Looking back on the SEO marketing industry over the last 10 years, we can see how much has changed in such a short amount of time. What’s more impressive is that it continues to evolve as quickly as ever and those who remain informed about trends and algorithm updates are sure to stay ahead of their competition. As 2023 comes to an end, we thought it appropriate to look back at what some of the most impactful changes have been over in 2023. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane so you can catch up with or revisit these important milestones in 2023:
1. Mobile-First Indexing
In March 2023, Google officially switched to mobile-first indexing. SEO Marketing Agency Denver explains this meant that the search engine was now primarily using the mobile version of a website’s content for ranking and indexing purposes, rather than the desktop version as it had done in the past. This change came as no surprise, given that mobile usage has been steadily increasing over the years.
2. BERT Update
October 2023 brought the introduction of Google’s BERT (Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers) algorithm update. This update aimed to improve the search engine’s understanding of natural language processing and user intent, making it better at delivering relevant results for long-tail keywords.
3. Passage Ranking
In November 2023, Google announced that it would start using passage ranking to better understand and rank content within pages. This meant that even if a page didn’t fully answer a user’s query, certain passages within the page that did could still be ranked and displayed in search results.
4. Page Experience Update
2023 also saw the introduction of the Page Experience update, which placed more emphasis on user experience metrics such as page loading speed, mobile-friendliness, and secure browsing. Many search engine optimization services thought that this update reinforced the importance of having a well-designed and user-friendly website.
5. Featured Snippets Deduplication
Google made a significant change in January 2023 by announcing that featured snippets would no longer appear twice on the first page of search results. This meant that if a webpage was already featured in a snippet, it would not also appear as a regular search result on the first page.
6. Google Core Updates
In June and December 2023, Google rolled out two core updates that had a significant impact on search rankings and website traffic. These updates aimed to improve the overall quality of search results by rewarding high-quality content and penalizing low-quality and spammy content.
7. Zero-Click Searches
A controversial update in September 2023, Google started showing more information within the search results page itself, reducing the need for users to click through to a website. This impacted organic traffic and made it more challenging for websites to get clicks from search results.
8. Video Carousels
Google also expanded its use of video carousels in 2023, displaying videos more prominently within search results. This made video content a great way to increase visibility and attract clicks from users.
9. Local Algorithm Updates
Local businesses saw significant changes in the local algorithm updates that Google rolled out throughout the year. These updates aimed to improve the relevance and accuracy of local search results, providing better recommendations for users searching for local businesses and services.
10. Voice Search
Voice search continued to grow in popularity in 2023, with more and more people using digital assistants like Google Home and Alexa to search for information. This trend prompted website owners to optimize their content for voice search by using conversational language and targeting long-tail keywords.
Summing Up
In conclusion, the SEO services industry has seen many changes and advancements in 2023, from mobile-first indexing to voice search. As we move into the future, businesses and website owners must stay informed about algorithm updates and trends to ensure their online presence remains competitive. With technology evolving at a rapid pace, it’s safe to say that the SEO landscape will continue to change and adapt in the years to come. So, keep an eye out for what’s to come in 2024!
