Search engine optimization (SEO) remains a constantly evolving aspect of digital marketing due to Google’s continuous algorithm updates aimed at improving user search experiences. Each year presents marketers with a chance to reassess the SEO trends shaping the search landscape.

Continue reading to discover the top 12 SEO trends to observe in 2023 and how to adapt your strategies accordingly.

Table of contents

1. The new “E” in E.E.A.T
2. Audience-targeted, not traffic-targeted content
3. Increased emphasis on author authority
4. Satisfying, helpful content
5. A.I content and content writing software
6. SEO automation
7. Changes to CTRs by SERP positions
8. Product page SEO
9. SEO competitor analysis
10. Less crawl frequency
11. Image SEO revitalized
12. Fast-loading, high-performing websites >> Looking for an updated version? Get 2024 SEO trends here!

Essential SEO trends to align with in 2023

This year emphasizes showcasing expertise and delivering value through your content while maintaining high-performing web pages for users. These principles have always been crucial in SEO, but Google is becoming increasingly adept at evaluating signals and identifying content that truly meets these criteria.

Let’s explore this in more detail and how you can achieve these benchmarks.

1. Incorporating First-hand Experience (the new “E” in E-EAT)

Since December 2022, Google’s widely recognized EAT acronym (Expertise, Authority, Trust) has been expanded to include another “E” for Experience, becoming E-EAT. Now, Google will factor in the the experience of the author or creator when assessing content quality.

So, what exactly does “experience” signify? Google wants to see evidence that content creators possess genuine, real-world experience related to the topics they discuss.

For instance, as the founder of an SEO agency,, I have practical experience and can confidently discuss anticipated SEO trends for 2023. However, if I were to write an article for a health website about the causes of heart disease, it would compromise the content’s quality. I am not a medical expert and lack healthcare experience.

Therefore, websites must carefully consider not only their content creators but also the topics they address.

This leads us to the next two trends.

2. Prioritizing Audience-Targeted Content Over Traffic-Targeted Content

The emphasis on experience stems partly from the surge in SEO content creation. If a website selling financial software publishes blog posts featuring food recipes, it raises red flags for Google’s crawlers. Does such content truly benefit their target audience of financial software customers? Or is it simply an attempt to rank for high-volume keywords?

The answer is obvious. Businesses solely focused on chasing search traffic without considering user needs are unlikely to succeed in ranking well in 2023. Sticking to your core topics and industry areas is vital for crafting content that ranks.

Uncertain about which topics to cover? A content planning tool can assist in identifying relevant industry topics your target audience searches for. Input a keyword, and the tool will generate semantically related keywords users are entering into search engines.

3. The Growing Importance of Author Authority

Another reason behind Google’s focus on experience is the rise of auto-generated content ranking in search engine results pages (SERPs). Google wants to ensure that content ranking in 2023 is produced by real people with genuine audiences in mind.

So, how can you enhance the experience and authority of your content creators this year? Firstly, ensure your content creators are indeed experts. Then, highlight their experience through these methods:

• Craft comprehensive author bios to clearly communicate your content creator’s knowledge and expertise areas.
• Develop author pages that link to all articles on your website written by that author.
• Link your creators’ social media profiles to provide Google with social signals affirming their legitimacy as real individuals and experts.

Here’s an example of a well-written author bio that effectively showcases the creator’s experience and authority as a PPC expert:

4. Creating Satisfying and Helpful Content

Google’s August 2022 helpful content update is another significant algorithm update influencing content creation in 2023.

Throughout its history, Google has always prioritized delivering high-quality content to users. However, its renewed emphasis on “helpfulness” implies that users should feel “satisfied” with the content they click on in SERPs.

Measuring user satisfaction can be challenging. So, what does Google consider helpful? Content that is:

• Created for humans, not search engines.
• Suitable for the intended audience.
• Relevant to the website’s main topic or subject area.
• Authored by credible, experienced creators.
• Demonstrates in-depth knowledge of the topic. (Noticing a recurring theme in this year’s SEO trends?)

Creating helpful content is easier said than done. Here’s how to make your content more helpful:

Prioritize quality over quantity. While your 2023 content calendar may be packed with target keywords, churning out a large volume of unhelpful and less-informed content is unlikely to secure top rankings in 2023.

Expand your keyword research to encompass information beyond search volume. Consider the following:

• What content types are ranking for specific searches?
• What’s the content length?
• Which questions does it address?
• Does it explore other subtopics or related questions?
• What links are included?
• Who created it?
• What’s their experience?

Keyword and content research offer valuable insights into these quality indicators. Don’t get sidetracked by potential organic traffic alone.

Utilize Search Console to analyze your search queries and understand what users are searching for that leads them to your blog posts. Explore additional ways to leverage Google Search Console.

5. Embracing A.I. Content and Content Writing Software

Despite efforts to combat auto-generated content, the use of AI-generated content is expected to rise in 2023.

The integration of SEO and AI into marketing applications is increasing rapidly, and for good reason—these integrations can save significant time! Most content marketers have already used some form of AI content generators in the past year.

However, considering Google’s recent updates, can content-writing software be used ethically?

Absolutely! While publishing fully auto-generated drafts is unacceptable, marketers can leverage these tools to expedite their workflows while still producing original, high-quality content.

Here are some beneficial applications of these tools that don’t sacrifice content originality or human touch:

• Content briefs: Content tools that create briefs can help writers grasp important keywords, topics, and subtopics to include in their original content.

• Content outlines: These provide a roadmap for crafting helpful content without relying solely on AI.

• Content ideas: Tools like blog topic generators can streamline brainstorming. Transitioning from a keyword to a helpful content idea can be challenging, and idea generators can help overcome writer’s block. Here’s an example of an auto-generated blog idea revised to reflect the website’s brand voice and target a younger audience:

  Auto-generated:

  

  People-first:

  

This is just one of many ways to utilize content writing software effectively to meet Google’s quality standards rather than trying to circumvent them.

6. Leveraging SEO Automation

Like AI-powered content, more SEO tasks will be automated in 2023 as digital marketers harness the power of enterprise SEO platforms and tools.

For instance:

• Keyword research tools can automate tasks that previously required extensive manual spreadsheet work.
• Site auditing and monitoring platforms like SearchAtlas and Content King automatically detect website changes and technical issues.
• Website graders can guide less SEO-savvy users in identifying necessary optimizations and prioritizing them effectively.

Try out our Free Website Grader!

This surge in DIY SEO tools will allow businesses and agencies to manage tactical aspects more efficiently and allocate more resources to strategic planning.

7. Adapting to Changes in CTRs by SERP Positions

Prepare to reevaluate your understanding of click-through rates (CTRs) and ranking positions.

With the widespread adoption of endless scrolling on both mobile and desktop, Google has simplified the process for users to scroll through multiple SERPs to find their desired content.

Traditionally, the relationship between ranking position and CTR has remained relatively consistent, with the top three results attracting the majority of clicks.

Image source

However, in 2023, click-through rates are likely to be affected as searchers can more easily navigate through multiple pages of search results.

Regarding the much-discussed zero-click searches, a recent SEMrush study revealed that only approximately 25.8% of searches resulted in zero clicks. As Google continues to incorporate features like featured snippets and “People Also Ask,” the impact of zero-click searches on CTRs may not be as severe as initially anticipated.

While attaining the first-page ranking remains ideal, ranking on the second or third page will be more beneficial than before thanks to endless scrolling. Therefore, prioritize optimizing page titles, meta descriptions, and utilizing schema markup to make your content more engaging and clickable in SERPs.

8. Optimizing Product Page SEO

As Google continues to reward lengthy, informative content, pages with inherently thin content, such as product pages, can benefit in 2023 from incorporating more helpful details.

Adding drop-down menus, FAQs, and customer reviews can enrich product pages with additional content. While including keywords in product descriptions is beneficial, consider other questions users might have before making a purchase:

• Do you offer free shipping?
• What’s the return policy?
• Are there any warranties, upgrades, or add-ons available?
• Can you display customer testimonials or reviews alongside the product?

These are just a few ways to enhance a product page with content that is genuinely helpful and informative for potential buyers.

9. The Importance of SEO Competitor Analysis

Analyzing competitors has always been a wise approach to shaping SEO strategies. Competitor analysis will become even simpler and more effective in 2023 with the aid of SEO tools.

As Google increasingly emphasizes industry expertise and website “topic areas,” observing thought leaders in your industry offers valuable insights into the type of content that ranks well.

Utilize SEO competitor software to compare competitors’ content, backlink profiles, Domain Authority, and other metrics.

Observe how your competitors establish experience, expertise, authority, and trustworthiness through both on-page and off-page signals, and incorporate these insights into your SEO campaigns and content strategy. For further information, delve into our guide on keyword competitor analysis.

10. Adjusting to Reduced Crawl Frequency

Google has recently set ambitious climate goals, including transitioning to carbon-free energy by 2023. To reach this goal, Google is exploring ways to reduce its web page crawling frequency.

Decreasing crawling conserves computing resources and represents a relatively straightforward change for Google in line with its sustainability objectives. However, reduced crawl rates are more likely to impact refresh crawls rather than crawls discovering new content. Therefore, it might take longer for Google to detect new changes implemented on websites.

This underscores the importance of optimizing content thoroughly from the outset, incorporating all the on-page elements needed for ranking—the most strategic approach in 2023.

11. Revitalizing Image SEO

Images are often overlooked on websites, but they have always contributed to better rankings in image searches.

They also offer opportunities to include additional keywords and semantically related terms in your content through alt text.

Google values alt text and schema markup that help its crawlers understand the content of images. Moreover, Google appreciates webmasters who prioritize content accessibility for all users. Alt text contributes to making the internet a more inclusive space for visually impaired individuals and those with limited internet bandwidth or connectivity issues.

Follow this image SEO checklist to ensure you’re addressing all the essential aspects of image optimization in 2023.

12. Prioritizing Fast-Loading, High-Performing Websites

Since the page experience update in 2021, Google has placed greater emphasis on fast-loading, high-performing websites in its ranking algorithm.

While the page experience update might seem like old news, its complete rollout concluded only in March 2022. Google continues to refine the signals it uses to determine whether a page offers a high-performing user experience.

In 2023, Page Speed Insights and Core Web Vitals will remain indispensable tools for monitoring and evaluating website speed and performance.

Along with content quality, prioritizing page speed improvements will likely yield significant returns for businesses, resulting in higher keyword rankings across their entire website.

Integrating These 2023 SEO Trends into Your Strategy

In conclusion, prioritize the following trends in 2023 as they are directly influenced by Google’s algorithm updates, values, and objectives. Also, leverage SEO tools to effectively meet Google’s increasingly stringent content quality standards.

1. The new “E” in E.E.A.T
2. The growing importance of author authority
3. Creating satisfying and helpful content
4. Focusing on niche-driven, topically relevant content
5. Embracing A.I. content and content writing software
6. Leveraging SEO automation
7. Adapting to changes in CTRs by SERP positions
8. Optimizing product page SEO
9. Conducting thorough SEO competitor analysis
10. Adjusting to reduced crawl frequency
11. Revitalizing image SEO
12. Prioritizing fast-loading, high-performing websites

Interested in exploring more SEO trends? Check out our archive:

• 2021 SEO Trends
• 2022 SEO Trends
• 2023 SEO Trends