SEO’s fluidity is the hardest part. Google updates its algorithm between 500 and 600 times per year. There’s a Google algorithm update at least once a day. Even SEO experts who spend their entire lives figuring out ranking criteria are left scratching their heads.
You can only keep up with some of the changes. Refrain from wasting your time. If you keep up with the latest SEO trends and techniques, you will be one step ahead of your competitors. 75% of searchers only go up to the first page of results. It’s essential to find out how to stay on the first search engine results page despite these algorithm updates.
We’ve compiled a list of 10 of the essential SEO techniques for 2023 to help you avoid constantly refreshing Google.
Understanding Your Website’s Core Web Vitals
You may have yet to hear the term Core Web Vitals. In 2023, you’ll need to know what they mean and the metrics that support them. In May, Google will roll out posts; we will dig deeper into what core web essentials are. But here’s a recap.
Largest contentful paint (LCP)- Measures page speed. The time it takes to load the main content of a web page. The ideal LCP is at least 2.5 seconds.
First input delay (FID). Measures responsiveness. This is how long it takes a page to become interactive. The ideal FID is below 100 ms.
Cumulative layout shift (CLS) Measures visual stability. This is the number of unexpected layout shifts in the visible page content. The ideal CLS value is less than 1.
How do you measure what you now know? Google has added core web vitals measurements to many of its tools. These tools provide detailed reports and insights on the health of core web vital metrics. Spend time familiarizing yourself with the information and seeing how to improve your scores before launching a new page experience.
Optimize your Google Passage Ranking
Google will launch a new ranking system called Passage Ranking in October 2020. This allows individual passages to be ranked alongside the entire page. Why is this important? Google can extract webpage sections even if the page covers an entirely different topic from what appears in the SERP.
Say, for example, you have written a blog on social media covering different aspects of social media, such as metrics, tools, strategies, networks, etc. You may rank your page for the keyword “social media marketing tools” even if you haven’t optimized it for that keyword. Google indexes your post because it shows you have a passage relevant to social media marketing tools.
This is another example of ranking a passage from Google.
Optimizing for Google’s PageRank is as easy as creating a blog post that is easy to read and a user-friendly experience. It would help to focus on creating easily readable sections within your posts. Use keywords to create headings for your teams. The content of these sections should focus on the subtopic. Imagine it as a post within a post. They should be related to your main subject, but they must make sense contextually, even if you leave them out.
Focus on Snippets
If you still need to do so, featured snippets should be a part of your strategy by 2023. Featured snippets, also known as the holy grail of searches, appear at position zero or the top of the SERP in a rectangle box.
You can’t choose the content that appears in a featured excerpt, but you can optimize your content to be more likely included in one. Here are some recommendations.
Long-Term Keywords
SEMrush states that the more words you have in your search query, the greater the chance of a featured snippet. Only 4.3% (of single-word keywords) resulted in featured snippets, compared to 17.5% (17% for keywords with five words) and 55.5% (55% for keywords with ten words).
Use Questions
Content should always be written with the user in mind. When people use Google, they often ask questions. Writing content that includes these questions and their answers will help you earn more featured snippets.
SEMrush discovered that the words “why,” “do,” and “can” returned the most featured excerpts—the word “where” generated the most minor featured snippets.
Use Formats Wisely
Four different formats are available for featured snippets: table, paragraph, list, and video. Keep these formats in mind when you are writing your content. Keep in mind also the purpose of a featured snippet. Google wants to make information clear and easily accessible to users searching for quick answers—format for speed readers.
You can still include longer paragraphs in your posts. Just make sure you place them after the featured snippet. This should be concise, clear, and straight to the point.
The EAT Principle
Despite Google’s algorithmic changes, the EAT principle will help you achieve long-term success in SEO. Doesn’t that sound great? What is EAT, exactly?
EAT is expertise, authority, and trustworthiness. This is a measurement of the online reputation of your brand. Google gives higher rankings to sites that are more established and authentic.
How can you beat out your competitors, who are large companies or established brands?
Stay calm. You can establish your brand’s authority, reliability, and reputation by taking straightforward steps.
Support Multiple Long-Tail Keyword Phrases
Google’s search engine is becoming more sophisticated with each algorithm update. Google announced it now understands relevant subtopics for a keyword. Google understands now that subtopics such as “budget equipment,” premium picks, or “small-space ideas” are also applicable when searching for “home exercise equipment.” SERPs display a wider variety of results.
What does this mean to SEO? Shorter tail keywords will face more competition. If you use long tail keywords or keywords that are more specific with three or more words, your domain will be more likely to appear in the top website ranking results when you search for relevant phrases and perhaps related phrases.
Here’s an illustration. You may want to rank well for “custom-branded apparel” but also include “logo jackets and sweatshirts for companies,” “branded sweatshirts and T-shirts,” and “sweaters and sweaters for businesses” in your content. You can rank for many different searches and let Google know custom branded clothing is also related to other long-tail keywords.
