The Search Engine Journal (SEJ) recently released their latest State of SEO report with many trends and predictions for 2023. They analyzed the most recent research and expert perspectives in the report to understand the biggest challenges SEO professionals faced this year and the most significant expected shifts in SEO for 2023.
According to SEJ’s state of SEO report, the biggest changes in SEO by 2023 will be machine learning and artificial intelligence, Google updates, and third-party cookie deprecation. To properly prepare for future threats, SEJ asked respondents to identify the three most significant changes in SEO over the next few years. Their responses are as follows: machine learning and artificial intelligence (18.7%), Google updates (18.0%), deprecation of third-party cookies (13.9%), Google zero-click (12.9%) pages, and competition for talent (11.5%).
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
Machine learning and artificial intelligence will be huge in SEO in 2023. It is already used in various aspects of SEO, such as content optimization, link building, and keyword research. Artificial intelligence content is already being developed as we speak. When Google released its August 2022 helpful content update to “ensure people see more original, helpful content written by people, for people, in search results,” the first impression was that it was aimed at artificial intelligence content tools.
According to Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, content generated automatically with artificial intelligence writing tools is considered spam in the search engine’s webmaster guidelines. The only way to ensure that your content is effective is to know your audience inside and out and to only use machine learning and artificial intelligence as productivity assistant tools, not as a complete replacement for human writing.
For all those businesses out there that think they should replace their writers with artificial intelligence, you may want to think about that decision a little bit longer. While it can help them possibility save time and money, it is very likely that Google’s algorithm will classify this content as spam. No matter how convincingly human they may sound, Google does not consider AI-generated content to be of high quality.
Google Updates
As time goes on and technology continues to improve and advance, Google continues to release algorithm updates. It’s a never-ending process and SEO practitioners must stay updated on the latest changes to ensure their strategies are beneficial in 2023 and beyond. Google updates such as BERT (NLP), which debuted three years ago, and E-A-T (expertise, authority, and trustworthiness) are expected to continue changing SEO by 2023.
BERT
The purpose of BERT (short for Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) is to help the Google algorithm better understand search query language. When people are searching for things they don’t quite understand, it can be hard to find the right words to use for something we don’t understand in the first place. Often, people will use “keyword-ese” strings of words that they expect Google to understand but are not actually how they would ask a question in real life. Machine learning has made it possible for Google to improve how they understand queries.
The BERT technology enables anyone to train their own state-of-the-art question answering system. BERT is an open-sourced neural network-based technique for natural language processing (NLP) that uses transformer models that process words in relation to all of the other words in a sentence, instead of looking at them one-by-one in order. This means that BERT models can consider the full context of a word by analyzing the words that come before and after it, which is especially useful for understanding the intention behind different search queries.
E-A-T
E-A-T, which stands for expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness, comes from Google’s Search Quality Rater Guidelines (a 168-page document used by human quality raters to assess the quality of Google’s search results). E-A-T is considered important for all queries, but some more than others.
If you are simply searching for pictures of cute dogs, E-A-T probably doesn’t matter. It’s a personal choice, and it’s not a big deal if you see a dog you don’t think is cute. However, if you’re looking for the best acetaminophen dosage while pregnant, E-A-T is unquestionably important. If Google were to surface content on this topic written by a clueless writer, published on an untrustworthy website that lacks authority, then the probability of that content being inaccurate or misleading is high. Given the nature of the information sought, this is not only inconvenient, but potentially life-threatening.
According to Google’s Public Liaison of Search, Danny Sullivan, E-A-T is considered a ranking factor, although not in the way you may think. For something to be a ranking factor, it technically has to be something tangible that a computer can understand and evaluate directly. While E-A-T is definitely a desirable quality of content, it is considered a fundamentally human concept that a computer will struggle to analyze.
Google has come up with many solutions to this problem through algorithm tweaks that may improve search result quality, using Quality Raters to provide feedback on the search results both with and without the algorithm tweak, and through the use of this feedback to decide whether or not the proposed algorithm tweak had a positive or negative impact on the search results. This process allows Google Engineers to better understand the tangible signals that relate to E-A-T so that they can adjust the ranking algorithms accordingly.
Third-party Cookie Deprecation
The impending demise of the third-party cookie is already causing consternation: approximately 80% of advertisers rely on third-party cookies, and 67% are disappointed, frustrated, overwhelmed, helpless, and even perplexed by the news. The following aspects of advertising will be most affected by the demise of third-party cookies:
- Reach: Approximately 80% of advertisers rely on third-party cookies. Those advertisers will have to find a new way to reach their customers and prospects online if they do not have them.
- Personalization: Because behavioral and browsing data will be limited, advertisers who rely on third-party cookies to personalize ads will struggle.
- Campaign management: Basic capabilities like A/B testing and frequency capping will be challenging for advertisers who depend on third-party cookies.
- Performance measurement: Analytics and attribution based on third-party cookies will be less effective.
Third-party cookie deprecation will complicate data privacy and consent management. Cookies will exist in two forms in the future: cohort-based marketing and first-party relationships. Both of these present excellent opportunities that should be taken into account when developing an effective marketing strategy. Personal data collection isn’t required for SEO, which presents a fantastic opportunity for marketers to increase website traffic without relying on third-party cookies. Remember that SEO takes time, so it’s better to start sooner than later.
Google Zero-Click Pages
Half of all searches end without a click on an organic search result. These are known as zero-click searches and can be found in search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yandex. Zero-click searches have become much more common as new SERP features allow users to access a variety of widgets alongside organic results. Google’s Direct Answer and Knowledge Panel are two examples of SERP features that contribute to zero-click searches.
How can marketers ensure that they will continue to receive organic traffic? If your target keyword is already associated with a SERP feature, such as a Direct Answer or Knowledge Panel, you may want to focus on other aspects of SEO. Consider writing more long-tail keywords or adding content that meets different user needs. Remember, writing content that will be valuable for readers is the most important. If you provide value, your website will receive repeat traffic in the long run.
SEO Techniques Still Effective in 2023 and SEO in the Future
Understanding what works right now and predicting success years in advance can be difficult. However, from my experience with search engine optimization (SEO), I predict that these five tactics will still be essential in 2023: good content, fast-loading page speed, links and backlinks, responsive design, and voice search optimization.
Since the days of keyword stuffing and meta description writing, SEO has come a long way. But, as time goes on, what does the future hold for SEO digital marketing? It’s an exciting time for search engine optimization as Google continues to refine and improve its algorithms. According to experts, several significant changes are in store for this ever-evolving line of work.
We can expect many changes in how Google ranks websites over the next few years. To begin, expect a greater emphasis on content quality and user experience. Google will also maintain its “mobile first” strategy, and we will see additional efforts to understand natural language and improve relevance for searchers.
Finally, web designers and marketers must stay ahead of the game by doing whatever it takes to provide value to users through useful content and to respond to customers’ queries with speed and accuracy. Overall, these changes should bring us closer than ever before to having accurate, comprehensive search results at any time and from any location.
