Top SEO Trends for 2022 to Improve Your Website & Rankings

Search Engine Optimization, more commonly known as SEO, is an essential part of attracting potential customers to your website. Whether you are a blogger or business owner, the ability of properly constructed SEO to drive traffic to your website cannot be overstated. With the immense advancements in technology and the prevalence of digital and social media, the realm of SEO is constantly evolving.

Staying Relevant Online In 2022

As a business owner, your content must be relevant based on current SEO trends. It’s essential to keep informed about changes to search engine algorithms and the most commonly searched words and phrases in your business sector. By maintaining an awareness of the top SEO trends of 2022, you can create website content that aligns with those trends. You will begin to see direct benefits from tailoring your business to reflect what customers are specifically searching for.

1. Incorporating The “EAT” Principle Into Your Content

A current trend in Google search optimization is the “EAT” principle. EAT is an acronym for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. In the age of fake news and misinformation, efforts have been made by Google to ensure that quality content ranks highest in the search results and that the information communicated through that content is accurate, authentic, and valuable. To determine the quality of the content and rank it appropriately, Google uses the “EAT” principle to analyze the content writer, the content itself, and the website as a whole.

For search engine ranking purposes, it is the content itself that holds the highest value. Unfortunately, most businesses don’t yet understand the full meaning of “quality content”. By adopting aspects of the “EAT” principle, business owners can better understand how to craft content that will attract new visitors and convert them into customers. Quality content will help your business grow by providing information that potential customers can trust.

Business Relationships Are Built On Trust

In the information age, we are in a paradox. On one hand, anyone can create websites and put whatever content they want on them. On the other hand, this freedom means that you don’t need a medical degree to advise on health and wellness, and you don’t need your Ph.D. in economics to give finance and investment advice.

With the sheer amount of information available with just a few clicks and keystrokes, it can be difficult for people to search for things using a powerful search engine like Google. People often make critical decisions within just a few minutes of searching. Google recognizes its obligation to ensure its high-ranking results are from the most trustworthy sites.

Expertise Versus Opinion Online

For example, the search engine will identify that a well-researched medical article on the Mayo Clinic website, written by an expert physician, is more relevant and valuable than an unknown blog that provides factually untrue medical information.

To help ensure that your website contains content that will rank highly in Google search results, it is important to apply the “EAT” principle to your content. The more authoritative and trustworthy your content, the more your visitors will grow to view your content as expert advice—and lead to higher visitor conversion rates and organic search engine visibility.

2. Staying Current With The Search Algorithm

A search result is Google’s way of rewarding websites that provide a good user experience through publishing helpful and relevant content. SEO strategists and web administrators understand the need to stay current with emerging trends and to keep an eye out for any significant changes to Google’s search algorithm. This awareness enables agility and allows them to change their strategies accordingly—an important and challenging job.

Impact Of Small And Significant Changes

Unfortunately, these updates haven’t always worked as well as they should, they have been a critical part of helping people find the best possible answers to their questions online. The changes and adjustments made by SEO experts are often so small that they go unnoticed. However, some changes are so impactful that they can significantly affect your search engine results pages (SERPs). In search engine optimization, there are winners and losers—if you run more than one website, both could happen. Although Google strives to provide the most relevant results to users’ questions, not every website can move to the top of their list.

It can be challenging to keep track of the frequent changes Google makes to its algorithm. Although there are usually only one to three significant changes announced each year, there are hundreds of minor changes made in that same timeframe—and averages that show changes more than once per day.

Focusing On Quality Content

The primary goal of all search algorithms is to produce quality content and satisfy the needs of all users, including business owners. In 2021, the Page Experience Update and Core WEB Vitals took the lead and focused on the more technical side of business needs. With the introduction of the Multitask Unified Model (MUM), search engines should be able to read queries better, and discover the results that most closely align with the “EAT” principle —this could have significant impacts. Not only that, but these new tools should allow users to get accurate and trustworthy answers to multiple questions simultaneously. As a result, enterprise marketers will now be able to correlate intent queries with content types.

3. Artificial Intelligence – The Future Of SEO

Artificial Intelligence, more commonly known as AI, is quickly progressing and is more accessible than ever to business users. With modern business intelligence tools, the ability to analyze numerous pieces of data is an essential part of an SEO strategy. Early adopters of AI for SEO lead the pack in terms of converting search terms into valuable and relevant content for users.

The most effective way to get ahead of your online competitors is to create content that is specifically data-backed. This will not only immediately catch the eye of your readers, but will also fit within search engine algorithms, such as those used by Google.

Impacts Of AI On The Future Of SEO

• AI is one of the best marketing trends in 2022, with features such as time-on-page, click-through rate, and so much more informing SEO strategists in optimal content creation.
• AI works to improve the user experience based on the search level.
• The top search engines (e.g., Google, Bing, Baidu, DuckDuckGo, etc.) are competitors, and won’t likely be sharing their technological advancements.
• Constant knowledge building and awareness of current trends will allow you to create engaging content that can both inform and captivate readers.
• AI allows you to customize content creation to be helpful and more focused on the services you can provide to your readers.

Clear and distinct references to your business name and your services should be straightforward and organized, allowing your readers to quickly understand your business.

4. Voice Search And Its Impact On Business And Users

Voice search is a digital tool that allows users to search for any topic by speaking their query. Now a common feature on various devices such as smartphones, tablets, and voice assistants like Google Home and Amazon Echo, voice search is revolutionizing the way people search online and making those applications more accessible to all users.

Adopting New Behaviors

The ability for users to ask questions about any variety of topics, such as health, finance, education, and food, quickly and easily is becoming a trend. This access to information has altered user behavior, as well as their expectation of the user experience. Being able to query search engines without lifting a finger is very appealing and is steadily overtaking traditional typed searches as the primary way users are making online inquiries.

Voice search isn’t limited to personal use. Many businesses have started to incorporate “voice search” functions on their websites because they recognize how instrumental it could be for the future of their organizations.

Overall Benefits Of Voice Search

• Voice search allows users to easily access websites by speaking their inquiries into the Google search engine rather than typing them. Common voice assistants include Siri (iPhone), Google Home, and Amazon Echo.
• Voice search is beneficial to users because it allows them to make more accurate and specific inquiries and ask more detailed questions. This detail will result in a more relevant list of search results for the user.
• Voice search is faster than a traditional typed search. Since people talk faster than they write, voice search can significantly speed up the search process.
• Some devices are equipped with hands-off search, so there is no need to even touch a device to use the voice search functionality.
• You can query the internet using a voice search from basically anywhere in the world that has a stable internet connection.

Trendy For Younger Users

• Younger generations are more comfortable using the modern voice search capabilities of their devices. Its perception as “cool” is helping this method of searching to be among the top SEO trends of 2022.
• As the younger generation ages, voice search will grow more popular, until it becomes the primary method of online searching.

Perfect For Seniors and Users with Accessibility Challenges

• The older generation is seeing great benefits in the ability to use voice assistants and voice search capability, especially to aid in their day-to-day lives. It can assist the visually impaired or those with reduced motor function. It can also help individuals who struggle with writing to ask questions in a more comfortable format.
• Voice search is faster than a traditional typed search. Since people talk faster than they write, voice search can significantly speed up the search process.
• Voice search is multilingual. Incorporating voice search into your websites will naturally result in advertising and business exposure around the world. The lack of a language barrier will allow all users to quickly understand the nature of your business and the products and services you provide.

Demonstrated Business Benefits

• Local businesses that have well-established websites can also voice search to boost their growth, with research suggesting that most voice search queries are based locally. Common queries include, “Where is the nearest bakery in town?”, “Where is the closest hospital?”, and so on.
• Voice search capabilities can be quickly enabled on your phones, computers, and other digital devices.
• Local SEO can be greatly leveraged for voice search optimization and enable businesses to improve their SEO campaign to more effectively target and reach customers using voice search tools. Many businesses understand the basics of SEO, but still lack understanding of how to make the most of voice search and related applications.
• Many business owners and SEO experts are already aware of how SEO can help their website appear higher in the SERPs.
• Voice search is multilingual. Incorporating voice search into your websites will naturally result in advertising and businesses exposure around the world. The lack of a language barrier will allow all users to quickly understand the nature of your business and the products and services you provide.
• Ensure you are using a well-tested voice search application so you can ensure that both the voice and text features work well together.

Adopting Voice Search Functionality

It is virtually effortless to adopt voice search functionality—it’s a significant step towards making your website mobile and boosting your business search rankings. Without a website, users will struggle to find information about your business, even if they are using voice search. Investing in a comprehensive web presence with optimized and trustworthy content will allow you to capitalize on the use of these innovative search tools. In addition to your website, it is essential to create and maintain a social media presence, particularly with the upsurge in online business reviews. Capitalizing on positive reviews can help cement your place within the search engine.

The Power Of Accessibility

Voice search capabilities are present in most of the digital devices we use in our personal and business lives. From an Android in your pocket to an iPad on your desk, voice search devices are everywhere. This popularity and accessibility is something your business can greatly benefit from. Users tend to develop trust through spoken speech rather than typed text because it can feel like they are making a more personal connection. In addition to the time saved searching your website, users will be more likely to stay longer on your site and return in the future if they have a straightforward and accessible experience. To maximize the potential of your web presence, consult with professional web designers and SEO experts.

5. Boost Your Business With Google Shopping

Google Shopping, a feature of Google’s search engine, is an online user interface that helps users compare different products across a variety of different online retailers. Through the Google Shopping platform, retailers present their products in an attractive way that gives customers important information about each item—and makes it more likely that they will make a purchase.

Seeing Is Believing

Google Shopping is quickly growing in popularity as online retailers discover the power of photographs, descriptions, and item listings at the top of the Google search results page. If your products appear within the first page or two in the search results list, potential customers will be more likely to purchase them. Google Shopping ads are so effective because users immediately see the relevant items displayed on the page when they conduct a Google search query. When users click on an ad, they are taken directly to the retailer’s product page.

Take your Business Global through Google Ads

There are currently 94 countries participating in the Google Shopping program. The product listings often include the name, price, item photo, and description, as well as shipping information. Using Google ads is a great way to boost your product’s visibility on Google search because the ads appear at the top of the search results page in a carousel of up to 20 ad places. Compared to search ads, Google Shopping ads can boost the possibility of your products being viewed by the users most likely to purchase the product because they are specifically searching for related items. The ads also contain product photos, which are naturally more attractive than plain text ads.

A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words

There are aspects of Google Shopping that you can leverage to your advantage. Photographs are attractive and entice people to click on your ads, but it’s also a trending practice to make sure that photos of your product show up in Google Images searches. Visuals of your products are an effective marketing tool because people want to be able to see (and purchase) the exact item that they searched for.

Take Advantage Of Product Description Keywords

Using keywords in your future product descriptions, content, or ad copy can boost your presence within the Google Images results. Also, because of the search functionality of Google, even if there isn’t a photograph directly on your website, it will still show any e-commerce retailer (could be using a Content Management System (CMS) like; WooCommerce, Shopify, Magento, etc…) that carries your products.

Set Up A Google Merchant Account

Before you begin advertising and selling on Google Shopping, you need to set up a Google Merchant Center account.

As an online retailer, there are seven steps to selling your products through Google Shopping.

• Publish appealing images of your products.
• Add your product feed.
• Connect your Google AdWords account to Google Merchant Center.
• Set up a campaign on Google Shopping to sell your products.
• In the Google Shopping campaign, put bids on the items.
• Make groups of products for your campaign.

Google Shopping is an excellent way to drive more traffic to your website, get more leads, and ultimately generate more revenue. Following the steps above will help you learn how to set up Google Shopping for your individual business needs. Customized campaigns can also help boost conversion rates—an estimated 30 percent more than traditional text ads. If you don’t have your products on Google Shopping, now is the time to get on board!

6. Incorporate Videos Into Your SEO Strategy

One of the most common forms of media today is online videos. People are attracted to video content, as the popularity of visual platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Facebook Live demonstrates. As part of your overall SEO content and marketing strategies, including a video component is an angle to consider. Videos are a particularly useful way to explain the benefits and features of a product or service, particularly if it is more complicated than an average person would understand. An informative and well-crafted video can take the growth of your business to a whole new level.

Videos Leave A Lasting Impression

Creating unique and informative video content will form a significant part of trending SEO strategies in 2022. One of the most effective ways to capitalize on the benefits of SEO is through detailed video and channel descriptions that provide a user-friendly overview of the services you provide. Don’t forget about the power of keywords, phrases, and hashtags in those descriptions, as well—each part of your descriptions helps to optimize your search engine results and directs content toward your intended audience.

Seek Assistance From Professionals

If you’re interested in using these modern SEO trends and strategies in your 2022 digital marketing campaigns and want to see how this optimization can impact your business, connect now with a leading SEO company in Montreal. OptiWeb Marketing is always here to help!