There have been continuous evolvements in the SEO ecosystem, and 2023 is no different. Yes, every enhancement or update might not be relevant for every business, but some topics and trends have useful applications for many businesses. As a branding agency in USA, you should be aware of what has occurred in the previous few months, which will help execute the SEO programs better. So, let’s take a look at those updates and find out why it’s important for a business.

The Major Updates of SEO Algorithm

Completion of Helpful Content Update Rollout

On the 12th of Jan, 2023, Google successfully implemented the “Helpful Content Update.” First launched in August 2022, this update aims to reduce search results content which is not having an original value. As per Google’s guidelines, any derivative or unoriginal content should be avoided. This is because they do not have genuine value and are not helpful. The update took quite a few months to roll out the world over. As a result, there were changes in rankings on some websites during this period. However, if your site strictly adhered to Google’s content guidelines, it shouldn’t have been greatly affected. This update mainly emphasizes on the significance of crafting valuable and distinctive content for a website.

    • What’s its utility: AI-generated content is prevalent in Google these days. So, it’s quite obvious that Google will put into effect new techniques to make sure that its search results render maximum value to the users. One popular technique of identification of specifically valuable content is with the help of flagging mechanisms. In executing so, Google can help promote the readability and relevance of search results, thereby ensuring a top-of-the-line user experience.

Incorporation of another E in E.A.T

Google figures out positive experiences in search results with the help of E.A.T, i.e., expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. That means that the content should exhibit crystal clear expertise on the subject, ensure credibility and authority, and be a trustworthy resource. These elements are measured with the help of Google’s algorithms. A brand building company utilizes human editors with its Quality Raters Guidelines for assessing website quality. This year, an extra “E” was added for Experience, which refers to whether the content successfully illustrates experience with the subject matter. This can be a great way to differentiate between AI-generated content with no direct experience and human-written content with genuine first-hand experience.

    • What’s its utility: The application of AI in content should focus on quality over quantity. Content that has vast subject experience confers better context and helps develop credibility. Yes, AI can indeed help craft huge numbers of content with ease. But that does not mean that the human element should be neglected.

AI-generated Content

The true capability of AI technology can be well-gauged with the introduction of ChatGPT. ChatGPT is primarily used to generate human-like content over a large scale, which can go a long way in boosting SEO results. However, just as with any other new technology, you should also take into account the potential drawbacks of integrating ChatGPT into your workflow. First up, you should note that the training data of ChatGPT extends only up to 2021. What that means is it might not focus on the most current developments. Secondly, it’s quite possible that ChatGPT-generated content may not cater to plagiarism standards and contain some inaccuracies as well. However, there is no harm in experimenting with this platform and find out ground-breaking ways to make the most of ChatGPT.

    • What’s its utility? The announcement of ChatGPT has made us well aware of what ChatGPT is capable of. Many brandings agency in USA have incorporated Artificial Intelligence and other similar functionality into their platform. However, ChatGPT provides increased accessibility, which drives organizations to adopt this technology and utilize its functionality to say adieu to manual tasks and automate everything. This can lead to an aggravating competitive content ecosystem in search results.

GA 4 is being automatically configured by Google

Making its inception in 2023, Google is expected to compose a GA4 property for users who haven’t established one having the basic settings. This plan came up when Google decided to stop accumulating data in July on Universal Analytics accounts and to stop collecting Universal Analytics Data in December 2023. As a result, marketers must look for an alternative way to store their individual historical data to maintain continuity. GA4 properties’ automatic configuration will utilize subsisting Universal Analytics data like Google Ads links, website tags, and conversion events.

    • What’s its utility? Most of the brand-building company is ready to make the shift from Universal Analytics to GA4 seamless for the users. Google is porting over configurations and goals and setting up GA4 accounts, which would simplify the entire process. The integrations and reporting interfaces of GA4 are quite different and have to be redesigned. This is what makes the shift from Universal Analytics to GA4 that much more significant. Google’s actions clearly advocate the fact that they are quite serious about this transition.

Google answers the exact time required for recovery

On a Google SEO office-hours session, a question came up regarding the actual time it takes to recuperate from an algorithmic penalty for low-quality content. In reply, Google said that the evaluation process after erasing low-quality content can take up to several months and focused on the significance of fixing most of the poor-quality content. Here, you should note that algorithmic occurrences are not everyday occurrences. However, this response emphasizes on the importance of strictly adhering to Google’s guidelines for content quality. We were not able to receive a comprehensive content list that could result in penalties in the office-hours session, but it clearly emphasized that content that does not cater to advertiser guidelines or is of low quality can be penalized.

    • What’s its utility? Although we do not know the exact time to recuperate from an algorithmic penalty, it can be well understood that it is not a quick process. After cleaning up poor-quality content, Google takes several months to reanalyze a website. Thus, when crafting content, you should strictly adhere to Google’s guidelines so that you don’t experience poor organic results or suffer an algorithmic penalty for a long time.

Google Knowledge Panel- Recent Images

A new feature has been added by Google to a few of its own knowledge panels in the form of a “recent images” photo conveyer. This exhibits recent photos captured and posted for specific searches, such as events. Suppose a brand building company targets particular events or has a knowledge panel. In that case, they should ensure that there is a structured markup in the images and that the articles are packed with the latest images to make the most of this new feature.

    • What’s its utility? Google nowadays emphasizes on up-to-date content in search results. This can be both an opportunity and a challenge for brands. As the SEO competition becomes more intense with every passing day, it becomes an access door for competitors to become much more visible in a brand’s space. Seen from a different angle, it provides brands a different way to remain notable in search results by promoting up-to-date photos in their knowledge panels.

Continuous Scroll

This feature has been completely implemented for all desktop searches. Rather than clicking on individual features, the continuous scroll feature allows users to scroll through search listings up to the 60th result smoothly. According to Google, this can potentially improve users’ engagement with lower-ranking organic results. This is because scrolling is much easier than clicking on a second page. This feature is continuously refined as new features and developments are uncovered deeper into the site. This feature can deliver a more comprehensive SERP (Search Engine Results Page) to users, thereby aligning with Google’s approach in Search Console. This can boost traffic significantly for pages that have lower rankings.

    • What’s its utility: This can boost traffic significantly for organizations with meaningful second- and third-page rankings that would never have received visibility. In addition, continuous scroll allows users to click on results they might not have viewed otherwise. So, a branding agency in USA should know exactly where this is occurring to gauge how the change affects their landscape.

Google focuses on multiple date signals

Google has highlighted the significance of utilizing multiple date signals on web pages to ascertain that search results display the correct date. This is extremely important for maintaining the readability and credibility of any website, as outdated or inaccurate dates can give rise to a conundrum, something that is sure to put off potential visitors. Both the publisher and Google play an important role in ascertaining that SERPs display the correct date. Here, you should note that Google does not depend on a single date factor. Rather it employs multiple factors to figure out the exact time a page is updated or posted. So, it is highly suggested that publishers strictly adhere to Google’s best practices regarding article dates so that Google algorithms can precisely identify and process the information.The <time> element, the pub date tag, the article published_ time tag, and the last mod tag are the tags you can use for article dates in Google search results. Besides the aforementioned HTML tags, you should keep the content fresh, as that amplifies Google’s chances of showing the correct date. Publishers should also keep away from confusing signals, like showcasing different dates on the same page. You should always follow Google’s guidelines of displaying one visible, clear date and time just in the gap between the headline and article text.Google is employing different techniques to identify and show article dates. However, as a publisher, you should always practice the best practices. Ensuring that the search results are showing the correct date supercharges the readability and credibility of any website, thereby captivating more potential customers.

    • What’s its utility: Content production is scaling up with every passing day. In this scenario, offering clear signals to Google concerning the content publication date becomes extremely important. Google can clearly understand the date and time of content creation and thereby stay away from any kind of misunderstanding. This goes a long way in ensuring proper indexing of the content so that it receives the desired visibility. 

Final Take

So, here are the major updates in the SEO algorithm you simply cannot afford to miss out on. If you are looking for a brand building company, Digital Branding USA can be a good option. We specialize in online marketing strategy development so that you can always stay ahead of the competition. We will craft a marketing plan after a thorough understanding of your business. Get in touch with us, and we will leave no stone unturned to enhance visibility among a pool of competitors and thereby take your business to the absolute next level. Enhance your conversion, increase online visibility, and generate more returning traffic only with us.