What Are the Biggest SEO Challenges in 2023?

SEO CHALLENGES IN 2023

Some of the biggest challenges that a digital marketer may face when it comes to search engine optimization (SEO) include the following:

Keeping up with changes in search engine algorithms. Search engines like Google regularly update their algorithms to improve the quality and relevance of their search results. This means that a digital marketers must be constantly aware of these changes and adapt their SEO strategies accordingly.

Competing for keywords. With the increasing amount of information available on the internet, it can be difficult for a digital marketer to rank for highly competitive keywords. This requires a combination of keyword research, content optimization, and link building to improve a website’s visibility in search results.

Managing local SEO. Local SEO refers to optimizing a website for users in a specific geographic location. This can be challenging because it requires a digital marketer to understand local users’ unique needs and preferences and the specific search behaviors and ranking factors in that area.

Measuring and tracking results. One of the biggest challenges for digital marketers is determining the effectiveness of their SEO efforts. This requires using tools and analytics to measure key metrics, such as website traffic, conversion rates, and search rankings, and to track the results of different SEO strategies over time.

Overall, SEO is a constantly evolving field, and digital marketers must be willing to adapt to new challenges and opportunities in order to succeed.

Challenges To SEO Success In 2022

What’s standing in the way of SEO success? When providing their top three, participants identified these as their greatest challenges over the last 12 months:

• Lack of resources (14.9%).
• Strategy issues (12.3%).
• Scaling processes (11.9%).
• Budget cuts fell from the number one challenge SEO professionals faced in 2021 to number six this year.
• This year, pandemic-related issues remained inthe fourth spot as a major concern, with 11.2%of responses.

SEO Professionals Watch Machine Learning, AI, and Core Web Vitals As 2023 Approaches

In 2021, many in the SEO industry expected zero-click pages to have the most impact on search.

In 2022, we asked respondents to select up to three biggest shifts and industry changes in SEO to see how industry trends and expectations have changed.

Here are their top responses:

• Machine learning and AI (18.7%).
• Google updates (18.0%).
• Third-party cookie deprecation (13.9%).
• Google zero-click results (12.9%).
• Competition for talent (11.5%).

Q. What will impact the most significant shifts in SEO in the next two years? 2,887 respondents selected up to three options.

SEO Pros Go Back To Basics While Technical SEO Leads The Way

In 2022, technical SEO rose to prominence. Overall, SEO professionals spent the most time on:

• Technical SEO (15.0%).
• SEO strategy and planning (13.5%).
• Keyword research (13.5%).

When we break down the responses by business type, we can see similar results to the previous page. In-house SEO pros have the most incredible focus, agency SEO pros have slightly less, and freelancers perform a wide range of activities.

1. Q. Where have you allocated most of your client’s budget for SEO this year? Open to only agency and freelance/founder respondents. 2,314 respondents selected up to three options.
2. Q. Where have you allocated the majority of your time for SEO this year? Open to only in-house respondents. 746 respondents selected up to three options.27STATE OF SEO: PERFORMANCE, SALARIES & BUDGETS

Major SEO Tips to Know for 2023

1. Keeping up with algorithm updates: As search engine algorithms continue to evolve, SEO professionals must stay up to date on the latest changes to ensure their strategies remain effective.
2. Increasing competition: With more businesses competing for the exact keywords, SEO experts must find new ways to stand out.
3. Mobile optimization: As more people use mobile devices to search, SEO professionals must ensure their websites are optimized for mobile devices.
4. Quality content: Quality content is essential for SEO success, and SEO professionals must ensure their content is engaging and relevant to their target audience.
5. Technical SEO: Technical SEO is becoming increasingly important, and SEO professionals must ensure their websites are optimized for search engine crawlers.
6. Link building: Link building is still an essential part of SEO, and SEO professionals must ensure they are building quality links to their websites.
7. Local SEO: Local SEO is becoming increasingly important, and SEO professionals must ensure their websites are optimized for local search results.
8. Voice search optimization: As voice search becomes more popular, SEO professionals must ensure their websites are optimized for voice search queries.