2023 Content Writing Trends<\/h2>\n1. The Rise Of AI-Driven Content<\/h3>\n
It\u2019s no secret that brands have leveraged AI marketing<\/a> for years and probably even limited the usage of AI-generated content.<\/p>\n While Google has stated that AI-generated content meant to manipulate search results constitutes spam, it has also stated that the \u201cappropriate use<\/a>\u201d of AI to assist content is not against its guidelines.<\/p>\n It\u2019s difficult to discern how efficient Google is at detecting AI systems, but it\u2019s clear that AI-generated content will be something to keep a close eye on.<\/p>\n According to a UBS study via Reuters, ChatGPT<\/a> reached 100 million<\/a> monthly active users in January 2023.<\/p>\n However, I\u2019ve found several other AI platforms that provide similar chatbot services and the ability to write entirely SEO-optimized blog posts.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll describe how to leverage AI later in this article, but learning to properly incorporate it into your workflow<\/a> and work with these systems will ensure the best results.<\/p>\n YouTube, Instagram, and Meta have all launched their video shorts on their platforms to compete with the cultural Megaforce that is TikTok.<\/p>\n Platforms like Instagram have even boasted a higher engagement rate in places like Brazil after the launch of its Reels. In fact, it is estimated to reach over 163 million<\/a> users by 2028.<\/p>\n Video shorts and reels are a great way to curate brand exposure and engage with a large audience.<\/p>\n Unlike traditional long-form videos, short video clips have a better opportunity to go viral and lead directly to a new phenomenon in social media.<\/p>\n Influencer marketing<\/a> isn\u2019t dead. Rather, it\u2019s evolving.<\/p>\n What people once referred to as influencer marketing has really evolved into the creator economy.<\/p>\n Essentially, many brands are partnering with online creators who produce short and long-form content that bring subscribers to their platform.<\/p>\n YouTube announced last fall that it would split 45%<\/a> of the revenue from Shorts ads with its creators (although that number has come under attack).<\/p>\n Regardless, it\u2019s clear that renewed competition among social media giants and the evolution of social media has placed a greater premium on individual creators and rewarded them accordingly.<\/p>\n Everyone, from the White House to major makeup brands, is partnering with TikTokers, Instagram celebrities, and everyday content creators to promote brands and their messages.<\/p>\n Evidence of this is also reflected in the staying power of podcasting.<\/p>\n Podcasting represents one of the many awkward attempts of marketers failing to utilize new technology in their work offerings.<\/p>\n Much like TikTok and Instagram Reels, podcasting<\/a> is better suited for personal branding and large-scale exposure than old-school SEO tactics.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, podcast listenership has grown by almost 30% since 2019<\/a> and continues to be a valuable tool for individual content creators and brand partnerships.<\/p>\n I suggest incorporating podcasting into your thought leadership strategy when possible and partnering with podcasts whose audience fits your brand.<\/p>\n Podcasting is not right for every brand<\/a>, but it can be great for influencers, CEOs, and content creators your brand is partnered with.<\/p>\n So, I started this list by stating how AI was the No. 1 content marketing trend of 2023, but I also listed how content creators are becoming more valuable.<\/p>\n This confluence of competing interests is no contradiction at all. Instead, it\u2019s clear that many are looking to individual brands and thought leaders for their information.<\/p>\n Today, people don\u2019t go to WebMD for health advice; they turn to Reddit<\/a> or influencers.<\/p>\n Similarly, podcasters like Joe Rogan have several times more listeners than CNN on any given night.<\/p>\n This means that people desperately crave authenticity and turn to individuals they trust for advice.<\/p>\n Cultivating trust through thought leadership and personal branding is more important than ever.<\/p>\n If you search for an article on SEO basics<\/a>, are you more likely to click on Search Engine Journal or some random blog?<\/p>\n In fact, personal branding and experience are so important Google has even added a new letter to its acronym EAT (now E-E-A-T<\/a>) for the word \u201cexperience.\u201d<\/p>\n So, tell more stories and convey greater empathy in your writing.<\/p>\n Leverage the tools listed above and make your writing more personalized to gain greater exposure.<\/p>\n Zooming out a bit, I understand that podcasting and video shorts don\u2019t make sense for almost 99% of businesses.<\/p>\n Instead, leveraging technology and focusing on data-driven content<\/a> will be key to competing in the digital marketing space in 2023.<\/p>\n Fortunately, machine learning<\/a> makes this easier than ever.<\/p>\n Investing in good software, such as SE Ranking, Semrush, or Ahrefs, will help you learn more about the competition and compete.<\/p>\n Similarly, updating your Universal Analytics to Google Analytics 4<\/a> will give you more detailed information about essential search metrics and strategies you can take to improve your campaigns.<\/p>\n Finally, technology enables greater interconnectivity between all of our web platforms, and the ability to create seamless funnels and user experiences is paramount.<\/p>\n One innovation I\u2019ve found interesting over the past year is the rise of shoppable content or the ability to purchase products on an embedded video or blog.<\/p>\n Little innovations like these increase the ease of conversions and make converting leads a synch.<\/p>\n I also suggest upgrading to a reputable CRM<\/a> (customer relationship management) and integrating lead-magnet content, such as ebooks, infographics, and research, to entice more sales.<\/p>\n Make 2023 the year you maximize the value of your content and deliver a massive ROI.<\/p>\n Now that I have covered some important trends, it\u2019s time to move into optimizing your website\u2019s content<\/a> following the same trends for 2023. The following speaks to both page and blog content.<\/p>\n All guidance derives from the trends I\u2019ve witnessed with clients and other website rankings over the year, and I expect much of this to stick throughout 2023.<\/p>\n To keep things organized, I advise my writers to think about SERP information first, then follow the page from top to bottom.<\/p>\n Begin with the title tag and meta description, and move down through the actual page as you see it on the screen.<\/p>\n Following is the checklist for optimizing each content element as we throttle into 2023.<\/p>\n I spoke at length about the importance of data before. However, the greatest bit of data we can use comes from our keyword research.<\/p>\n Keywords are the currency of SEO.<\/p>\n All SEO professionals know that keyword research is the first step in creating optimized content.<\/p>\n SEJ features hundreds of articles on performing keyword research<\/a>, so I won\u2019t go into crazy detail here.<\/p>\n But sadly, many SMBs still refuse to perform any type of keyword research.<\/p>\n This is normal for new clients at my agency who have never worked with an SEO pro before.<\/p>\n But unfortunately, I also see a lack of keyword research for new clients who have worked with SEO professionals before.<\/p>\n If you neglect to perform keyword research, you\u2019ll fail to garner any traction in the search results.<\/p>\n Here are some thoughts on keyword research trends as we head into 2023:<\/p>\n Take the time to truly understand the evergreen content needs of your market and audience, and target evergreen<\/a> keywords for that content.<\/p>\n The goal is to have that content add value and solve the reader\u2019s problems for many years into the future.<\/p>\n An example from a digital marketing agency: content writing tips, SEO basics, etc.<\/p>\n That said, you must also pay attention to trending keywords, such as the latest products available in your marketing.<\/p>\n An example from a digital marketing agency: how to optimize for voice search, predictive search, etc.<\/p>\n And if you follow these trending keywords and create authoritative content early enough, some may turn into evergreen keywords, and you\u2019ll have a jump on the competition.<\/p>\n Spend time building your buyer persona<\/a>, and create an actual fictional character such as SEO pro Sara.<\/p>\n When creating a constant flow of content, typically through a blog, don\u2019t go crazy over only targeting high-volume keywords.<\/p>\n Depending on the ROI of a service or product, I\u2019ll target keywords as low as 10-20 visitors per month.<\/p>\n I had a client who sold annual investing services with high guarantees worth around $4,000 yearly.<\/p>\n I targeted a few terms of around 20 search volume and sold 8 of those annual services \u2013 $32,000 and all re-signed through the following year.<\/p>\n That is not bad for a low-volume keyword target.<\/p>\n We track client keywords through Semrush, and if something\u2019s not working as it should after around six weeks, we analyze the content and all of our target keyword positioning.<\/p>\n Sometimes a simple swap of words in a title tag helps with rankings.<\/p>\n Other times, it\u2019s a complete overhaul of the content itself.<\/p>\n This is why tracking progress and continually revamping older content throughout the year is vital.<\/p>\n When I complete keyword research and have a target keyword that I\u2019ll use for a page, I\u2019ll also provide a list of related keywords for when I get to work.<\/p>\n Related keywords show more relevance to your topic, which helps send stronger signals about the page\u2019s intentions for both search engines and readers.<\/p>\n Which title tag above attracts your eye?<\/p>\n David Ogilvy, the late Brit known as the \u201cfather of advertising\u201d and founder of Ogilvy & Mather, said:<\/p>\n \u201cOn the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent 80 cents out of your dollar.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Though Ogilvy was a traditional advertiser, his guidance rings true for 21st-century online marketing.<\/p>\n Title tags remain one of the strongest signals for search engines to explain what that page is about.<\/p>\n When writing title tags<\/a>, they must not only engage humans but also satisfy SEO.<\/p>\n This is why the target keyword must be included in the headline.<\/p>\n The best practice is to have it as close to the front of the title as possible, and I\u2019ve witnessed rankings change based on swapping around words in titles.<\/p>\n Here are other things to check off<\/a> about title tag creation:<\/p>\n The standard practice for SEO professionals is to create title tags between 50-60 characters because Google typically truncates everything after 60.<\/p>\n But after a year of experimenting with various lengths, I try to write them shorter \u2013 like 40-50 characters.<\/p>\n This requires added energy from copywriters, but the effort is worth it.<\/p>\n Sometimes when creating a content strategy for clients and my workflow, I spend more time creating a list of optimized topics than writing a single 1,500-word article.<\/p>\n A Conductor study revealed that headlines featuring numbers (exact numbers of points such as 47 Content Writing Tips) get 36% more clicks.<\/p>\n Without a doubt, use numbers where possible.<\/p>\n HubSpot reported that using brackets in titles increases click-through rates by 38%<\/a>.<\/p>\n Here are the tips on optimizing meta descriptions<\/a> in 2023:<\/p>\n This is especially true for mobile. We began experimenting with metas around 120-130 and observed increased click-through rates among various clients.<\/p>\n Think of these as a free way to advertise and as a main supporter of your title tag.<\/p>\n A good formula is the struggle\/solution statement that entices a searcher to click.<\/p>\n Also, include a call to action with some \u201cwords that sell\u201d (for more on that, read Richard Bayan\u2019s Words that Sell<\/em><\/a>).<\/p>\n Though Google says meta descriptions have no direct ranking value<\/a>, they certainly have an indirect ranking value.<\/p>\n If the target keywords are searched for, they will become bold in the meta descriptions, providing relevancy to the searcher\u2019s intent. This influences a clickthrough, indirectly affecting rank value.<\/p>\n Also, though Google might only use your meta descriptions about 3o%<\/a> of the time and typically automatically populates them, it\u2019s still the best practice to provide unique meta descriptions for every page across the website.<\/p>\n I\u2019d argue that even pages such as the privacy policy or contact pages are typically left to self-populate.<\/p>\n Header tags<\/a> are simply subtopics that break up the text and provide structure. These are especially effective in listicle articles where every number\/section is the next section\u2019s overall topic.<\/p>\n Most people scan when reading<\/a>; these header tags are the first thing people typically read.<\/p>\n Everyone wants to know what\u2019s in it for them, and this makes that super simple. They also are vital to ranking for featured snippets.<\/p>\n Google typically takes header tags and uses them as bullets for a snippet. The query [title tag optimization] provides the perfect example:<\/p>\n To optimize these in 2023:<\/p>\n Always use your main keyword in at least one header tag and high-value related keywords in others.<\/p>\n Instead, infuse keywords naturally.<\/p>\n This should be easy if you outline your content and set out to provide the most valuable information to the reader about the subject.<\/p>\n I\u2019m saying as short as possible \u2013 six words or less. Remember, your audience is not dumb.<\/p>\n This section is about a checklist for optimizing content elements.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t have to write \u201cOptimizing header tags in 2023 based on current trends.\u201d<\/p>\n Instead, \u201cheader tag optimization\u201d suffices.<\/p>\n Internal links<\/a> within the text itself are vital for strong SEO.<\/p>\n They send strong signals to search engines about the relevance of another page on your website and how you place value on that page.<\/p>\n Instead, use them where a reader naturally values the added content to learn more.<\/p>\n The goal here is to use anchor text that includes the target keyword of the page being linked to.<\/p>\n This practice is all about sending the strongest signals possible to search engines and users about what you think is valuable information that supports the current page\u2019s content.<\/p>\n As for images<\/a>, remember: Search engines can\u2019t read an image (photo, PDF, etc.), so we use \u201calternative\u201d text.<\/p>\n Here are quick pointers for 2023:<\/p>\n The latter is crucial because, according to Google, people search for over a billion images daily.<\/p>\n And if these images feature alt text<\/a> that\u2019s keyworded for the image search query, you\u2019ll quickly discover other streams of traffic.<\/p>\n And for titles, nothing is worse for search engines than \u201cShutterstock \u2013 2828923990213409858329.\u201d<\/p>\n My agency places unique titles on all \u2013 even if they are the same; we simply notate them by -1, -2, -3, etc.<\/p>\n I discovered that simply adding captions to images at a motorcycle publication increased on-page time by over 20%.<\/p>\n Explain as much as possible, but don\u2019t keyword stuff.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s an ideal place to use related keywords, but only those related to the image.<\/p>\n Make sure to use italics to differentiate the text from the body of the content. Some content management systems don\u2019t do a good job of this, so simple italics will work.<\/p>\n Following are some quick bullet points for optimizing the actual body of the content on any page or blog:<\/p>\n This means not writing long, Faulkner-type sentences or creating long paragraphs.<\/p>\n Short and choppy for the win, considering people scan content and will ignore anything that looks hard to read. This is especially true on mobile!<\/p>\n Although many tools still exist for this purpose, forget about keyword density<\/a>.<\/p>\n Use your target keyword and list of related keywords naturally throughout the content.<\/p>\n For 90% of my client blog\/page work, I begin with the list of target and related keywords. I glance through them before writing, and they usually appear automatically throughout my writing.<\/p>\n I still check the list during the editing stage and naturally infuse as many as possible throughout the text.<\/p>\n Sometimes a few related keywords don\u2019t make sense, so I don\u2019t use them.<\/p>\n2. Video Shorts Are Becoming Dominant<\/h3>\n
3. Influencer Marketing Is Evolving<\/h3>\n
4. Podcasting Remains Strong<\/h3>\n
5. There\u2019s Greater Demand For Personal Experience<\/h3>\n
6. Content Marketers Require Data More Than Ever<\/h3>\n
7. Page Experience And Value Remain Integral<\/h3>\n
2023 SEO Checklist For Content Writing<\/h2>\n
1. Keyword Research Optimization<\/b><\/h3>\n
Target 80% Evergreen Keywords; 20% Trending Keywords <\/b><\/h4>\n
Create A Buyer Persona: Target Keywords And Content Toward That Buyer Persona<\/h4>\n
\n
Don\u2019t Go Crazy Over Volume<\/h4>\n
Monitor Keyword Performance Closely<\/h4>\n
Don\u2019t Forget About The Related Keywords<\/h4>\n
![\"7](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/7-content-writing-trends-for-2023-via-sejournal-ronlieback.png\")
Screenshot from search for [writing tips], Google, March 2023<\/span><\/div>\n2. Title Tag Optimization<\/h3>\n
\n
Keep It Short<\/h4>\n
Feature Numbers<\/h4>\n
![\"7](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/7-content-writing-trends-for-2023-via-sejournal-ronlieback-1.png\")
Image source: Moz.com, March 2023<\/span><\/div>\nUse Brackets Or Parentheses<\/h4>\n
3. Meta Description Optimization<\/h3>\n
Keep Them Shorter Than the Recommended 150-160<\/h4>\n
Think Free Advertisements<\/h4>\n
Always Use Your Target Keywords In The Meta Descriptions<\/h4>\n
4. Header Tag Optimization<\/h3>\n
![\"7](\"https:\/\/marketingnewsbox.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/7-content-writing-trends-for-2023-via-sejournal-ronlieback-2.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\nUse Target And Related Keywords<\/h4>\n
Don\u2019t Keyword-Stuff<\/h4>\n
Keep Them Short<\/h4>\n
5. Internal Links\/Image Optimization<\/h3>\n
Don\u2019t Go Crazy With Internal Links<\/h4>\n
Use A Strong Anchor Text<\/h4>\n
Each Image Should Have A Unique Title And Alt Text That Includes A Target Keyword<\/h4>\n
Use Captions Wherever Possible<\/h4>\n
6. Body Of Content Optimization<\/h3>\n
First, Think About \u2018Psychological\u2019 Space<\/h4>\n
Forget About The Keyword Density Of A Target Keyword<\/h4>\n
Thoughts On Length<\/h4>\n