An unconventional guide to SEO especially for staffing agencies

Staffing agencies are always thirsty for talent. And to attract the right kind of candidates, you must be on top of the search engine. SEO or search engine optimization is one of the most cost-effective ways to improve both ranking and visibility. Yet, SEO is not just about keywords, as is the popular belief. Primarily where staffing agencies are concerned, they should be targeted towards a specific market with consistent site promotion across the world wide web. However, it is vital that staffing and recruiting agencies use contemporary practices and draft a clear roadmap to execute both on-page and off-page SEO.

Ask any long-term SEO practitioner, and they will tell you how much the process of optimization has changed over the years. Outdated SEO methods are not welcomed by Google anymore. Indeed, the fluidity is so impassive that Google’s algorithms are altered at least 500 times or more in a year. (That’s over one update per day!) Even veteran SEO experts who spend their entire careers trying to determine rank criteria are left baffled. Directory submissions, link-farming, etc., are obsolete methodologies. While the basic concept of SEO remains the same, you must choose the latest trends and strategies to maintain strong rankings. It is imperative to provide current and high-quality information to your target audience so that it is fully understood.

Core Web Vitals

This is undoubtedly new. A collection of metrics (that assess responsiveness, speed and visual consistency), Google’s Core Web Vitals is meant to evaluate how people interact with a particular website. Even though created for developers, all web owners can utilize them to break down a user’s actual experience on one specific page. In 2022, it is crucial that you get acquainted with what these represent and the quantitative norms that underpin them. LCP, or Largest Contentful Paint, measures the page’s speed. Its ideal measurements are 2.5 seconds or faster. CLS or Cumulative Layout Shift calculates visual stability. The numbers should ideally be at less than 0.1. Finally, FID or First Input Delay for page responsiveness should be less than 100 ms. There are several tools available with Google that come with measurement capabilities for Core Web Vitals. Some tools you can use are:

Google Search Console

Web Vitals Extension

Chrome Dev Tools

Learn how you can improve your website with Core Web Vitals here.

Google’s EAT Principle

Expertise-Authoritativeness-Trustworthiness is a concept that comes from Google’s Search Quality Rater guidelines. Even though it has been around since 2014, it has gradually become one of the most crucial SEO factors. The abbreviated EAT idea was popularized following the controversial Medic Update in August 2018. It is one of THE criteria that Google considers when it has to assess the web page’s overall quality.

You may be overwhelmed by the competition if you are in a crowded marketplace. Your rivals are enormous corporations and well-known brand names. Even then, you can achieve your brand’s authority, dependability and reputation by starting small. 

Read also:-7 Ways SEO & PPC Can Work Together For Staffing Agencies in 2022

Google Passage Ranking

Algorithms on Google are meant to provide hyper-relevant results. No doubt, these are constantly changing and, to many, complex. Launched in early 2021, this algorithm allowed the ranking of individual pages along with the entire page. Why is this important? Because even if the page covers a different topic, it will be featured in the SERP – chucks from that page can still be extracted. 

Say, for instance, you created a blog article about a topic covering a range of other subtopics, too, such as tools, strategies, networks etc. Even if you still haven’t optimized the page for a relevant keyword, it could still appear in the search results. This is primarily because Google is indexing a particular portion of content. After all, it recognizes pertinent information regarding the overall topic.  

In the above example, Google understands that the result on the right is more relevant to the query typed in the search bar. Therefore, instead of throwing up a general page like on the left, it brings up something more specific like the image to the right. 

Big Focus on Images

Did you know? Google Images is the source of more than 20% of all American web searches. So, it is extremely crucial to understand image optimization if you want to dominate in 2022. However, you must ensure that any photos you upload are pertinent to the keywords and in HD quality. Users should be able to recognize the content from the style of the image itself. Besides, before submitting photographs to the site, ensure you compress them. Remember, Google also considers page speed when determining rankings. Since images account for 21% of a page’s weight, even one big image might slow the page down considerably. There are several tools available to help you compress photos quickly. 

Stay ahead of competition with these key SEO insights in 2022

While it’s impossible to stay on top of every change occurring to Google’s Algorithm, you can keep up with the most recent trends that could affect your SEO. It could be challenging for a busy staffing agency like yours to stay current and implement contemporary strategies. That is why you need Elite Site Optimizer to up your game. Always keep in mind to optimize your information for the people.