SEO in 2022

By Josh Greene, The Mather Group

In 2022, SEO continues to turn into a winner-takes-all space.  Everything from Google to the smart speaker in your living room is looking for the definitive answer to search queries, and you want to be that answer. The path to winning is getting more complicated though. Between the rise of featured snippets, People Also Ask, and knowledge panels, the number of “zero click” searches in Google continues to grow.

This means that you now need content that succinctly and expertly answers people’s questions – especially good for smart assistants, snippets, and People Also Ask – and you need to target more complex questions and queries that will drive users to click through to keep learning.

While Google used to show URLs twice for winning searches – once in a featured snippet and once as an organic result – it no longer does so. However, a recent Moz report worked some magic to determine that around 75% of featured snippets come from what would otherwise be the first three search results, while over 90% are from the first five. So, creating top-notch, relevant content is still important (probably the only SEO constant), but you don’t have to be #1 to get a featured snippet. Great news.

You also need to make sure you are mixing it up. SEO isn’t only about long form blogs. There are videos, images, and lists to keep in mind. Can you repurpose older content, giving it new life as a catchy infographic or video? When making plans, make sure you do your research. Which format is Google highlighting for your targeted keywords and queries? If Google is displaying videos first, it’s probably a sign that that’s what searchers want to see. Make your content fit the need.

With the stakes rising, in 2022 you have to think of SEO as a 3D chess game. If you have an opportunity to invest in SEO, trading off frequency for higher quality content is definitely the way to go.