SEO is a constantly changing field, and it’s challenging to keep up with all the different aspects of this industry. In fact, each year brings new trends to which you need to pay attention to stay competitive in your field. 

That’s why we’re here—to help you identify some of the major things that should be on your radar as an online business. Below, we’ll explore some of these critical SEO strategies for 2022.

     1. Target Long-tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are those that are more specific and more targeted. These keywords have a lower search volume but are easier to rank for because the competition isn’t as high. 

The benefit of using long-tail keywords is that you will attract customers looking specifically for your product or service and, therefore, are more likely to convert.

     2. Use Keywords in Alt Text for Images

Use keywords in alt text for images. It’s used by search engines to determine the topic of an image, and it can be beneficial for users who have images disabled or don’t have access to them. 

Because of this, you must use relevant keywords and phrases in your alt-text descriptions so that search engines can identify them as relevant content on their own pages. 

For example:

• If you’re using an image of a person, don’t just write “image of a man.” Instead, try something more descriptive, like “John Smith’s headshot.”
• If you’re using an infographic or chart with multiple elements (for example, pie charts), try breaking those components apart into individual items instead of listing everything together (“Total number of employees versus revenue over time”).

     3. Use Keywords in Headers

You can use headings to let search engine bots know what the page is about and to improve its overall readability. Search engines also use them to index your content. So if you don’t have headings on your website, you might miss out on some valuable SEO points.

Headings should be descriptive and not just contain keywords. You should use them with other techniques (including internal linking) to help users find what they’re looking for on your site and help search engines understand what each page is about.

     4. Focus on Great UX (User Experience)

User experience (UX) is essential to understand if you want to improve your website’s user experience. UX is a measure of the overall quality of a website or app based on the feelings and experiences of its users. 

It encompasses not only their opinions about how well it works but also how easy it is for them to navigate around it and find what they want—and then actually use that information. 

This includes the design of your site or app, the interface, its navigation and layout, and even its behavior over time: what happens when someone clicks on something? Did they find what they were looking for? And do they come back again?

     5. Include Multiple Media Types

One of the most effective ways to increase organic traffic is to include multiple media types. This is especially true if you’re selling products or services.

If you sell products, consider using video to explain them (or use it to show how they work). If you have a service that can be demonstrated in real-time, then a video would be an appropriate option for this. 

Using video as a part of your SEO strategy will increase your organic traffic by providing an additional value for people who might not know about what you do or why it’s essential—and trust us—no matter what industry you’re in, there are always customers who need more information!

     6. Use Internal Links

Internal linking is crucial in SEO, especially if you have a large site or network of sites. You should link to your most relevant content from other pages on your website. 

This is because Google sees that as a sign that these pages are related, so it will boost those rankings in their algorithms. It’s also important to link back to other websites when appropriate. 

     7. Focus on “Top of the Funnel” Keyword Phrases

Before you even start developing a strategy to rank for keywords, it’s essential to first define what your company is all about. That means asking yourself questions like:

• What’s our niche? (e.g., fitness)
• What do we do? (e.g., personal training)
• Who are our customers? (e.g., active people who work out at least three times per week and want to improve their health).

Once you’ve figured out the topic of your business, it will be easy to target your audience with the right keywords.

     8. Eliminate Spammy Backlinks

Spammy backlinks are an SEO nightmare because they can cause your site to be penalized. The best way to identify these links is by looking at your Google Search Console account and seeing if they have marked any backlinks as spammy. 

If you don’t see any, then it’s time to take proactive measures:

• Delete any spammy sites from your list of backlinks
• Remove widgets from blogs that have linked to you.
• Ask webmasters who have linked to you directly if they still want their link on the page (this is especially important for guest posts).

     9. Build Your Brand

As you build your business, building your brand is the most important thing to focus on. Branding is a vital part of marketing and sales that you can consider an indispensable element of any business strategy.

But what exactly is branding? In simple terms, branding involves creating associations with a product or service in the minds of consumers as they consider whether they want to buy it—and how much they’re willing to pay for it.

It’s important to note that while some businesses may rely on brand strength alone (think Apple), many others need more than just a good name. They also need excellent products and services, professional customer service, affordable prices, and convenient locations.

The bottom line is that when people think about buying something from your business, they should know what sets you apart from all the other options.

     10. Create Thought-Leadership and Strategic Content

As you create new content, make sure it is unique and valuable. Your audience will be more likely to read your blog posts and share them if they’re not seeing the same information everywhere else.

Write with data and research to back up your claims. You can use third-party sources and information from internal sources, like surveys, focus groups, or customer interviews. Use helpful topics that are actionable for your target audience.

Don’t just write about general trends, but focus on how these trends affect a specific group of people or industry. This will help you build an audience based on shared interests rather than just being another generic brand trying too hard to get clicks by posting content related to whatever’s trending this week.

     11. Diversify Your Backlink Profile

In 2022, you’ll want to diversify your backlink profile. This means getting links from various domains, countries, IP addresses, languages, and devices.

Focus on getting links from different anchor text (the phrase in bold text is a search engine marketing tactic). You can also try other social media platforms and user behavior, like using the app on mobile versus desktop while browsing the web.

     12. Use Subject Matter Experts to Increase Your EAT Score

What other ways can you improve your SEO efforts? You use subject matter experts. Why? Because they’re the ones who can help you determine how well your company is doing in its digital marketing efforts.

This will lead to an increased EAT score. The EAT score measures how effectively a business reaches its desired audience on various platforms. To determine what kind of strategy works best for each company, it’s essential to have someone with experience in the fieldwork on their behalf.