As we reach the end of another whirlwind year (it still feels like 2019 to us) it’s time to take a look back at how the world of SEO has changed this year, paving the way for 2022.

The SEO landscape is always changing and adapting thanks to Google algorithm updates and this year was no exception. Here we’ve listed some of the most important SEO trends to capitalise on in the new year. Did you predict any of them?

Page experience

June 2021 saw Google roll out its much anticipated Page Experience update and by September it was all complete.

Announced back in 2020, Page Experience is aimed at improving the experience that users have of a webpage. Google’s update takes into account three things:

• Core Web Vitals
• Mobile Friendly
• Security Issues
• Ad Experience
• HTTPS

The build up to the Page Experience update saw SEO experts and marketers focusing on improving the user experience of web pages with those factors in mind in order to avoid a rankings drop. At Social Chameleon, we strongly advise businesses to continue focussing on user experience, as this will be of utmost importance in 2022.

Original content

Google has long prioritised original content, and 2022 will be no different.

This year saw websites of all niches and shapes and sizes create authentic and original content to help boost them up the rankings for their chosen search terms.

Google wants to offer users the very best experience and content in its search results, therefore it’s not going to present a list of 10 identical pieces of content in response to a query.

If you want to nab the top spot for your chosen keywords then not only does your content need to be better than the page that’s currently ranking, it needs to be different.

Copying it word-for-word could see you faced with a Google penalty and a copyright claim from your competitor… definitely not what you want to find under your tree this year.

Voice search

New technology is changing the way we search. Smart phones, smart speakers and even smart watches have become commonplace in our lives and all of them offer us the ability to search the internet.

The thing that stands them apart, however, from a traditional desktop search, is that users will use voice search, especially when using a smart speaker or watch.

Voice search is quick and simple and is often used by users on-the-go when looking for a specific piece of information such as directions or opening times.

The increase in the number of voice searches made has prompted SEO experts to focus on targeting local and natural language search terms in order to give them the best possible results – an increase which will undoubtedly continue to rise next year.

Featured snippets

Featured snippets, otherwise known as “position zero”, are the rectangular text boxes that appear above search results for certain search queries.

Google introduced featured snippets as a way of better answering users’ questions quickly.

Unfortunately for SEO experts and website owners, there’s no set way that you can get your web page included as the featured snippet, and the decision is down to Google’s bots and algorithms.

If your website manages to secure the featured snippet spot you can pretty much guarantee a boost to your website traffic and conversions, so SEO masters have been working all year to make sure their web pages have the best chance possible.

One of our tips for 2022 is adding a small paragraph of text to your content that directly answers the question with a subheading that matches the original search question.

Link spam

We all know how important links are to a successful SEO strategy, so when Google announced a new link spam update this year, those in the know knew that even a tiny shift to the algorithm could have a mighty impact.

The link spam update was effectively a reminder to websites to focus on quality links rather than building up backlinks from spammy or unreliable websites.

When the update hit earlier this year, Google stated that its purpose was to further hone the algorithm’s ability to assess and identify illegal and low-quality links.

Whilst once upon a time building backlinks was about the more the merrier, in 2022 the focus for backlinks will continue to be quality and relevance.

How Social Chameleon Can Help with your SEO

Here at Social Chameleon, we know how quickly the SEO world changes with contrast updates, algorithms and technologies to keep on top of. When you’ve got a million and one other tasks to do, this isn’t always a priority.

Luckily that’s where we come in. Our team of SEO experts have almost a decade of experience in helping brands of all shapes and sizes to create an SEO strategy that works.

If you’d like to find out more, contact us via contact@socialchameleon.com or by filling out the form on our contact page.