Marketers cite search engine optimization (SEO) as their top priority for increasing their organic online presence.
If used correctly, search engine optimization can attract consumers to your online platforms. Keeping up with the latest updates in SEO can be challenging. Despite that, it’s worth it. 70% to 80% of users ignore paid listings and only focus on organic results. In addition, some 28% of those searches result in a purchase.
Traffic, backlinks, and social shares – to name a few – are all important metrics for ranking well in SEO. What strategy do you plan to implement in order to improve your SEO and organic presence? This guide provides insights into some of the most relevant and timely SEO trends for 2023, allowing you to prepare your SEO strategy accordingly. Here are 8 SEO marketing trends to expect in 2023.
1. Keyword optimization
A survey found that 47% of marketers who leverage SEO use search insights reports to help them plan their strategies. By optimizing for specific types of consumer behavior, you’ll help your business be discovered online more easily.
You can use tools like Ahrefs or SEMRush to do some quick keyword research related to your business, products, or upcoming content to see where you can optimize titles, subheads, and body text.
2. Video and image SEO
A page’s SEO goes beyond changing the text. To rank in Google images or search engine video carousels, a page might need to choose and optimize the right videos or images.
A video optimization strategy might involve embedding a video with a similar topic or keyword into a blog post, in addition to compressing files to increase page speed.
Videos and images are optimized by 53% of marketers who leverage SEO. Four out of five marketers say image and video optimization is their most effective SEO strategy.
3. Artificial Intelligence in SEO
The way people interact with online content is changing as a result of artificial intelligence (AI). A special note should be made about Google’s AI algorithm. Google’s ranking factors for search engine results pages (SERPs) are influenced by an algorithm called RankBrain that was introduced several years ago.
According to Greg Corrado, a senior Google scientist who worked on RankBrain, it has the unique ability to learn: “The other signals are all based on discoveries and insights that information retrievers have had, but there is no learning involved.” AI is expected to become a top SEO trend with time as RankBrain continues to improve.
What is the best way to optimize your SEO for RankBrain? Experts believe the primary determinant is user experience signals, although Google won’t share specifics. The factors could range from click-through rate to time spent on the page. Content that is useful and well-organized will captivate and engage readers. You can assess your page’s strength based on factors such as readability, backlinks, and more by using an on-page SEO checker.
4. Backlinking and link-building
Your site is viewed as credible and authoritative when sites with solid rankings link to it. Consequently, your Google ranking will rise. Link-building is ultimately about getting other sites to link to yours.
Research shows that the time and effort you put into writing shareable content, reaching out to other websites, or ensuring your post gets links pays off. Sixty-three percent of SEO marketers say their brand’s most effective SEO tactic is backlinking and link building.
5. Mobile-friendly pages rank higher
With Google’s mobile-first indexing in 2019, the search engine considers the mobile version of a webpage to be the “primary” version instead of the desktop version. With nearly 73% of internet users accessing the internet exclusively via mobile devices by 2025, this change makes sense. Try Google’s free mobile-friendly test to see how effective your mobile site is. Take a look at the “mobile usability” report in Google Search Console.
You need to ensure that Google can crawl your URLs to ensure your page is user-friendly, so make sure you don’t have a “disallow directive” in place. You should also be aware that Googlebot won’t load content that requires user interaction, like clicking or swiping. Ensure that Google can see the lazy-loaded content.
6. Historical optimization
Rather than coming up with new ideas, marketers will optimize what has worked in the past.
Content that is up-to-date and rich in rich, engaging content will outperform old, keyword-unrelevant work with outdated links and statistics. In addition, repurposing existing content for new podcasts, webinars, or blog posts can also be an efficient way to keep it relevant.
Two out of four SEO marketers claim historical optimization is an effective SEO strategy.
7. Voice search optimization
Voice search technology has come a long way thanks to innovation like Google Assistant, Apple’s Siri, and Amazon’s Alexa. Technology has become more popular as it has improved. By 2022, 55% of households are predicted to own a smart speaker.
Businesses should ask, ‘What questions could users ask about this topic?’ Based on their answers, they should create sub-topics and insert questions as headers. By doing this, voice assistants will be able to recognize content as answers to questions.
Consider your keywords when optimizing for voice search marketing. Recognize the longer expressions people use in everyday conversation. Natural-sounding phrasing is better for voice searches. Abbreviations are commonly used only when people type.
8. Chatbots and conversational marketing.
Over half of consumers expect a response within 10 minutes to marketing, sales, or customer service inquiries. Most marketers who use automation use chatbots for this reason.
Bots are computer programs that automate certain tasks, typically by chatting with users through conversational interfaces. By leveraging artificial intelligence, bots can understand complex requests, personalize responses, and improve interactions over time.
While dealing with hundreds of customers, bots provide the perception of 1:1 service – something no customer service representative or team is capable of.
For consumers who dislike repeating themselves to multiple sales or service representatives, chatbots are and will continue to simplify your lives. As long as they are used correctly, they can manage conversations at scale and aggregate data from multiple sources, including calendars, knowledge bases, blogs, and videos.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that SEO is becoming more complex as time goes on. It’s no longer enough to optimize keywords and meta titles. In today’s SEO world, you have to consider everything from voice control to video SEO. You need to stay on top of your ranking as metrics change constantly.
As SEO experts, ClinkIT Solutions knows what it takes to reach your target audience online.
With our custom SEO and digital marketing plans, you can establish a strong online presence, engage users, and provide them with valuable information.
An optimized digital marketing strategy will encompass all relevant marketing channels and online platforms to ensure your content reaches the right audience, at the right place, at the right time. ClinkIT Digital Marketing Services will help systematically optimize your digital marketing strategies and drive more revenue for your business.