All you need to know about search engine optimisation

People who run online shops know how important a good placement in the Google ranking is. But how does that work? We will show you the impact of SEO and point out what website teams in the paper and stationery industry should especially consider in 2022.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. In the proper sense, that means optimising a website for search engines. The goal of SEO is to take the right measures in order to be listed as highly as possible in the organic search results at Google & Co..

Search engine optimisation does not only target the normal Google Search but also Google News, Images, Videos, and Shopping. Why are we mostly talking about Google? That is because statistically, in 2022 Google has a market share of 80 percent in desktop and just under 88 percent in mobile use.

However, most measures also work for other search engines such as Microsoft Bing, which is in second place with a market share just shy of 10 percent.

How does SEO work in 2022?

The main idea behind search engine optimisation is keywords. These are terms that inquiring individuals type into Google Search in order to find a suitable product. This in reverse means that retailers should make sure their website is listed as highly as possible when relevant keywords are used in a search.

How does Google decide which websites are placed higher than others? Google’s main goal is for users to find the right website as quickly as possible. Therefore, factors such as relevance, authority, length of stay, and backlinks play a key role for the Google algorithm.

To sum it up, this means that a website is positioned highly in the search results for a keyword when the content delivered matches the item searched. And if website managers generate increased authority via backlinks, the chances of a higher ranking increase.

5 SEO trends in 2022

As factors and measures continuously change, regularly updating your website is unavoidable. However, there are several trends for 2022 that retailers should keep in mind.

1. Monitoring web vitals: Web vitals are Google metrics that evaluate the user experience for both mobile and desktop users. These are, among other things, the loading time of the largest element or the time it takes until an interaction is possible. You can check your web vitals directly at Google yourself. 

2. Content freshness: Freshness is an important factor for Google. Therefore, retailers should update their most important pages and texts regularly and also specify when exactly a text was last updated. EAT (Expertise, Authority, and Trust) plays an important role for websites that have to do with finances or personal health (Google calls that YMYL, Your Money Your Life). However, a certain amount of trustworthiness is important for all websites. 

3. User first: One of the most important tips is that all optimisations should be tailored to the individuals who actually use the website. That is because Google’s main goal is for its users to be satisfied, as was already specified above. If that is not the case, Google will not be interested in giving a website a high ranking.

4. Featured snippets: These are snippets highlighted in the search results, also known as “position 0”. This is where users find all of their questions answered at a glance. Whoever optimises their text regarding the query or keyword and provides a good answer has a chance to be the featured snippet.

5. Providing Google with more information: Retailers can ensure that Google receives more technical information via schema.org. Tagging products or reviews with the schema standard makes it easier for Google to record and present the relevant data. In addition, using more pictures and videos in texts helps as well. Because Google also considers videos and picture to a certain extent, the search results are thereby enhanced.

User experience is becoming even more important in 2022. For example, users are spending more time on their smartphones and less on their desktops. If retailers do not ensure a mobile version of their website, they will in the worst case immediately lose these users.

For retailers in the paper and stationery industry just getting started with SEO, the most important thing is patience. Adaptations and measures are important, but it usually takes time for the results to show.

At the same time, getting familiar with Google’s guidelines is unavoidable. Retailers will find everything that Google is requiring from websites in 2022 for them to receive a high position in the search results in the Google Quality Guidelines.

Resource: Adapted from Internet