SEO is an ever-evolving field, and to shed light on its latest transformations, we’ve gathered insights from SEO Specialists and Founders.
From the impact of Google’s Continuous Scroll to the shift away from exploitative SEO tactics, here’s the twelve significant changes these experts have observed in the past year.
#9 in particular is something that I feel changes the way we, as SEO’s, should be thinking about content creation moving forward.
Google’s Continuous Scroll Impact
Google’s continuous scroll feature, introduced at the end of 2022 and beginning to roll out in 2023, aims to enhance the user experience by allowing seamless access to additional search results without needing to click on a new page.
This feature has significant implications for SEO. It shifts how content needs to be optimized, as the traditional “above the fold” area expands, placing greater emphasis on the initial content presented. Websites now need to optimize their initial visibility to ensure they are part of the content continuously presented as users scroll.
Additionally, the change affects the visibility of lower-ranking results, potentially increasing their exposure as users are more likely to keep scrolling rather than stopping at the first page. This necessitates a broader SEO strategy focusing on long-tail keywords and diverse content that can capture sustained user interest over the extended scrolling experience.
Jordan Figueredo, Senior Content Strategist, Online Optimism
AI Content and Ranking Penalties
Using AI doesn’t affect your website ranking. However, check your content on tools like ZeroGPT to confirm whether your website shows 100% GPT content. If it is 100%, reduce it to improve your ranking on search engines. If it’s 100%, then your website has a chance of being hit with a pure spam penalty.
Bala Kumar, SEO Specialist, Diversion Edge
Focus on E-E-A-T and Brand Anchors
Two significant changes to the overarching strategy stand out.
The first pertains to the E-E-A-T factors and the updates from 2023 concerning the entities. Google now has a better understanding of the connections between them, which plays an important role in how they evaluate your site.
My new approach is focused on transparency regarding the site’s ownership, including details about the company, address, phone numbers, emails, and teams (including social media)—all available information that affirms transparency. Google requires assurance that this is a legitimate business without any shady people behind it.
The second change is related to off-page factors, specifically link building to your site. The focus has shifted towards emphasizing the brand itself, using brand anchors, even on internal pages. Nowadays, using exact and partial match anchors often affects your page rankings negatively, so their use should be limited to special and strategic occasions, requiring a high level of expertise to execute correctly.
Dimitar Kondev, Senior SEO Off-Page Specialist, dimitarkondev.com
Brand and Authorship Boost SEO
One of the most significant changes in SEO practices over the last year that I’ve observed revolves around the increasing importance of brand establishment and authorship. As Google continues to refine its algorithms, the emphasis has shifted towards recognizing and rewarding the credibility and authority of content creators.
The establishment of a strong brand identity and recognized authorship can significantly boost a website’s SEO performance. Google’s algorithms now better understand and value content that is associated with well-known and trusted brands or authors. This shift means that content linked to a recognizable entity, whether a corporate brand or an individual expert, tends to rank higher in search results.
Building a reputation for quality and reliability in a specific domain can lead to improved search rankings and greater visibility. For professionals like myself in the niche of dental SEO, emphasizing specialized knowledge and authority in dental health significantly enhances SEO effectiveness by aligning content with the expertise and credentials of the dental practice or practitioner.
Ihor Lavrenenko, SEO Specialist, Dental SEO Expert
Adding Real Value to Content
Adding “real value” to your content.
You should actually take the time to incorporate real-life experience into your content.
With the flood of AI spam, Google has been cracking down on what they consider “helpful content.” You shouldn’t just regurgitate existing content in your own words but add something new to the table.
For example, if positions 1-3 are all very similar articles, yours should be unique by adding something of value that none of them provide.
Brian Kiselstein, SEO Specialist, Palatine SEO Services
User Experience Metrics Gain Importance
One of the most important changes in SEO practices last year is the increased importance of user experience metrics in search engine rankings.
Companies like Google are now placing greater emphasis on features like Core Web Vitals, mobile usability, and overall site performance. This change signifies a move away from solely focusing on keywords to using a more comprehensive technique that places emphasis on delivering exceptional user experiences.
From our perspective as SEO pros and owners of a marketing agency, prioritizing user experience holds far-reaching benefits. It not only improves search visibility, establishes brand credibility, and nurtures lasting customer loyalty, which makes it an important component of effective SEO strategies in today’s scene.
Tim Woda, Founder, White Peak
Content Quality and AI Integration
Content quality is king. Google’s Helpful Content Update was a game-changer. It’s all about creating people-first content—content that truly satisfies user intent. That educates, informs, and engages readers.
Shallow, unoriginal content doesn’t cut it anymore. You need a unique angle—fresh takes and expert insights.
Also, the rise of AI in SEO can’t be ignored. Tools like ChatGPT are transforming how we approach keyword research, content creation, and even technical audits. SEOs that embrace AI will have an edge.
But AI isn’t everything. The human touch still matters. Creativity, empathy, strategic thinking—that’s how you win at SEO in 2023.
Casey Jones, Founder and Head of Marketing, CJ&CO
Answering Questions Upfront for Snippets
The most significant change in SEO practice that we have observed in the last year is the way we answer the question (first paragraph under a question heading).
We used to explain everything before answering, but now we immediately answer the question underneath and then explain more below.
This has helped us win many featured snippets (even for SGE queries) for our clients.
Eral Kadrija, Founder, Fresh Paint Marketing
Shorter Content with Direct Answers
The emphasis is no longer on word count in articles and blog posts, but rather on shorter, more direct content. This is a departure from what we have seen in past years. It was encouraged to write upwards of 1,000 words, making space for a higher density of keywords and optimizations. However, now the focus is on direct answers to searchers’ queries. Clarity is key, regardless of the length of the answer.
Keyana Kroeker, CEO, Key Creative
E-A-T Principles and Mobile Optimization
In the past year, one significant evolution in SEO practices I’ve observed revolves around the integration of E-A-T (Expertise, Authority, and Trustworthiness) principles, which has shifted how search engines evaluate and rank content.
At my agency, First Pier, we have leveraged this by focusing on producing high-quality content that showcases our clients’ expertise in their respective fields. For example, we implemented a strategy of crafting detailed user guides and insightful blog posts for a specialty e-commerce client, which dramatically improved their organic traffic and customer engagement by positioning them as a thought leader in their niche.
Another major shift has been the heightened relevance of mobile optimization due to Google’s Mobile-First Indexing. We’ve adapted by ensuring all our client sites are fully responsive and load quickly on mobile devices, which not only enhances the user experience but also supports SEO success. For instance, on a major project, we reduced the load time by optimizing image sizes and streamlining the code, which resulted in a 30% increase in mobile traffic and improved search rankings.
Lastly, the use of advanced AI and analytics to refine SEO strategies has become a game-changer. We utilize tools like Google Analytics and Ahrefs Webmaster Tools extensively to analyze user behavior and adapt our strategies dynamically. This approach helped us identify underperforming keywords and pages, allowing us to optimize them more effectively. For one of our clients, this meant revamping their product pages, which led to a 25% uplift in conversions.
These shifts in SEO practices underline the necessity of adapting to both technological advancements and deeper user-centric approaches. By staying informed and responsive to these changes, we’ve been able to keep our clients’ strategies both current and effective.
Steve Pogson, Founder, First Pier
Sustainable Link-Building Techniques
One of the areas where I’ve observed the most significant change in SEO is in link-building. Over time, it has become clear that gray- and black-hat techniques are unsustainable in the long term. Consequently, serious companies are opting for different methods that are more effective, cheaper, and cleaner for obtaining links.
Among these methods, I can mention the reporter-source approach and various outreach strategies that leverage links pointing to outdated articles and 404 errors.
Ekaterina Pisareva, Founder and SEO Consultant, MiGatito.es
Shift Away from Exploitative SEO Tactics
I think what we’re seeing now with Google’s latest core update is causing one of the biggest shifts in SEO practices—at least for companies exploiting questionable tactics. Google has come down hard on sites relying on mass-producing content to generate organic traffic or turning a blind eye to users leveraging their site for parasite SEO.
Focusing on helpful content means that companies must take a much more considered approach to their SEO strategy—focusing on providing value to users rather than trying to game search engines.
I’m sure we’ve all seen the graphs on LinkedIn proclaiming these huge jumps in organic traffic—only to see them come plummeting down soon after. There’s no point in investing the time, money, and effort into growing a channel if it isn’t sustainable.
Ed Roberts, SEO and Paid Manager, Hovia
