If there is one strategy to change year over year frequently, it’s SEO. Every year, Google and other search engines update their algorithms to show users the best possible results. These updates help pages that contain relevant and high-quality information rank higher than websites with inaccurate or spammy content. Although it might feel annoying having to regularly make changes to your SEO strategy all the time, these updates are beneficial for the user experience. Think of the last query you entered into Google. Did the first results give you the correct answer? We’re guessing yes. That’s all thanks to Google’s frequent algorithm updates.
Stay ahead of your competitors and find out what you need to know about 2022 SEO updates.
Refined Search Results
One of the top priorities of search engines is to provide users with the best search results possible. With every algorithm update, Google implements new filters to push the best content to the top of search results. In 2022, high-quality content will be more critical than ever. Websites showcasing spammy content, blackhat linking strategies, or content irrelevant to the website or headings within the website will no longer rank well.
In 2022, Google will begin to show search results based on past searches, similar to Youtube’s suggested videos feature. This new feature means search results can vary depending on the individual’s past search history.
In 2021, Google rolled out a new technology called MUM – Multitask Unified Model – to help users find answers to their queries faster. Instead of completing multiple searches to see all the answers you need, the MUM update helps you find one solution and suggests related articles. For example, if you search for what it’s like to climb Mt. Fuji, MUM would provide relevant results to answer that question and related articles such as the best gear to choose and fitness training programs to help you prepare. MUM also provides users with results translated from other languages to offer even more results.
With MUM in mind, someone might not directly search for your article, but there is still the chance a user clicks on it because it’s a related article!
E-A-T
Are you wondering how Google determines which websites to rank on page one? In 2019, Google confirmed that their algorithm evaluates websites based on EAT (expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness). In 2022, rankings depend heavily on EAT and less on keyword usage—although keywords are still important.
Here are a few ways to improve your website’s expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness:
- Obtain more good online reviews
- Receive mentions on authoritative websites, forums, or Wikipedia
- Always cite your sources
- Don’t use plagiarized content
- Improve website quality and user experience
- Add author bios to blogs
- Add more information to about pages to build credibility
Not sure if your website utilizes best practices for EAT? Contact our SEO experts at Forge Apollo for a comprehensive SEO audit.
Videos and Images are More Important for Optimization
In the past, written content was king. As the digital world becomes more visual-dependent, images and videos will become more relevant for optimization. For example, if you post the same blog twice, one with images and videos and one without, Google will favor the one with images and videos. With that said, blogs and pages in 2022 and beyond should contain visual imagery to increase rankings and website traffic.
Not only should you use images and videos, but they must be appropriately optimized. For images, this means they are compressed and contain proper alt tags. When embedding videos from your own YouTube account, they should include proper clip markup. Clip markup is a YouTube feature that labels and timestamps vital moments in videos. They make your video more user-friendly for viewers who want to skip ahead to a relevant part of the video. They’re also a great resource to input keywords.
Although clip markup already exists, in 2022, YouTube plans to roll out seek markup, the URL structure tied to clip markup. The clip and seek markups live within the VideoObject schema, the code that search engines crawl to understand and rank videos. The use of these markup features makes it easy to attract more website traffic when embedding the video and directly to YouTube.
If your business doesn’t have any compelling videos to showcase on your website, our team at Forge Apollo can help. Contact us today to learn about our video production services in Philadelphia.
Page Experience & Core Web Vitals
In 2021, Google rolled out the Page Experience Update, which emphasized the importance of user experience on a website. Today, Google scores a page experience using their criteria tool known as Core Web Vitals. Core Web Vitals evaluates a user’s experience with a website based on several factors, including website speed, user experience, and security. The Page Experience Algorithm was initially rolled out for mobile users and will continue to roll out to desktops in 2022.
With that said, providing your website visitors with a good experience is more important than ever. Websites should not only contain high-quality content and relevant information, but they need to have user-friendly designs. For example, if your website isn’t responsive (mobile-friendly) and takes forever to load, it can have a severe impact on your website’s search visibility.
Not sure if your website is up to standard? Forge Apollo can help by providing you with a free website audit. We will help you determine whether a website redesign is in the best interest of your SEO goals for 2022.
Prepare For SEO in 2022 With Forge Apollo’s Help
SEO constantly changes, and as a business owner, it’s doubtful that you have time to keep up with every change. That’s why our Philadelphia marketing agency is happy to stay updated for you. Our SEO marketing specialists keep up to date on the latest SEO news and implement new strategies to help our clients remain at the forefront of search results. Make sure your business doesn’t fall behind. Contact us today to learn if your website’s SEO is up to 2022 standards and whether our digital marketing or video production services can help improve your strategy.