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SEO is constantly evolving! What you did yesterday may not be effective today. So, what are the SEO trends for 2023  ? And most importantly, how should you adapt to reach the golden triangle of Google's SERP  ? We present the 7 elements to consider to stay ahead of your competition!

Quick read: What you'll learn about SEO in 2023
In this article, we will detail the 7 major SEO trends in 2023 :

The arrival of AI in force .
The importance of curiosity and relevance .
Content is ( still ) king.
The growing place of SMO and SXO .
Local SEO is becoming essential.
Voice search is still growing.
Structured data is no longer an option.
Want to know how to adapt your SEO efforts in 2023? Just read on!

1. The big SEO trend of 2023: AI (artificial intelligence)
You've probably heard of GPT3 and, more recently, GPT4. These artificial intelligences are absolutely amazing and can be very useful for SEO in 2023. However, you need to know how to use them to avoid the risk of a Google penalty. [1]

The 2022 Helpful Content search engine algorithm update aims to ensure readers receive unique, high-value content. While John Mueller ( Webmaster Trends Analyst at Google) has made it clear that content generated by automated writing tools is considered spam , this information has been nuanced several times .

This is what was recently stated on Twitter by the official Google SearchLiaison account and confirmed by Danny Sullivan: "  if content generated by artificial intelligence helps users and is written primarily for them , then this is not a problem." [2]

So, if you want to speed up your content creation , there's nothing stopping you from using this type of software, like the excellent redaction.io . Based on this SEO-optimized text, you can then rework it to personalize it and make it content that meets Google's criteria in 2023.



Screenshot from redaction.io
Moreover, using AI can help you with many other SEO aspects than just content creation:

develop the structure of your content intended for the web;
find relevant keywords ;
implement a content strategy  ;
establish a netlinking strategy  ;
understand the search intentions of Internet users;
etc.
Regardless, using these tools requires extensive SEO expertise . Only an SEO consultant or professional web editor will be able to take full advantage of them to adapt the information provided and implement the most effective SEO actions in 2023.

2. Curiosity and relevance are John Mueller's key words
When asked on Twitter about the SEO skills to develop in 2023 , John Mueller simply replied: “curiosity and perseverance.” [3] Those who follow him on Twitter will not be surprised by this rather direct and evasive answer. However, there is important information hidden behind these two words!

Curiosity : To succeed in SEO, you have to continually experiment and try new things. What you've accomplished with one client can't necessarily be duplicated with another. You have to experiment to achieve the same results. Dare to test new technologies and try new strategies to discover what works in 2023 for a particular field of activity.
Perseverance : As you well know, implementing SEO actions doesn't bring instant results. It takes patience and perseverance to improve a website's natural SEO. Don't get discouraged and continue to implement new levers to improve your ranking in the long term.
Some might say this is nothing new and has always been the case in SEO. It's true! However, each year brings its share of search algorithm updates and therefore it's worth retesting each time and waiting to see the results. SEO in 2023 will certainly be no exception , so stay curious and persevere!

3. Focus on SEO content in 2023
Content is king in SEO
As previously mentioned, the Google algorithm update rolling out between August and September 2022 aims to further promote high-quality content. What aspects should you consider to improve your SEO texts in 2023  ?

Addressing search intent : This is likely the top SEO content creation priority for 2023. If you want to appear at the top of Google's SERP, you need to address the searcher's needs when working with a keyword!
Create long, comprehensive content : It's not about writing to reach 2,500 words. Your goal is to offer quality content and cover the topic in its entirety so that the user gets all the information they need. To get an idea of ​​the number of words needed, simply look at the first results displayed on Google's search results pages.
Working on the semantics of your SEO texts : SEO in 2023 isn't just about using keywords and developing a lexical field . To perform well, you need to work on the semantics of your content to convey a strong and coherent message to search engines.
Write for your readers : Please, don't write for indexing robots! You're writing for human beings first and foremost, because they are the ones who will indirectly influence your website's SEO. Once this step is complete, you can move on to optimizing your content.
Optimize hot spots : These are the locations that absolutely must be worked on for SEO. To discover these hot spots, I invite you to read this other blog post: https://www.seoquantum.com/billet/zones-chaudes-seo .
Add visual content : Optimizing photos and videos and offering detailed infographics is just as important as editorial content. This adds value to the information being conveyed and makes reading more enjoyable.
Implement a thematic cluster strategy : Demonstrate your expertise to search engines by covering a range of topics related to your main themes. To learn how to implement this element, I suggest you read this article: https://www.seoquantum.com/billet/clust ... atique-seo .
4. SMO and SXO as SEO trends 2023
This year, organic SEO is increasingly dependent on other communication channels and UX ( User Experience ). This is why SMO (social media optimization) and SXO (user experience improvement) are essential elements of SEO in 2023 .

SMO ( Social Media Optimization )
Although this is an indirect SEO factor, it is extremely effective in improving your positioning in the SERP . Indeed, this technique allows you to create traffic spikes on your website, and thus to interest indexing robots to know the reasons. It will therefore come to crawl your pages, and this, on a more regular basis. This is why SMO must have an important place in your content marketing .

Additionally, it's a great way to build backlinks naturally . If you create high-quality content and have built an active, focused community, you'll increase your chances of getting shared. This way, your popularity index will improve without you having to force external link building.

SXO ( Search Experience Optimization )
In 2023, it's pretty easy to improve your website to enhance the user experience. To do this, simply follow the information provided by Google via Search Console . Here are three things to consider to easily boost your SEO.

SXO is a strong SEO trend in 2023
Page Experience : Separate graphs are displayed to demonstrate the percentage of URLs that provide a good experience on desktop and mobile. This is a great source of information for understanding Google's perceived state of the user experience on your site.
Core Web Vitals : This time, you can use this resource to get straight to the heart of the matter by optimizing certain technical aspects of your website. By opening the provided reports, you'll see the three key elements of core web vitals : LCP, FID, and CLS. Share this information with your webmaster so they can implement the necessary improvement measures.
Mobile usability : Once again, you can use the GSC report to improve the user experience of your pages. With mobile users set to be the majority in 2023, it's no surprise that Google's tool offers a detailed analysis of this factor. Take advantage of it, as the tool even tells you what you can improve to appeal to both users and search engine algorithms!
Of course, these aren't the only areas you need to optimize to improve the user experience on your web pages. However, if Google presents this information in its analytics tool, it's certainly because it's of paramount importance for SEO. Take what the Mountain View giant gives you and try to please it by displaying all the green lights.

5. Local SEO: a must
Back in 2016, Google implemented an algorithm update known as Opossum. With the explosion of local searches, it quickly had to adapt. And this trend has only increased since then! By 2023, it's estimated that more than 40% of searches conducted by Googlers will be local.

Furthermore, even if the user doesn't specify a location, the results displayed can quickly take on a local character, because Google takes your geolocation into account to provide results in your geographic area. This is particularly the case if you search for a type of restaurant or business without providing further details. Here's an example if you're looking for an SEO agency while in Paris.

Screenshot of the importance of local SEO in 2023
To improve your local SEO in 2023 , certain measures are simple to implement and very effective. Among them, here are 2 points to optimize now:

Create a belize phone number data Google MyBusiness listing : Simply fill out all the information, providing as much detail as possible. Also, add high-quality images and keep your listing up to date. Finally, stay proactive and respond quickly.
Add a location to your website content : Write specific articles for each location you serve and include the main location on service pages. Be careful not to overdo it, though! Often, adding the target location once or twice is enough for Google to understand when to display your page in a local search.
6. Voice search will continue to grow in 2023
This isn't new, you might say? Indeed, but this trend has been steadily increasing for years. In 2014, Google already shared a survey conducted in the United States which showed that 55% of teenagers used this search method daily. [4]

In 2021, it was estimated that nearly 40% of the world's population regularly used voice search, whether on Google or for any other type of application (searching emails, messages, etc.). For SEO, here's what you can do to deliver tailored content in 2023 :

Optimize the mobile experience : Insert your homepage URL into Google's mobile-friendly testing tool and you'll have access to a good diagnosis of your website. This is essential, as voice searches are almost exclusively done on mobile devices. Other tools, such as GTMetrix , can then improve certain essential parameters for displaying your site on small screens.
Working with long tails : Voice search isn't a simplified search, as is often the case with written searches. They are long, detailed, and complex. This is why the long tail is certainly your best ally for ranking on these complex queries.
Aim for position zero : the Holy Grail of SEO! To try to be displayed in the featured snippet , you must scrupulously respect all the best practices for content creation. Note, however, that if you do not see position zero displayed for a key query, this is a voluntary choice on Google's part. So don't worry if you are "only" in first position.