SEO is always changing. What worked yesterday may not work today, and what works today may not work tomorrow. That's why it's important to stay up-to-date on the latest SEO trends. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the most important SEO trends for 2022. If you want your website to stay ahead of the competition, then you need to implement these strategies!
What is search engine optimization?
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is the process of improving the visibility and ranking of a website in search engine results pages (SERPs). The higher a website appears in SERPs, the more likely it is to be clicked on by users.
SEO is a complex and ever-evolving field, but there are a few basic principles that all successful SEO campaigns share. First, SEO campaigns must target relevant keywords. Users are more likely to click on websites that appear when they search for terms that are relevant to their needs.
Second, SEO campaigns must create high-quality content. Content that is well-written and informative is more likely to earn clicks and links from other websites. Finally, SEO campaigns must be ongoing; the best way to improve visibility is to keep producing new and relevant content.
SEO Trends #1: Voice search is changing Google search (and all the others, too!)
With the rise of digital assistants like Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant, more and more people are using voice search to find information online. But what does this trend mean for the future of any given search engine?
For one thing, it is likely that voice search will become even more popular in the years to come. Google search is getting better and better at understanding user intent. You can ask your voice assistant just about anything, and 8/10 times, she'll be able to understand user intent and deliver a great answer.
This is due to the fact that voice search is convenient and easy to use, especially when people are on the go. In addition, as artificial intelligence (AI) technology improves, voice search will become even more accurate and responsive. As a result, we can expect that more and more people will use voice search instead of traditional text-based search engines.
What this means for SEO on your website? Google search is going to be able to understand complex titles and headings. It should make it easier for you to get more and more specific in your SEO strategy and help your users get to the next level.
SEO Trends #2: Complex search queries are finally going to destroy keyword stuffing
Up until now, SEO specialists have relied heavily on keywords to improve their website's ranking on search engines. Keyword stuffing is a specific practice that involves jamming as many keywords as possible into your website to boost your rankings. However, this practice is slowly becoming less effective as search engines become more sophisticated.
Instead of simply matching keywords to a query, search engines are now able to understand the intent behind a query and return results that are more relevant to the user. As a result, complex queries that use long-tail keywords are becoming increasingly common, and websites that rely on stuffing are at risk of being left behind.
While there is no need to abandon keywords altogether, it is important to start thinking about how to use them in a way that will appeal to both users and search engines. Otherwise, you run the risk of your website becoming quickly obsolete or even blacklisted if you're engaging in black-hat SEO techniques like keyword stuffing.
SEO Trends #3: As prices fall, how many more people will start implementing SEO strategies?
Optimizing your website for search engines can be a complex and time-consuming process, but the payoffs can be significant. In the past, many businesses have been put off by the high cost of SEO software and consulting services. However, thanks to the advent of SaaS (Software as a Service), SEO is becoming more and more affordable.
What we mean by this is that, historically, there have only been a few front runners in the SEO game. Big companies like Ahrefs and Moz. While they're great tools - they're also prohibitively expensive. But programmers are finally picking up steam, and as a result, there are tons of affordable tools out there, including RankTracker, Surfer, and even free tools on big sites.
As a result, we expect to see many more businesses of all sizes implementing SEO strategies in the coming year. While the benefits of SEO can be great, it's important to understand that there is no quick fix. Successful SEO requires a long-term commitment and a willingness to experiment. But for those who are willing to put in the work, the rewards can be substantial.
SEO Trends #4: We're entering the golden era of artificial intelligence: natural language processing is here to stay.
We're currently in the fourth era of artificial intelligence (AI), and it's only going to get more advanced from here. One of the most significant trends in AI right now is natural language processing for content development and for understanding search queries. This technology is used to analyze and interpret human language, then generate text accordingly. While this might sound like something out of a sci-fi movie, it's actually being used by businesses all over the world to create better content faster.
Natural language processing for content development is particularly well-suited for tasks like blog posts, social media posts, and ad copy. While artificial intelligence is still building and learning, it's starting to be used more and more for content, which means that you need to know it to stay ahead of the curve.
Recently, the search engine giant Google, was involved in an interview where they claimed that they would penalize AI-produced content. But don't worry - search queries can't tell if you're using AI quite yet, and neither can the benevolent search engine. The best kind of AI-produced content is human edited, so keep that in mind if you're going to take the leap.
SEO Trends #5: Long form content is great, but video is important now, too.
TikTok has surpassed Google in some ways as a search engine, and YouTube has always been right up there too. Maybe you don't need to PRODUCE videos to be successful, but you certainly need to incorporate videos in your web content. It's hard for us old folks to remember that a "search engine" doesn't just need to be Google - it can also be Pinterest, YouTube, or TikTok!
It's not just about TikTok and YouTube, either - live streaming is taking off in a big way. In fact, one study found that 82% of internet users are now watching live video. And it's not just because we're all stuck at home - although that's part of it. Live video is engaging, interactive, and it makes you feel like you're part of a community. You want your readers to feel part of something bigger than themselves, so video is where you need to go.
SEO Trends #6: Core Web Vitals are no longer an optional part of your web page
Perhaps the most unsurprising in SEO trends, but it's important to know. Core Web Vitals are what Google search uses to determine if your website is fast, usable, and mobile friendly. While Core Web Vitals started off as something optional, they now factor much more heavily into search results and rankings.
You need to make sure that your web page is friendly for mobile devices. If you're not sure where to start, check out Google's Core Web Vitals tool and see what changes you need to make to keep the search engine gods happy.
Final thoughts
From search queries to SEO trends, I hope that this article has given you a sneak peek of the things to pay attention to. Link building, video content, and web pages are all constantly changing. If you're involved in SEO: pay attention, or you might miss the boat.
Did you learn anything new? Drop it in the comments below!