Where Should You Focus Your SEO Efforts In 2023? This New Report Has All The Insights You Need

We are just months away from the year ending and with 2023 around the corner, it makes sense as to why people are worried about the state of SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for the new year.

If you’re wondering where to focus your SEO efforts in 2023, then this new data report from Search Engine Journal is sure to provide you with insights on which strategies to adopt for success. So let’s take a look!

See, it’s so important to realize what the most happening events in this SEO industry have been in 2022 before we jump into what you should do for 2023. Similarly, how are the professionals of the industry going about the situation and how did they behave to factors like a change in consumer behavior patterns and amendments to technology?

A staggering 3,600 professionals were surveyed for the study and they gave out insights regarding their experiences in the past year and what people can expect in the near future.

More than 25% of those studied spoke about having two or even less experience than that in the Search Engine Optimization industry. These responses hint at how the demand for such professionals is large.

Places like the US, Australia, and Canada had SEO professionals take on some great career opportunities that would make them advance and enter the world of high-salary figures. And about 31% of them would have such little experience but would still end up earning a mega $75,000.

It’s a huge value but still a fall from those figures outlined in 2021. This might be due to the large influx of new professionals and how much growth SEO had in various global regions.

But for next year, people are really worried about getting the right type of talent on board. This coupled with issues like the ongoing recession and new policies arising from places like the US are more concerns worth a glance at. So as you can tell, it’s going to be a major challenge for those arising in the world of SEO and those seeking better job opportunities.

Most people surveyed spoke about the SEO activity that they spent the most time being involved in. And the results for the highest priority went to Technical SEO which led the pack, followed by SEO Strategy, Keyword Research, and then SEO done On-page. This might be related to Google putting certain factors on priority like stability, speed, and security.

In February of this year, we saw a new Page Experience update come forward and it really had been at the top of the list for several SEO experts.

Then a lot of companies were seen refocusing on things like technicalities after a mega growth in digital channels taking place in the past few years. This further leads us to the likes of great focus on researching and building strategies. So as marketers found it a struggle to keep up this year, SEO experts really took the time out to reflect on the need of the day and how to approach things in a more technical manner.

In case you needed a reminder, the world of SEO is not easy and it takes a while to really get a hang of things. So many stats and metrics are present that measure targets for campaigns and match things like tracking up performance.

After digging into the nitty gritty details of the report, you’ll notice how SEO experts were required to produce services that aren’t exactly aligned with the trend in the report. Top metrics were reserved for the likes of Keyword Rankings but it came third in terms of demands from employers.

Next up, qualified leads took up the fifth position and it was really tracked well. But the demand for this service from employers was high. They really wanted people to carry it out. And lastly, while pageviews arose as a number on the metrics list, the topmost requested feature had to be web traffic.

With such a huge number of people taking part in the study, we found it interesting that around one-fourth of them didn’t know what to say about their experience. They were not happy or unhappy in 2022. But previous records are showing how the last few years were quite challenging.

It’s starting to make a lot of sense why firms and Search Engine Optimization experts are having trouble examining results as the world keeps evolving and industries are similarly changing. And that’s where such metrics really count as you need to track them down very carefully.

Next year, it’s all about AI technology and machine developments and the great challenges that arise with them. So if you’re in this field, you need to focus more on GA4, removing third-party cookies, and Performance Max.

Similarly, advertisers will resort to these endeavors to help better their offerings as algorithms need to be better-paid attention to.

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by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

This Study Shows the Severe Impact of Inflation on Global Consumers

Prices have been rising drastically over the course of this past year, and consumers are worried about it because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up making their income less valuable than might have been the case otherwise. First Insight has published a report that sheds some light on how inflation is impacting consumers in various markets, and it turns out that German consumers are the most fearful about how severe inflation might become in the future.

Around 86% of German consumers reported a lower than usual level of confidence with respect to spending and purchasing power. UK based consumes are also similarly unconfident with all things having been considered and taken into account, with a reported 83% of consumers feeling this way. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that American consumers are also feeling the burn, with 79% of them showing concerns about decreased purchasing power.

Other countries in Europe are reporting lower spending caused by inflation, with 84% in Spain and Italy saying the same. 67% of American consumers reported that their groceries are becoming too expensive, with 64% stating similar sentiments for gas prices

Interestingly, while 46% of German consumers and 43% of American consumers are feeling the sting of inflation while eating out, this number dropped to just 31% in France and the UK. This indicates that the inflation effects are not consistent across the board, with consumers in various countries feeling them in different areas.

US based consumers are using a variety of methods to combat the effects of inflation and reduce the financial burden. 40% are now trying to look for more discounts and deals while online shopping, and 42% are creating a budget and sticking to it. 29% of consumers have decided to cut their spending down to save money, and 22% are trying to buy items when they are out of season to take advantage of the lower price points with all things having been considered and taken into account.

Read next: The smartphone market was at its lowest in the third quarter due to the global economic crisis
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Elon Musk Goes Right To Work On First Day As Twitter’s Chief By Quietly Changing The App’s Homepage

It’s been less than a day since the news broke out about Elon Musk taking control of Twitter. But this billionaire means business and he has already decided to alter the platform’s homepage, as reported by TheVerge.

The Twitter Chief was seen issuing a new request for logged-out users on the app about how they needed to be redirected to a new page on Explore that displays all trending happenings like Tweets, stories, and more. These facts were detailed by employees that are familiar in regards to the matter.

In the past, any logged-out user visiting the website would show a signup form that promoted account creation so users could better view Tweets.

The instructions put out by Musk on Friday encouraged the likes of VP involvement that would override measures like code freeze that stopped staffers from making amendments while the process of acquisition occurred.

For now, Elon Musk is yet to shed light on details as to why the change is taking place as a few employees have observed it so far. But it’s quite clear what message was being rolled out and that’s related to how there’s no room for sacred crows anymore.

If this was the old Twitter, decisions like this would be argued over with various teams for a while now. However, this is the new world of Twitter and Musk wants everyone to know that.

So three days into his reign and Twitter’s homepage is getting changed already. So he wants changes and he wants them quick. And while he may be starting his plans for planned layoffs and creating new oversight boards to better the entire content moderation policy, one thing is for sure. He knows the direction he wants to head in.

While he wants to lay off a huge portion of employees in the next few days, the changes are being fast-tracked to the app. There is some major news about Twitter now forcing subscribers to pay a subscription fee called Super Follows and which would now be labeled as Subscriptions.

Then there are some plans to utilize Starlink which is the billionaire’s internet service at the company SpaceX. This would allow the app to be easily accessible in nations that are having trouble accessing the platform.

Those members of the Twitter workforce that were given the task of working with Musk are now being forced to go home late and sacrifice weekends to make a list comprising team members that need to be fired.

The whole reason is to prevent the firm from paying out millions in stock which would be given to them. Hence, that’s why Musk has fired the executives for the cause.

Some major layoffs are predicted to occur before the first of November and there’s a huge percentage of people who are expected to get stock grants. While Musk fails to acknowledge all of this news regarding firing employees, it is definitely a thing people are preparing for.

For help, Musk is placing great reliance on his personal inner circle. He feels who better to make him understand than them. We just hope he makes the right decision because getting rid of top executives in a firm like this can be risky.

Read next: Elon Musk Cannot Reverse Any Twitter Account Bans Without Approval From Content Moderation Council
by Dr. Hura Anwar via Digital Information World

Here’s What Consumers Are Expecting From Retailers This Year

Consumer sentiment has been diminished due to rising inflationary pressures, but in spite of the fact that this is the case retailers are still hopeful that they can make adjustments to meet their needs and drive a solid rate of sales in the coming year. Emailed offers have been seen as more appealing by consumers according to surveys, with 19% of them preferring email offers this year as compared to 10% saying the same last year with all things having been considered and taken into account.

This doubling of preference when it comes to emails is interesting because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up modifying retailer strategies moving forward. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that social media has managed to surpass emails in terms of popularity, with 21% of consumers saying that they prefer it.

Cost is still a big factor at play here, with 47% of consumers saying that they want lower costs to entice them into becoming buyers. 77% of these consumers have already started shopping around for the best offers, and retailers who are willing to meet them halfway might see a higher rate of sales than might have been the case otherwise.

Payment plans and financing that allow consumers to make purchases and pay for them in instalments are preferred by 71% of consumers, although 25% admitted that they had never used a plan like this before. 73% of consumers also stated that they will be focusing more on budget brands, and these brands may be able to generate a higher sale volume due to their organically lower price points.

A lack of money is a major concern for consumers this year, with 34% fearing that they might run out of money before they get all of their buying done. 36% also spoke out about fears that their favorite gift items would be more expensive this year which might make them financially unviable, and it remains to be seen if the holiday shopping season would go smoothly.

H/T: Oracle Study.

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by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

90% of Workers Reuse Passwords Despite Security Protocols

Workplace accounts that get compromised by malicious actors can be dangerous because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up allowing these hackers to gain access to a company’s wider system. Reusing old passwords repeatedly can make it easier for accounts to get compromised, but in spite of the fact that this is the case around 90% of workers admitted that they have reused account passwords in the past.

This comes from a report released by Bitwarden that involved a survey of 800 top level IT professionals in the UK as well as the US. With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that 84% of the people who responded to this survey said that they use a password manager, but there are quite a few insecure methods that are still being used. 54% of people store their passwords on documents on their systems, and 45% try to remember them by memorizing them which can make their systems far less secure than might have been the case otherwise.

The sharing of passwords is necessary for most companies so that workers can collaborate and use shared accounts, but the means by which these passwords are shared are highly risky. 41% of people apparently send each other account passwords through emails, and 38% use shared online documents that contain the passwords. These modes of password sharing can be easily intercepted by malicious actors, and they can put a company’s sensitive data and IP at risk.

There is good news to glean from this report as well, including that the number of people using multi factor authentication has increased to 92% from 88% last year. Password hygiene is a real problem in workplace culture, with some mistakes including the use of overly simple passwords such as numerical sequences or common phrases. Using the same password across numerous accounts is also a big mistake, as is sharing these passwords with people who don’t need to access the accounts such as friends or members of one’s family.

Read next: What Brand Gets Impersonated the Most During Phishing Attacks? The Answer Might Surprise You
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World

Video Call setups creating delays in businesses meeting

The pandemic has brought many people to its knees and created hurly-burly in the daily lives of business people. People have started taking different approaches after the remote working scenarios, and one of the few changes is turning up to video calls. To attend an important meeting with clients abroad, one needs to have a faster internet connection and good video quality.

The lag in connecting video calls has taken more time than expected, and many have agreed that this could be a deal breaker. A recent study by MAXHUB concluded that more than 2,000 Britons faced an issue regarding video calls. 59% of people take approximately ten minutes to set up a video meeting call.

Let’s suppose an average person connects with his employees through video calls every week, and it takes up to 200 minutes per month to connect conference calls with them. Overall if we see the results of lagging video calls, it seems that they lose forty hours a year. 34% of workers said they deal with the issue of poor connection to video calls every day.

Moreover, there has been a contrast between younger users and adult users, and it seems that young workers take less time to connect to video calls as compared to adults. 78% of people between the ages 18 to 24 need only ten minutes to connect the call in contrast with the 55 to 64 years old people. The problem doesn’t lie in technological deprivation, but it could be the case that younger users are more conscientious when it comes to technology, whereas adults face issues connecting to the calls.

The majority of employees, according to the study, are dissatisfied with the audiovisual calls setup. 28% claim that they are not provided with the appropriate tools for working under pressure. 23%, on the other hand, claim that this is a deal breaker for us because tech giants are failing to address their difficulty connecting with remote employees.

Additionally, 54% of respondents said that not having the right tools would be a problem when starting a new job, especially for those between the ages of 18 and 24, whereas 74% said that it would create complications for them later in life.

The new epoch enables people to connect with each other more easily, but the study says otherwise. According to Tony McCool of MAXHUB, businesses have suffered as a result of remote employees and flexible working arrangements since the pandemic. But the problem lies with the company not fixing the issue of lagging video calls. During this rapidly changing environment, companies need to work fleetingly to improve the quality of video calls.

Furthermore, MAXHUB asserted that a lack of sufficient technology for hybrid working is hindering workplace collaboration. Because people are more comfortable dealing with remote and in-office employees in person rather than choosing a platform where they have to wait for another person to get a stable connection on their video calls.

MAXHUB showed additional research on the technology behind video conferencing and found that comfort is the top priority for 48% of people. Additionally, 37% of respondents stated that successful hybrid work requires immediate meetings that begin without interruptions from technology. For meeting clarity, a good microphone was also rated as essential 37% of the time.

Read next: How to have fewer (and better) work meetings
by Arooj Ahmed via Digital Information World

Over 155K Minecraft Players Get Infected With Malware

The rate of growth of the gaming industry has spurred many cyber attackers to use these games as a platform for launching malware campaigns, and it turns out that Minecraft is one of their most popular choices with all things having been considered and taken into account. Over 131,000 Minecraft users on PC were infected with malware, and 26,000 mobile users were also infected which brings the total number of Minecraft players who were attacked by malware past the 150,000 mark.

With all of that having been said and now out of the way, it is important to note that malicious actors seem to be disproportionately targeting players who prefer Minecraft. The second highest number of malware infections belonged to Roblox with just under 39,000, so Minecraft users are over four times likelier to get infected by malware than Roblox players.

In the world of mobile gaming this disparity is even more pronounced. Roblox came in second again, but with only 1,186 infections reported so far. That is only a small fraction of the 26,000 Minecraft players who had malware infiltrate their systems which suggests that playing Minecraft could expose a user to far more cyber attacks than might have been the case otherwise.

Around 90% of the total malware infections seen in mobile games went to Minecraft users, and 76% of all the malware was from the notorious RedLine Stealer malware family. It works by stealing browser data and skimming passwords because of the fact that this is the sort of thing that could potentially end up allowing malicious actors to lock users out of their own accounts.

It should be mentioned that the downloading of so called cracked games might be contributing to this trend. These games are free since they can be downloaded through piracy, and the people who are offering these free downloads often include malware in the source code. This can allow malicious actors to spy on users without them realizing it, and if users started using 2FA more frequently such forms of malware might become less useful to cyber attackers and hackers in the future.

H/T: Securelist

Read next: The smartphone market was at its lowest in the third quarter due to the global economic crisis
by Zia Muhammad via Digital Information World