Ranking high on organic search is critical for any online business. But Google’s algorithm changes means that trends change quickly, making it tough to know which to prioritise.
To help your business stay on top of critical metrics for the coming year, SEO consultants Content Drive have put together the top 5 SEO trends that will dominate in 2023.
- E-A-T
E-A-T is Google’s principle for creating unique and compelling content. And it’s this acronym – standing for Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness – that will determine whether your quality meets Google’s quality standards.
If you want to improve EAT for your content, try:
- Eliminating overtly sales-oriented content, paid links campaigns, adverts and auto-generated content
- Demonstrating your expertise in your field by creating value-added content that people are searching for.
- Citing your sources.
- Including an author bio across all your on-site and off-site pieces.
Put simply Google prioritises content and sites that it trusts, and the best way to be trusted is to avoid spammy practices and spread you digital footprint, which brings us nicely onto…..
- High-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks are still a critical way to build authority. But more than ever, quality counts.
Focusing on excellence rather than quantity in your backlink strategy will see your website move further and faster up the rankings.
Whilst there is no one-size-fits-all approach to gaining top-tier backlinks, innovation is the key; think original research, digital PR and captivating and informative content.
- Featured Snippets
As well as the main search engine result, Google now allows for additional information to be displayed alongside the listing, these are known as rich snippets. There are a variety of rich snippets available but featured snippets also known as ‘People Also Ask’ queries are some of the most prominent.
Part of your strategy to rank higher should be answering common questions and appearing in the featured question snippet, which can help to attract a large number of clicks to your website.
Include those questions in your H2s and H3s, or create an FAQ page on your site. Then set out detailed responses which answer them in detail.
To give further signals to Google and other search engines, you’ll need to provide the relevant structured FAQ markup in the code. Schema markup is the code that helps Google understand your website and its content and can be implemented in the HTML or via an app or page builder.
- Long-Form Content
Your on-site SEO content strategy should focus on quality, well-written content that is useful to people searching for topics around your business. However, long-form content is often rewarded more by Google, especially if it contains original research and ideas.
As well as new content, don’t underestimate the power of a content refresh. This SEO strategy is one of the easiest to implement and involves reviewing your past content, taking into account the latest trends in SEO.
So, you might implement additional research, upgrade existing image quality and add video or develop high-quality long-form copy that meets E-A-T standards. This is particularly useful for content that already ranks well but just needs a little boost to hit the top few positions.
- Website UX and Site Speed
Going forward, one of the most exciting SEO trends is the focus on UX (user experience) and site speed. In effect, this means well-designed and lightning fast websites have a much better chance of ranking highly.
Google has classified the most important usability scores into a set of ranking factors known as Core Web Vitals. The most important of these are:
- First input delay (FID) measures the time taken for a site to respond after a viewer’s initial interaction.
- Largest contentful paint (LCP) is the amount of time it takes your largest page to load.
- Cumulative layout shift (CLS) looks at the number of layout changes a page undergoes, which can be annoying for the user to navigate.
Improving these critical factors enhances the user experience and impacts your search engine ranking.
The Importance of SEO is Only Growing in 2023, Make Sure your Site is Ready!
One thing is sure, as more and more businesses focus online SEO is only set to grow in importance. That’s why it’s worth perfecting your SEO strategy to find out what does and doesn’t work for your business.
Following the tips above can help your business rank above the competition and increase the number of sales you receive through your website!
