In honour of the end of 2022, I will summarise (I lie, this is a lengthy text) what I consider the most important guidelines to ensure you don't go astray in search engine optimisation. I have also included a bonus tip that particularly gained prominence in 2022.

The year 2022 has been interesting in terms of search engine optimisation. More than 20 major updates have been published to Google search over the past year. For those interested in the details, the complete list of updates can be found here. If you're interested in SEO, follow the Search Central Blog from time to time to stay informed.

One of the latest trends that emerged this year is the utilisation of images in Google search. Additionally, the importance of speed, search intent, and reliability has come to the forefront in search engine optimisation.

Next, I will briefly discuss these topics. Subsequently, I will delve deeper into each of my tips and provide a practical guide at the end of the blog on how to reveal new aspects of your phone's camera immediately.

Website speed and usability

This is not a new topic, but almost without exception, a website needs to be developed to be faster. Don't forget maintenance! A foundation for the topic can be found in this old blog post.
TL;DR Ensure that your website's Core Web Vitals metrics show green light in Google Search Console. 

> Jump here to read more about it

Search terms and search intent

Intent? Intention? Same difference, but it’s an intriguing combination of traditional keyword analysis enhanced by the pants length of the search term and the searcher's willingness to buy ;)

TL;DR Identify the question posed to Google and answer it correctly. Ensure your site's metadata is in order and you have utilised microdata in your product information.

> Jump here to read more about it

Trustworthiness (Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness)

Google assigns each domain a ranking score that is determined by the trustworthiness and credibility of the site in question. In Finland, high trustworthiness is earned by example like Wikipedia and Yle, while an online store that makes empty promises sinks into murky waters. TL;DR Your content should be produced by an expert and be reliable. Ideally, you'll be cited outside of your website, which is a good thing!

> Jump here to read more about it

Bonus! Visual searches on Google

Now I'm not talking about reverse image searches, but about what the smartphone camera and Google Lens can achieve! 
> Read more and test!

Ensure your website's speed

One of the most significant updates to Google's search algorithms was the Core Web Vitals update, which made measuring website loading speed a critical part of technical search engine optimisation.

Think of technical search engine optimisation like a car; if the engine of an impressive-looking vehicle is underpowered, it will be left behind in the fast lane.

The more vital your website is for commerce, the more essential it is for your site to load lightning-fast. 

According to Google's research, a one-second improvement in site speed can improve conversion rates by 27%. The positive impacts on mobile usage (approximately 70% of users) are even more significant. 

Practically, Google measures the loading speed of websites. But it also detects structural changes or delays in the interface that can ultimately cause issues for the user.

The Google Search Console tool is an exceedingly important aid in identifying trouble spots. Using GSC itself does not require special expertise, but interpreting and fixing detected issues requires the help of a web developer.

In the accompanying example, the overall picture of the website (for mobile devices) is reasonably good, but the Core Web Vitals report shows red.

A more detailed analysis reveals issues with the LCP (Largest Contentful Paint) report. Practically, this problem is related to the initial loading of individual pages, which according to Google's defined thresholds, should happen in less than 2.5 seconds.

In such a situation, a web developer should delve deeper into the Lighthouse report and form a solution model based on the data (e.g., image optimisation, code minimisation, etc...) 

Through this blog post, you can delve more deeply into interpreting Lighthouse report results and find tips for resolving issues.

Identify search intents and structure content

The content of a website is crucial. “Content is the King,” said Bill Gates in 1996, and indeed it is – Google's army of bots visits your website several times a week and notes all minor updates you make to your site.

A company's website should be a goldmine of content for its business where no expense is spared. Google still appreciates long articles, but they must be well structured so that the information is better organised and serves different types of readers.

What is search intent?

SEMRush service describes the topic more comprehensively, but it is Google's interpretation of the (likely) underlying intention of an individual search query that can be categorised from different perspectives into three categories:

1. Navigational Intent

The search is driven by the need to end up in service X from Google. Practically, search terms directly refer to the name of the service provider because these days who wants to type a full www-address, especially if it's longer and the search is done on a smartphone.

While a significant portion of searches is done with branded keywords, there can be more generic terms included. For example, a “lazy” search with the term “used cars,” which is done about 10,000 times a month in Finland. Those in the TOP10 are likely to be strong, and many lagging behind want to enter the race.

You will fare better on Google when… your website is structurally well-organised, and clear landing pages exist for important search terms. Make sure you have utilised structured data in all content.

2. Informational Intent

The user is thirsting for information on topic X. They likely pose a question and want a straightforward answer. 

The clearest example of a question-answer setup is a recipe. Let's ask Google how porridge is boiled:

This is how you get your porridge started directly through Google. The content is tightly formatted and has a clear structure. This type of information is easy to comprehend at a glance and fits on a small mobile device screen.

Continuing the car example, let's pose the question “best electric car.” In this case, we inevitably end up in “TM-tests-type” content, and the user's journey towards a purchasing decision progresses a step further. 

You will fare better on Google when… you know what searches and questions your customers are making on Google. The aforementioned structured data helps greatly. The SEMRush tool makes it easy to identify various questions and keyword variations.

3. Commercial Intent + Transactional Intent

SEMRush distinguishes these two stages, but in my eyes, the line is blurry. Often, in these stages, service providers are compared, and it’s important to recognise that the potential customer is ready to buy, so placing the product/service high in Google search results is critical.

Searches may feature “X vs. Y” type terms and direct “buy XYZ” keywords, but often even one generic-sounding term implies an intention to purchase a product.

You will fare better on Google when… you provide the user with solid facts; price, availability, table, and comparison data as well as enriched product information. Not forgetting a simple route to purchase the product if the user makes a decision in that moment!

Good tools for optimising content include SEMRush or AHREFS. These help you explore your own – and your competitors' – search engine visibility and identify search phrases relevant to your business.

Website authority, reliability, and expertise

The cornerstone of search engine optimisation has long been the concept known as a Backlink. (I just made one towards Wikipedia). 

When domain A links to domain B, a backlink is formed. When B begins to receive hundreds of links, B becomes an authority because it is widely referenced. Google notes this along with the context in which the linking occurs. If A and B both link to each other, both benefit. 

I'll use the automotive industry as an example again. A single car dealer would be thrilled if Tekniikan Maailma linked to their used car stock. 

But what about when B starts getting links from source Ö, which Google views as a notorious spam site. This is not good for B and Ö should be eliminated from Google's view (disavow).

Backlinks have a somewhat bad reputation because historically they have been easy to purchase from so-called link farms sometimes even successfully. This, however, is not a shortcut to success. 

– Shame on you if you've done this! Links should be earned, not bought.

Produce content so good that you are referenced

Above, I discussed structured content creation and mentioned that comprehensive content articles (long-forms) are still favoured by Google. It is impressive if a company can encapsulate its offering in one headline, but behind it, there must be expertise, skill, and insight in a multimedia form!

Content creation is easy to outsource but ensure meticulously that the writer knows what they're talking about.

Therefore, strive to be a reliable source of information in your industry!

Bonus - Visual image search

Admittedly, many searches are still done using the keyboard, but search features based on AR technology are inevitably part of the future. Have you used your smartphone's camera in Google searches? If you haven't, many others have because Google Lens has been used over a billion times. 

Many are familiar with searches done via the camera for text scanning and translations, but the Google app on smartphones can find visual matches via image search and, in the best case, link directly to online stores selling the product. 

Try it: take a photo of the coffee cup on your desk via the Google app and see which online store sells the same (or at least a similar-looking) cup.

Visual search serves many different situations:

• Product information

• Route searches and landmark recognition

• Text recognition and translations

• Recipes

I have been exploring the internet and electronic marketing communication for over 20 years. Development progresses and the pace accelerates, but a traditional spreadsheet will not be removed from the toolkit. At Crasman, I lead a rapidly growing cross-disciplinary data team whose mission is to put facts on the table and drive “it feels like” types out of the meeting room. If you are interested in data-driven growth, development, or optimisation, get in touch!