2023 SEO Forecast: What to Expect from Google and How to Plan Your Strategy
SEO has seen numerous changes in the previous year, and here is a forecast of what to anticipate from Google and how to plan your SEO strategy for 2023 based on the 2022 developments, changes, and newest Google upgrades.
Google has made it clear that on-page and technological factors are getting more and more important.
On-page and Technological Factors Take the Lead: An In-Depth Look at the Impact of Core Web Vitals and E-E-A-T on SEO
We have been taught that speed is becoming more significant in recent years, that mobile first has occurred, and that quality criteria such as top-heavy, E-A-T, BERT, and many more have occurred. Everyone had some impact on the game.
Google recently provided additional signals about the relevance of on-page and user signals. Let's discuss Core Web Vitals, Google's page experience improvement (page speed/loading, interaction, and stability), a new ranking factor since 2021.
When Google throws something massive and game-changing at us SEOs, like CWV, it gives us time to prepare and allows us to evaluate the performance of our websites.
If you're unfamiliar with this update, here are the highlights:
This upgrade is about website performance once again, but it goes deeper than previously; Google is now analyzing 3 major areas:
LCP_How long does it take to load LCP (largest container paint)?
FID_FID (First Input Delay): How long does it take for the pieces of the website to become interactive?
CLS_Cumulative Layout Shift: How stable are the pieces of the website?
With this, Google placed a high value on the technical aspects of webpages. CWV will be more crucial than ever in 2023, so make sure you're prepared.
Pay attention to the material you serve to your visitors if the technical aspect of your website is in good shape.
You understand that you should write for the consumer, not for Google, and that your material should be unique, fascinating, trustworthy, and instructional.
Google product evaluations began in December 2021 and will continue to roll out through the end of 2022. Naturally, this has resulted in massive fluctuations in the SERPs. Websites with bad or unnatural material have been eliminated, while those with good content have been rewarded.
What was penalized:
- little content
- Plagiarism or unoriginality
- unnatural material (poor AI creations)
- material that lacks subject matter knowledge
E-A-T What does it indicate that E-A-T has been changed to E-E-A-T?
To begin, E-A-T was upgraded as part of the YMYL (your money, your life) quality upgrades. Google's search quality assessors employ "expertise," "authoritativeness," and "trustworthiness" to measure the quality and efficacy of search results.
Now that we've established that, where does the other "E" originate from? EXPERIENCE!
Experience is a method of assessing the quality of material for the reader, the end customer. Is it unique, well-written, and valuable? Is it simple to grasp for the intended audience?
After all of these clues and breadcrumbs, Google provided us with yet another set of signals that the emphasis is shifting from off-page to on-page.
Preparing for the Future of SEO: Navigating the Latest Google Updates and Changes in 2022
It was declared in November 2022 that linkages would become less significant. If you didn't take this warning seriously, Google made it obvious a month later with the link spam update.
Typically, Google link modifications, such as Penguin or Penguin 4.0, had an influence on the site links were pointing to. This new upgrade is unique and really ingenious. This time, Google is investigating the websites that are linked to you and dismissing them and their relevance if it seems that they are 'link farms' or are openly selling links.
We know that many sectors that are failing to gain connections through natural outreach are purchasing links, and their results will undoubtedly be impacted by this upgrade.
When it comes to upgrades, core updates, and minor or larger Google changes, here is how 2022 looked for SEOs:
So far, I've identified 91 confirmed and unconfirmed SEO Google upgrades in 2022.
From past history, 2023 will be no different.
However, we can be prepared based on recent years and Google operations.
Google clearly wants us to produce technically better products with high-quality content.
So in 2023:
- Make technical SEO a top priority.
- Take note of the Core Web Vitals.
- Conduct a thorough content audit, looking for ways to improve your existing material and identifying content gaps.
- Make sure you're E-E-A-T-ready.
- Make a decent and logical internal linking structure to make it easier for your users to traverse.
- Do not disregard links just because they are less important; they are still a significant ranking indicator.
- Align your strategy with other channels of the acquisition funnel. - Work on brand awareness while remembering that traffic is a significant ranking indicator.
- Work closely with PPC; everything PPC does may either assist or hurt SEO results; these two channels should be friends, not adversaries.
- Remember that, while SEO is commonly thought of as an acquisition channel, it is also an excellent retention strategy.
- Keep an eye on what Google is up to.
Be prepared, and good luck navigating the stormy SEO seas of 2023!