6 SEO Challenges Brands Anticipate in 2022 [HubSpot Blog Data]

In 1990, the key to SEO success was based on keywords. Today it is much more complicated.

The SEO landscape is constantly evolving and marketers need to evolve along with it. But to do that, it’s important to reflect on this year’s most important SEO challenges and create a game plan to address them.

Here are the top six SEO challenges brands face in 2022, according to HubSpot Blog 2022’s Web Traffic and Analysis Report and other marketing experts.

Top 6 SEO Challenges in 2022

1. Keep up to date with algorithm changes.

HubSpot blogs surveyed more than 400 web traffic analysts to identify the top SEO challenges in 2022. The main challenge, experienced by 50% of marketers, is to keep up with search engine algorithm changes.

This is not surprising: in 2020 alone, Google conducted more than 500,000 experiments that resulted in more than 4,000 search changes. For many marketers, keeping up with these changes is like hitting a moving target.

So how do you succeed when Google keeps moving your goal post? The key is to respond strategically to these changes.

There is no need to review your entire SEO strategy in response to a minor change. Instead, it’s best to spend your time keeping up with industry news. If there is a big algorithm change on the horizon, the SEO industry will talk about it.

The second piece of advice may seem counterintuitive, but listen to me: after a change of algorithm, wait for the dust to settle before making any moves. Because? In some cases, Google will revert to an earlier version if an update does not go as planned.

2. They are no longer ranked in search results.

Unlike paid search, SEO takes time to show results, and is usually the result of less effort.

There are some “solutions” to fixing a low ranking, such as switching to technical SEO and content marketing. SEO experts have also identified some factors that influence your ranking, such as the EAT framework. EAT in SEO means “expertise”, “authority” and “trust”.

However, it is even more important to develop a long-term strategy that focuses on a handful of initiatives at a time. Remember that SEO is a long-term game. The work you have done today will bear fruit.

3. Incorrect use of keywords.

One thing has managed to stay constant in the world of SEO: keywords. But today, instead of scanning keywords, Google takes a high-level look at your website to get an overview of its authority, tone, and relevancy.

In other words, if you expect only keywords to boost your search results, you’re out of luck.

Instead, the goal of keywords is to understand the user’s intent or the deepest problem that users expect to solve. With this understanding, you can inform your content strategy and your broader global marketing strategy. Take a look at this helpful article on how to add user intent to your keyword strategy.

Additionally, tracking the search volume of your targeted keywords can help you understand why your website is experiencing a sudden increase or decrease in traffic. For example, if a target keyword is experiencing an increase in search volume, you can write more blog posts on that particular topic.

4. Writing convincing titles and meta-descriptions.

According to more than 400 web traffic analysts, one of the most effective strategies for improving search ranking is to write compelling headlines and meta descriptions. But writing catchy headlines is easier said than done.

According to a recent study of 5 million headlines, emotional headlines, whether positive or negative, had a higher clickthrough rate (CTR) than neutral headlines. In fact, both positive and negative stocks improved their CTR by about 7%. In addition, web pages with metadescriptions receive almost 6% more clicks than those without.

But here’s a word of caution: Although emotionally charged titles can generate clicks, you run the risk of sounding too clickable. For example, the same study found that “power words,” or words designed specifically to attract attention, can negatively affect CTR. Words of power include terms like crazy, crazyi amazing – So use them sparingly, if they do.

5. Missing mark on cell phone.

Your SEO strategy should definitely include mobile optimization. Because? As expected, mobile devices account for a large portion of web traffic, 41% to be exact, so it is essential to approach your website with a mobile mindset.

In addition, Google now practices mobile indexing. This means that Google uses the mobile version of your web pages when indexing and ranking pages.

The trend is clear: mobile optimization is key to growing traffic, SEO and a great user experience. Not surprisingly, almost 25% of businesses invest in mobile as their primary SEO tactic.

You don’t have to be a developer or have a big budget to optimize your mobile website. Check out this helpful guide to how small tweaks can enhance your mobile experience.

6. Take advantage of the video in the search results.

If Google “How to make a knot“The main search result is a video:

Increasingly, Google is incorporating videos into search results, and this trend will not stop soon. In fact, Google is working on more ways to experiment with short-form videos in search results, according to Google Product Director Danielle Marshak.

Google plans to show videos by crawling and indexing them like any other type of content. So how do marketers leverage their video content for search? Here are some strategies:

• Add video chapters. The chapters section your video by topic, providing a context layer for viewers. It also makes it easier for Google to understand the content of your video and use different clips in search results.

• Optimize your title, tags, and description. Like web pages, videos also have titles, descriptions, and tags. Optimize them using SEO best practices.

Adding videos to your website and blog posts doesn’t hurt, and can actually improve your bounce rates.

Back to you

SEO is like a mutual fund: it is built over time, one dollar at a time. In other words, it’s a long game. Marketers need to have the right strategies for the long game. Start with the tips in this post to get you on the right track.