One of the most important parts of operating in the SEO space is staying up-to-date on all the new trends. This can be tricky, since Google often makes updates or tweaks to its algorithm, but there are certain changes to keep an eye out for. Here are several trends (and changes) that an SEO company will use to stay competitive in the marketplace.
Google Ads Labeling and Placement
Recently, Google Ads have started appearing as ‘Sponsored’ as opposed to ‘Advertisement’ in Google search results. This is a softer, less-charged word, and it’s even less likely to turn people off. The goal here is to make this appear as more of an organic search process than showing that you are advertising something.
In addition to this change, Google has made it easier for account operators to have more control over ad placement. This is especially important when it comes to your budget. Your team can also look into unified campaign strategies, which can help any campaigns that are using Performance Max, a new campaign tool that gives advertisers the ability to access all their Google Ads inventory from one campaign. With this technology, you can even exclude other brands by blocking your ads from showing on specified branded keywords. This will keep your client base focused on just your business.
E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness)
Google has emphasized E-A-T for a while, but it’s no less important in 2023. In fact, it’s even more essential, as Google has added an extra “E” to emphasize experience. In the past, it used to be that just having Experience, Authority, and Trust was enough to satisfy the Google algorithm requirements. That’s been tweaked some, though. Now you need to add another ‘E’ to the equation: Expertise.
Google is essentially trying to make sure that they’re recommending the right sites to the right people. It’s all about rewarding sites that can prove they have unique and authoritative information to add to the conversation. This effort is also because Google wants to retain their reputation as a resource that will give people the answer to whatever questions they have in mind. You’ll need to convince both Google and web users that you’re trustworthy. That’s why the search engine titan has made a new modification to the ideal content formula.
The algorithm wants to see that the person who wrote the piece has real-life experience in whatever the topic is. Someone could do an entire post about open-heart surgery, but if their medical experience is just binge-watching shows like Scrubs, House M.D., and Grey’s Anatomy, then that’s not going to reflect well in Google’s algorithm.
AI Content
Artificial intelligence (AI) has really exploded onto the scene in the past few years and its capabilities have grown exponentially since ChatGPT was introduced earlier this year. Google has been paying close attention to this issue. In fact, they’ve responded to ChatGPT with their own platform called ‘Bard,’ but their goal remains to direct people to the best quality sites that will answer the questions that their users look for.
SERPs (search engine results pages) know that AI can write pretty well, but it’s still not completely human-like. If you submit and post content that is solely AI-written, Google could view it as being low-quality. Though you might not want AI content on your site, it’s definitely a tool that those in the digital marketing industry are considering, and it’s important to stay up-to-date on these new developments as they’re released.
Visual Search
When you perform a search for a process like, ‘how to fix an LG washing machine,’ you might notice video results pop up first. These videos are part of the “featured snippets” that Google loves to showcase.
While it might seem like those video results are chosen at random, this can actually be another component of your SEO strategy. If you create YouTube videos for your products or services, you can customize them to potentially show up as a result.
One recommendation is to break your videos into chapters. Those chapters can be titled in a way that’s optimized for Google search crawlers. For example, you might create a video on general repair tips for washing machines. Then, you can divide that video into chapters based on a specific model or multiple models. If you do a superb job of that, then Google would be more likely to use it in the snippet. When titling your chapters, think about the questions search users might ask. In the same vein, you could have closed captioning with some key question phrases. The right SEO team will be diligent with your title, tags, and video descriptions to increase your chances of ranking above the fold.
Rely on Digital Current to Keep Up With Cutting-Edge SEO
There will always be new SEO trends to look for. With Ahrefs reporting there are currently 3.5 billion searches performed on Google each day, you’ll want to work with an SEO company that supports your marketing goals.
By paying attention to these particular trends, your team can greatly improve your chances of improving your site’s ranking. Are you looking for an experienced SEO company that can work toward boosting your Google search rankings? At Digital Current, we stay informed on all of the latest SEO trends that can affect your rankings. Contact us today to learn more.
