To succeed in SEO requires a certain level of flexibility. The SEO landscape is always changing, due to factors including Google algorithmic updates, changes in consumer behavior, and the adoption of new technologies. The best SEO professionals are nimble, able to take in these trends and to adjust their strategies accordingly.

As we head into 2023, many firms will be fine tuning their strategy for the new year. It’s critical to do so with an eye toward the recent past, understanding some of the trends that shaped SEO in 2022… and are likely to continue shaping SEO well into the coming months.

How Did SEO Change in 2022?

Google’s Helpful Content Update

We’ll start with changes to the search engines themselves, most notably Google. Anyone with even the most cursory knowledge of SEO knows that the algorithms are constantly changing, usually in minor ways but sometimes in significant ways. Part of the SEO professional’s job is remaining alert to these changes and adapting their strategy to accommodate algorithmic updates.

The most consequential algorithmic update of 2022 was the “Helpful Content” update, announced in August but only rolled out in the early days of December. According to Google’s search engineers, this update was developed to “ensure people see more original, helpful content written by people, for people, in search results.”

So, what does this mean, exactly? Many professionals within the SEO space have taken this update as a thinly veiled pushback against overreliance on AI and machine learning. Simply put, Google’s algorithms are designed, now more than ever, to prioritize content written with a human touch, not content that was generated by an AI program.

The Helpful Content update also suggests a need for content that’s written for a specific, focused audience, intended to address real, relevant queries from a place of authority and expertise. In other words, it’s the latest in a long string of Google updates intended to reward user-centered, high-quality content.

Continued Emphasis on E-A-T

Along the same lines, one of the year’s big SEO stories was Google’s expanded focus on E-A-T. This acronym, representing content expertise, authority, and trustworthiness, has long been the benchmark by which the algorithms evaluate content in YMYL (“your money or your life”) categories; in other words, content pertaining to personal finances or to medical issues.

The Helpful Content update strongly suggests an expanded orbit for E-A-T, and in particular expertise. Now more than ever, SEO success may come down to content that’s written to address a niche industry or a highly focused audience, providing not just generalities but deeper subject-matter knowledge.

Zero-Click Searches

In the early days of SEO, the goal was essentially to generate higher rankings so as to encourage more clicks, and thus more traffic. These days, the parameters have changed, largely because zero-click searches are on the rise. In fact, some statistics show that over half of all search queries end without the user clicking on a link within the search engine results page (SERP).

Google is actively catering to zero-click searchers by ensuring that the SERP itself is a meaningful hub of information, providing knowledge panels and other widgets that inform and educate the user without requiring them to click through to a new page. You can even see this in the increased number of images and videos folded into the organic search results.

For SEO professionals, it’s increasingly important to provide meaningful content on the SERP itself, rather than relying on clicks.

The Depreciation of Cookies

Anyone who’s paid attention to SEO over the past couple of years knows that the elephant in the room is Google’s decision to phase out third-party cookies. Initially planned for 2022, the depreciation of cookies was ultimately moved to 2023 and then again to 2024, providing SEO professionals with a stay of execution.

While the timeline keeps getting bumped back, sooner or later third-party cookies will be a thing of the past. As we’ve noted before, it’s essential for SEO professionals to work out new methods of data collection now. This scramble for new data collection options has been one of the dominant SEO stories of 2022 and will continue to play a big role in shaping 2023.

Embracing Change: SEO in 2023

The one thing we know for sure about SEO in 2023? It will continue to change, requiring SEO professionals to remain nimble and adaptive.

We’d like to help. At enCOMPASS Agency, we take pride in demystifying the SEO process for our clients, providing up-to-date and effective strategies not only to generate better rankings, but to facilitate connection and conversion.

We’ll be keeping an eye on how the SEO landscape changes throughout the coming months, and ensuring our clients are in the loop. With any questions, we invite you to contact the enCOMPASS team at any time.