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SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is always evolving, and keeping up with the latest SEO trends and techniques is essential to maintain and improve your website’s search engine rankings.
In 2023, several latest SEO trends are shaping the SEO landscape. Let’s explore these trends and see how you can align your SEO strategy with them for better rankings and visibility.
SEO Trends
Let’s explore these trends and see how you can align your SEO strategy with them for better rankings and visibility.
1. E-EAT: First-Hand Experience Matters
Google’s EAT (Expertise, Authority, Trust) acronym has evolved to include “Experience,” making it E-EAT. This means Google now considers the first-hand experience of content creators when assessing content quality.
Authors or creators are expected to have real-world experience with the topics they discuss. For instance, a healthcare article should be authored by a medical professional, not an SEO expert.
Ensure that your content creators have genuine expertise in the topics they cover. Stick to topics within your industry or niche.
2. Audience-Centric Content
Creating content solely to attract traffic won’t cut it in 2023. Google places a premium on content that benefits the intended audience. Content that doesn’t align with your target audience’s interests and needs is unlikely to rank well.
Use content planning tools to discover relevant industry topics that your audience is searching for. Focus on creating content that caters to your audience’s preferences and problems.
3. Author Authority
With the rise of auto-generated content, Google is emphasizing the authority of content creators.
To elevate author authority, include author bios, create author pages, and link creators’ social media accounts to establish their expertise and authenticity.
Ensure that your content creators are genuine experts. Highlight their expertise through author bios and links to their work.`
4. Helpful Content is Key
Google’s 2022 update prioritizes “helpful” content. This means content should not only be created for humans but also be appropriate for the target audience, relevant to the website’s primary topic, and demonstrate a depth of knowledge.
Focus on creating high-quality, informative content. Quality trumps quantity. Consider user intent and what will genuinely help your audience.
5. A.I. Content and Content Writing Software
Despite Google’s efforts to combat auto-generated content, the use of AI-driven content tools is on the rise. Marketers can leverage AI tools for content briefs, outlines, and generating content ideas to speed up their workflow while maintaining originality.
How to Align: Use AI tools wisely. They can aid in content research and idea generation, but avoid relying solely on auto-generated content.
6. SEO Automation
Automation is becoming increasingly prevalent in SEO. Enterprise SEO software platforms and tools are taking on more tasks, simplifying processes that once required manual effort. For example, keyword research tools can now automate tasks that were previously managed through laborious spreadsheet work.
Site auditing and monitoring platforms, such as SearchAtlas and Content King, can automatically detect changes and technical issues on websites. Additionally, website graders are helping less SEO-savvy individuals identify necessary optimizations and prioritize tasks.
7. Changing Click-Through Rates (CTR) by SERP Positions
The relationship between ranking position and click-through rates (CTR) is evolving. With endless scrolling now available on both mobile and desktop, users have easier access to multiple pages of search results. This change could impact CTRs, as searchers navigate across various pages. Zero-click searches, often a concern, may not be as prevalent as initially thought, particularly with Google’s introduction of featured snippets and features like “People Also Ask.”
This means that being on page two or three of search results could have more benefits than before, so optimizing page titles, meta descriptions, and using schema markup remains important.
8. Product Page SEO
Long-form, informative content continues to be rewarded by Google. This trend extends to product pages, which can benefit from providing more detailed and helpful information. Instead of having thin content, enrich your product pages with valuable details to improve their performance in 2023.
9. SEO Competitor Analysis
Analyzing competitors has long been a valuable strategy in SEO. In 2023, SEO tools will make competitor analysis even more accessible and effective.
As Google places increased emphasis on industry expertise and specific “topic areas” of websites, studying industry thought leaders will be crucial for understanding content that ranks. Utilize SEO competitor software to compare competitors’ content, backlinks, Domain Authority, and more.
This analysis will help you gauge how competitors establish expertise, authority, and trustworthiness through on-page and off-page signals.
10. Reduced Crawl Frequency
Google’s sustainability goals include reducing the frequency of web page crawls to conserve computing resources. While this change may primarily affect refresh crawls, it could result in longer periods before Google notices new website changes. Therefore, optimizing your content and on-page elements from the outset is crucial in 2023.
11. Image SEO Revitalized
Images are often overlooked on websites, but they play a significant role in image searches and can enhance keyword inclusion via alt text and schema markup. Google appreciates alt text and schema markup for better content understanding.
These elements also improve web accessibility for visually impaired users and those with limited connectivity. Make sure to follow an image SEO checklist to stay on top of these practices in 2023.
12. Fast-Loading, High-Performing Websites
Google has prioritized high-performing, fast-loading websites since the 2021 page experience update.
This emphasis on page speed and user experience continues in 2023. Tools like Page Speed Insights and Core Web Vitals remain essential for monitoring and evaluating website speed and performance. Prioritizing page speed improvements alongside content quality is a winning strategy for improved keyword rankings across your website.
Incorporating these ongoing SEO trends into your digital marketing strategy will help keep your website and content competitive in 2023 and beyond. Stay adaptable and ready to embrace new developments in the dynamic world of SEO.
