With the first quarter of 2022 wrapping up, it’s quite timely to have a review of the trends that can be applied to your business throughout the rest of the year.
If you’re wondering if Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is still worth the effort, this article will elaborate just how relevant it still is and how you can apply these trends on your own businesses, great and small, to increase your revenue through better traffic and an upward keyword ranking direction.
While the core principles of SEO are still very present, there are newer tricks of the trade that prove to be just as impactful.
1. Investing in long-form content
Google searches put a premium on high-quality content which they assess with E-A-T (Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) – a relatively new addition to Google’s rating factor in ranking websites.
Creating content that adds value to the user’s experience generally gets you in search engines’ good graces. Therefore, investing in having longer content that’s a one-stop information depot is the way to go about it. Cite sources, do your research in your field of business, stick to facts and figures while staying conversational and friendly to readers.
With constantly evolving algorithms that are on the hunt for quality providing comprehensive E-A-T standards, long-form content can get you well on your way to better SEO rankings.
2. Look into what “People also ask”
When you do a Google search, you might have noticed a “People also ask” section with quick previews of related questions and links to the article that answers it. The goal is to get your website on that prominent section on the top of search pages.
But how to get there?
With keyword research tools, you can get long-tail questions that are usually keyed in by your target audience. Equipped with these questions, build authoritative content on your website encompassing those questions. Make it interesting, informative, and complete and you just might find your website in one of the links at the top!
3. Clustering keyword searches
The last keyword-related trend is keyword clustering. As the phrase implies, it’s putting relevant keywords together to get more opportunities to rank in different but related topics.
One other benefit in clustering keywords is expanding your “clickability” as more words get anchored to your content instead of just sticking to one keyword phrase. Rephrasing and using similar words allows for the likelihood that users type in a different but similar term in their search.
For instance, instead of just using “web developing software”, you can use keyword tools to determine other combinations with the same intent – such as “web dev tools” or “website development apps”.
4. Optimizing your website’s Core Web Vitals
Just as people measure their health with their vitals, your website is also measured by its Core Web Vitals (CWV) which includes:
- The time it takes for the bulkiest content on your page to load
- Response time to a user’s first interaction on the page
- Number of unexpected layout shifts in every view/visit
There’s no need for guesswork as you can easily assess your website’s current standing with free tools like Google Search Console or PageSpeed Insights which can detail your CWV stats that aren’t up to par with the standards. It can also tell you which areas on your page need better page experience and which ones are doing well.
As this requires a certain amount of technical know-how, you might need to partner with web dev pros, such as mvp.dev, to get your Core Web Vitals in their prime performance.
5. Employing content optimization software
Using the term “high-quality” is relative and unquantifiable without context. As such, search engines like Google use algorithms to determine just exactly what that entails.
Content optimization software sweeps the worldwide web for content from your industry and identifies the keywords, related searches, subtopics, and others that promote your page better with crawlers.
What that means for business owners, like yourself, is a more exact goal to tick off your list to make your website as “high-quality” as possible to get better placement in search rankings.
What’s Next
While all these somewhat newer trends can surely increase your SEO quality, checking in with the core SEO factors never hurts. So it’s wise to still keep the foundation of your website solid. Remember to:
- Always aim for quality in your content with your users in mind
- Apply on-page SEO to keep your page fresh and relevant
- Use backlinks to get better authority and traffic on your pages
- Ensure snappy and quick loading pages by monitoring the technical aspect of your website
If the idea of a tech-heavy task is making you dizzy, fret not. The pros are within reach and within budget to get you set up for a stronger SEO presence in 2022.
The best time to get started is now, and we’re the team to partner with!
