5 SEO Best Practices for 2023 that Actually Work

We’re in the last quarter of 2022 and if you’re still not maximizing the power of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)- you’re missing out.

In this article, you’ll learn all about SEO best practices that actually work. Just in time for 2023, we’ll be gearing you up to face the new year with a more solid and effective digital marketing strategy!

If you’re a total SEO newbie, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll start off with a quick rehash on what SEO is and what it can do for your brand. Even if you’ve been utilizing SEO for a while, it still helps to get back to the basics from time to time.

What is SEO anyway?

Search Engine Optimization- the words look intimidating and scientific but it all boils down to one thing: visibility.

When consumers are at the stage of considering a product, they turn to the Internet’s best friend: Google. Before buying anything, most buyers look up potential products online using search engines.

Say you’re selling running shoes. When a customer searches for the best running shoes for them, you want to be on top of the search engine results page (SERP). You want to be one of the first things they see because then you’ll be one of the first brands they’ll consider. Increased brand visibility has a direct correlation to boosted profits and business growth.

The gist of it is this: SEO is what you do to end up on top of the SERP. The optimization part of SEO pertains to your brand’s strategies to increase the chances of you ranking higher in search results.

5 SEO Best Practices that actually bring results

There are tons of ways you can increase domain authority- and in turn- skyrocket your brand awareness. Let’s explore five of the most crucial ones.

1. Have your website audited regularly
   Your website is your brand’s face to the world. It contains important information about you and your products, which consumers will find useful when considering your brand.

   A site audit comes in two forms: a technical audit and a content audit. A technical audit looks at things like site speed, mobile friendliness, traffic data, and errors. On the other hand, a content audit looks at proper use of keywords, internal linking, and information organization, among other crucial factors.

   To determine whether your website does its job of promoting your business, you need to audit your website. An audit tells you what your website’s strengths and weaknesses are. It also shows you a bigger picture of your digital marketing needs so you can appropriately build a successful SEO strategy moving forward.

2. Improve user experience
   Many digital marketers mistake SEO as a concept of keywords and internal linking. That’s not true. SEO also has to do with user satisfaction.

   User Experience or UX is one of the elements search engines consider when ranking your website.

   UX has to do with how your audience interacts with your website. For example, if the webpages load slowly or the information users are looking for is hard to find, your audience will most likely have a hard time navigating your site. If they do, they’ll choose to exit your website and find another one that provides a better UX.

   Search engines want to give the best experience for their users. That’s why they want to make sure that what they rank high in their SERP are sites users find easy and informative to use.

3. Produce original and evergreen content
   When producing SEO blogs, your team needs to focus on your content’s usefulness to users. This is where original and evergreen articles come in.

   When we say original, we don’t necessarily mean reinventing the wheel. You don’t always need to come up with a totally new topic to discuss on your articles. Most of the time you only need to offer something new about a topic your audience already knows. Doing so will catch and keep users’ attention.

   On the other hand, evergreen content is content that stands the test of time. Even years after it has been published, evergreen content stays relevant to your users.

   These types of content are sustainable because its continued relevance and originality will bring regular traffic to your website. Original content is captivating to users while evergreen ones are reliable. Search engines look for those qualities when ranking webpages.

4. Invest in video content
   Online users enjoy video content. In fact, according to a 2018 article by the Animoto Blog, videos are users’ favorite Internet content.

   More and more marketers are catching on the trend of Video SEO because of this. When done right, videos can generate a lot of brand awareness and inbound traffic through shares, comments, and reactions.

   But hold up- any type of video isn’t going to cut it. Before you craft a video marketing strategy, you need to get to know what type of clips your audience are more likely to watch. Partnering with expert video marketers or even influencers can also help give you an idea which type of videos to produce.

   Doing so will ensure that the videos you publish are enjoyable and memorable to your consumers- which in turn can help tide conversion rates to your favor.

5. Don’t do it all on your own!
   As a final SEO best practice- it’s perfectly okay to ask for help.

   Whether you’re a seasoned business owner or a online marketing first timer, you need to consult an expert agency when it comes to building an SEO strategy.

   Digital marketing agencies are composed of specialists adept in a wide range of web services. These include (but are not limited to) site design, logistics management, and of course, search engine optimization.

   If you dive straight into crafting your own SEO game plan, you risk doing it all wrong. Articles like these are helpful, but an insightful consultation with a digital marketing agency can help ensure you’re on the right path.

   If you’re not sure about how to get started on offshoring your SEO, iTworks Global Solutions can lend you a hand. We are an outsourcing company based in the Philippines, built by digital services experts with decades of expertise under our belt.

   We can help you with all things SEO and more things beyond it. If you need help with your website, we’re the team to call. Drop us a line via our official channels and we’ll get you started in crafting a successful digital marketing strategy that’s ready for the new year.