Ever since the dawn of Google and online search, a new kind of business model that runs entirely online thrived as well. Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, has become a staple marketing tactic for more than two decades now. Having discovered the power that online search holds, businesses started creating content with the help of SEO experts to make their brand stand out in the online scene.
And like all things, change is constant in SEO as well. The world of SEO is ever-evolving — what worked years ago might not yield the same results today. Hence, keeping up with SEO trends in 2023 is something every business owner should put front and center as early as now.
Search engines like Google continually improve their algorithm and how they process queries. With every new update, many strategies have fallen and risen for years. The process of pleasing the algorithm to improve ranking and visibility is a constant challenge among SEO specialists. So, it pays to be prepared for your future SEO-related campaigns now and not one second later.
Why is it important to prepare SEO campaigns early?
The answer is simple. Competition is high in the field of SEO. Businesses, big and small brands alike, are vying for the top spots on search rankings. Those who are already ranked high want to maintain their visibility, and up-and-coming small businesses will want to refine their strategies to earn a spot that can boost their brand’s search engine rankings.
For this very reason, staying ahead by preparing ahead is critical if you want to play your cards right. You might ask, “how do I start preparing?” Well, you will need to have a firm grasp of the current trends in SEO first, so you’ll know what to build upon your SEO tactics. In this blog, we will tackle the upcoming SEO trends in 2023 and everything else you need to know about them.
Keep reading to learn more about what you should expect and how you can best optimize your SEO next year.
SEO Trends in 2023 to Look Out For
- The Power of Video
- The Rise of Voice Search
- Optimizing Local SEO
- Visual Search
- Schema Markup
- Mobile-Friendliness As a Google Ranking Factor
- Focus on User or Search Intent
- Brand SERP Optimization
- Long-Form Content
- Artificial Intelligence
- Use Featured Snippets
- The Core Web Vitals
- Content Still Matters
The Power of Video
People like watching videos. Text and graphics can still do their job well, but when it comes to better engagement, video content is king. In fact, reports state that online videos had an audience reach of 92% among internet users worldwide in 2021. Although a lot of brands now incorporate video SEO in their marketing strategies, they usually don’t place a high priority on it. Oftentimes, they prefer to create other types of campaigns, such as infographics, images, or written content, among others. These are good as well, but online audiences nowadays do not get engaged in these kinds of marketing, unless it’s done uniquely and compellingly.
So, your best resort is video SEO! When used correctly, it is an extremely powerful form of marketing tool that can extensively contribute to your business in more ways than one.
The Rise of Voice Search
Digital assistants, like Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, have become prevalent in today’s digital age. We have seen a rise in the number of voice searches over the past years, and they continue to do so this year and the next. Presently, around half of all internet users in the U.S. and over 40 percent of its total population utilize voice search. This goes to show just how critical its role will be in the future of search engine optimization.
So, prepare to optimize your SEO for voice search. Some quick tips: When optimizing for voice search, use target keywords in the form of a question. Use long-tail keywords that are fairly specific. Try to think of potential queries that your customers might have about your business, then create SEO content that will answer these questions.
Optimizing Local SEO
If you are a startup business looking to improve your visibility, then local SEO is the solution. Local SEO is what brings customers to your business. How so? For starters, a lot of people today want to buy locally. More and more people turn to local businesses to support their local economy. Establishing yourself as a local business means driving more traffic your way, especially if local customers are the lifeblood of your business. Moreover, other businesses in your area are likely to have invested in local SEO already, which makes them a step ahead of you. Investing in this strategy will help you rise up and be able to compete with other local businesses.
Visual Search
Before diving into the importance of visual search in SEO trends 2023, let’s first define what it is.
Through AI or artificial intelligence, visual search utilizes real-world imagery as search queries. Take note that it’s not the same as searching for an image in a search engine, which uses text as the search query.
Still confused? Here’s an example: you’re out for a vacation, then you happen to spot someone using a luxury bag that fits your taste. So, you bring out your phone and take a photo of the bag. Through an e-commerce app, you then use that photo to initiate a search and find the bag online.
Now that you know what visual search is, let’s find out why it’s important.
Visual search is a newer trend that just started to gain traction. From a local SEO point of view, having customers actually see that you have the product they need makes them most likely to buy from your store. To optimize your business for visual search, you will need to have high-quality images or videos on your website, as well as captions and descriptions.
Schema Markup
Schema markup is a form of microdata or structured data. It is a code that you can add to your website to help search engines like Google understand your content. Once added to a certain website page, schema markup creates an enhanced description or a rich snippet, which appears in search results and can be used to specify the type of content present on your website.
Schema markups are commonly used for businesses and organizations, events, people, products, recipes, reviews, and videos. Search results that have schema applied allows web users to see details of your web page at a glance. The more helpful it is, the more likely they are to click through, improving your organic traffic. Schema markups also help in getting you featured in rich snippets!
Mobile-Friendliness As a Google Ranking Factor
Over half of all web searches come from mobile users. Mobile phones continue to become ubiquitous—and so does mobile searching—that even Google had to make necessary updates on their search ranking factors. Today, mobile-friendliness is among the essential things that SEO experts need to keep in mind. If you are planning to build a website or if you already have one, re-evaluate or ensure that it’s optimized for mobile users. Mobile-friendly websites are known to receive a ranking boost compared to sites that are optimized solely for desktop users.
Focus on User or Search Intent
One of the most critical factors for ranking high in search engines is user intent. Search or user intent is the main objective of the user when typing for a search query. It’s called “intent” because the end goal of the user is not always evident from their queries.
Search or user intent tells how people search for content, so it’s important for brands to do a thorough research on their target audience or users to make it easier for them to find what they are looking for. If you need help understanding user intent or determining which keywords potential customers are using to search for your business, Proweaver can lend a hand with our SEO experts who are up-to-date with SEO trends 2023.
Brand SERP Optimization
A good brand search engine results page (SERP) should be filled with rich and relevant content. If your brand SERP has a blue link that says “View more information”, customers are likely to just ignore your business because that doesn’t impress them nor does it convey the right message to pique their interest.
Your reputation is important. So, be sure that clients and prospective clients see a reflection of your brand that is positive, accurate, and highly convincing.
Long-Form Content
Google will play a significant role in your marketing plan in 2023. A new algorithm known as “helpful content update” has been put into place with the intention of making information created by actual people more relevant to queries. Your articles will therefore perform better than short-form content. Longer articles can help increase traffic because Google prefers long pages that provide the web viewer with as much information as possible.
Long-form content leaves more room for engaging CTAs, which leads to more conversions and gives you the ability to create more repurposed content for future posts. Moreover, it gives you the ability to provide more educational content to your audience which builds trust and offers more backlink opportunities to build trust in the search engines.
Artificial Intelligence
Thanks to the introduction of artificial intelligence, Google’s algorithm has become significantly more intelligent over time. Their BERT algorithm update is a good example of this. BERT is an abbreviation for Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers, a neural network-based technique for Natural Language Processing (NLP) that was open-sourced by Google. Google can now comprehend the language better than humans do thanks to this improvement. This upgrade, along with previous ones like RankBrain, explains why old strategies like keyword stuffing don’t work anymore and negatively affect your search ranking.
Use Featured Snippets
Featured snippets are an excellent strategy for improving your website’s visibility on search engines. However, you must be aware of their proper use. Understanding your audience and what they want is the first step. You can utilize a list-based snippet to entice users to go to your website if they are searching for a more in-depth response.
The responses to a user’s search query are shown as featured snippets at the top of the SERP. They are especially helpful for searches made on mobile devices and voice assistants. Your website’s exposure and click-through rates can be improved by optimizing it for featured snippets.
Featured snippets have been improving in recent years. These snippets are typically taken from the top-ranked search results, which are most likely to be relevant to the user’s query. If your website page offers valuable information that people usually search for, you’re probably eligible for a featured snippet.
The Core Web Vitals
The Core Web Vitals is one of our SEO trends predictions for 2023. Why? Because Google repeatedly stresses the value of the user experience.
The Core Web Vitals are a collection of metrics that gauge the speed at which users are able to load your page. Here are four Core Web Vitals that will be a big focus for 2023:
- First Contentful Paint (FCP): FCP measures how quickly the bits of content load on your website.
- First Input Delay (FID): FID measures how quickly a webpage processes an interaction after a user interacts with something on a website.
- Largest Contentful Paint (LCP): LCP indicates how long it takes for the largest piece of content to load on your website and appear for visitors.
- Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS): CLS measures the number of layout shifts that occur on your website without user interaction.
Your site’s rankings will decline if visitors don’t like the time they spend there. Page speed is important in providing a good user experience. In fact, the majority of web users will leave a page if it takes more than three seconds to load.
Content Still Matters
Lastly, and certainly not the least, content is still highly relevant when it comes to boosting SEO. Having updated, high-quality, and well-thought-out content is necessary to keep existing and potential customers up-to-date with your brand. Be creative in how you use your content for marketing! Leverage images, infographics, web content, and even video content to achieve increased engagement and accessibility online this 2023.
Key Takeaway: Why Does Being Up-to-Date with SEO Trends Matter?
As Search Engine Optimization continuously evolves, businesses like yours should strive to be constantly aware of the latest trends. Simply because they will affect your businesses, for better or for worse. Aside from this, SEO changed considerably over the years and it’s no longer just about having a website and getting ranked for keywords. The search ranking factors are more sophisticated than ever and there’s a lot to keep in mind if you want your brand to stay relevant. Your first step to having good SEO is to keep up to date with trends, which will help you stay ahead of the competition, plan out effective strategies, and gain more web visitors.
How Proweaver Can Help
Creating a website for your business is just the first step. To make your business and everything you offer visible to your market, SEO is key. Bringing an audience is a different story. Hence, you will need the help of professionals who can provide expert Search Engine Optimization. Rank higher in the search engines and become more discoverable by prospective customers! We will help you have an effective SEO strategy that can deliver positive results in no time. We provide thorough and effective SEO services through:
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Technical Audit
We will help you understand the trends and progress of your website ranking.
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Good Analytics and Webmaster Configuration
We implement strategies to make you easily discoverable to potential clients looking for your brand.
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Keyword Research
We use well-researched keywords to evenly distribute in your web pages for improved search engine indexing.
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Website Content and Speed Optimization
We keep your website optimized to meet the growing and changing needs of your market.
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Blog Activation and Posting
We create relevant and professional content that will boost your SEO rankings.
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Off-Page Optimization
We improve your site’s visibility through social media marketing, social bookmarking, and link building.
Leave Your SEO to the Experts
For over 16 years, Proweaver has transformed thousands of visions into a reality with our digital marketing solutions. Our affordable SEO services made it easier for our clients to reach more customers in the online scene, increasing their sales, lead generation, and website conversion.
Make your presence known online. Let our team of SEO experts help in increasing your search engine ranking and brand visibility. Do not hesitate to contact us at the following numbers:
+1 877-216-0852;
+1 877-300-6564;
OR +1 (866) 777-8315
Get started today and partner with Proweaver!