While social media plays an increasingly important role in the overall success of your business, search engine optimization (SEO) shouldn’t be ignored. Some SEO factors might even become more important in 2022 than they are today, while others will slowly become less significant.
This article explores which factors are likely to make the biggest difference to your search engine rankings in five years’ time. We’ll also look at which factors you can put in place now to increase your chances of success next year and beyond.
On-page SEO in 2022 The Top 10 Factors You Need to Know
New Google Update
A major update is coming to Google, and no one knows when or how it will hit. Google hasn’t yet announced when it will launch its next algorithm update, but it’s always important for webmasters to be prepared for any changes that might come.
More than likely, there will be a new Google update in 2018. When that happens, it will come with a major announcement from Google as well. No one knows for sure what changes are coming, but we’re willing to bet it’ll involve mobile-friendliness and quality content because those two aspects have been at the heart of all major updates over recent years.
In-Depth Link Analysis
In 2019, links are still one of (if not the) most powerful ranking factors. It’s crucial that marketers take a detailed look at their link profile. If you’re looking for a comprehensive guide on how to conduct a link audit, we put together an in-depth guide on auditing your website using data from Majestic, Moz, and Ahrefs.
Links continue to play a pivotal role in Google’s ranking algorithm, and it’s important that your conduct link audits regularly (especially if you have a significant link profile). From manually checking each of your links to using tools such as Ahrefs or Open Site Explorer, there are many ways you can get an idea of where your links come from.
However, manually checking each link isn’t always a viable option due to time constraints or even the sheer volume of links. In these cases, it makes sense to use tools such as Ahrefs, which not only enables you to track your overall link profile but also offers some basic information about where links are coming from.
One thing worth noting is that while Ahrefs will give you an idea of where a lot of your links are coming from, it’s far less comprehensive than Open Site Explorer.
Location
If you’re not already, consider moving to a place where most of your audience is. Being physically closer to your target audience means you can tailor content and optimize it for a local search. Be sure to note that even if you move, there will be people who won’t see any on-site benefits because they use Google or Bing rather than searches on Yelp or TripAdvisor, or they live outside of your location area. Optimizing for localized traffic can help increase visibility.
In today’s hyper-local marketing environment, being local isn’t just about your physical location. It’s also about catering content specifically to people who are looking for information in their own local area. For example, if you live on one side of town and your ideal audience lives on another side of town, find and work with business associations (or other appropriate local organizations) in that other part of town.
With so many people shopping locally, you’ll want to be sure your business is easy for them to find and navigate. Keep it simple by placing your most important information at or near the top of each page of your website (like hours of operation, location, and contact information). Not only should you tell customers where they can find you, but show them how easy it is for them to do business with you.
Mobile Friendliness
Google made headlines when it rolled out a mobile-friendly update back in 2015. Ever since mobile-friendliness has played a huge role in how well your website ranks on search engines. With over 60% of users accessing content via their smartphones and tablets, using responsive design techniques is crucial for top placement on SERPs. Google’s algorithm will give preferential treatment to sites that opt for mobile URLs.
Overwriting Meta Description and Title
According to a study conducted by Bright Edge, 90% of searchers don’t look beyond page 1 of search results. When they do, it’s usually because they are looking for specific content or need more information on that topic. However, you can increase your chances of showing up on page 2 or 3 if you use your meta description and title tags effectively. Keep them precise, and enticing.
The same rule applies to meta descriptions. Write a summary of your content that includes its key points and doesn’t sound overly promotional. These meta tags will show up if you have only one image (which is unlikely but still possible) or if search engine crawlers have problems reading your code, so don’t neglect them!
Quality Content Is King
Quality content is one of those on-page factors that both consumers and search engines alike. As a website owner, you might think all you need is a decent-looking site that’s easy for users to navigate. But without proper on-page SEO factors such as content, getting found online will be difficult. Content can come in many forms, from articles to videos, but it should always serve a purpose. If your goal is to drive traffic, then make sure your content does just that.
Ensure that the content you write provides consumers with information about why they should buy from you and ensure you include important details like the product’s price, availability, and return policies. Try to provide as much relevant information as possible, even if you think the readers might already know it.
Don’t just stick with one form of content either. Try using a mix of articles, videos, ebooks, and infographics. There are so many ways you can use content today. If one type isn’t working for you, try something else until you see success.
Authorship Is Dead
More and more, Google is becoming a visual search engine. With advancements in artificial intelligence that allow computers to see images, contextual relationships between photos and text are becoming increasingly important. Sometimes, not using images at all might be helpful; when you see something new online, use your smartphone camera to capture an image and run it through Google’s Reverse Image Search tool.
Some articles need images; others don’t. If you use them, remember that including multiple related images will give your post more weight. Remember, too, that photos can be worth a thousand words if used appropriately and placed in strategic locations throughout your content.
As Google becomes a visual search engine, you’ll need pictures. Make sure that you have at least one image for every 250 words. Use images to illustrate your post; don’t use them just for show. Also, make sure you follow any company guidelines your clients might have on how images should be used.
Internal Linking Strategies
Content on one of your web pages should link to other pages of your site, but it’s also a good idea to have links coming into your site from other sites. I know this as link building and is an important part of search engine optimization (SEO).
Having internal links on your site makes it easier for search engines to find your content, and it also helps viewers to navigate your site. When you write for a specific topic, be sure that you include links within your content so that visitors can easily find more information about related topics.
Linking out from every page of your site also helps build external links to your site. This is important because search engines like Google use external links as a factor when they rank sites on their results pages.
Search engines are getting better at determining whether sites with a lot of internal links are trustworthy, so don’t overdo it. If every page on your site is linking to other pages, you may make it seem like your content is just trying too hard to appear relevant.
Copywriting That Connects with Readers
Yes, headlines are crucial. And keywords are very important. If you want to really capture readers’ attention, you need great copywriting. Instead of stuffing in keywords randomly, use language that appeals to potential customers. Ensure your clients know what you are selling and why they should buy it from you.
Because this is so crucial for business-to-business firms, this is one of our top five reasons for getting a higher rank on the search engine. With more interesting text, you can create more interesting content that causes more people to share your content on social media. Sharing it on social media has been one factor that Google uses to rank web pages. Therefore, ranking high in Google could also result from this change.
Copy-pasting also helps increase engagement, which is just as important for ranking on Google and Facebook. Engagement is based on the time a person spends on your page, the number of pages they bounced back to, and the number of shares they share. The social networking site, Facebook, uses the engagement on a page to decide what it will show to its users on their feeds. Pages with high engagement get more exposure than those with low engagement.
User Behavior
In an age of machine learning and artificial intelligence, keyword stuffing is less effective than it’s ever been. Today, Google algorithms have become more sophisticated; they track user behavior and tailor results accordingly. What does that mean for your content strategy? It means you should focus on how your target customers behave online. Monitor long-tail keywords and engage with users who use them.
Target long-tail keywords, and focus on long-form content. Long-tail keywords aren’t as competitive as short headings, so if you can write an engaging piece that addresses a user’s needs, it will help your PageRank higher on Google.
In addition, longer pieces perform better than shorter ones. The more words you use, the more likely readers are to engage with your content. It’s also important to make sure each page is unique; don’t just repeat what other pages have said before.
Conclusion About On-page SEO in 2022
Google is always growing, but one thing that has remained constant is the need for high-quality content with lots of links pointing at it. That will probably continue well into the future, but the way you achieve these goals may change. We don’t know exactly what Google’s going to do next, but we can make some educated guesses about how things are going to develop and prepare accordingly.
There’s no denying that On-Page SEO factors are critical for search rankings. We’re now more than a decade into an ongoing shift toward a mobile and social web, so we don’t expect that to change soon. There will always be a place for high-quality content, good links, and these factors you can use today, but they may look very different from 5 years or even next year.
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