First, congratulations on surviving 2022, you did great! 2022 has been surprising, unique, and an inspiring mix of diverse global events that have kept us on our toes as consumers, brands, and search marketers. The recession, the great resignation, a war, the FIFA ending and several silent battles that we fought all alone.
As we recap the past year, let’s take a look at the world through the lens of research, SEO, analytics and content creation.
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2022 was about…
- To look to your consumers as humans and not just the datasets
- Understanding how your target consumers perceive the world and how they experience life in the digital age
- Tailoring and tests your strategies to satisfy consumers in their time of need, all without losing budget (or your sanity!)
- To find more effective tools, technologies and talents to address business uncertainty
Introducing the #SEWTop5
A countdown of Editors’ Choices that the Search Engine Watch community loved and found great value in!
#5. Understand the three stages of awareness of your online audience
Companies often forget that success metrics aren’t just numbers: they’re living, breathing people driven by behavior and emotion. As customer journeys continued to remain complex and multifaceted, businesses competed to ensure they were across the finish line when potential customers were ready to convert.
Add People’s Content Operations Lead, Jack Bird has created a guide on how to leverage a content strategy that caters to consumers and their travels. He detailed the three key stages of online traffic awareness, what type of content fits into these stages, and how to control existing content.
#4. A must-have web accessibility checklist for digital marketers
Did you know that 98% of US-based websites are inaccessible? This year, web accessibility has stepped out of the shadows and taken center stage as one of Google’s search ranking factors, making the topic itself more accessible for discussion. Marketers could no longer ignore this critical aspect, because –
Excellent user experience >> Positive brand perception >> Increased appeal to value-oriented consumers = Good for business
A web design and marketing specialist, Atul Jindal has created a must-have web accessibility checklist for digital marketers. He’s gone beyond the dissipation of “what is web accessibility?” and talked about its benefits and action points on “how to make your website accessible?”.
#3. Google Analytics 4: Cons and Limits: Is it worth sticking around?
On July 1, 2023, Universal Analytics properties stopped processing new hits, forcing users to switch to its successor, Google Analytics 4. This transition required a steep learning curve for SEOs and marketers, and adaptability as the switch has resulted in the loss of some historical data.
This article delved into the issues with Google Analytics 4 from a user perspective and from a privacy and compliance perspective. Objective and incisive observations helped inform SEOs and marketers decisions before switching platforms.
#2. The not so SEO checklist for 2022
While most of the internet focused on “what to do”, we have taken an unusual path of “what not to do” that will help your SEO succeed right from the start.
Bestselling author and SEW advisory board member Kristopher (Kris) Jones debunked some of the major myths surrounding Core Web Vitals (CWV) and Google’s biggest and most traditional 2021 updates.
As a particularly interesting and strategy-focused read, this was one SEOs could not miss before planning their strategy for 2022.
#1. Seven Google Warnings SEOs need to be up to date on everything!
We as SEOs and marketers often forget that while we are focused on consumers and customers, we are human too – with limited energy (we mean coffee supply), 24 hours (we wish we had more), and sleep deprivation (yes, we mean sleep deprivation ). As burnout crept in and to-do lists soared, our very own Ann Smarty shared seven Google alerts that aimed to make life easier for SEOs.
These clever ways have helped the community outrun the competition, prevent a reputation crisis, fix a traffic decline, and do so much more (without being overwhelmed).
We hope you enjoyed it! Thank you for being invaluable supporters on our journey.
The Search Engine Watch Team wishes everyone a Happy New Year! Keep spreading the SEO love and wisdom.
Via GIFI
*Ranked by target audience engagement, time on page, and bounce rate.
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