How to reach the top of Google in 2022 - Top SEO areas to focus on
The Google algorithm is constantly changing to ensure users are provided with the highest quality and most relevant results. Factors that were important in SEO several years ago may not be as impactful today. It's important to stay up to date with the Google algorithm and adapt your SEO strategy accordingly. Here are the key areas to focus on to efficiently reach the top of Google in 2022.
Content is king.
At an age where people are flooded with information, it's Google's priority that its users are given the most relevant and useful results from their search queries. It's vital for your business to constantly pump out high quality, engaging content to increase your SEO score. Try to keep your content informative or educational rather than promotional or salesy. In addition to blogs, expand your content to other media types, such as videos or podcasts. The more high quality content you have, the more Google will favor your site and promote your rankings.
Keyword research and optimization.
How does Google know what your content is about and who your target audience is? That's where keywords come into the equation. Start by researching keywords which are relevant for your business, have high search volume, and are low in difficulty or competitiveness. Also look into what keywords or queries your target audience might be searching for, and leverage these in your content. Insert these keywords reasonably throughout your site making sure the copy flows naturally. Be sure not to overdo it as Google will now penalize you for purposely 'stuffing' too many keywords on a page.
User experience.
One of the newer areas which the Google algorithm now prioritizes is user experience. Google needs to see that users are readily engaged with your content and are staying on your site in order to promote your rankings on its search results. Clickbaiting no longer works and will get you penalized. Make sure the content of the page is engaging and lives up to the title and description on Google. Add further CTA's on your site to keep users on your site longer. Time on site and bounce rate are now key factors for the Google algorithm.
Establish authority.
Your site's reputation and authority is another important component of the Google algorithm. You can build up authority via high quality backlinks - these are links on other websites that link back to your site. It's important to generate these backlinks organically, on reputable sites. Nowadays if you just pay an agency to generate backlinks for you, Google will detect this and you will get penalized for low quality links. This might have worked years ago, but in 2022, we'd recommend that you have your inhouse team handle this. Offer to write guest posts on reputable blogs, be a guest speaker on a podcast or webinar, or reach out to journalists or writers in reputable companies. Remember to have them include a link back to your site.
Google uses a variety of factors to determine the quality and relevance of search results. These factors change over time—some may be more important now than they were a few years ago, while others may not be as important. To reach the top spot in Google, you need to adapt your SEO strategy to Google's latest algorithm changes.
If you're struggling to rank on Google, we can help! ASATA is a marketing agency specialized in supercharging AR/VR/XR companies.