With the constant changes in Google's search algorithms, SEO trends for 2023 focus on providing a positive user experience, prioritizing video content, implementing a testing culture, building a strong reputation, and utilizing social proof to increase website authority and reliability.
Let's delve deeper into each of these trends:
Core Web Vitals
Google's page experience ranking factors currently consist of four categories: Core Web Vitals, mobile-friendliness, HTTPS, and non-intrusive interstitials and pop-ups.
The latest Page Experience updates are crucial because they have made Core Web Vitals metrics fairer and more accurate. Core Web Vitals analyze the user experience within a website, their actions on the site, page speed, and more. While some may not believe they are actual ranking factors, they are still relevant and deserve our consideration and attention.
Video Trending on Google
Currently, social media prioritizes video content, and this trend is also impacting search result rankings on Google. Video content gains ground every year, and even Google itself has invested in highlighting video results on the first page of search results.
Therefore, investing in video content will be a significant advantage, whether on social media or organic search. Practical tip: include keywords in your video descriptions, titles, and file names.
Test, Test, and Test
In 2023, those who can adapt to changes the fastest will win. With all the changes in SEO, the way of working in this area needs to keep up with market fluctuations and the rules of the game.
With the evolution of the user experience, there's nothing better than testing to understand what's best for them and, consequently, for Google's algorithm.
Quality (Reputation) vs. Quantity (Links)
Google's E-A-T principle determines that a website should have Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness.
Practically, E-A-T involves creating quality content, good page rankings, high authority, and a large volume of organic traffic. Focusing on Authority, it's essential to understand that it starts with reputation, i.e., how a brand is perceived by its stakeholders.
Therefore, the central point will be to think about what will make other sites link to yours in an honest and transparent perspective. Conversely, you shouldn't engage in link exchange or too many guest posts, which are outdated techniques and can result in punishment.
Reviews
Social proof is known as one of the most powerful mental triggers. In SEO, it's also powerful because it helps the site have more authority and reliability, conveying security. A very easy tip to implement is to show real customer testimonials on the homepage.
In recent months, as we have seen, Google has made several updates focused on user reviews.
Why? Because it needs that data to be relevant, especially in front of Amazon, which has the world's largest repository of reviews and competes with the search giant when it comes to searching for products to buy.
Google's algorithm will continue to be updated frequently, indexing is extremely fast, and competition is increasing, but the opportunities remain infinite.
In fact, with this broader view of the usefulness of content, reputation, and social proof, it seems that what is really essential and has always been the primary function of SEO is resurfacing: delivering the best and most useful content to people who are searching for it. That's what we should always keep in mind when optimizing our pages.