Is SEO still going to be more relevant as it is today in 2022? If you run a small business online, you know that improving your online visibility is vital to creating brand awareness and staying ahead of the competition.

There is a lot that will reshape the face of SEO in 2022, making it even more relevant and popular amongst professional marketers. In 2022 it will be even more challenging for businesses to secure a place on the first results page. 

Marketing has always remained one of the top in-demand skills and SEO remains to rule the chart. The need for skilled marketers is increasing. 

It means ranking on Google and other search engines will be more sophisticated than ever. These are some of the top SEO trends you should not ignore as we approach 2022.

1. Voice search will become more prevalent

In 2022 Google would like to talk to you. Voice search will become more popular than it is today. With innovations like Amazon’s Alexa and Google Assistant, voice search technology has become more useful in SEO. It is estimated that at least 55% of households will own a smart speaker by 2022.

Most companies will start optimizing their content for voice search for the future of SEO. For instance, for businesses to improve on voice search, they have to focus more on long-tail keywords and creating conversational content. Taking the help of a professional SEO agency would be helpful in this regard. 

Voice search tends to work better on longer and more naturally placed phrases. Voice search will impact search queries and how search engines respond to questions most users ask in 2022.

2. Mobile-friendliness will determine site rankings 

Research already shows that by 2025, at least 73% of internet users will be accessing the internet on their mobile devices only. Back in 2019, Google rolled mobile-first indexing. That means that Google will now be considering a mobile version of your website as the primary version instead of the desktop version. Therefore, you should use a mobile-friendly website builder to create sites that load accurately and faster on mobile devices. 

Mobile-friendliness is becoming a must-have feature for any website that wants to rank at the top of search results. You have to check if your website meets the mobile-friendly test from Google. Also, you should get a mobile usability report from Google Search Console. Remove any disallow directive on your website so that Google can easily crawl all your URLs. 

Any content that requires users to swipe or click will not load quickly on Google, which means you should avoid this on your website. Lastly, you should ensure that both your mobile and desktop versions have the same Meta tags. 

3. You should optimize your site for the Google’s Multitask United Model (MUM)

In the recent Google I/O 2021 Conference, the company announced adopting the new MUM model for interpreting and servicing its users. The new model is said to be 1000% more efficient than the BERT model and will unlock information fast and easily. The model can quickly analyze images and videos from more than 75 languages.

MUM is a more efficient and AI-based model that can understand users’ feelings, intent, abstractions, and context to provide more accurate and relevant answers to their queries. With this model, users don’t have to try multiple keywords on queries before getting what they are searching for on Google.  

The search engine will provide the answers they are looking for with just one simple conversational keyword or query. In the new MUM model, users will now combine images, text, and voice to search and get the most relevant results for their queries.

You should expect a MUM model to start working in 2022 because it is still under testing in late 2021. Until this model becomes effective, you can only anticipate a more robust model that will affect search results in 2022.  

4. Google will take online shopping seriously with the launch of Shopping Graph 

Online shopping became the only option for consumers during the Covid-19 pandemic. Most online stores like Shopify and Amazon were able to surpass expectations by reaching all-time sales. Google’s online shopping capabilities have not been that strong until it announced the launch of Shopping Graph. This is in a bid to counter Amazon and Shopify popularity as online shopping search engines.

Google launched the Shopping Graph to help users find and shop for products they are looking for. The tool works in real-time, meaning that users can find the nearest and readily available products and services online.

In partnership with Shopify, Google has allowed over 1.7 million retailers to showcase their products on their platform, increasing their product catalog by at least 80%. You can now get more when shopping on Google and this is more likely to change the e-commerce industry in 2022 and years to come.

Couple it with the power of email marketing by sending mass emails to reach customers and increase your online profits. Moreover, you can use a CRM to nurture all the SEO leads for maximum conversions and profits. 

5. Content that meets EAT principle will rank at the top 

In digital marketing, content is king. However, as you jet into 2022, you should not only focus on quality content to rank at the top. Ensure your content meets the EAT principle: expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness.

This principle is more effective in determining if the content published there is of high quality. As a business, there are many ways you can ensure the content you publish is of high quality. The first step is to come up with buyer personas – understand what your clients like and value. Second, conduct search intent research and map out the consumer journey.

You want to know what consumers are looking for when they go online or search for products and services relating to your business. Third, you should now practice using the information from your research to create content that relates more to your target audience.

Whenever you craft your content, you should always keep the EAT principle in mind. You should not forget to back up any claims you have on the content with statistics. This way, you will rank at the top for quality, accuracy, and trust.

Also, don’t hesitate to link your website to reputable or authority sites and have them link back to your site. This way, you can prove to Google and other search engines that they can trust you.

Final Thoughts 

In 2022, SEO will change in many ways. For instance, long-form content (Content above 3000 words) will rank higher on search engines. The use of voice search will be more popular, and Google will prefer ranking content that meets the EAT principle. There is more to look up to in 2022, which means businesses should keep their eyes open to trying new things.

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