But looking back at what I\u2019d written two-and-a-half years ago, I realized that my actionable insights now need to be thoroughly updated in this era of constant change.<\/p>\n
The advent of OpenAI\u2019s ChatGPT <\/a>on Nov. 30, 2022, has triggered a \u201ccode red\u201d at Google, which rushed out a new experimental conversational AI service called Bard in response to Microsoft\u2019s AI-enhanced Bing.<\/p>\n UBS estimates that ChatGPT reached 100 million<\/a> monthly active users in January, 2 months after its launch. According to the Swiss bank\u2019s analysts, it would be the fastest-growing online application in history.<\/p>\n So, what strategic SEO insights and tactical advice could I share with you today that will still be relevant a year from now?<\/p>\n What critical data or search trends would encourage you to display a motivational poster on your wall that advises everyone to \u201cKeep Calm and Carry On\u201d?<\/p>\n By the way, that last piece of advice is not half bad.<\/p>\n Google was launched on Sept. 4, 1998, and didn\u2019t pass AltaVista to become the leading search engine until the second half of 2002 \u2013 about 4 years later.<\/p>\n And even the Panda Update<\/a>, which shocked the SEO industry and effectively ended the \u201ccontent farm\u201d business model, only impacted 12% of queries, according to the History of Google Algorithm Updates<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Penguin Update<\/a>, which downranked websites that engaged in aggressive webspam, only impacted 3.1% of English queries.<\/p>\n And it\u2019s worth recalling that the first iteration of the Panda Update started on Feb. 23, 2011, but was followed by 27 more adjustments until the final update on July 17, 2015. And the Penguin Update, which began on April 24, 2012, didn\u2019t end until Sept. 23, 2016.<\/p>\n It may take more than four years to know the full impact of Google\u2019s Bard AI or the new AI-powered Bing search engine.<\/p>\n So, SEO professionals would be well advised to \u201cKeep Calm and Carry On.\u201d<\/p>\n That means I can confidently share 10 strategic insights, bits of critical data, pieces of tactical advice, or search trends that will impact SEO in 2023 and beyond without losing too much sleep over the fact that 30% of them may not be relevant a year from now.<\/p>\n (After telling you why \u201cthe fundamental things apply as time goes by,\u201d I\u2019ll circle back to explain why a 70% success rate is the right benchmark.)<\/p>\n SEO remains an essential element of any digital marketing strategy.<\/p>\n And even though the search industry is constantly changing, Google is still the leading search engine.<\/p>\n According to Similarweb, Google.com got 3.2 billion<\/a> unique visitors in January 2023, making it the most visited website globally. The search giant also got 88.3 billion visits in January 2023.<\/p>\n So, don\u2019t bet the farm on Google going away anytime soon.<\/p>\n And if you need to keep other people within your company, or at one of your clients, from rushing off to panic stations, then show them the chart below from Google Trends<\/a>, which displays worldwide web search interest over the past 90 days for the search terms Google, ChatGPT, and Bing.<\/p>\n You can calmly explain that the dips in interest for Google occur on weekends.<\/p>\n If Google remains the dominant search engine for the foreseeable future, then SEO pros don\u2019t need to be retrained or replaced.<\/p>\n Why? Because they\u2019re already familiar with Google Search Essentials<\/a> (formerly Webmaster Guidelines).<\/p>\n And they\u2019ve successfully navigated through the 22 Google Search ranking updates<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is why I\u2019m confident that more than 70% of SEO pros will continue successfully navigating the uncharted areas of keyword maps that bear the phrase: \u201cHere be dragons.\u201d<\/p>\n One of the most important aspects of SEO is understanding user intent<\/a>.<\/p>\n Google\u2019s algorithms have become more sophisticated, and they\u2019re now better able to understand the intent behind a query.<\/p>\n So, SEO pros should focus on creating content that satisfies user intent rather than just targeting specific keywords. This means creating content that is not only relevant to the user\u2019s search query, but also provides helpful information or a satisfying experience.<\/p>\n Now, I realize this strategic insight isn\u2019t breaking news.<\/p>\n But you still might benefit from re-reading my article, The Future of SEO Lies in the \u2018Messy Middle\u2019 of the Purchase Journey<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to research by Google\u2019s Market Insights team in the U.K., the \u201cmessy middle\u201d is where people decide what to buy.<\/p>\n Among other things, this research found:<\/p>\n \u201cPeople look for information about a category\u2019s products and brands, and then weigh all the options. This equates to two different mental modes in the messy middle: exploration<\/strong>, an expansive activity, and evaluation<\/strong>, a reductive activity. Whatever a person is doing, across a huge array of online sources, such as search engines, social media, aggregators, and review websites, can be classified into one of these two mental modes.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Let me translate this \u201cbig idea\u201d into counter-intuitive tactical advice: SEO pros must create and optimize at least two pieces of content to address the user\u2019s different intents in the \u201cmessy middle\u201d of the purchase journey<\/a>.<\/p>\n And, if your company or client is targeting half a dozen different segments, then you need to create and optimize at least a dozen pieces of content.<\/p>\n Creating and optimizing one page for each target segment is so 2019.<\/p>\n Content is still king, but if SEO managers want to become prime ministers (or presidents) someday, then they need to create more original, helpful content<\/a> written by people, for people.<\/p>\n How can you ensure you\u2019re creating high-quality content? By following Google\u2019s long-standing advice<\/a> and guidance for core updates<\/a> to create content for people, not for search engines.<\/p>\n So, let me suggest you re-read my article, What Is A Content Marketing Matrix & Do We Need One?<\/a><\/p>\n It shows you how to use a content marketing planning tool to generate ideas for enchanting content that changes hearts, minds, and actions. That\u2019s how you become the VP of SEO.<\/p>\n On Dec. 15, 2022, Google updated its search rater guidelines<\/a> \u2013 adding an extra E for Experience to the concept of E-A-T: Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness.<\/p>\n Although these guidelines don\u2019t directly influence ranking, they are useful for anyone who works in SEO because they give us an idea of where Google wants its algorithms to go. <\/strong><\/p>\n To improve your content\u2019s E-E-A-T, someone with first-hand life experience on the topic should produce it.<\/p>\n If you can\u2019t convince someone with experience to produce this content in-house, you need to find a freelance writer \u2013 or content creator \u2013 who has used your product or service, visited a place, or influenced brand purchases.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, many SEO pros still don\u2019t think this is their job \u2013 even though the first mention of E-A-T<\/a> occurred in 2014 when Google added the concept to its Search Quality Guidelines.<\/p>\n Even Google said:<\/p>\n \u201cThese are not fundamentally new ideas. And we\u2019re by no means abandoning the fundamental principle that Search seeks to surface reliable information, especially on topics where information quality is critically important.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n If you\u2019d like some practical advice, read How To Find Talented Writers To Fuel Top Quality Content Creation<\/a>, which includes my interviews with a couple of thought leaders in this field.<\/p>\n According to the Video & Visual Storytelling Survey by Content Marketing Institute (CMI) published on Oct. 27, 2022, 73%<\/a> of marketers said videos have become more important to their business in the last year; 27% said they are about the same in importance; and, no one said videos have decreased in importance.<\/p>\n Why should SEO pros lose sleep over this critical data?<\/p>\n Because the content marketing department, not the SEO department, is jumping on this trend.<\/p>\n And that means many of the videos cranked out in 2023 and beyond won\u2019t be optimized for search \u2013 let alone integrated into an overall SEO strategy.<\/p>\n So, here\u2019s some tactical advice: first, read Sam Hollingsworth\u2019s guide, YouTube SEO: How To Optimize Videos & Rank Higher<\/a>.<\/p>\n Next, invite the content marketing department to a brown bag lunch to discuss ways to create great content together.<\/p>\n Links continue to be one of Google\u2019s most important ranking factors. And at least 70% of SEO pros have already read articles like:<\/p>\n Unfortunately, the lion\u2019s share of chief communications officers (CCOs) and public relations officers (PROs) haven\u2019t read articles like these.<\/p>\n So, only a handful of organizations use one of the most effective techniques to earn links to help your website rank higher on search engines.<\/p>\n Ironically, the biggest barrier is not journalists. Pogo once observed, \u201c<\/em>We have met the enemy and (they are) us.\u201d<\/p>\n This means you might need to invite your CCO or PRO to a swanky restaurant to discuss link building instead of hosting another brown bag lunch.<\/p>\n But this is a better use of your time and money than trying to figure out a clever way around Google\u2019s December 2022 link spam update<\/a>, which can now detect both sites buying links and those used to pass outgoing links.<\/p>\n Brick-and-mortar businesses serving specific towns, cities, regions, and states know local search is important<\/a>.<\/p>\n When done correctly, local SEO enables people to find information about their business, putting them one step closer to making the cash register ring.<\/p>\n And SEO pros specializing in local search know a consistent Name, Address, and Phone number (NAP), local links, local reviews, and star ratings, as well as optimized Google Business Profiles, are important parts of Google\u2019s local search and Local Pack algorithms.<\/p>\n But, to learn the latest trends and tips to help your local business grow using local search optimization, local marketing, and local advertising, read Search Engine Journal\u2019s A Guide to Local SEO<\/a>, which tackles what you need to know about optimizing for local search.<\/p>\n In April 2022, Google introduced an entirely new way to search using text and images simultaneously.<\/p>\n With multisearch in Lens<\/a>, users can go beyond the search box and ask questions about an object or refine their search by color, brand, or visual attribute.<\/p>\n To learn more about this, read Matt G. Southern\u2019s article, Google Multisearch: A New Way To Search With Text & Images<\/a>.<\/p>\n Then, read Roger Montti\u2019s article, How Does Google Multisearch Affect SEO?<\/a><\/p>\n So, keep an eye on multisearch in 2023 and beyond.<\/p>\n According to Roger Montti\u2019s article, Google: Voice Search Is Not The Future<\/a>, Google\u2019s Martin Splitt shared his opinion that voice search is not the future and that there will be no need to optimize for it.<\/p>\n Even though I\u2019ve written about Amazon\u2019s Big Game Commercial: Mind Reader<\/a> twice in the past year, I haven\u2019t paid much attention to voice search until I was prompted to read a couple of recent articles on this topic, including:<\/p>\n And while writing this article, I re-read Kristopher Jones\u2019 How Can Voice Search Benefit Your SEO?<\/a> He wrote:<\/p>\n In other words, four out of five people with a veritable ton of E-E-A-T think that voice search represents a phenomenal SEO opportunity.<\/p>\n So, keep your ear to the ground for new voice search developments in 2023 and beyond.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll bet Google sent you an email with the subject line: \u201cWe\u2019ll soon configure Google Analytics 4 for you.\u201d<\/p>\n It said:<\/p>\n \u201cFor any customer who does not set up a GA4 property with basic settings, starting in March<\/strong>, we will configure one with a few basic settings consistent with the existing Universal Analytics property; this includes certain conversion events, Google Ads links, and existing website tags.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n This means the chaos expected on July 1, 2023, when standard Universal Analytics properties will stop working, has arrived ahead of schedule.<\/p>\n And, as Sun Tzu once observed, \u201cIn the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n In my article, Google Analytics 4 Should Trigger Reorganizations & Agency Reviews<\/a>, I said the advent of GA4 would cause the marketing department to start \u201cfreaking out\u201d if the web analytics team \u2013 which still sits in the IT department in far too many organizations \u2013 doesn\u2019t respond to urgent requests for \u201chelp\u201d within a week, a day, or even an hour.<\/p>\n So, this is the perfect time for you to make the business case for moving the analytics team out of the IT department and into the SEO department.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s any pushback, remind decision-makers that 53.3%<\/a> of all website traffic comes from organic search, according to BrightEdge Research.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a chief marketing officer (CMO) or vice president of Marketing and you move the analytics team into the SEO department, your team may ask to build a dashboard. Build a war room instead.<\/p>\n![\"similarweb](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/10-strategic-seo-insights-tactical-advice-for-2023-and-beyond-via-sejournal-gregjarboe.png\")
Screenshot from Similarweb, February 2023<\/span><\/div>\n![\"10](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/10-strategic-seo-insights-tactical-advice-for-2023-and-beyond-via-sejournal-gregjarboe-1.png\")
Screenshot from Google Trends, February 2023<\/span><\/div>\n1. Focus On User Intent<\/h2>\n
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2. Create High-Quality Content<\/strong><\/h2>\n
3. Prioritize E-E-A-T<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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4. Optimize YouTube Content<\/strong><\/h2>\n
5. Earn High-Quality Links<\/strong><\/h2>\n
6. Optimize For Local Search<\/strong><\/h2>\n
7. Keep An Eye On Multisearch<\/strong><\/h2>\n
8. Keep Your Ear To The Ground For Voice Search<\/h2>\n
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9. Migrate To Google Analytics 4 (GA4)<\/h2>\n
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10. Build A War Room<\/h2>\n