In marketing, one of the first things you learn is how to appease and please Google’s algorithm. However, as you take on more clients, your ability to keep up with the latest trends becomes more challenging. Because of this, you may lose focus on the latest ranking factors and how to use them to ensure your client’s ongoing success.
Don’t worry; we are here to help. Keep reading to learn more about the latest ranking factors to pay attention to in 2022.
Core Web Vitals
The release of the Page Experience update included Core Web Vitals. These represent three indicators of your webpage’s quality that, when done properly, can improve the overall user experience. Getting this right is a big deal for modern SEO professionals.
The three elements of Core Web Vitals include:
- Largest Contentful Paint
- First Input Delay
- Cumulative Layout Shift
Based on these Web Vitals, you can measure the visual quality, responsiveness, and loading time of your client’s pages to see where you can improve the user experience.
On-Page Optimization
On-page SEO helps you focus on elements that search engines can “see.” When creating content for clients, you have to ensure optimized header and meta tags are created. These help to guide Google bots and make your content “readable.”
Also, you can increase your site’s organic traffic when you update the H1s, descriptions, and meta titles on your client’s pages.
Even though some reports say that Google replaces meta tags with passages from your content, this shouldn’t keep you from creating these anyway for each web page.
Content Accuracy and Depth
Quality content has been a top requirement by Google for years. While keyword use, relevance, and backlink profiles are all important, you should also utilize the E-A-T and YMYL guidelines.
For example, E-A-T or Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness apply to individual web pages and entire websites. YMYL or Your Money Your Life is a signal that rates your content’s accuracy if you provide a product or service that impacts users’ safety, health, financial stability, or happiness.
If your clients are in an industry that benefits from these standards, they must share content that displays their expertise. Content trustworthiness and accuracy help with brand reputation management, too.
Mobile Friendliness
By 2025, it’s expected that the number of mobile users will exceed 7.5 billion. Google knows this and has known this. That’s why it implemented mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor in 2015.
Another move was made by Google in 2019 when it started indexing mobile versions of sites over desktop versions. Because of this, ensuring your clients have optimized mobile sites is a must.
Ranking Well Through 2022
Knowing the most important ranking factors is a good first step if you want to ensure your client’s sites continue ranking well through 2022. You can also reach out to us to help ensure your clients get the attention and visibility they want and expect. Being informed is the best way to ensure your client’s ongoing success.