SEO Trends 2023: Adapt Your Content to Google Searches

Organic search engine optimization is constantly evolving! What you did yesterday may no longer be effective today. So, what are the SEO trends in 2023? And most importantly, how should you adapt to reach the golden triangle of Google's SERP? We present the 7 elements to consider to stay ahead of your competition!

🚀 Quick read: what you'll learn about SEO in 2023

In this article, we will detail the 7 major SEO trends in 2023:

1. The strong arrival of AI.
2. The importance of curiosity and relevance.
3. Content is (still) king.
4. The growing role of SMO and SXO.
5. Local SEO becomes essential.
6. Voice search continues to grow.
7. Structured data is no longer optional.

🤖 1. The big SEO trend of 2023: AI (artificial intelligence)

You've probably heard of GPT3 and, more recently, GPT4. These artificial intelligences are absolutely amazing and can be very useful for SEO in 2023. However, you need to know how to use them to avoid risking a Google penalty.^[1]

The search engine's algorithm update in 2022 Helpful Content aims to ensure that readers receive unique and high-value content. Although John Mueller (Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google) clearly stated that content generated by automated writing tools is considered spam, this information has been nuanced several times.

This was recently stated on Twitter by the official Google SearchLiaison account and confirmed by Danny Sullivan: "if content generated by artificial intelligence helps users and is written primarily for them, then it is not a problem".^[2]

So, if you want to speed up your content creation, you can use this type of software, like the excellent redaction.io. Based on this SEO-optimized text, you can then rework it to personalize it and make it content that meets Google's criteria in 2023.

Moreover, using AI can help you with many other SEO aspects besides content creation:

• designing the structure of your web content;
• finding relevant keywords;
• implementing a content strategy;
• establishing a link building strategy;
• understanding the search intent of users;
• etc.

In any case, using these tools requires advanced expertise in organic search engine optimization. Only an SEO consultant or a professional copywriter will be able to fully benefit from them to adapt the information provided and implement the most effective SEO actions in 2023.

🦾 2. Curiosity and relevance are John Mueller's watchwords

When asked on Twitter about the SEO skills to develop in 2023, John Mueller simply replied: "curiosity and persistence".^[3] Those who follow him on Twitter will not be surprised by this rather direct and evasive answer. However, important information is hidden behind these two words!

• Curiosity: to succeed in SEO, you must continually try and experiment with new things. What you have accomplished with one client may not necessarily be duplicated with another. You need to proceed cautiously to achieve the same results. Dare to test new technologies and try new strategies to discover what works in 2023 depending on the industry.
• Persistence: as you know, an SEO action put in place does not bring instant results. It takes patience and persistence to improve a website's organic search engine optimization. Don't get discouraged and continue to implement new levers to improve your positioning in the long term.

Some will say that this is nothing new and that it has always been the case in SEO. That's true! However, each year brings its share of search algorithm updates and therefore deserves to be tested and waited for to see the results. SEO in 2023 will certainly be no exception, so stay curious and persevere!

🪶 3. Focus on SEO content in 2023

As mentioned earlier, the Google algorithm update rolled out between August and September 2022 aims to further promote high-quality content. What aspects should you consider to improve your SEO texts in 2023?

• Answer the search intent: this is probably the top SEO priority for content creation in 2023. If you want to appear at the top of Google's SERP, you must meet the user's needs when working on a keyword!
• Create long and comprehensive content: it's not about writing to necessarily reach 2,500 words. Your goal is to provide quality content and cover the subject in its entirety so that the user gets all the information they need. To get an idea of the number of words needed, simply look at the top results displayed on Google's search results pages.
• Work on the semantics of your SEO texts: SEO in 2023 is not just about using keywords and developing a lexical field. To perform, you must work on the semantics of your content to convey a strong and consistent message to search engines.
• Write for your readers: please, don't write for indexing robots! You write for human beings first and foremost, as they are the ones who will indirectly influence your website's organic search engine optimization. Once this step is respected, you can then optimize your content.
• Optimize hot zones: these are the locations that must be worked on for SEO. To discover these hot zones, I invite you to read this other blog post: https://www.seoquantum.com/billet/zones-chaudes-seo.
• Add visual content: optimizing photos, videos, and providing detailed infographics is just as important as written content. This adds value to the information provided and makes reading more enjoyable.
• Implement a thematic cluster strategy: demonstrate your expertise to search engines by covering a whole range of topics related to your main themes. To learn how to implement this element, I suggest you read this article: https://www.seoquantum.com/billet/cluster-thematique-seo.

💫 4. SMO and SXO as SEO trends in 2023

This year, organic search engine optimization is increasingly dependent on other communication channels and UX (User Experience). That's why SMO (Social Media Optimization) and SXO (Search Experience Optimization) are essential elements of SEO in 2023.

SMO (Social Media Optimization)

Although it is an indirect ranking factor, it is extremely effective in improving your positioning in the SERP. Indeed, this technique allows you to create traffic peaks on your website, thus attracting the attention of indexing robots to find out why. They will then crawl your pages more regularly. That's why SMO should have an important place in your content marketing.

Moreover, it is an excellent way to obtain backlinks naturally. Indeed, if you create high-quality content and have developed an active and targeted community, you increase your chances of sharing. Thus, your popularity index will be improved without you having to force the creation of external links.

SXO (Search Experience Optimization)

In 2023, it is relatively simple to improve your website to enhance the user experience. To do this, you only need to follow the information provided by Google through the Search Console. Here are the 3 elements to consider to easily boost your SEO.

1. Page experience: distinct charts are displayed to show the percentage of URLs offering a good experience on desktop and mobile versions. This is an excellent source of information to know the state of the user experience on your site as perceived by Google.
2. Core Web Vitals: this time, you can directly use this resource to get to the heart of the matter by optimizing some technical parts of your website. By opening the provided reports, you see the 3 key elements of core web vitals: LCP, FID, and CLS. Pass this information on to the webmaster so they can implement the necessary improvements.
3. Mobile usability: once again, you can rely on the GSC report to improve the UX of your pages. With mobile users being the majority in 2023, it's no surprise that Google's tool offers a detailed analysis of this factor. Take advantage of it, as the tool even tells you what you can improve to please both users and search engine algorithms!

Of course, these are not the only points to optimize to enhance the user experience on your web pages. However, if Google presents this information in its analysis tool, it is certainly of paramount importance in SEO. Take what the Mountain View Giant gives you and try to please it by displaying all the green lights.

🎯 5. Local SEO: a must

Already in 2016, Google had updated its algorithm known as Opossum. Indeed, with the explosion of local searches, an adaptation had to be made quickly. And this trend has only increased since! In 2023, it is estimated that over 40% of searches made by Googlers will be local in nature.

Moreover, even if the user does not specify a location, the displayed results can quickly take on a local character, as Google takes into account your geolocation to provide results in your geographic area. This is especially the case if you search for a type of restaurant or business without giving more details. Here is an example if you search for an SEO agency while in Paris.

To improve your local SEO in 2023, some measures are simple to implement and very effective. Among them, here are 2 points to optimize right now:

1. Create a Google MyBusiness listing: simply fill in all the information in as much detail as possible. Also, add high-quality images and keep your listing up to date. Finally, be proactive and respond quickly.
2. Add a location to your website content: write specific articles for each locality you serve and add the main location to the service pages. However, be careful not to overdo it! Indeed, it is often enough to add the targeted location once or twice for Google to understand when to display your page during a local search.

📣 6. Voice search continues to grow in 2023

This is not new, you might say? Indeed, but this trend continues to grow year after year. In 2014, Google already shared a survey conducted in the United States showing that 55% of teenagers used this search method daily.^[4]

In 2021, it was estimated that nearly 40% of the world's population regularly used voice search, whether on Google or for any other type of application (searching for emails, messages, etc.). For SEO, here's what you can do to provide adapted content in 2023:

1. Optimize the mobile experience: insert your homepage URL into Google's mobile optimization test tool and you will then have access to a good diagnosis of your website. This element is crucial, as voice searches are almost exclusively done on mobile devices. Other tools, such as GTMetrix, can then improve some essential parameters for displaying your site on a small screen.
2. Work on long-tail keywords: a voice search is not a simplified search, as is often the case in writing. They are long, detailed, and complex. That's why the long tail is probably your best ally for ranking on these complex queries.
3. Aim for position zero: the Holy Grail of SEO! To try to be displayed in the featured snippet, you must scrupulously follow all the best practices for content creation. However, note that if you do not see a position zero displayed on a key query, it is a deliberate choice on the part of Google. So don't worry if you are "only" in the first position. 😉

🏢 7. Structured data is essential in 2023

A strengthening SEO trend in 2023 is undoubtedly the importance of structured data. Indeed, for several years now, a trend towards "0 click" search result pages has been observed. More than a search engine, Google is increasingly becoming an answer engine! Improving your visibility on the results page is therefore more important than ever for your business.

To follow this trend, you need to know how to fill in and optimize your structured data as best as possible. Moreover, if you or your client have an e-commerce site, the displayed information can significantly improve the click-through rate (CTR). Indeed, customer reviews (displayed in the structured data of the displayed products) are among the key elements considered by buyers.^[5]

Here are 3 steps to optimize your structured data:

1. Search for the right keywords: take your list of keywords and check if structured data is displayed on the first page of Google. List the queries where this is the case.
2. Find your most performing web pages: on the keywords selected in the first step, look for the pages where you have the best chance of ranking.
3. Adapt the length of your content: the analysis of tens of thousands of featured snippets shows a trend towards paragraphs between 40 and 60 words, bulleted lists between 5 and 9 lines, and tables displaying a maximum of 3 columns and 9 rows. It's up to you!

🙏 Sources used to write this article

[1] https://rockcontent.com/blog/ai-seo/

[2] https://twitter.com/searchliaison/status/1613462881248448512

[3] https://www.seroundtable.com/google-on-seo-skills-for-2023-curiosity-persistence-34671.html

[4] https://blog.google/products/search/omg-mobile-voice-survey-reveals-teens/

[5] https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/08/pros-and-cons-structured-data?hl=fr