In 2022, traffic became a thing. More and more people followed the Google algorithm and started to click on ads and participate in online shopping. Soon after that, the traffic became even more valuable. Organic traffic – directly from users’ clicks in your preferred search engine – became even less useful as people got used to clicking on ads to find information or buy products.
In 2023, things will change again. Google algorithm changes will give way to new search engine algorithms – with them, a whole new way of ranking websites. The organic search traffic you get from your website in 2023 will depend on many different factors, such as your target audience, conversion rate, and how often you update your content.
1. Your Audience Matter
You can go one of two ways about this as a website owner. You can either decide that your target audience is a particular type of person with a specific set of criteria (e.g., people between the ages of 18 and 24 who like cats) and create content geared toward that audience. Or you can create content for everyone and be confident that some of your audience will find their way to your website simply because it’s a good read.
2. Engagement Is Key
You don’t need to look far to know that getting people to come back for more is one of the most effective ways of increasing traffic. Regularly posting exciting content will keep your audience coming back for more – and, more importantly – will encourage them to take action, whether signing up for your email list, making a purchase, or becoming a regular contributor to your blog. When someone comes to your site to browse through your products or download a PDF, you’re losing out on the opportunity to get them to engage with you on your website.
3. Keep It Fresh
Another way of driving more traffic to your site is by making sure that the content you post is interesting, unique, and regularly updated. Blogging platforms like WordPress make it easy to add new content to your site, and you can use a tool like Growblogger to get started instantly and save you the stress of figuring out how to run a blog yourself. When users return to your site repeatedly, it shows that you’ve provided them with valuable content they want to read – hopefully, learn from.
4. Make It Easy
Users need help finding what they’re looking for online as it is. Making it easier for users to find exactly what they want will increase traffic and retain more users. Designing your website to be user-friendly and accessible is essential – whether you use WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, or another content management system.
5. Automation Is The Key
A website owner who relies almost exclusively on organic traffic will experience a significant drop-off as soon as they start getting traffic from ads. Unless you’re prepared to rely on paid traffic (which typically doesn’t give you the good results you might expect), you’ll need to start automating getting visitors to your site. With automated SEO, you can have software that will submit posts to social media accounts for you, build custom landing pages using your preferred CMS, and track the progress of your SEO campaign in one place.
6. Mobile First
In 2022, people became more comfortable with online shopping and used their smartphones more often when making purchases. That trend will continue in 2023 and even further in 2024, so having a mobile-friendly site will give you a great advantage. People now have less time to spend on desktop computers, and when they do, they’re often on their phones. Make sure that when users visit your website, they have the best possible experience, whether they use a desktop computer or a mobile device.
7. Video Content Is On The Rise
Thanks to platforms like YouTube, which provides a space for anyone to upload their videos and have them reach a potentially worldwide audience, video content is now accessible to virtually anyone who has a smartphone. Plus, with the right accessories and software, video content can instantly be shared via live video chats and videograms.
Videos that explain a product or service in detail – with no frills or unnecessary fuss – are referred to as “Product Videos,” while short videos, such as those shared via social media, are known as “Mini Product Videos.” Whether you opt for the former or the latter, having video content on your site will increase your chances of getting visitors to return for more.
8. Multimedia Content Is On The Rise
If someone comes to your site expecting to see a single type of content – be it text-based or graphic-based – they’ll be in for a surprise. It’s essential to have a range of content on your site, whether in the form of a podcast, an audiobook, a video, or an interactive article with pictures and charts. A wide variety of content will keep users entertained and help them discover new things when they return for more.
9. Personal Branding Is On The Rise
The search engine optimization trend of the early 2020s was all about content farms and large clusters of webpages filled with low-quality content designed to trick Google into thinking your site was a legitimate news source. While that method still works, it’s proven less effective as the years have gone by – mainly as Google makes it harder and harder for sites to game the system.
Instead of trying to trick Google with low-quality content, why not try to game the system yourself? One way of doing that is through personal branding, which makes your site’s content and overall appearance geared toward building a personal brand. Your site could be seen as a unique brand-building tool, and the content you create on your site will help establish your brand in the eyes of your audience – as long as you do it the right way.
10. Long-Form Content Is On The Rise
Blogs don’t need to be limited to short posts. Some bloggers have created entire websites with podcasts, videos, and long-form content (i.e., articles that run longer than 4000 words). Trying to fit all of that onto a single short blog post can make it difficult for users to discover essential information, potentially leading to lower traffic and less engagement. Long-form content can be a great way of capturing a reader’s attention and keeping them coming back for more – as long as you do it the right way.
If someone decides to stay on your site for a while and read through all of the content – whether that’s an article, podcast, or video – you’ll know that they’ve been engaged with your content because the navigation menu will stand out from the rest of the text on the page – and that’s what matters.
Takeaway
As you can see, not all of the changes that come with the new normal will be positive. While the amount of traffic you get from organic searches will still depend on many factors, how these ten trends will affect your traffic levels is undeniably significant.
