The SEO industry has experienced a significant year with algorithm updates, AI integration, and content creation overhauls. Even though we say that every year, 2023 seems to be more accurate. SEOs were taken aback by the changes made.
Let me introduce myself - I'm Kaitie. You may have seen my email signature from the newsletter or my posts on Page One Power's social media. I'm a Digital Marketing Copywriter at Page One Power. I was constantly on my toes to keep up with the never-ending changes. Every time I finished writing about a new SERP feature, another one would pop up.
Despite the challenges, I'm grateful for the many things that 2023 brought us in the SEO industry. As we celebrate the holiday season, let's reflect on the positive aspects of the year.
Algorithm Updates
Yes, there were many algorithm updates this year. Let’s take a look to see how far we’ve come:
- February 2023 product reviews update
- March 2023 core update
- April 2023 reviews update
- May 2023 topic authority systems update
- August 2023 core update
- October 2023 core update
- October 2023 spam update
- November 2023 core update
- November 2023 reviews update
- Helpful Content Update
Despite the occasional turbulence caused by Google's updates, let's take a moment to appreciate the times they have announced new updates. This is because they always provide us with guidelines on how to get back on track.
Personally, I am grateful for Danny Sullivan's presentation at brightonSEO 2023. He took the time to explain the helpful content update and addressed many SEOs' burning questions about ranking and AI.
Navigating search engines and their complexities is never a dull moment, and I'm thankful to have a job that is constantly evolving.
AI
Despite turning the SEO world on its head for a minute, AI has become a productivity powerhouse. At Page One Power, we use AI to our advantage.
Outlines are done in seconds. Outreach templates are written with best practices in mind. The internet is scoured for topic ideas in no time.
SEO agencies work against the clock, trying to write, publish, and outreach content before competitors. AI takes some repetitive tasks from the equation, allowing more time for valuable content creation.
It doesn’t just help with SEO. AI also helps with my marketing initiatives. As a marketing team of two, we need to be as productive as possible. AI helps me pinpoint customer pain points, brainstorm content topic ideas, and design social media posts. All of this is helpful to a marketer who wears about 10 hats a day (story of our lives, right?).
Content Creation
Content creation has always been part of SEO, but I am thankful for this year's significant shift in importance. At Page One Power, we have always emphasized crafting valuable and engaging content for the audience while optimizing it for search engines. The helpful content update really put content into perspective for a lot of SEOs, and we are already seeing a shift in how searchers view content.
I appreciate the new SERP features that allow searchers to give opinions in search. The recent Notes and Perspectives features help searchers provide more context to products, services, and web pages.
It seems that Google is putting more control into the searcher’s hands, and for that I am thankful. Search engines were made for searchers, and allowing them to have a say on who gets ranked is powerful.
People In The Industry
The SEO industry is known for its competitiveness, but surprisingly, it's also one of the most supportive and collaborative industries. Having just attended brightonSEO and seen SEO discussions on social media, I can attest that SEO professionals are always willing to lend a hand to their fellow colleagues.
As a group of individuals who pride themselves on being up-to-date with the latest trends, we understand the importance of helping each other out. Whenever someone in the industry needs assistance with the latest updates or opinions on new trends, industry experts are always quick to offer their insights.
The search industry is unique, and those who are part of it know it's an ever-evolving field. Nonetheless, SEO professionals continue to help each other out, which is something to be thankful for.
SEO Tools
Where would we be without our SEO tools? Let's take a moment to express our gratitude towards the tools that enable us to perform keyword research and backlink profiling in just a few hours instead of days.
These are some of the most widely used tools in the industry:
Although there are many more tools available, these are the ones that Page One Power relies on for daily use.
SEO can be a challenging and frustrating field to work in. Keeping up with the constant updates and changes can sometimes feel like an uphill battle. However, let's take a moment to be thankful for the things that can help us navigate through the challenges of this industry.
Wishing everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving!
