Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), refers to the process of bettering the quality and quantity of website traffic by increasing the search visibility of a website on a search engine.
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has evolved throughout the years. In the beginning of the digital age, SEO focused primarily on keywords and how a page ranks based on those keywords. For example, if you were a business that offered lawn services, your website content would be full of keywords related to that service offering.
However, things have changed and today we focus on conversion rates, performance metrics, meaningful content creation and user experience, as opposed to spamming a page with certain keywords. Today, SEO is more than just keyword insertion - it is a science.
So, what is in store for SEO in 2023?
SEO in 2026
User Focused Optimisation
Google's search systems have continued to evolve significantly since the introduction of BERT in 2019. Rather than trying to optimise a website for every individual algorithm update, businesses should continue to focus on their users, search intent and the technical quality of their website.
The thing is, algorithms keep changing and the key to keeping your site successfully optimised is not to re-learn every aspect of the new algorithm but to make sure your website is based on the user, and it is vital to focus on the technical quality of your website. Essentially, this means that you should always be reassessing the users access points of their search, and align your content with what you have learned.
When it comes to user-focused SEO, the first thing to focus on is earning high-quality traffic through the use of targeted and valuable experiences on the site. The second focus is to create a place that allows a user to connect with content that is genuinely relevant to them, as this leads to user satisfaction and of course, conversion.
As users options for search have grown, it is important that you structure your content accordingly. This means that your site needs to maintain a clean architecture and well-delivered content.
Your content will have to be created with the user in mind - what is their intent when they are searching? Keywords are no longer what ranks a site, it is about being able to deliver content that the user is searching for and is genuinely interested in. SEO strategists should understand the customer, their intentions, and how a business can help the user through their website and content.
To put it simply, SEO in 2023 is based around user intent, and fulfilling the users search needs. It is important for SEO specialists to research the target market of a business, and focus in on the customers intent when creating a website and delivering content. By understanding the customers needs, you will clearly understand where your website pages fit on their path. And this is how you can acquire quality leads and convert them into customers.
Do this by focusing on how users talk about their problems and needs at each point of their buying journey. Make sure that your web pages address these issues and answer these questions. Your customers want and deserve value, and they need to know you are on their side. By delivering content that shows them you can assist them, you are also presenting yourself as an industry thought leader - this will lead to a long-term and lifelong client.
High Quality Content
Quality content remains a fundamental part of SEO in 2026. Content refers to everything on your site, from your internal linking and site structure, to your blogs and product pages.
To add value to your SEO, you need to deliver content that is valuable and highly relevant to the user. Create only the best content for your website as this allows you to compete for long-tail searches. Long-tail searches are generally more specific queries that reflect a clearer user need or intent. Creating content that genuinely satisfies a user's query can improve the relevance and usefulness of your page and give it a stronger foundation for organic search visibility.
By approaching your content with this type of attitude, Google will rank your page higher because you have designed your website to satisfy a user query.
In order to understand what content your user is searching for:
- Learn who your target market is and how they search for your product or services online.
- Understand why they are asking certain questions and what problems they are looking to solve through their search.
- Provide them with answers or solutions in the format that they prefer to engage with. For example, your target market may prefer to download PDF documents, or e-books, or they would prefer a straight to the point blog article that answers their question in an easy to consume way.
SEO in 2026 continues to require useful, relevant content created primarily around the needs of the user rather than solely for search engines.
As search engines become more accustomed to natural language and how a user searches online, the highest quality content will win and rank higher than its competitors pages.
Search has also expanded through AI-powered experiences such as Google's AI Overviews and AI Mode. However, this does not require a completely separate SEO strategy. Google's guidance confirms that existing SEO fundamentals still apply, including creating unique and useful content, maintaining a clear technical structure and ensuring pages can be crawled and indexed.
User Experience and Technical SEO
One of the most important parts of SEO in 2026 is User Experience (UX).
User Experience (UX) refers to the experience someone has while interacting with your website, including how easily they can navigate pages, access information, use the site across different devices and complete important actions. A strong user experience should make it simple for visitors to find what they need and interact with the website effectively.
Technical SEO is a big part of the User Experience. This refers to the technical foundation of a website. This comes down to technical best practices, and one of the most important aspects of technical SEO is to provide a speedy site. This lies in the hands of developers, and may lead to having to redesign pages and reengineer the site.
This is why SEO audits have become vital. An SEO audit allows you to see if your site is following the best practices. At Nexa, we provide our SEO clients with a 20 point check list that has been designed to ensure your website is tested for every important aspect that can impact its position on search engines.
Learn more about technical SEO best practices, here.
In Conclusion
This only scratches the surface of SEO in 2026. A successful strategy requires a combination of user-focused content, sound technical foundations and an ongoing understanding of how people search and interact with your website.
Looking to strengthen your organic visibility? Speak to NEXA's SEO specialists to identify the areas that should be prioritised and build an SEO strategy around your audience and business objective.
