Everything you need to know about Dental SEO in 2023
SEO is forever changing. Whether it’s a new Google update, or changes in user’s search behaviour, practices must continue to adapt their SEO strategy to achieve that all-important SERPs ranking.
As we enter a new year, now is the perfect time to update your SEO strategy to align with your 2023 goals.
Let’s review what happened in 2022
In 2022, Google released several significant updates which were centred around improving users’ experiences and providing quality content.
- Google Page Experience Update – Core Web Vital ranking signals started applying to both mobile and desktop pages
- May Core Update – Prioritising showing relevant content to users
- Helpful Content Update – Increasing the visibility of original helpful content in search results, rewarding content written by humans for humans
- September Product Review Update – Ensure that people see in-depth, well researched reviews rather than thing content that simply summarises a range of products
- October Spam Algorithm Update – Fighting spam in search results
Google Updates in 2023
Google is prioritising high quality content that truly satisfies user queries. This means no more shortcuts in content – whether that’s keyword stuffing, surface level or regurgitated content. Instead, Google wants to see content made with the end user in mind, and rewarding content that answers their queries comprehensively.
With this in mind, here are our tips for improving your SEO strategy in 2023.
How to improve your SEO in 2023
1. Create content that is topic-focused rather than keyword-focused
With new algorithms and language processes AI, search engines are becoming more advanced. They can now understand complex queries and content behind a search term or pieces of content – this is called semantic search.
As a result, content that simply uses an abundance of keywords without addressing topics in detail will fail to rank well in results. Instead, content should now be topic focused rather than keyword focuses, and a range of related topics which users will find useful.
Start by identifying a topic you want to address, then think about the associated topics that users might find helpful for your content to address and include them as subheading in your content.
2. Optimise content for Google Featured Snippets & “People Also Ask”
Google Snippets are a great way for your content to appear in the top position in SERPs.
Snippets are excerpts of content from a webpage which are displayed in Google above the links instead of below. Snippets can appear on their own within the search results, within the “People Also Ask” section, or within Knowledge Graph information.
Snippets are selected by Google’s algorithms if they think the format will help users find what they’re looking for easier – both from the snippet and when they click through onto the page.
To optimise content for snippets, it’s important to think about how you can answer the user’s questions in a succinct manner which directly addresses their question. This includes incorporating question-style subheading and answer, creating content in a list format, or crafting a solid, rounded conclusion on the topic.
3. Ensure a positive User Experience with Core Web Vitals
Following Google Page Experience update, desktop web pages are now subject to the same ranking factors that previously only applied to mobile pages. This means Core Web Vitals metrics should be an important part of your SEO strategy moving into 2023.
Core Web Vitals ensure users have a positive experience on your website. Making adjustments to your website using CWV insights will improve page load speeds and user experience. Quick fixes include removing interstitials (such as pop-ups) and compressing images.
4. Benefit from local search & Google My Business profile
With Google Business and “near me” search still popular with users, local SEO is an excellent way to appear higher in SERPs.
Search engines can now identify users’ localised context (such as location, time of day and previous searches) and apply this context to the results it shows, meaning location specific content and optimised Google Business profiles should be incorporated into your SEO strategy.
Create localised content on your website by include areas you wish to target or location-specific topics. Achieving backlinks from local businesses with high authority can also have a positive impact on your local SEO.
5. Create content that satisfies Google’s EAT signals
Google’s EAT signals are outlined in their Search Quality Rater Guidelines and require content to show: Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness to rank well in SERPs. So what does this mean?
- Expertise – Refers to how well-versed the website is in the topics being addressed
- Authority – Refers to the reputation of the website in their industry – this includes authority score and backlink profile
- Trustworthiness – Refers to whether the website provides factual accuracy. This can be in the form of cited sources, named author, and other trust signals such as secure connection (HTTPS)
Websites of all categories should refer to the EAT signals when producing content to help it rank higher in SERPs.
6. Prepare for GA4
Finally, Universal Analytics will no longer continue to collect data after July 2023 so if you haven’t made the switch to GA4, now is the time. Google offers step-to-steps guides on setting up GA4 and understand the new metrics but our expert team of Dental SEO expert are also here to offer a helping hand.
How can we help?
If you need help improving your visibility in SERPs, or simply require advice for an SEO project you have, contact Dental Design today.
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