The SEO industry moves at a rapid pace. With new developments coming up every day, keeping up with all the changes can be challenging. But luckily for you, we have compiled this list of the top 10 trends that will affect SEO in 2022! We’ll share insights on what is happening now and how these trends are expected to shape your future strategies.
Include video content in your SEO strategy: Video content is no longer a trend. It has become quite the norm, and it’s here to stay for long too! According to Cisco, the video will account for 69% of all consumer internet traffic in 2022. Videos are easy to digest and make it easier for the reader to understand your content. Also, videos help build trust in potential customers because they can see you’re a real person who cares about their interests.
People are consuming more content on mobile devices: According to Statista, the average time spent per day on the internet by an adult has increased from 20 minutes in 2013 to 26.34 hours in 2019. This is expected to increase further as more people spend their free time on handheld gadgets such as smartphones and tablets rather than traditional computers or laptops. And it’s crucial to optimize for mobile devices. For instance, Google’s AMP (accelerated mobile pages) initiative helps websites load faster, allowing a better user experience across all devices! Website owners can expect a corresponding uptick of traffic through organic search results if they optimize specifically for these platforms.
Voice Search will become important: Voice-assisted products like Amazon’s Alexa have slowly started making their way into our homes over the last few years. According to a study by Brafton, voice search queries have grown from 450 million in 2015 to 48 billion per month by 2020! The obvious question that arises is – will it be necessary for website owners and marketers? A resounding yes! By 2021, Google reports 40% of all searches are being made through this mode–that’s almost half the total number of searches on any given day. To stay relevant as a brand or business owner, you must optimize your content for both text-based and voice search modes.
The rise of Artificial Intelligence: AI refers to machines taking part in cognitive tasks usually associated with humans, such as learning, problem-solving, etc. They typically perform without human input and use data sets to make decisions. AI is already playing a significant role in eCommerce websites and will continue to do so for years! Brands like Netflix use AI-powered algorithms which help them recommend content based on individual users’ preferences, thus increasing user engagement with their website and getting more conversions than before!
Combining SEO and PPC: Paid search was once thought of as an alternative to organic listings, but things are different now. With Google continuing its crackdowns on paid ads violating their guidelines, brands are now looking at combining SEO and PPC, similar to how they combined display advertising with other forms. Doing so under one umbrella strategy helps brands take advantage of the best parts from both approaches instead of choosing just one.
An increase in the use of social media for SEO: Social media has become a significant factor in online marketing—and this trend isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. It is estimated that more than 70% of marketers are using at least one form of the social networking site, with Facebook being the most popular amongst them all! According to Search Engine Watch, almost 80% of consumers who had recently bought something said they used their friends’ recommendations on Facebook before doing so (the number was slightly lower for Twitter and Pinterest). With Google giving preference to brands that have an active presence on platforms like Facebook or Instagram in search results- it’s only expected that you need to develop a social media strategy to stay relevant.Â
Faster load times are the need of the hour: Google has made it clear that website owners should prioritize fast-loading sites in their SERPs (search engine results pages) over others. This is because slow loading websites put off users and can result in them moving onto other search listings, which may have better usability or engagement value in comparison, thus leading to a potential loss for you. For example, Amazon reports that even just an extra half-second delay resulted in an 11% reduction in conversions! This reinforces how important it is to optimize your site’s page speed across all devices. Also, make sure your hosting account isn’t overloaded at a given point by checking out its load time.
It’s not so much what will happen, but more of a listicle of predictions and pieces of advice on how to stay ahead in the rankings game. Some fundamental shifts will occur between now and then, including social media becoming more saturated with influencers, voice searches, AI, and a few others. Marketers who want their business to succeed on search engines should start thinking about creating quality content that lasts up against the competition, whether it comes from other companies or individual bloggers.
