11 Actionable Tips for SEO in 2023 (number 10 will surprise you!)

Learn how can you improve your website ranking organically for 2023

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the process of optimising a website for Google search with the goal of earning higher web traffic levels and improving the visibility of the site. As the search engine algorithm changes constantly, it is important to be updated on the new trends. There are many different SEO strategies you can use to improve your organic search ranking for the new year, and will tell you 8 of them in this very article.

We know SEO can appear daunting to business owners. And to speak the truth as SEO professionals, an effective SEO plan is complex and time-consuming to put in to action. But it is game-changing. However, nobody could deny that SEO practices are essential for businesses that want to be visible in Google search results. By investing in SEO, businesses can improve their chances of being found by potential customers and earn more web traffic – and if the has great usability and a unique selling proposition, it will boost sales too.

1. Improve User Experience

Google’s search algorithm is constantly evolving, and over the years the company has placed an increasingly strong emphasis on user experience.

Website User Experience (UX) refers to how easy or difficult it is for users to interact with a website. This includes factors such as the design of the website, the clarity of the content, and the overall usability. Good UX is essential for any website that wants to attract and retain users. After all, if users find your site difficult to use or navigate, they are likely to go elsewhere. There are many different factors that contribute to good UX, but some of the most important include accessibility, usability, and engagement.

As a consequence, Google now considers a wide range of user experience-related factors when determining how to rank websites. Loading speed, stability, interactiveness and responsiveness are some of those. Most of all, Google’s algorithm considers the amount of time that users spend on a site. If users click on a link and then quickly return to the search results page, it’s a sign that they didn’t find what they were looking for. As a result, sites that can keep users engaged are more likely to rank higher in Google’s search results. There are several ways to improve the user experience on a website and make it not just user-friendly, but arresting and engaging. And as a result, your site will receive a boost in the search rankings.

2. Add Internal Links

Internal links are important for SEO. Utilising internal links gives Google a chance to better understand context through anchor text and indicate the value of the page. Although this is not news, the best practice is to continue adding internal links consistently throughout your website’s life. “Related Articles”, for instance, are great for this purpose. To those who haven’t heard of this practice yet, internal linking is the process of hyperlinking from one page on a domain to another page on the same domain. In other words, when you add a hyperlink from one of your website’s pages to another page on your website, that’s an internal link.

Internal linking is important for several reasons: First, it helps Google discover new pages on your site. Second, it allows Google to better understand the context of your content. Third, it indicates the value of your pages to Google. Fourth, it propagates PageRank throughout your website, which can help all your pages rank better in search results. Finally, it helps users navigate your website more easily. All of these factors make internal linking an essential part of any SEO strategy. Related Articles are also great for this purpose as they give Google a list of potential articles to crawl next which helps with their understanding of context as well as gives them more content to index from your site.

3. Focus on Entry-based SEO

Context is everything when it comes to understanding the meaning of a word or phrase. That’s why entity-based SEO is such an important concept for businesses to understand. Entity-based search is a more accurate method for search engines to understand search intent.

“What is search intent, though?”

When someone types a query into a search engine, they have a specific goal in mind – they’re looking for something specific, and they want to find it quickly and easily. This is what’s known as search intent, and it’s something that all businesses need to be aware of when they’re trying to attract new customers. After all, if you’re selling products or services that nobody is actually searching for, you’re not going to get very far.

There are four main types of search intent: navigational, informational, commercial, and transactional. Navigational queries are people looking for a specific website or page, like “Facebook” or “BBC News”. Informational queries are people looking for general information on a topic, like “what is the capital of Myanmar?”. Commercial queries are people who are interested in buying something, like “men’s shoe size 10” or “what is the best face cream for wrinkles?”. And transactional queries are people who are ready to make a purchase, like “buy iPhone X”.

As you can see, each type of query requires a different response from a business. If you’re targeting navigational queries, you need to make sure your website is easy to find and navigate. If you’re targeting informational queries, you need to make sure your website contains accurate and up-to-date information. And if you’re targeting transactional queries, you need to make sure your website is set up for e-commerce. By understanding the different types of queries and how to respond to them, you can ensure that your website provides the information that visitors are looking for.

Getting back to our topic, Entry-based SEO allows the algorithm to better match searchers with the most relevant results based on the context of the search. This is achieved by identifying the key entities that are associated with your business and then optimising your content around those entities. As a result, your content will be more visible and more likely to rank in the search results.

Entity-based SEO is a powerful tool that can help you to improve your visibility and ranking in the search results. If you’re not already using this approach, now is the time to start.

4. Get in Google Discover

Google Discover is a mobile news feed that uses artificial intelligence to deliver content that is personalised to the user’s interests. The content is based on the user’s search behaviour and what they have shown engagement with in the past. This allows a user to see content that they are interested in on a regular basis. The Google Discover feed is constantly updated with new content so that the user always has something new to read or watch.

Google Discover is a great tool for SEO because it helps your company to reach new audiences. Because Google Discover is a content discovery tool that shows users new and relevant content from around the web, it is different from the typical search engine, which only shows results based on keywords that the user enters. When you optimise your content for Google Discover, you’re more likely to be seen by people who are interested in what you have to say but may not be familiar with your brand. As a result, you can reach a whole new group of potential customers and grow your business. In addition, Google Discover gives you insights into what people are interested in and helps you to understand your audience better (and knowing your audience is one of the most important aspects of great branding).

5. Update your content

When it comes to search engine optimisation, everybody knows it, content is king. However, one thing that is often overlooked is how important it is to regularly update your website’s content in order to keep your SEO game strong. Not only does fresh content help your site rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs), but it also keeps readers coming back for more. In other words, updating your content is a win-win for both you and your audience.

So how do you go about updating your content? A good place to start is by freshening up existing blog posts and articles. Add new images, update old statistics, and inject new life into stale topics. You can also repurpose old content into new formats, such as infographics or video tutorials. And of course, you should always be on the lookout for new ideas to keep your content pipeline full.

Bottom line: if you want your website to perform well in SEO, you need to keep your content fresh. By regularly updating your site’s content, you’ll be able to attract more readers and improve your search engine rankings – all while providing value for your audience.

Google’s objective is to have the public continue using its search engine for their queries. Therefore, the algorithm is always going to privilege the most relevant, updated content. Which from now on will only become more accurate in its ability to judge content that is engaging and relevant.

Bonus Tip: Google has become increasingly sophisticated in its ability to deliver relevant results to users. In fact, the search engine’s ability to interpret user intent has become so advanced that we recommend the focus should shift from keyword optimisation to providing comprehensive, human-driven, well-written content. After all, if Google can determine what a user is looking for, then the best way to rank highly is to provide exactly what the user is searching for. Of course, this is easier said than done. However, by understanding how Google interprets user intent and tailoring content accordingly, it is possible to vastly improve both organic traffic and conversion rates. If you have doubts about this, we are only a click away.

6. Use Long-tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are longer search terms that help drive traffic within highly competitive topics. As they aren’t searched as much as your target keywords, they’re easier to rank for.

When it comes to SEO, keywords are everything. They’re how potential customers find your website, and they’re what search engines use to determine your rankings. But not all keywords are created equal. While short, general keywords may get a lot of searches, they’re also highly competitive. Long-tail keywords, on the other hand, are longer, more specific search terms that tend to be searched less often but are easier to rank for. And because they’re less competitive, they can be a great way to drive traffic to your website. So if you’re looking to improve your SEO, don’t overlook the power of long-tail keywords.

The best approach is to use a mix of both short and long-tail keywords to optimise your website for search engines.

7. Technical on-page SEO

Without technical on-page SEO best practices, all other SEO efforts will fall short. As on-page SEO is central to a positive user experience, improving the technical aspects of a website will increase the ranking of its pages in the search engines.

On-page SEO is a variety of technical practices you can adopt on your website and web pages to improve your search engine ranking. This also includes optimising your website’s architecture, tags, and content. Technical on-page SEO is important to boost traffic to a website because it is a tell-tale sign to Google that your website is relevant and trustworthy. For example, one technical on-page SEO practice is having a secure socket layer (SSL) certificate. This means that your website is using HTTPS rather than HTTP. This is important because it show’s Google that you take data security seriously, which they value highly. Therefore, having an SSL certificate can help increase your ranking in search results. Another example of a technical on-page SEO practice is using canonicals. A canonical URL is the preferred version of a webpage. Therefore, by using canonicals you are telling Google which version of a webpage is the most authoritative. Using canonicals can help reduce duplicate content, which can hurt your ranking.

In conclusion, technical on-page SEO is important to boost traffic to a website because they are signs to Google that your site is relevant and trustworthy – and as we said, Google’s aim is to always improve the quality of the search queries for its users.

8. Incorporate video content

Video content is one of the most engaging types of content you can use for SEO purposes. In 2022/23 especially, people are consuming more video content than ever before. Video content is also more likely to be shared than any other type of content. As a result, incorporating video into your SEO strategy can make a big difference in a time when video content performs better than any other type of content.

There are a few things to keep in mind when using video for SEO purposes. First, make sure that your videos are properly tagged and titled. Include relevant keywords in the title and tags so that your videos can be easily found by users who are searching for those keywords. Second, promote your videos on social media and other websites. This will help to increase the number of views and likes that your videos receive, which will in turn improve your search engine ranking. Finally, don’t forget to include a call to action at the end of your videos. This could be something as simple as asking viewers to subscribe to your channel or visit your website. By following these tips, you can ensure that your video content is working hard for you and helping to improve your SEO.

9. Optimise your pictures

For years, Google has been urging webmasters and site owners to properly mark and optimise their images. The search engine giant is well aware that images can contribute to the user experience in a number of ways. Aesthetically pleasing pictures can help to make a website more attractive, while informative images can provide valuable information to users. In recent years, Google has also begun to place more emphasis on images in its search results. This is due to the fact that users are increasingly using image search to find products and services online. As a result, it is now more important than ever for businesses to ensure that their images are properly optimised for Google Image Search. Doing so will help to improve the visibility of their website and increase traffic levels.

On the other hand, it is important that images remain sharp without slowing the website down. And make sure that they are optimised for users with quality, relevant, and alt tags.

10. Focus beyond the number one position

In the past, ranking at the top of a search engine results page (SERP) was almost guaranteed to result in an increase in website traffic. However, things have changed. Nowadays, SERPs are ridden with ads, question boxes, and snippets, and a webpage may rank number one but still be “buried” under these things. As a result, there is no longer a strong correlation between ranking at the top and increased website traffic. This is something that all website owners and operators need to be aware of. While there are still some benefits to ranking high on a SERP, it is no longer the be-all and end-all it once was. Website owners need to focus on other factors if they want to ensure that their site receives the traffic it deserves.

Search results pages now have various other elements, including questions and answers, snippets and ads that may get users’ attention first. In order to ensure that users see your site, it is important to understand how these other elements work and how to optimise your site for them. Questions and answers are a relatively new addition to search results pages, and they are generated based on user queries. In order to ensure that your site appears in these results, it is important to use relevant keywords in your content. Snippets are short pieces of text that appear beneath the title of a search result. They give users a preview of what they will find on your site, so it is important to make sure that your snippets are both accurate and appealing.

Finally, ads are a paid form of promotion that can appear on search results pages. While you may have to pay for this type of visibility, it can be worth it if it leads to increased traffic and conversions. By understanding how search results pages have changed, you can ensure that your site gets the visibility it deserves.

11. Long-form content wins

People are used to consuming content quickly. They skim through articles and scroll through social media, looking for bits of information that they can use in their everyday lives. However, there is still a demand for longer, more in-depth content. This type of content is often more valuable to readers, as it provides them with the information they need to make informed decisions (especially when it is original and accurate). It can also be more engaging, as it allows writers to explore a topic in greater detail. Therefore, long-form content often performs much better than shorter pieces. So if you’re looking to capture your audience’s attention, consider going not just long, but also relevant, original and impactful. When readers leave your site with a sense of satisfaction, and perhaps share it too, you have accomplished not only better SEO, but also great branding (in the words of Maty Neumayer, banding is not what you say you are, but what they say you are!).

From a strictly SEO-related perspective, the reason for this is that Google passage ranking update is a major change to the way the search engine works. Prior to this update, Google would rank entire pages based on the overall relevance of the page to the user’s query. However, with the passage ranking update, Google is now able to rank individual passages from a page more accurately. This is especially relevant for long-form content, as it can help Google to choose the most relevant passages from a page for a given user query. For example, if someone searches for “what is the best face cream for wrinkles” Google will now be able to more easily identify the most relevant, accurate passages on a page about this topic – and surface those results more prominently in the search results. This update represents a major shift in how Google ranks content and will have a significant impact on how website owners need to optimise their content for search.

So if you’re looking to capture your audience’s attention, consider going not just long, but also relevant, original and impactful. When readers leave your site with a sense of satisfaction, because they’ve learned something new, and perhaps they have shared it too, you have accomplished not only better SEO, but also great branding (in the words of Marty Neumeyer, branding is not what you say you are, but what they say you are!).

Game-changing SEO practice requires the expertise of those who have hands-on daily with the ever-evolving algorithm

Anyone who has tried to keep up with the ever-changing world of SEO knows that it is a full-time job. Google’s algorithms are constantly being updated, and what worked yesterday might not work today. Not to mention that some SEO practice requires knowledge of web development.

That’s why it’s essential to have an expert on your team who is familiar with the latest changes and knows how to adjust your strategy accordingly. A good SEO practitioner will be able to identify which changes are likely to have the biggest impact on your traffic and rankings and develop a plan to take advantage of them. They will also be able to track your progress and make necessary adjustments along the way. In short, if you want to stay ahead of the curve, you need someone on your team who is focused on game-changing SEO practices.

Adcraft is a multi-specialised marketing firm that excels in SEO services. We know that a great brand is nothing if it can’t be found by potential customers. That’s why we are constantly improving our SEO services: to ensure we can offer our clients the best organic reach. And we’re not just talking about small improvements – we’ve helped businesses to increase their traffic by hundreds of per cent.

Because we are here to help, we offer a free SEO audit to outline what is currently not working on your site and what your potential lies. To book your free SEO audit, all you have to do is to click here. See you on the other side!