As we gear up for another year, it?s time to take a closer look at the world of search engine optimization (SEO). With 2023 upon us, it's crucial to stay on top of the latest trends to ensure that your website remains relevant and competitive. In this blog, we'll explore the top SEO trends to watch in 2023 and how you can prepare your business for the future of digital marketing.  

Trend 1: Google Ads losing popularity to organic search

  In recent years, there has been a significant shift in the way businesses approach online advertising. Specifically, the trend of decreasing revenue from Google Ads has been observed in recent reports. According to the October 2022 revenue report, Google Ads revenue increased by only 4.25%, indicating a clear descending trend. This decline in the popularity of paid ads is a signal for businesses to focus more on organic search results, making SEO an absolute must-have. To put it simply, if your business is cutting back on paid promotion, then you have no other choice but to optimize your website for organic search results. The time has come for businesses to prioritize their SEO efforts and adapt to this changing trend.  

Trend 2: Featured snippets and zero-click results

  Zero-click results have become a topic of debate in the SEO community. On one hand, they provide quick answers to user queries, but on the other hand, they reduce clicks to other search snippets. Despite this, studies have shown that Google users are more likely to click on featured snippets. Zero-click results are taking over the majority of clicks due to their prime location at the top of the SERP. To optimize for zero-click results, implementing schema markup such as FAQ markup is essential. Additionally, identifying keywords that trigger SERP features and updating website content accordingly can help businesses gain attention.  

Trend 3: Over-dependence on AI for Content Creation

  As the demand for quality content increases, SEOs are struggling to keep up with the costs of hiring good authors. That's where AI content-generating tools come in, as they're less expensive than human writers. Although AI writers are getting better, they can't fully replace human creativity and emotion.   Over-reliance on AI content writers can lead to low-quality and spammy content, which could result in Google down ranking your website. It's crucial to maintain a balance between human-written content and AI-generated content.   However, it's important to note that AI content creators have their advantages. They can help save time and effort in creating content, leaving more time to focus on other aspects of SEO. Embracing AI content creators is the future, but it's essential to use them wisely and carefully to avoid any penalties from search engines.  

Trend 4: Keywords lose their crown to entities in SEO

  In recent times, Google has shifted its focus to pages that are optimized for entities, making the entity-based optimization approach more effective than traditional keyword SEO. This shift is largely due to Google's use of NLP algorithms, which help in understanding content by analyzing a piece of text, identifying the most meaningful terms (entities), and defining what the text is about. The data retrieved by NLP algorithms are then combined with the other data that Google already has on that entity. Once there's enough information, Google can then connect all the dots and may grant a knowledge panel to an entity. As a result, entity-based optimization has become a crucial factor in ranking high on Google search results.   So here's what you can do:  

1. Enrich your site?s content with related entities to give Google more context.

 

1. Create and optimize your Google Business Profile, especially for local businesses.

 

1. Build backlinks to connect your entity with other relevant entities.

 

1. Encourage customers to leave reviews for your business.

 

1. Utilize offline marketing to create more buzz and discussion around your entity.

   

A Trend That Keeps the Website Running

  While there are many more SEO trends to watch in 2023, the ones we discussed in this article are some of the most notable and impactful ones.   According to a recent study, websites that appear on the first page of search results receive 91.5% of traffic from Google. This highlights the importance of SEO for businesses in today's digital age. So, whether you're an SEO agency in Calgary or offer SEO services in Toronto, staying up-to-date with the latest SEO trends can help you stay ahead of the competition.