It’s that time of year when we look back on what we’ve achieved. But we also look forward at the upcoming challenges and opportunities. For us, it is the moment when we share with you the top SEO trends for 2023. There are some exciting and important changes in the way search engines will work, as well as in the tools marketers and business owners will be able to use in their efforts.
The Biggest Influencers: TikTok and Online Shopping
The SEO trends for 2023 are heavily influenced by two ruling factors. One is TikTok – the social media platform for creating and sharing short 15-second videos. By the end of this year, the platform is expected to reach 755 million users – most of them Gen Z users.
The younger generation uses TikTok as a search engine, actually. They are searching for inspiration, tutorials, entertainment and information. And the way TikTok work has an overreaching influence to how Google analyses and displays video content.
Secondly, online shopping is the trend that will stay for the foreseeable future. Also, this way of making purchases will influence SEO trends for 2023 and the way you must optimise product pages and related content.
What Are the Biggest SEO Trends for 2023?
Now, let us get started with what we promised: the upcoming changes you should make to your SEO strategy in 2023. These are the trends you should consider optimising your site for:
1. Video SEO
As explained above, TikTok is the most popular social media platform among younger users. As a result, Google has started paying attention to the type of content posted and optimised for TikTok.
As a result, in the near future video will have top priority in SERPs. You stand a greater chance of being found online if your site contains videos that meet these criteria:
- They have relevant content
- They are short and to the point
- You add hashtags in the description
- You optimise the description with keywords.
2. Product Descriptions Optimised for Online Shopping
Now, this is one of the most important SEO trends for 2023 for anyone running an online store. Right now, Google lets people use the Lens tool to select an item in a photo or on the real world and find similar products for sale.
Snap and shop – this is a growing trend. And you can take advantage of it by optimising product pages with:
- High quality product photos taken from various angles
- Attractive descriptions containing relevant keywords
- Optimising photo products with relevant titles and ALT text
- SKU and inventory data updated in real time.
3. Optimising for Conversational Queries
LaMDA is the most advanced AI developed by Google to understand natural language. This will allow the search engine to understand the context of a search query and provide users with the kind of answers they are looking for.
One of the ways of learning how users talk is by analysing data from voice searches. And this is also one of the top SEO trends for 2023. It is not the first time it appears, but now it is not a novelty anymore. Almost all smartphones are equipped with digital assistants and people discover how convenient it is to talk to your phone and find what you are looking for.
Here are ways of optimising content for voice search and conversational queries:
- Use questions as keywords – “what is the best budget smartphone brand?” instead of “best budget smartphone”
- Provide short and clear answer on FAQ pages
- Adapt content writing to local vernacular – for instance, in Australia it is common to call a biscuit bikkie.
4. Image Optimisation and Accessibility
The internet should be accessible to all – including those with visual disabilities and impairments. This is why you have an ALT text box available when you are uploading a photo on your website. This text appears on the screen when the image cannot be loaded or is spoken out by accessibility services.
So far, Google has not really enforced image optimisation as one of the ranking factors. But from now on, websites that do not optimise images will appear behind those with optimised photos, even if their written content is equally relevant.
Thus, make sure to check every photo on your site and fill in the ALT text box with a clear description of what the image contains. Also, remember to compress photos so that they load faster and use the adequate format:
- JPG – for high quality images
- PNG – for simple images and graphics
- GIF – only for animated graphics.
5. AI Marketing Tools
AI is not only available to top tech companies. Among the top SEO trends for 2023 we must add the rise of AI marketing tools. From automatic analytics data collection and interpreting to AI writers (yes, there is such a thing), marketers and business owners have a lot of tools available to help them in their work.
Among all these tools, we would like to recommend Google Optimise, a freemium tool which allows you to A/B test your website.
6. Local Searches Become More Important than Ever
Shopping local is the new trend among consumers. They are being careful with aspects such as supporting local producers and retailers and reducing the carbon footprint by reducing the length of the supply chain.
So, local searches stay among the top SEO trends for 2023. You know the drill:
- Check your NAP citations everywhere
- Keep your Google Business Profile up to date
- Create content optimised with local keywords.
7. Keep a Keen Eye on Mobile Analytical Data
How do your clients access your website? Most probably, they use their mobile phone. And this is why you should be paying more attention than ever to mobile analytical data. Many marketers are working hard to keep their sites mobile friendly, but still focus on analytics for desktop and laptop internet traffic.
Do not make the mistake of overlooking the largest volume of traffic your site gets. Understanding how your visitors use your site on a mobile phone is critical, especially for identifying any errors and difficulties they encounter while browsing.
Conclusion
The SEO trends for 2023 do not come as a big surprise, given the way users have changed their internet browsing behaviour. Online shopping, mobile browsing and videos are the biggest trends to start optimising for. Perhaps you are already doing it, but it always help to include these items in your annual website audit checklist.