This year marks a significant milestone for online marketing. In 2019, digital ad spending was projected to surpass traditional ad spend — reaching more than $129 billion. With Internet marketing strategies and spending on the rise, marketers remain curious about the future of digital marketing. To answer your burning questions, we put together a helpful guide to the top digital marketing trends and projections for 2023 and beyond.
We also have a video!
Keep reading to learn more — and check out our complete list of digital marketing services to take your online marketing strategy to new heights. Want to learn more about what’s to come for digital marketing in 2023? Click the button below to see our video covering it all!
Trend 1: Voice searches soar, making optimization essential
Alexa, what does the future of online marketing look like?
By 2023, voice searches will account for more than half of online searches.
Devices like the Amazon Alexa and Google Home allow users to speak their searches directly into the devices and receive instant answers. For marketers, the uptick in voice searches has several implications. If you want to snag the featured spot in voice search results, keep these tips in mind:
1. Optimize your site for Position Zero
Voice search devices pull answers directly from Position Zero — the search result directly above the first organic ranking. So, it’s essential to focus your efforts on achieving the coveted P0 search result spot. A few quick tips for ranking in P0 include:
- Use H2 and H4 headings to break up your content and include target keywords in your headings
- Follow headings with content that directly answers the question or speaks to the search intent of your target keyword
- Structure content in easy-to-digest formats like tables, lists, and bullet points
2. Target conversational keywords
It’s also important to keep in mind that voice searches phrase queries more conversationally than traditional searches. For instance, someone conducting a traditional Google search may type, “best pizza shop in Harrisburg, PA.” But a voice searcher is more inclined to ask, “What’s the best pizza shop near me?” Because of the more conversational nature of voice searches, think about how your audience might pose questions about your business and optimize your site to target more long-tail keywords and phrases.
3. Target local searchers
In addition to traditional voice search devices, people also use mobile phone features, like Siri, to search online. As people continue to use mobile voice search to look for nearby businesses, it’s important to incorporate local keywords into your strategy. This is a great way to connect with local voice searchers — and since 50% of people visit a store within a day of conducting a local search, it will boost foot traffic to your store.
Voice search optimization may seem like a daunting task, but it’s absolutely necessary to stay on top of this crucial marketing trend. Fortunately for you, WebFX offers voice search optimization services to help your business connect with more leads. Just click the button below, or give us a call at 888-601-5359 to learn more.
GET STARTED WITH VOICE SEARCH OPTIMIZATION
Trend 2: AI SEO content will shake up traditional content marketing
Artificial intelligence (AI) is another rising trend for digital marketers.
Not to mention, a whopping 80% of businesses who use AI report rapid, positive changes. 
Specifically, AI allows you to supercharge your SEO content and appear in more relevant search results. How does it work, you ask?
AI technology — like WebFX’s MarketingCloudFX — streamlines the SEO content process by:
- Identifying relevant keywords and topics
- Creating content outlines to match search intent
- Providing recommended word counts
- Creating SEO-friendly headlines
- And more
In addition, AI technology can help you identify and refresh old content in need of a facelift (more on that later). Search engines and site visitors love freshly updated content. So, when it comes to the future of digital marketing, staying on top of your re-optimization strategy with AI can position you for success.
To learn more about AI SEO content services from WebFX, a trusted AI consulting firm, click below or connect online to speak with a strategist.
TURBOCHARGE SEO CONTENT WITH AI
Trend 3: Video content is king for websites, social media, and email
Today, video content makes up 80% of global Internet traffic — and the importance of adding video to your marketing strategy continues to grow. Search engines, like Google, will continue to reward websites with video content. In fact, you’re 53 times more likely to rank on the first page of Google results if your site uses video.
It’s 2023 — nobody wants to scroll through blocks of text on your website. Videos capture the attention of your audience and encourage them to spend more time on your site — which, in turn, tells search engines that your site provides a beneficial experience. In addition, custom videos continue to gain importance for the future of social media and email marketing.
People receive hundreds of emails and countless social media updates each day. If you want to reach them, your business needs to stand out online. Fortunately, video marketing helps you gain the exposure you want.
Social media posts with videos increase views by 48% — and adding videos to emails can earn you 2-3 times more clicks. With results like that, why wouldn’t you want to add video to your marketing strategy? As video marketing grows, though, it’s crucial to differentiate your video content from competitors’ videos.
Continue to segment your audience and provide tailored video content to fit their unique needs and goals. You can also test video topics, thumbnails, formats, and more to stay relevant and find out what resonates with target consumers. Not sure how to get started with video marketing?
WebFX offers custom web video production services to help you leverage the growing power of video marketing.
Trend 4: CRO testing is more important than ever
Only 22% of businesses are satisfied with their conversion rates, leaving a huge opportunity to leverage conversion rate optimization (CRO) for future growth. With the future of digital marketing evolving further, CRO testing will become even more critical for businesses looking to grow and expand their reach online. CRO testing allows you to maximize existing website traffic to earn more conversions, sales, and revenue.
As you scale your marketing efforts, you’ll want to tighten up loose ends in your conversion funnel — and CRO testing allows you to do just that. Use these quick CRO tips to keep your strategy on track.
- Take inventory of your current site traffic and conversion rates to establish benchmark metrics.
- Test your site’s usability, content, and design to identify weak points in your conversion funnel.
- Tweak site elements based on data to convert more customers.
With CRO, you can make data-backed decisions to prep for the future with ease. Want to take your CRO testing to new heights? WebFX offers CRO services to help you convert more customers.
Trend 5: Content re-optimization is essential for maintaining top rankings
While creating new content is extremely important, the future of digital marketing will place increased emphasis on content refresh and re-optimization efforts.
If your business wants to get the most from your content, it’s time to make content re-optimization an integral part of your strategy. Content re-optimization allows you to match search intent and maintain top rankings in search results. Since only 25% of people look beyond the first page of search results, it’s more important than ever to establish and preserve top rankings.
As the future of digital marketing evolves, new methods make it easier to identify re-optimization page candidates and tweak the content to drive better results. For example, you can use AI for SEO (mentioned in trend 2) to enhance underperforming content. Just follow these simple tips, and reap the future benefits of top-ranking content.
- Use tools like Ahrefs and Google Analytics to identify pages with low traffic and conversions
- Submit your page list to an AI application of your choice
- Browse recommendations and implement changes to revive old content
If content re-optimization sounds scary, don’t worry. WebFX offers a suite of IBM Watson-powered AI tools to prepare your re-optimization efforts for the future of online marketing.
Prepare for the future of digital marketing with WebFX
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