As a business, you want to do everything you can to get your name out on virtual channels. This means making yourself as visible as possible. And the best way to do that is to get to the top of search engines. But the methods we use to boost SEO are constantly changing. Algorithms update, consumer trends come and go and the strategies we used years ago are no longer effective. Businesses must be familiar with the latest fads to keep up.
2022 is here and a new year brings new trends. This article will give you an idea of what you should be doing in the coming months to ensure you’re on top of the competition.
Yet Another Change in Algorithms to boost SEO
It seems as soon as we get used to one algorithm, another comes along to replace it. 2019 saw the launch of BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representation from Transformers) which was capable of matching keywords with the intent behind search queries. It also saw the rise of voice assistants that allowed people to speak search queries rather than type them.
In 2022 MUM (Multitask United Model) will be taking over. It is a new language processing model that is advertised as being 1000 times more powerful than BERT and capable of interpreting information in new ways. It can analyze video, images and texts as well as complex search queries in 75 languages.
The algorithm is an AI model that’s capable of understanding the user’s intent, feelings and context and come up with solutions for unique search data. It will help them find the best possible answers without the need to type in multiple queries. It will use text, images and voice to find relevant results.
LaMDA for Online Conversations to boost SEO
LaDMA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) is a machine learning tool that understands dialogue and is built into Google’s network, Transformer. It was trained on dialogue and can read words and analyze how they relate to one another. In doing so, it can provide search query results and predict what comes next.
So while MUM determines people’s emotions and the intent behind their search queries, LaMDA aims to have conversations and provides results based on the information it is given.
And LaDMA is only part of what Google has in the works. Expect more AI models that use conversational queries to find pages and rank them.
So what does this mean for businesses? If your website is not optimized for voice search, now is the time to get onboard.
Google Boosts Online Shopping Capabilities
Online shopping has gotten even bigger in pandemic times. Surprisingly enough, Google hasn’t done much to keep up with e-commerce giants like Shopify and Amazon. Now all that is changing with an introduction of their Shopping Graph.
The Shopping Graph is an AI enhanced model that understands changes in products, sellers, brands, reviews, product information and inventory data and how they relate to each other. It works in real time so people can learn what products are currently available.
Google also expanded its partnership with Shopify. This will allow businesses to sell products across the platform’s ecosystem leading to a substantial increase in its product catalogue and the number of merchants that are using it.
Other features Google is adding to their online shopping capabilities include the following:
- Open Carts: This Chrome mobile feature will tell you what unpaid items you have in shopping carts every time you open a new tab.
- Linked Loyalty Programs: Google will let brands link their loyalty programs to their user accounts so they will be able reward their customers across the platform.
- Increased Ability to Find the Best Deals: After finding a 50% increase in the search term “discount codes” Google decided to launch a new shopping tab feature that shows users the latest deals from sellers based on their search queries.
- Increased Ability to Find Relevant Deals: Google will highlight the most relevant terms based on the user’s search query. For example, if they search for boots on sale, the platform will highlight the phrase every time it appears in ads.
- Affordable Picks Carousel: Users that include the word “cheap” in their search query will find a selection of the most affordable items that fall under the category they are searching.
Passage Indexing to boost SEO
Recently, businesses have become frustrated by how difficult it is to get their sites to the top of search engines due to the stiff competition and zero rank positioning. There are a lot of SEO Companies out there working to put their clients on top. Google is making it easier for them to achieve their SEO goals with passage indexing which allows passages to rank for positioning rather than the entire page.
The updated algorithm will look at the stronger features of the page, such as headings and page titles, to determine what is most relevant to a query. When fully rolled out globally, this should affect 7% of queries across all languages.
So if you want to put those keywords where they are going to get noticed, headings are recommended.
Suggested Clips
Video marketing will continue to rule the world of digital marketing. But Google has found a way to make it more effective announcing two video structured data types:
This new structure helps you create key moments from your videos that will then be used in the Google search engine and featured along with timestamps and labels. So while videos have become a vital part of marketing, they are now more integral than ever. They are a necessary tool when it comes to keeping up with the competition.
Page Experience Becomes More Important in Web Page Vitals
While keywords and link building will still play an important role in how your site ranks, user experience will become more essential than ever. User experience is defined as signals that tell the algorithm how users perceive the experience of interacting with the page beyond its informational value.
One of the main things that will be looked at in determining user experience is Core Web Vitals that measure a page’s load speed. The components of Core Web Vitals include the following:
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): This measures the pages’ loading performance. Google recommends businesses have an LCP of no more than 2.5 seconds.
- First Input Delay (FID): FID measures user inactivity which should be less than 100 milliseconds.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): This measures the visual stability of a website or the number of layout changes the user experiences. Google recommends a CLS score of less than .1.
Google considers web page vitals along with other factors such as mobile optimization, intrusive interruptions and the security of the site when determining rankings. Businesses who want to get to the top and stay there should focus on fast loading pages, increased security, mobile friendliness and providing users with a seamless experience.
Long Form Content
Long form content is a trend that became popular a few years ago and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Statistics show that pieces that are 3000 words or more tend to bring in the most traffic.
And while long form content is where it’s at, it also needs to be scannable so people can find the information they need. H2 and H3 headings should be integrated to make the content easy to browse. This will be especially useful on mobile devices as small screens make it difficult to read longer pieces.
Adding share links will also boost SEO. Be sure to have them at the top and bottom of your content so people can easily get the word out about your brand and its products and services.
Google’s EAT Principle
Another trend that’s expected to continue is high quality content. Google will be ranking sites with articles that fulfill its EAT principle in that it shows Expertise, Authority and Trustworthiness.
To create high quality articles, brands should be aware of buyer personas. This will help them better understand their target audience so they can provide relevant content. Additionally, any claims made in the content should be backed by statistics and facts. Reputable links will also get your content noticed.
An Emphasis on Semantically Related Keywords
Primary keywords will be as important as ever, but secondary keywords will be vital in supporting them.
Semantic searching involves searching with meaning. It requires more than just the primary keyword but strings of words that help the algorithm understand the users’ intent. Primary and secondary keywords work together to provide a better analysis of what’s being searched.
Social Listening
Social listening involves monitoring your company’s social media platforms to trace feedback and brand mentions. It includes finding conversations relevant to your industry so you can gain insight and a leg up on your competitors. You can link to any mentions and network with the people who are talking about your brand for guest blogging opportunities.
2022 will bring its share of SEO updates and trends. Brands must stay on top of the latest to make it through the year. What will you be doing to boost your strategy?
If you have questions or would like to get started, please give us a call at (312) 834-7787 or visit our website to request a free quote and consultation.