Holistic SEO 2022 - Why SEO STILL Doesn’t Work In A Vacuum

Holistic SEO is no longer a "hot" term - but it's more important than ever as search engines become more adept at finding quality websites and promoting them in the results rankings.

1. In 2022, how do I keep up with all the changes the search engines make?
   • The short answer is "by taking it seriously and treating it as a process". Too many people put in an effort for a few days or weeks and then get distracted by the next bright, shiny marketing trend. SEO is not a trend. Nor is quality.
   • Think first about your audience and the information they need. Then match that to what the search engines are rewarding. Eight years ago, we wrote that quality content is highly rated by your visitors and by Google. But if Google changes its search criteria, you have already established an “authority” and your customers will still find you even if you drop down the results page for a while. As an update, it's highly unlikely that a five-star user experience will be caught up in a mass downgrading.
   • We also stated that when Google makes a change to its algorithm, do not over react. Let the dust (and your emotions) settle first. Many claims are made in the early days but most of them fail to eventuate. Keep an eye on your key statistics and make changes if and when they are required. In 2022, that is equally true. This year we have seen a series of updates that had a few SEO experts nervous but they have not amounted to much. In most cases, Google has said they were trying to improve their filtering system, as opposed to actively penalising certain websites.
      
2. The Internet Technology Ecosystem
   • Stay up to date. Imagine telling your clients and/or boss that meta-keywords tags are beneficial to your site rankings in 2022? How is your GMB profile looking? Do you understand how your website is rendering on a smartphone and what experience it provides - good, bad or indifferent?
   • SEO will continue to evolve in line with new technology.  Ten years ago, terms such as responsive mobile browsing and optimising site speed were considered alien - but today they are essential. In fact, today responsive isn't a "will we or won't we" decision, it is a question of how well you will do it. It's all about testing.
   • We're pretty pleased that the following piece of advice hasn't aged in eight years: "Social media is essential and will only grow in importance. You cannot have a balanced SEO plan that does not include social media." A commitment to social media shows a dedication to your community of interest and to your social/business circle that allows two-way interaction. In the metaverse, that will continue to be rewarded. Remember to limit yourself to as many social media platforms as you can properly manage. 
3. SEO and Consumer Psychology
   • Again, the classic advice does not fade (while trends that try to game the system just fade away - and keyword stuffing is a classic example of that.) Develop personas - know who you are targeting. Build profiles of your key target audiences and develop content to suit their needs. Dig deep, find the right people who care about what you have to offer and nurture them. Create tailored content to make their life easier. It does achieve results. In one case, we almost doubled a brand’s annual revenue thanks to search and social media.
   • Communicate persuasively. Do you know why many financial institutions use the colour blue in their branding? Blue is perceived as trustworthy, dependable, fiscally responsible and secure. 
   • Sell with integrity and be consistent with your approach and how you deal with customer issues.
   • Learn from your competitors. Do not plagiarise and do not use an AI to write rubbish. Instead, look at what the leaders are doing and learn from their best practice. Moz is a good example of this. Here's one of their interesting SEO videos. 

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