Any digital marketing agency will tell you that using tried-and-true SEO best practices is essential to having a successful content marketing strategy, regardless of whether your objective is to increase traffic or promote your content.
However, Play Media estimates that Google releases algorithm updates 500–600 times a year, making it simple to get behind on the quick-moving trends in SEO.
As a result, what worked in 2019 likely needs to be modified for 2022, and what worked in 2015 might as well be obsolete.
So, as 2022 comes to an end and 2023 begins, you might be wondering: What exactly do I need to be concerned about with SEO in the coming year?
I’ll go over everything you need to know in this article to continue using SEO best practices for content marketing at your agency in 2023 and beyond, including:
- The big-picture trends that will change SEO within the next 5 to 10 years.
- 3 outdated SEO practices to avoid
- 3 key takeaways you should incorporate into your agency’s SEO best practices as we move forward.
Let’s begin. Ready? Let me ask you something…
Why Is SEO So Important?
Whether your clients’ websites, social media profiles, blog posts, or any other type of digital content appears on search engine result pages in response to pertinent search queries is determined by SEO, in case you didn’t know.
According to Ahrefs.com, 92.96% of global web traffic originates from Google’s search options, and 68% of online experiences begin with a search engine. If your website doesn’t appear on search results pages, you are essentially nonexistent.
But SEO is also a bit deeper than that.
As a business owner, you must seek out solutions that will enable you to scale your business in a realistic and sustainable manner, which necessitates the automation of some tasks.
I used to spend countless hours attending networking events when I first started NegosyoToolkit to draw customers and generate revenue.
This wasn’t just stressful on a personal level; it was also ineffective because I couldn’t grow the business if every sale started with my outreach. I would be limited to the number of clients I could personally convert forever.
I was able to alter this thanks to SEO. I automate a lot of the busy work by assisting clients to come to me — rather than the other way around by getting Negosyo Toolkit’s website to rank higher on search engine results pages (SERPS) and appear in pertinent search queries.
When SEO is done properly, the results compound, meaning that as a page receives more and more clicks, visitors, and conversions, the search algorithm will begin to rank the page higher. The cycle continues as the page rises in the rankings and receives more traffic.
Therefore, even though SEO may not result in an immediate increase in traffic or conversions, it will greatly assist you in the long run in developing an automated process for bringing in more clients and increasing sales.
How SEO Best Practices Are Changing: The Big Picture
Although the technical aspects of SEO are unlikely to change drastically or quickly, technology is evolving. The implications for SEO’s future and how you should structure your SEO strategy are extensive.
In the last few years, Google and other search engines have drastically changed their algorithms to favor value-driven content over purely technical tricks, such as keyword stuffing or creating copious amounts of low-quality content to increase traffic. Modern technology is used for this because it is better able to identify subtle differences in content and human behavior.
Google Analytics, which is used by almost every website on the internet, uses more in-depth data and analytics techniques that can identify which pages users visit, how long they stay on them, what they click after visiting, and other information.
In contrast to content that employs clever SEO strategies but offers nothing of value, this means that Google can gather data about what content users are actually interested in and interact with (meaning content they click on and stay on vs. content they click on and immediately click off of).
Google is also getting better at distinguishing between content produced by actual people rather than artificial intelligence (AI) and content that is in-depth about its subject.
For example, in the past, users had to input phrases like “near me” or “in Asia” in a search query to indicate they were looking for local businesses. Now, the algorithms can automatically detect search queries that are probably looking for local results and generate SERPs that reflect that.
Artificial intelligence is also changing the SEO game. With the rise of machine learning and other technologies, search engines are now able to extract information from content in ways that weren’t possible just a few years ago.
For example, AI can recognize voice commands and translate them into text — this means that Google is getting more accurate at understanding people’s actual intent when they search for things, even if the words they use are different.
So what does this mean for SEO best practices? Simply put, in order to achieve high search rankings and get your target audience to engage with your content, you need to focus on creating genuinely valuable, authentic content that your audience can relate to and connect with.
You need to think like a human, not a robot — don’t just parrot search phrases and check off a list of technical factors like title tags or links. Instead, make your content organic, genuinely informative, and like something you would actually want to consume.
3 Things To Avoid in Your 2023 SEO Best Practices
What specific strategies should you be incorporating into your SEO strategy going forward, then, on a more practical level?
The following items should be avoided in 2023.
1. Forcing Keywords That Don’t Make Sense
Simply stuffing your content with keywords you want to rank for, even when they don’t make logical or grammatical sense with your content, is one of the most popular and out-of-date SEO techniques. This may have worked in the past, but as technology advances, its effectiveness is decreasing.
Focus on creating content that makes sense for your audience and incorporates keywords and key phrases in a more natural way rather than cramming in keywords without considering their context or meaning.
It’s not necessary to phrase them exactly as they would in a search query because the Google algorithm is sophisticated enough to recognize that a site using the terms “HP computer parts” or “computer parts for HP” will be acceptable to someone looking for “computer parts HP.”
In fact, a website with more natural language usage might even rank higher than one with artificial keyphrases.
2. Keyword Stuffing
The practice of “keyword stuffing,” or ensuring a keyword appears on a page a specific number of times, is another common SEO error. Many people have very specific ideas about how often a keyword should appear. Some say it should occur once every 100 words, while others say it should occur once every 500 or 1,000 words.
While it was unquestionably important in the past, keyword density today has very little bearing on how Google ranks your content and is only going to lose significance over time. Therefore, if you’re obsessively trying to fit one more keyword mention into your blog, don’t worry about it too much.
3. Other Hyper-Technical Factors
Search engines also consider numerous other technical elements, such as title tags, H1 tags, and URLs, when determining how to rank your website.
Though by no means unimportant, these factors won’t matter as much in the future of SEO because of other factors. Therefore, if your SEO best practices are focused on making sure you’ve completed a long list of technical tasks at the expense of making your content interesting or engaging, you’re going to see much less progress in the future.
2023 SEO Best Practices: Key Takeaways
There are a few crucial things you should keep in mind if you want to stay on top of the latest developments and succeed with SEO in the upcoming years.
1. Focus on Creating Value
The value may appear to be a nebulous, meaningless concept, but give it some more careful consideration. Examine the material you’re producing and sincerely ask yourself:
- Is this good, engaging content?
- Does this serve my audience’s needs?
- Does this add any new insight or information to the endless piles of content online?
Keep in mind that your content’s value and authenticity will ultimately distinguish it from other content as the ever-evolving SEO landscape continues to change.
2. Don’t Try To Game the System
The fact that search engines are constantly working to enhance their comprehension of context and content is one aspect of SEO that won’t change. Their algorithms are constantly being improved to incorporate more variables, such as user experience, time spent on a page, bounce rates, etc.
Additionally, algorithm ranking factors are becoming more abstract and human-like as AI gains in significance. Search engines may soon act like close friend who understands exactly the kind of content you want to see based on your personality, so poor, irrelevant articles that don’t contribute anything new won’t cut it any longer.
This means you should refrain from using any strategies or tactics that aim to “game the system” or influence search results through the use of technical tricks, keyword stuffing, or other strategies unrelated to the quality of your content itself.
Making content that speaks to your audience and contributes something new or original to the world is the only way to create engaging, high-converting content.
3. SEO Results Take Time
Finally, it’s important to keep in mind that success with SEO takes time to see results.
Make sure you’re willing to invest the time and resources needed to create high-quality, valuable content for your audience, and don’t expect overnight results or instant success.
Instead, stay focused on building a strong foundation of trust, authority, and engagement over time, and you’ll be rewarded with increased traffic and conversions in the long term.
Conclusion
You must keep up with the most recent trends and SEO best practices as the SEO landscape changes and develops over the coming years.
Try to keep in mind what will actually benefit each client’s audience as you develop an SEO strategy for them. Consider carefully the needs and online search terms of their audience as well as their pain points. And keep in mind that staying adaptable and iterating are the keys to developing an effective SEO strategy. Therefore, don’t be afraid to alter your strategy as you go.
What do you think SEO will look like in 2023?
Tell me in the comments section below.
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