7 Top SEO Trends for 2022 You Can’t Afford to Ignore

January 17th 2022 | By Steve Grant

You’ll no doubt know that SEO is vital when it comes to boosting your online visibility. But SEO is constantly changing, making it vital to stay on top of the latest SEO trends. If you continue to do the same thing you’ve been doing for years, you’ll probably find your results are not what they used to be. In fact, some of the older strategies could even be having a detrimental effect. This is because the search engines, especially Google, make vast numbers of updates every year. To help you keep ahead, here’s a look at the top SEO trends for 2022 that you definitely can’t afford to ignore.

1. Artificial Intelligence will play an even more important role in SEO

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been impacting upon the way we all interact with online content for some time now. But as future SEO trends go, this technology really is going to make a difference in 2022 and beyond.

AI has the power to show internet users the things they most like and need, so it stands to reason it will play a key role in any SEO strategy. Google’s own AI algorithm RankBrain is tipped to become one of the most important ranking factors in 2022. Experts reckon that user experience is a major ranking factor for RankBrain, which means that click-through rate and the amount of time people spend on a website will be key factors influencing search positions.

So, when considering your SEO strategy for 2022, it is essential that you create well-structured, useful content that engages readers, so that they are compelled to click, and then happy to spend good time on your site.

2. Long form content will reign supreme

To engage readers, long form content is a must, and its importance will continue as one of the top SEO trends. Articles, blogs and guides of 2,000 words or more is proven to attract more organic traffic and more shares than shorter pieces, boosts dwell time on a website, and in turn improves search rankings.

Long form content needs to be well-formatted in order to engage readers. Breaking it up into sections with subheadings is a must. Imagery and videos also make it a more compelling read, and infographics and diagrams create interest. Be sure to include sharing links too so that it’s easy for readers to share your content across their favourite channels, as this will also give SEO a boost.

3. A mobile friendly site will become a necessity rather than just an option

Mobile-friendliness has long been a ranking factor for Google, since 2015 in fact. But in 2022, it is more vital than ever to optimise your website for mobile users. The consequences of a website that is not mobile friendly are many, from lost visitors to dropped search rankings.

With around 50% of overall web traffic coming from mobile devices, the internet has become a mobile-first environment. Mobile-first indexing was first introduced in 2019, and is no mainstream. It means Google will look primarily at the mobile version of a website when ranking its content, as this is considered the most used version against the desktop.

As mobile internet users continue to grow, so it will become a necessity for websites to be mobile friendly. From 2022, there really is no choice in the matter. You can check the mobile friendliness of your website using Google’s free mobile-friendly test. You can also use Google’s Mobile Usability Report to discover whether there are issues with your mobile website, and what you can do to fix them.

4. Expertise, Authority & Trust will influence rankings even more

Google uses the Expertise-Authority-Trust (E-A-T) model to establish the value of a website and measure Page Quality. It can be considered the reason why users will choose one site over another, and will influence how Google ranks a website.

Whilst E-A-T has been important for a while now, SEO trends are revealing that it will begin to influence rankings more than ever. There are various ways in which you can demonstrate expertise, authority and trust. Our practical guide to adding E-A-T to your website reveals all.

5. Optimising for voice search will become essential

Voice search technology is booming, with 55 per cent of households reckoned to own a smart speaker. It’s no wonder then that voice search has become a massive trend.

For the most part, voice search revolves around local search queries, otherwise known as ‘near me’ searches. These are searches that involve looking for particular products and services in a set location, usually with a view to making an instant purchase.

When optimising for voice search, it’s important to think about the type of questions people will pose to their devices that could lead them to your business. These will be the phrases that form your keyword strategy. They’ll be natural sounding phrases, typically longer than those used in typed search.

Optimising for voice search is one of the top SEO trends for 2022, so be sure to factor it into your campaigns.

6. Video will play an integral role in successful SEO strategies

From 2022, video will play an ever-increasing role in SEO. With the boom in popularity of video platforms over the past few years, it is clear to see how so many businesses are using the likes of YouTube and TikTok to engage with customers and expand their online visibility.

Future SEO campaigns will therefore benefit from the inclusion of optimised video. This means ensuring your video channel includes a well-written overview of what it’s about, complete with relevant keywords. Your video descriptions will also need to be keyword rich, although not over-stuffed. Remember also to use hashtags to make the content more searchable for your target audience.

7. Augmented Reality will start to create a more engaged search experience

Augmented reality is a technology that places virtual objects into the real world, so that users can interact with them in real time. This process helps to enrich reality, delivering useful information and insights, from showing the location of shops and services in your local surroundings, to revealing interesting facts about a historical feature that you’re currently looking at.

As future SEO trends go, AR is huge. And in the land of search, it is predicted that AR will develop a very close relationship with search, making use of rich online data to create a more immersive search experience for users. From try before you buy ads, to on-location customer reviews, the AR-influenced search experience of the future is set to engage audiences in a big way.

Ready to embrace future SEO trends?

SEO will continue to play an increasingly crucial role in online visibility as we move through 2022. Keeping up with current SEO trends is vital if your website is going to rank above your competition.

If staying on top of things seems a little daunting, talk to Figment. We’ve always embraced emerging technical and SEO trends in a big way, and are ready to take you forward with confidence.

If you’d like to talk to us about boosting your online visibility through a done for you SEO campaign using fully up to date strategies, please do get in touch.