Like you, Google is also making plans for 2022. They are changing and upgrading the search engine ranking factors, too.
Google uses different ranking signals to offer the most relevant results to the users. However, when you are creating a search engine optimization strategy, it is only possible to focus on a few. So, here are a few search ranking factors that you should consider in 2022.
- Core Web Vital
Google Page Experience update includes Core Web Vitals. It represents three main indicators of the quality of a webpage and which when followed can improve your user experience.
The three key metrics that are a part of Core Web Vitals are-
- Cumulative Layout Shift
- Largest Contentful Paint
- First Input Delay
On the basis of the Web Vitals, you should measure the loading time, visual quality, and responsiveness of the page to ascertain a better user experience for visitors.
- High-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks are one of the most crucial factors that influence your rankings. In fact, it is the foundation of PageRank and the core of the ranking algorithm of Google.
Backlinks help Google assess a site’s authority and help out other users to find the site. Apart from high-quality content, you should come up with a well-thought-out link-building stratagem.
But make sure that you focus on quality over quantity. The more links you have on your platform, the better. Make sure you focus on securing quality backlinks from high-authority websites.
- On-Page Optimization
With on-page SEO services, you will be able to focus on elements that make you visible to search engines. You should optimize the header tags and meta tags since it helps Google bots interpret the content.
Moreover, a targeted update of a web page’s meta title and meta description will increase the organic traffic of the site. Sure, there have been talks about passages from the content body replacing meta tags but that should not keep you from attractive meta tags for your web pages.
- Accurate and In-Depth Content
Content quality has always been an important factor. You should always follow this suit for your website’s content. The introduction of E-A-T and YMYL gives a better idea of what you need to pursue.
E-A-T is the abbreviation of Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. These metrics are applied to individual web pages and sites, as a whole. But YMYL implies, Your Money, Your Life. It is a ranking signal that rates content’s accuracy from brands, which affects the happiness, health, and financial stability of a user.
In case you belong to an industry that can benefit from passing YMYL or E-A-T standards, give priority to creating content displaying your expertise.
- Mobile Optimization
These days, Google has implemented mobile-first indexing. This means that a site’s mobile version is taken to be more useful and important than the desktop version. It makes sense as a significant percentage of web traffic is generated through mobile devices.
Thus, you have to move beyond the mobile-friendly strategies that you knew and concentrate on all-out mobile optimization. So-
- Mobile-friendly websites work for mobile users but have been created for desktop users.
- Mobile responsive website design adapts to the device of the user.
- Mobile optimized websites have been designed and developed for mobile searching.
- Site Speed
At times, you click on a site on the Google search result and wait for more than a few seconds for it to load only to be frustrated enough to move to some other platform. In present times, we are all impatient and don’t have time to spare.
Users’ impatience can be attributed to the changing ways people are using search engines. There has been a significant increase in voice search rates. Users search to look for quick answers throughout the day.
Thus, it is crucial to optimize your website and make it fast. If your site takes even a few microseconds to load, you can lose target customers. So, if you are planning to refresh your site in 2022, make sure the speed is impeccable.
Bottom Line
Optimizing content for search engine ranking is not easy. There are loads of details and they keep changing. You can take the help of professionals if you are unable to handle it all by yourself.
