To meet the altered demand from consumers, the algorithms shift, hence new SEO trends.
But why do people need to know about the new developments in SEO? The simple reason is this - if anyone wants to become famous online, then SEO is the only guaranteed way to get there and STAY THERE. You need to speak the same language your consumers are speaking so that they can find and buy from you.
Who needs to follow SEO trends? Everyone needs this information. As a business owner with an online website, traffic is your best bet for making sales. The same applies to bloggers, medical professionals, restaurant and bar owners, SaaS, startups, locally exclusive companies, and so on. As long as you create a website for people to see and relate to, you need to understand SEO trends. Without any further delay, let's go into the latest SEO trends in 2022!
1. People Also Ask
Statistics show that out of 2.5 million search queries on Google, approximately 48% are based on 'people also ask'. So what is 'People Also Ask', and why is it so important?
People Also Ask (PAA) is a newly-adopted SERP feature that gives relative and precise answers to questions that are related to the consumer's search query. It usually contains 4 questions at the start. Then it increases in number with every question that is opened.
It is of high value because it is a great way to rank high - fast. By providing straight-up answers to popular questions, you can easily become an authority in your field. Consumers will trust you to provide them with the exact explanation they need and with time, you would be able to draw in more traffic.
So now that the importance is clear, how can you incorporate PAA this year? Find the right keywords using a keyword research tool. You can also hire an SEO expert for the best results of high-ranking keywords related to your niche.
Add the keywords when putting together the answer to the question. Input the answer strategically and naturally within the body of your text, or you can use some of the PAA questions as subheadings (H2s and H3s).
Another thing you can do is add an FAQ section. That would be clearer to sort out by search engine bots during page indexing.
2. Long Form Content
The word goes around that Google ranks longer content higher than shorter ones. This is true, to an extent. Statistics show that the highly ranked articles on Google are usually around 1500 to 2000 words. This is because of two reasons.
The first is that longer content tends to contain a more elaborate explanation of the topic and hence provides more information than briefer content. Also, lengthy pieces of articles usually have more backlinks, images, and all the other things that make content, SEO-packed.
How do you write long-form content? There is a good and bad way to go about it. But if you want to get the right results, the steps outlined below can guarantee just that.
- Use sections and headers to keep your work organized.
- Maintain the flow by ensuring that one section leads into the next.
- Retain a conversational tone to prevent your readers from getting bored.
- Construct a killer introduction.
- Add images in-between paragraphs and headers (but don't spam it).
- Break long texts into paragraphs. 2-4 sentences are recommended for each paragraph.
- Use lists and bullet points when needed to simplify complex texts.
- Avoid using filler words or fluffs.
3. Video
Research shows that videos will add to the majority of the world's IP traffic by the end of the year. So instead of waiting till it becomes flooded, it is best to take full advantage of videos now for your SEO.
You don't have to stay bent on figuring out the nitty-gritty by yourself. Though it is an easy task, you can hire a content and SEO specialist that would oversee that quality videos are embedded into your content and optimized for search engine ranking.
4. E-A-T
E-A-T is relatively new in the world of SEO. But ever since it was developed/discovered, it has become a major part of search engines' website ranking factors.
So what is E-A-T in SEO? Short for Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness; it is a principle that guides how search engines (especially Google) rate and rank content online.
Why is it important? That's simple - if you don't follow the E-A-T principle, it will be almost impossible to be regarded as a quality website. The information on your website has to be unique. It needs to include valid and authoritative references along with a bio that expresses your expertise.
So how can you go about adding E-A-T to your SEO strategy this year?
- Add a Bio to your website so that visitors know who you are.
- Post on your website regularly.
- Link only to high authority sources.
- Do a lot of research before creating content and avoid writing untrue statements.
- Create content based on the market's demand.
5. Mobile and User Experience
Optimization for mobile and user experience has been on the record since 2019, so it is not a new trend. But since it does not seem to be dying down anytime soon, it is a part of this list.
It is especially needed because more people use their phones and tablets to access the internet. So if your website looks amazing on desktops but looks like an unfinished project on mobile devices, odds are you won't rank high at all.
Optimum mobile and user experience can best be attained with mobile optimization and a responsive website. Where mobile optimization is the process of getting your website to be accessible to mobile users, responsive web design is when you make your website render well on a number of devices with different screen sizes.
Both tools ensure user satisfaction and usability on tablets and mobile phones. So if you haven't added the mobile-first index and mobile optimization to your strategy, you'd better begin today.
6. Backlinks
This is another SEO trend for 2022 that is worth mentioning and yet is not new. Backlinks are links that bring traffic from another website to a page on your website. Also called inbound links, they do a lot for a website including increasing its ranking potential.
But unlike before, this year brings a new leaf - Quality over Quantity. It is no longer about how many sites link to yours but what type of sites do. Search engines filter out the noisy sites and look for what high-quality, trustworthy site refers to what you post.
This is because quality backlinks are somewhat like a vouch for your content, and Google respects that. So work towards getting quality inbound links and improve your relevance as a trustworthy website online.
7. Refresh Existing Content
Finally, this new SEO trend to refresh pre-existing content instead of creating new ones is not only time-effective but also more rewarding.
It does two things for you:
- It helps to prune your site of old and outdated SEO trends that negatively affect your rank.
- It allows you to create more content in a shorter amount of time without running out of topics.
So go back to all your old content from two, three or even a year ago. Scan through them for the ones that brought in the most traffic. Read through them and modify the outdated things. Upgrade some of the keywords as well. Other things you can do to refresh existing content are:
- Update statistical info.
- Add more or remove unnecessary texts.
- Include images if there are none. Update the images for better ones if you already have images.
- Modify the structure of the text - Include lists, headers, and paragraphs.
- Optimize for technical, on-page, mobile, and off-page SEO.
Conclusion
SEO is a full-time job. You need to take into account all the tiny bits of the content and the website functionality. The content alone holds the headers, texts, images, videos, links, keywords, and so much more. The functionality goes a long way, incorporating page speed, mobile optimization, local optimization, analytics, and so on.
It can be a handful if you try to do all that is in this list at once. That is why it is recommended to outsource your website's SEO to a professional SEO company like Semalt. They will help you figure out where your website is currently with SEO, what it is lacking, and what is not needed.
They will also help you to restructure your website by giving you an SEO strategy that suits your goals. Not only will you get your desires but also without wasting your time with trial and error.