The last couple of years have been revealing in many ways. One thing that we’ve learned is how absolutely integral the internet is to local businesses – and, in turn, how important online marketing is for those businesses.
Local SEO is an essential piece of the online marketing puzzle. It’s an ever-shifting puzzle piece, however, molded by Google’s amorphous algorithm. Fortunately, SEO agencies like us are in the business of understanding how the algorithms, the needs of search engine users, and the needs of businesses, are changing. With that in mind, we’re pleased to present some of the trends and changes we expect to see in local SEO this year:
Businesses Will Optimize for Core Web Vitals
The Core Web Vitals are a number of metrics that Google has created to evaluate how efficiently web pages deliver content to their users. The 3 metrics are Largest Contentful Paint, which evaluates loading speed; First Input Delay, which measures how quickly a user can interact with a site; and Cumulative Layout Shift, which measures visual stability.
These metrics were slowly rolled out by Google as a part of their ranking system – failure to meet Core Web Vitals thresholds will lead to ranking penalties. How severe will these ranking penalties be? How important are the Core Web Vitals?
The answers to these questions will be found in 2022. We haven’t had enough time to accumulate data on Core Web Vitals yet, as they’ve only been in full force for a few months. Over the course of this year, we’ll learn more about the costs and benefits of monitoring and improving Core Web Vitals.
SEO is a data-driven game, and no two businesses are the same – expect to see a lot of small back-end tweaks as agencies determine what’s worth putting effort into, and what can be left alone so energy can be channeled toward more fruitful projects.
2022 Will Be the Year of Everywhere
Moz is an incredibly well-respected site – when they speak, SEO agencies do well to listen. They’re calling 2022 The Year of Everywhere, and we can understand why.
Traditionally, businesses have sold their wares from one place on the internet – their website. Today, shoppers want to be able to buy from wherever they happen to be – Google, Facebook, and Instagram included. The problem with this new paradigm is that it shifts control away from business owners, and toward third-party platforms.
The solution is to create an on-site experience that far exceeds the experience offered by third-party platforms. Marketing agencies will help you ensure that customers can purchase products and services from social media pages – but they’ll also put in the effort to bring users from social media to the website controlled by the business owner.
Google Business Profile Will Be More Relevant Than Ever
This one is more of a guess, but it’s an educated guess, and we think it will pan out. Google has recently rebranded Google My Business – it’s now called Google Business Profile. They’re making efforts to make editing your Business Profile easier and to integrate their product, Pointy, into your Business Profile for inventory management.
We expect to see more updates from Google on the Business Profile front. A good Google Business Profile has always been a central point of any local SEO strategy – we expect it will only become more relevant from here.
SEO Is Always Changing – and We’re Always Adapting
To stay on the cutting edge of SEO changes is to stay ahead of your competitors in search engine rankings. In a world where online business is becoming more and more important, having a San Antonio SEO agency to help improve your rankings is essential. Get in touch with us today!
Recent Comments