The Top 10 SEO Trends to Drive More Traffic in 2023

The field of search engine optimization (SEO) is challenging. When you think that you’ve got everything under control, Google updates the algorithm, making what used to work less effective or your SEO approach needs a new component. In order to give users better, more relevant information, search algorithms are modified every now and then. While this is excellent for users, it also means that companies should consult with a search engine optimization company so that they can always stay informed about the newest SEO updates and put best practices into action. Now that the New Year is here, it is important for businesses to stay relevant with the latest SEO trends for 2023. This helps to drive more traffic, improve conversion rate and increase sales.

What Are the Latest SEO Trends for 2023?

• Google’s use of Core Web Vitals as a ranking factor: Google introduced three new measures in May 2020 under the name Core Web Vitals to evaluate user experience. These metrics are loading time, interactivity, and visual stability. The common factor between all three metrics is page speed: how quickly the website loads, how quickly it becomes interactive, and how steady it is while loading. In May 2021, Core Web Vitals will be one of Google’s ranking variables, therefore you must pay particular attention to them if you want to rank well. So, user experience metrics will aid search engine bots in choosing which page to rank higher if there are two sites with equally relevant information.

• Keyword research matters: Zero-click searches make up more than 50% of all searches. This indicates that more than half of Google searches (about 175 billion per month) come to an end without a click. This is due to the fact that users can find the information they need without even clicking a result or finishing typing a query due to the SERP’s rich results, which include Google business listings with menus and contact details, featured snippets with answers, and more. Given the changes to the SERP and the intense competition in the market, it’s essential to spend some time on keyword research in order to identify phrases that can genuinely increase traffic and revenue for your company.

Quick tips:

• Find long-tail and focused keywords for your business: To locate those terms, you’ll need some imagination and talent; alternatively, you can use Google Search Console’s tools to quickly find uncommon keywords for your company.
• Identify user intent: While using SEO tools is essential, it’s critical to examine the SERP for that keyword before selecting it.


Image Source:

• Original content still rules: Since quality content is so critical for SEO and ranking, organizations need authentic content for factors other than branding. In other words, original content that hasn’t been published anywhere else. Google has thousands of pages worth of identical content on the same topics. Why would Google choose your content over the original if you created something that was nearly identical to content that was already ranking online? Why would anyone bother looking beyond the top results? Due to this, the language and tone of your content must be true to you and your business while also being informative, useful and add value. Case studies, experiments, customer testimonials and other relevant information are good resources to use while creating original content. This will not only result in authentic content that Google likes, but also help your audience and Google see you as a reliable brand.

• Google’s BERT searches for intent matches: To better comprehend searches and what consumers are actually seeking for, Google’s BERT algorithm (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) uses machine learning (ML) and natural language processing (NLP). It works with practically all Google English queries and supports more than 70 different languages. Google’s BERT update made the search engine bots much more “conversational,” enabling Google’s algorithm to better understand the searcher’s intent. No matter how in-depth or high-quality the long-form content is, if it does not satisfy user intent, BERT will disregard it and favor another piece of content that does. Google BERT is not an algorithmic penalty. By comprehending search queries and content like humans would, it works as a feature of the Google search engine to assist users find the most pertinent and valuable stuff. Therefore, it won’t degrade or punish websites. It will simply prioritize those who deliver the greatest outcomes to users, in line with Google’s long-standing mission. If a user cannot find what they are seeking for in your content, then your content is not BERT-friendly and you won’t rank well for that keyword.

To optimize for BERT- When a user enters a specific keyword into Google, this is what the person is actually looking for. It’s crucial to ensure that your content and the keyword intent match because users enter a lot of intent into the Google search bar. Before creating content for a term, always perform a Google search for it! Before spending the time to write the content, this technique will enable you to fully grasp the meaning behind a keyword so that you can be confident it will be successful.

• Voice search is on the rise: Voice searches have become more common since the creation of Google Assistant, Apple’s Siri, and Amazon’s Alexa. Voice search is reportedly used every day by 41% of adults and 55% of teenagers in the US. Given that they have only been rising over the past few years, these numbers cannot be understated. Google estimates that a startling 27% of people worldwide use voice search on their mobile devices. Additionally, according to ComScore, voice search technology will be used by more than half of smartphone users in 2020. The majority of voice search inquiries are quite detailed and long-tail. When using voice search, users hunt for particular responses to their questions. These users are at the funnel’s consideration stage and have a higher conversion rate than the other users. Voice search optimization is still expanding as more people choose it with each passing year, thus it is anticipated to stay popular in 2023 as well. Therefore, this can be required for SEO.

• SEO for brands and EAT: Google prioritizes high-quality content when determining rankings. But “excellent content” alone is not enough. That brings up the EAT principle: knowledge, clout, and reliability. The future of SEO is with brands. SEO is now more about authority and branding. Your brand will rank higher and more frequently on Google the more well-known and genuine it is. And in the following months, you’ll see this. You should therefore work to build your brand’s reputation. Make it the top priority in your SEO plan for 2023. Additionally, raise brand awareness to boost brand search volume. You may rank higher and become a more reputable brand on Google by using brand queries, a secret ranking factor. This is especially crucial for you if you work in the YMYL (Your Money Your Life) market. As Google itself states, it is very conscious of ranking YMYL sites and takes EAT seriously. Therefore, work on improving your EAT. (EAT is not directly used by Google to determine rankings, but it is taken into account by several of its algorithms.)

• Video marketing is vital: YouTube, Vimeo, and TikTok are all well-known sites for video marketing. Videos are the most efficient approach to communicate crucial information and your point of view. Google is also working on a method for assisting searchers in finding the data they need by using movies. The name and description of your video channel should be optimized first. However, the description shouldn’t be overstuffed with keywords; instead, it should give a brief overview of your channel’s focus. Even keywords are significant. For instance, you can use YouTube’s autocomplete tool if you’re optimizing your videos for the platform. Once you begin typing the subject of your movie, a list of options will appear in the search bar. The recommendations are relevant keywords you can use to optimize the video for the target audience.

• Featured Snippets are everywhere: Position Zero, or featured snippets, are displayed in the rectangular box at the top of the SERP. These snippets are advantageous for websites as well as for searchers. You are unable to choose the information that appears in the Featured Snippet for any given search; this is something that the Google algorithm bots handle. It is unclear how exactly to get your website listed in the Featured Snippet. A few tactics are used by SEO specialists and marketers that may be beneficial. For instance, you might need to respond to a specific question in order to appear in the featured results; responding in bullet points (material that is well-structured) would be preferable.

• Artificial Intelligence (AI) Will Have an Impact: Artificial intelligence provides the personalization feature that is so important for any business. AI can have a major impact on SEO because it can understand and decode Google’s algorithms and generate good strategies. AI tools could emerge as a major trend in SEO with many companies such as MarketMuse and HubSpot already providing AI-based solutions to assist companies with their SEO campaigns.

• Incorporate Influencer SEO: Millions of people follow influencers, and if you can get your company in front of these people, they can end up being your clients. Over time, these influencers gain the confidence of your target audience, and if they end up supporting your business, the ROI might be huge. Because of this, 89% of marketers think that influencer marketing has a similar or even superior return on investment than other types of marketing. When selecting influencers to support your SEO strategy, you must be very specific. Not all influencers will benefit your brand. You should pick those who are reaching the audience you wish to target. Here is how influencer marketing impacts SEO:
  
  

  Here is how influencer marketing impacts SEO:

  • Brand awareness and engagement: Influencers are aware of their audience’s preferences, so when they produce content about your brand, it appeals to them. And that stuff is special, worthwhile, and beneficial. Viral material is favored by search engines. And, when an influencer posts something that meets all the criteria for sharing, lots of people share it, which prompts search engines to give the specified website page a higher ranking in the SERPs.
  • Link building: Backlinks play a significant role in ranking. However, not all backlink types are effective. High-quality backlinks are necessary. This is where influencers can be of assistance. Your chances of obtaining organic, high-quality backlinks for your website increase when you have an influencer (or influencers) on your side.
  • Using social media: It should go without saying that viral content always contributes to a significant amount of social media engagement and referral traffic.

Why Hire a Search Engine Optimization Company?

Over the past few years, SEO has undergone significant transformation. It’s no longer enough to simply have a website and climb the search engine results pages. The Google algorithm has advanced significantly since it was first launched, and it is critical to comprehend the most recent SEO trends and how your marketing techniques will change as a result if you want to maintain your position at the top of search results. You can get in touch with a reliable search engine optimization company to adopt the most recent SEO strategies and to stay on top of the latest SEO trends for 2023.