What can we expect from Google Search in 2023?

Google is always one step ahead when it comes to adapting its algorithms to reflect human behaviour. In the content marketing community, we always want to know what to expect from further updates so we can futureproof our content accordingly. What can we expect from Google in the new year? 

Multisearch 

Google introduced ‘multisearch’, a function that allows the searcher to add text qualifiers to images they capture with Google Lens. This was a move to evolve their SERP alongside advances in sophisticated image recognition technologies. 

It has been around for a little while now, but you can expect Google to invest further resources in multisearch. 

Google themselves have given examples of how these features work: 

• “Screenshot a stylish orange dress and add the query “green” to find it in another color
• Snap a photo of your dining set and add the query “coffee table” to find a matching table
• Take a picture of your rosemary plant and add the query “care instructions”

What does this mean for me? 

From an SEO perspective, content publishers need to include more images on their pages. Do this judiciously – make sure they are relevant and helpful to the user and always use alt tags. 

Follow these guidelines to make sure your image alt tags are readable and accessible:

• Don’t preface your alt tags with ‘picture of’ or ‘image of’.
• Make sure your grammar is cleaned up to benefit screen readers. End your sentences properly in your alt tags and make sure you’re using correct capitalisation.

Helpful Content update 

As we’ve covered on our blog, Google had an update called Helpful Content this year. They’re cracking down on bot content or any content that doesn’t help users find the information they need. 

Helpful Content does what it says on the tin – helps to ensure that internet content serves the user. With good content, Google can deliver helpful results. 

Google states it is part of a ‘broader effort to ensure people see more original, helpful content written by people, for people, in search results’.

What does this mean for me? 

Being readable is more crucial than ever in the context of Google’s user-centred updates. Follow this checklist to make sure your content is ready:

• Write your content for the human first, not the search engine. Write for your audience’s average reading level and their preferred tone.
• Because it’s human first, then SEO, check for keyword stuffing in your content. 
• Focus on your niche, not just what’s popular. 
• Provide value. Improve your E-A-T.
• Write original content which provides thought leadership. 
• Focus on being informative, reliable and trustworthy. You can help to build trust in your content by making it highly readable to respect your reader’s time. 
• Focus on the value provided, not the word count. If you can make a point in fewer and simpler words, it’s better to do that.

Voice search 

It’s nothing new that voice search is transforming the algorithm exponentially, but you can expect this to grow even further in 2023. According to data from 2022, 71% of users prefer conducting a voice search than text. 

This gives SEOs the opportunity to focus more on long-tail keywords, which are important for optimising for voice search. 

The other major aspect of optimising for voice search is readability. A key readability strategy is typing the way you would speak. This is important because Natural Language Generation is what makes interactions with voice assistants feel like a conversation. 

What does this mean for me?

Keep these points in mind when optimising your content: 

• Voice search results prefer your content to be concise. Stick to a ‘one topic per paragraph’ approach. 
• The average voice search result is written at a 9th-grade level. Use Readable to calculate your Flesch-Kincaid grade level to ensure you’re writing for the public. 
• Write naturally. Voice search emulates a conversation – try using Readable tone sliders to see how conversational your content is.