5 SEO Trends Brands Can’t Afford to Ignore in 2023

As technology levels up, so does search engine optimization (SEO). Because the way we use the web is continuously evolving, search engines and their algorithms can (and often do) change on us overnight.  

This could be a reason to celebrate. Or, it could be catastrophic, depending on how those algorithms decide to prioritize your site in the ranks, and therefore, how much organic traffic gets generated to your website from the search engine results page (SERP).  

The exciting and ever-changing field of SEO has new best practices and trends constantly being adopted throughout the years, and 2023 is no exception. From AI-generated site content to structured data, there is so much to consider in terms of SEO this year that it can sometimes feel overwhelming—especially if your brand relies on organic search as the primary acquisition source for your website.  

That’s exactly why in this blog post, we’ve compiled the top five (5) trends we’re seeing with SEO lately that brands can’t afford to ignore if they want to stay competitive on the SERP in 2023 and beyond.  

1. AI content has its pros and cons 

In 2023, controversial artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT, Stablediffusion, Synthesia, and Dall• E are taking the world by storm, and have made the creation of AI-generated text, videos, and images accessible to just about anyone. 

When used for idea generation or as a thought starter, these tools could be an opportunity for brands, but there are risks at a larger scale, both from a legal and a safety perspective.  

Marketers can expect the debate on AI tools to continue, but the main thing to know for 2023 is, right off the press, these tools produce low-quality content, which Google considers “autogenerated content.”  

Autogenerated content has always been a violation of Google’s policies, but since technology like ChatGPT is so up and coming, Google has admitted they do not have ways of validating whether a piece of content was created by an AI or a human without a manual review of the content at this time.   

2. Authoritative, relevant, and high-quality content is more important than ever 

It’s no secret that Google loves sites that have the most relevant, authoritative, and quality content out there on the web for a given topic. So how much trust does Google have in your website with the content that you’re currently producing? Is it speaking to the intent of the person who is searching? Was it written by someone who has authority in your industry?  

These are all essential questions to ask about your content, because as of the end of last year, Google’s EAT guideline has been updated to include EEAT (experience, expertise, authority, and trust). This is especially important for websites that deal with the health and financial well-being of readers.  

The EEAT update means that content is now also vetted based on experience – meaning it’s important to work with subject matter experts on content, and to add their expertise in an author bio.   

3. SEM ads are more prominent in the SERP 

We’re seeing sponsored SEM ads becoming more and more prominent in the SERP these days. 

In fact, according to Smart Insights, in 2023, the combination of paid search and organic search makes up 80% of all trackable website visits. More often than ever, we’re seeing the two tactics work well together.  

After you make optimizations to your organic on-page content, especially after a website redesign, this can be an ideal time to invest in a paid search campaign. It is a great way to get your new site shown.  

4. Video is still a big opportunity for brands 

The list of results has changed a lot over the years, but video is still prominent and a big opportunity for brands. To get into YouTube, take over some simple informational queries for your brand. Informational queries are questions that users ask and want answers to without being persuaded one way or the other. This can be an easy way to start sharing subject matter expertise and thought leadership in the video space.  

These videos can then be cut up and used for information sharing in other places, such as in social media posts, and linked back to the YouTube video or your website, further increasing cross-linking opportunities.  

From an SEO perspective, it might honestly be easier to rank for some keywords on YouTube than on Google organic results in 2023. Since Google has become so competitive and saturated with more and more paid results, it’s important to consider other places that your users might be searching the Internet these days, such as YouTube and TikTok, where your brand might be able to earn a share of the market with less effort. 

5. The way you organize your website is important  

In 2023, the way you organize your website is more important than ever. Brands who prioritize user experience and make sure their website’s information architecture is SEO-friendly will reap the benefits of prioritizing SEO and having a strategy from the get-go rather than playing catch up to competitors. 

One way to make this process easier is doing keyword research as you build your website to decide what pages to include based on what people are searching for, and to make the most of your on-page content. This prevents SEO from being an afterthought, and ensures you have a keyword assigned to each page. 

It’s also important to include structured data as part of your process in 2023, for star ratings, FAQs under results, lists, and more. Structured data helps Google understand what elements your website is made up of.   

While Google’s algorithms remain a mystery to us all, these are some of the top SEO trends we’re seeing in 2023 that brands can’t afford to ignore. What results are you seeing with your website?