Boost your SEO with these ranking factors for 2022 and beyond
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is an important discipline in digital marketing to adapt your online shop for search engines. This is the basis for a good ranking, high impressions of your pages and a growing clientele. However, this is not done with the basic settings, because Google and other search engines regularly adjust their criteria for ranking. Find out what are the latest factors that will become increasingly important for a good ranking in 2022 and beyond in this article.
1. Identify relevant keywords
For a good findability of your online shop, whether it is organic or paid, you should use keywords that are understandable for all potential customers. As an expert in your field, there is a higher risk you might use technical terms with which the average consumer will have difficulty finding you on Google. You should bear in mind that you will hardly be able to compete with larger companies, some of which have massive keyword budgets, if you use keywords that are too general. Instead, focus on long-tail keywords: these are search terms that serve more specific search queries. Here you have a greater chance of landing in first place in search engines. To identify relevant keywords for your pages and URLs, you can use keyword tools such as XOVI, Sistrix or Semrush , which support your research. Please note, that Google is focusing less and less on the quantity of keywords and more on the quality of the content. Your online shop should therefore not be based on keywords alone, but also on additional, qualitative content. After all, you want customers to enjoy using your shop and stay with your products or brand as long as possible.
2. Unique Content is king
Content should be made for users, not for search engines – Google has been preaching this for several years. Using browser analyses via Chrome, Google identifies better than ever which pages are well received by users and includes these in the ranking. Likewise, duplicate content, such as copied product descriptions from other websites, negatively influences the ranking.
How do you create unique content for your target group?
As a smaller business, uniqueness is in your company DNA. Captivate customers with your products so that they don’t want to shop anywhere else. Through self-written product descriptions, for example, you can include your know-how, short tips or instructions. You can find out more tips on content marketing and how to plan content successfully in one of our next articles. Subscribe to our newsletter to never miss any blog news.
3. Benefit from video and audio content
Google wants to make the findability of relevant video and audio content even better in the future with increased use of artificial intelligence. Important platforms for this are YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. Especially short video content in the form of Instagram reels or YouTube shorts benefits from many impressions. To optimise your content for these platforms, you can make use of some popular content ideas:
Product tutorials. Short introduction on how to use the product, tips on how to use it and recommendations for accessories if applicable.
Trending hashtags and audio tracks. Trending hashtags and popular audio snippets provide greater reach in the short term. On Instagram for instance, these audio tracks are suggested to you directly when you create a reel. To reach relevant customers in the long term, mix this content with your own and individual ideas to stand out from the crowd.
Content series. Introductions of your staff, producers and more can highlight your company’s values and are also easy to pre-produce.
4. Display products on Google Shopping
To make the online shopping experience even more user-friendly, Google further expanded its Google Shopping service during the Corona pandemic. The new AI-enhanced model primarily draws on product and inventory data from online merchants to display relevant information in search. For the best possible ranking of your products in Google Shopping, relevant keywords (from point 1) and unique product descriptions (from point 2) are just as important as in conventional search queries.
In order for your products to be found on Google Shopping, your shop data can be exported directly from your ePages Now shop with just a few clicks. You can find all settings for this in the administration area under Marketing > Google > Google Shopping.
5. Optimise your online shop for mobile access
Google’s introduction of the mobile-first index last year has already shown some merchants how drastic the effects of changes in ranking criteria can be. Google plans to complete the transition in 2022 to base all search volume on mobile-first. This will further impact ranking criteria accordingly this year.
In order to be prepared for these and further adjustments by Google, it is worthwhile to have a SEO-optimised shop system with automated, regular updates such as ePages Now. A responsive design for mobile-first or search engine-friendly URLs are automatically generated so that you cover many of the current SEO factors with your online shop without making additional settings. Also, with many new design templates, your online shop always meets modern standards, which is advantageous for Google’s indexing.
Als Content Manager bei ePages ist Sarah für redaktionelle Inhalte und Videocontent zuständig. Im ePages-Blogstellt sie Onlinehändlern Marketingtipps, rechtliche Updates und Infos zur ePages-Software zur Verfügung, um ihnen den Einstieg in den E-Commerce zu erleichtern.
