Six Digital Marketing Mantras for 2022 SEO Enthusiasts

If nothing else, 2021 had shown everyone how important digital marketing is for just about every business. Many business owners finally made the jump and started advertising online and building out a better web presence. SEO continues to play a huge roll in any digital marketing and it is crucial to understand the changes to expect in SEO for 2022.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO), as most businesses are aware, plays a huge roll in driving traffic and ultimately sales to their website. SEO is always changing and you must stay up to date with the latest trends to ensure that your content strategies remain effective.

Affiliate Marketing is also an important stream for web publishers and digital marketers to explore digital reputation. Platforms like this hold great relevance.

If you still rely on the same SEO techniques you have used for years, it is time to learn new SEO strategies. Many older strategies are no longer effective in today's SEO landscape. In fact, some old tactics like keyword stuffing can actually negatively impact SEO.

1. Google Algorithm Updates

In the past, Google has rolled out multiple updates (some verified and some not) that have made huge differences in what websites rank and why. Although Google still rolls out what they call Core Updates, what most SEO's call "Google Updates" are no more than the system self correcting itself. Google is now an AI driven system that is constantly changing what ranks and why - so it's natural to see constant fluctuations in the final outcome. Get used to it :-)

2. Artificial Intelligence will Play a Greater Role in SEO

This next one goes directly along with #1...you may start seeing a pattern here.

Artificial intelligence (AI), which continues to transform the way people interact with content online through its algorithms, will play an increasingly important role in SEO strategy. Particularly notable is Google's AI algorithm RankBrain.

Although Google has not revealed the exact workings of RankBrain's content analysis and learning process, experts believe that it is a key ranking factor. RankBrain will prioritize content based on click-through rates and time spent on a website. It is crucial that you have well-organized, useful content to engage and captivate readers when you are evaluating your SEO strategy.

3. Shift to Long-Form Content

You will need to switch to long-form content strategies in order to engage and capture readers to your website. Long-form content of at least 3,000 words is more likely to be shared and get more traffic than short-form content. It is possible to improve your search ranking by shifting your focus to long-form quality content. You may need to revisit some old blogs and double the word count.

It is vital that your content be broken down into sub-sections with H2 and/or H3 subheadings to keep readers interested. This will make your content easier to scan. Your goal is to make it easy for readers to navigate your content, especially on mobile devices.

Large chunks of text can seem overwhelming to some readers and can overwhelm small screens. To improve your SEO, you should make sure that your content can be shared easily. Make sure to include clear sharing links at both the beginning and ending of your content. This will allow readers to share it easily.

4. Google Rankings are Critically Dependent on Mobile-Friendliness

Since 2015, mobile-friendliness has been an integral part of SEO. Google made it a ranking element in 2015. It is now more important than ever to optimize your content for mobile devices. In 2019, Google launched mobile-first indexing.

The search engine now prioritizes the mobile version of a website in ranking content. This is because it is the primary version and not the secondary. Many people didn't notice this change as almost 75% of internet users plan to access the internet exclusively via mobile devices by 2025.

Google's mobile-friendly test makes it simple to determine how effective your mobile website is. To find out if your mobile website is not working properly, you can use Google’s Mobile Usability Report.

These tools can help you identify and fix any mobile-related issues on your website that could negatively impact your SEO. Mobile devices are becoming more popular, so you need to make sure that your content is mobile-friendly.

5. AI Driven Content

We expect to see content created by artificial intelligence to be indistinguishable from purley human created content. Notice that we say AI created. What we are referring to is content created by AI but then edited by a human being. Content created in this fashion is far less expensive and time consuming and can be put in parity with total human written blog posts.

This lets the SEO agencies that leverage this type of content creation to have a strategic advantage over other digital marketing companies. Content creation is one of the most expensive aspects to a successful search engine optimization campaign. The ability to leverage the same writers but have them simply edit and revise the AI written copy cuts the price of content marketing and increases the ability to produce a lot more, quality blog posts.

6. Google's EAT Principle Should Be Fulfilled by Content

Google has always stressed the importance of content quality for ranking success. This often leaves businesses wondering about what Google means when it refers to "quality content". It is crucial to remember the EAT when coming up with topics and and the quality of the final blog post.

EAT stands for:

• Authority
• Trustworthiness
• Expertise

These factors are used by Google to determine whether a website provides quality content.