SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is one of the key ways to promote a business on the Internet, allowing you to bring your site to the top positions in search engine results and get ahead of your competitors.
Like other marketing areas, SEO is rapidly evolving, and effective optimization trends change regularly. To keep the site at the top of the search results, specialists need to keep abreast of events: follow trends, adjust settings, and update and supplement content with current requirements.
We have prepared for you the most relevant local SEO trends to look for in 2023. Let’s look at them in more detail:
Trend #1 EAT compliance
The concept of EAT (Expertise, Authority, Reliability) is essential in SEO. The search engine uses these three elements to evaluate the level of trust in the site and to provide users with the best online experience and the most reliable information.
Although EAT metrics do not play a decisive role in page rankings, they are an integral part of their display in the first positions. The system maintains trustworthy resources and will only continue this trend in 2023.
You can increase the authority of the site in the following ways:
-publish only high-quality, well-designed and useful content, and supplement it with illustrations
-check the accuracy of data and linked external links
-provide information about the authors of publications
-post positive customer reviews and successful cases
-regularly update information about the company and check the relevance of contacts.
Also, Google will consider your site more authoritative if other experts and web resources leave their recommendations and links to it.
Trend #2 Content value
Structured and updatable texts are essential for SEO promotion. But they just can’t do it. In 2023, content must clearly, accurately and comprehensively respond to user requests, offering all known solutions to the problem. Otherwise, the pages of your site may not appear in the search results, even if there are enough keywords in the text.
If the content takes into account the motives for the information search, the user will get a positive experience of visiting the site and is more likely to get acquainted with the content of the page to the end. Accordingly, search engine robots recognize such a site as useful to the reader, which contributes to an increase in SERP positions. It’s getting into Featured fragments or the “People also asked” block.
Texts must be supplemented with visual content. With the help of infographics, images, and videos, you will get more traffic and improve the usability of the resource.
Trend #3 Local SEO
High rankings for relevant keywords, taking into account geographic features, have always been relevant for offline businesses, and this trend will not change in 2023.
The goal of local SEO is to improve search results based on the geographic intent of the user. Local SEO is especially important for brands from the service sector (restaurants, medical centers, beauty salons, etc.), and people living nearby are the main segment of their target audience.
To increase your customer base, register your brand in Google My Business – to display Google Maps by address and connect your account to Google Analytics. Among the main factors influencing local SEO are real online reviews from current customers and site optimization for local keywords.
Trend #4 User experience
The goal of knowing your customer better has long been one of the main points in marketing strategies. A positive user experience is also important for Search Engine Optimization. A number of factors influence the improvement of interaction with potential or current customers:
-thematic, informative and accessible (including for people with disabilities) content
-design adaptability
-fast-loading pages
-convenient navigation
-compliance with fonts, colors, and elements according to the brand book
-availability of an SSL certificate
-friendly URLs.