7 Biggest SEO Challenges Marketers will Face in Coming Years

One of the biggest challenges in SEO is keeping up with trends. As technology evolves and user behavior changes, marketers face new SEO hurdles, which will become more significant over time. 

Recently, Google began penalizing poor-quality content and plans to cut ‘unhelpful’ content by 40%. Google’s ranking methods will keep changing. Keeping up with AI’s impact on content creation and staying relevant online is crucial. 

Factors like page loading speed, mobile-friendliness, and high-quality, updated content are key for search engine rankings. 

Here’s a look at seven SEO challenges marketers will face in coming years.

Let’s get started.

1. Google Algorithm Changes

Google frequently updates its search algorithms to provide better results to users. In 2022 alone, Google rolled out thousands of confirmed and unconfirmed algorithm updates. Some of them were big updates, known as Google’s Core Updates whilst the others were small.

Some major recent Google algorithm updates include:

• May 2022 Core Update – Impacted many sites across all industries
• Product Reviews Update (April 2022) – Rewarded high-quality product reviews
• Helpful Content Update (August 2022) – Targeted unhelpful and low-quality content

These algorithm changes can dramatically impact a website’s search rankings and visibility. Even small changes can cause pages to gain or lose ground in search results.

63% of marketers say Google algorithm updates are their biggest SEO challenge (BrightEdge)

After a major update, up to 35% of websites can experience significant ranking changes.

2. Generative AI Tools and Increased Competition

One of the biggest SEO challenges marketers will face in the coming years is the rise of generative AI tools. ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and other generative AI tools help marketers create content that is more meaningful and unique. As more companies create AI-generated tools that can quickly create, expand, or summarize content within seconds, the competition is rising rapidly. 

According to a report by Salesforce, 58% of marketers plan to use generative AI for content creation in the next two years. 

More businesses using AI tools for content means tougher competition for search engine rankings. To overcome this, marketers must focus on strategies to create useful content that is well-written, has valuable information, and that AI can’t easily detect.

They can use AI for ideas and tweaks, but human writers should finalize the content. It’s vital to adjust SEO tactics as AI grows and competition rises.

3. Keyword Cannibalization and Duplicate Content

Keyword cannibalization and duplicate content arise when multiple pages on a website target the same or similar keywords, causing internal competition and confusion for search engines.

Duplicate content refers to identical or near-identical content appearing across multiple pages or sites.

Around 29% of websites have duplicate content issues, which can significantly impact search rankings. Both keyword cannibalization and duplicate content can confuse search engines and lead to lower visibility.

To handle this, marketers should audit their sites, find keyword cannibalization and duplicate content, and fix these issues. They can combine similar pages, use canonical tags, and create unique content for each keyword.

Ongoing monitoring and maintenance are crucial as new content is added and site structures change over time.

4. Building Trust and Authority

It’s become very important for website owners and marketers to build trust and authority. Search engines like Google give higher rankings to websites that are credible and authoritative. Building trust and authority helps improve visibility, drive more organic traffic, and increase conversions.

Here are some key ways to build trust and authority:

• Quality Content: Creating high-quality content with information is essential. Consistently publishing well-researched and valuable content shows that a website is a reliable source of information, making users and search engines trust it more.
• Backlinks: Getting high-quality backlinks from reputable and relevant websites is a strong signal of authority. Studies show that linking more unique websites to a page correlates with higher search engine rankings.
• Expert Authors: Highlighting the expertise and credentials of content creators can increase trust and authority. Google values content produced by experts or those with proven expertise in a particular field.
• User Experience: A smooth and user-friendly experience is crucial for building trust. This includes factors like fast loading times, mobile-friendliness, and easy navigation. Google considers user experience an important ranking factor.
• Brand Reputation: A strong and positive brand reputation can contribute to trust and authority. Consistently delivering high-quality products or services, being transparent, and offering excellent customer service can help establish a trustworthy brand image.

5. Not ranking higher in search results

With the ever-increasing online competition, it has become increasingly difficult for websites to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs).

According to a study by Backlinko, the #1 result on Google gets approximately 31.7% of all clicks, while the second and third positions receive 24.7% and 18.7% clicks, respectively.

This means that websites not ranking in the top 3 positions are missing out on a significant portion of potential traffic and conversions.

Several factors contribute to this challenge, including:

• Algorithm updates: Search engines like Google constantly update their algorithms to improve the user experience, making it harder for websites to maintain their rankings.
• Increased competition: As more businesses recognize the importance of online presence, the competition for top rankings intensifies, making it harder to stand out.
• Content quality: With search engines prioritizing high-quality, relevant content, websites with thin or duplicate content struggle to rank higher.
• User experience: Search engines prioritize websites that provide a seamless user experience, including fast loading times, mobile-friendliness, and ease of navigation.

To overcome this challenge, marketers must adopt a comprehensive SEO strategy that includes creating high-quality, relevant content, optimizing for user experience, building a strong backlink profile, and staying up-to-date with the latest algorithm updates and best practices.

6. Limited Resources 

According to a study by Hubspot, 63% of marketers cite limited staffing and resources as their biggest challenge in executing effective marketing strategies.

This issue becomes even more pronounced when it comes to SEO, which demands a combination of technical expertise, creative content production, and ongoing marketing strategies.

Limited resources can manifest in several ways:

• Lack of skilled SEO professionals: Finding and retaining talented SEO specialists who can keep up with the ever-changing algorithms and best practices can be challenging, especially for smaller businesses or those operating on tight budgets.
• Insufficient budgets: SEO can be a costly endeavor, with expenses ranging from keyword research tools and analytics software to content creation and link-building campaigns. Many businesses struggle to allocate adequate funds for comprehensive SEO efforts.
• Time constraints: Effective SEO requires consistent effort and attention, from conducting keyword research and optimizing content to monitoring performance and adjusting strategies. With limited staff and multiple priorities, it can be difficult to dedicate the necessary time to SEO tasks.

According to a report by BrightEdge, businesses that invested in SEO saw a median annual revenue increase of 13.8%, while those that did not invest in SEO experienced a 16.3% decrease in revenue.

7. Personalization and privacy

Balancing personalization with user privacy is one of the major hurdles for marketers. As search engines prioritize personalized results based on user data, marketers must deliver customized content and experiences without compromising privacy.

Stats show 83% of consumers want personalization but only if businesses are transparent about data usage (Accenture).

Marketers need advanced analytics to personalize while respecting evolving privacy laws like GDPR and CCPA.

Failing to manage this well can lead to fines and harm your reputation. Balancing ethical data practices and user consent is key for effective SEO in the personalization vs. privacy challenge.

Conclusion

SEO is very important for websites to be seen online, but many challenges are coming. Marketers must adapt to changes like new Google updates, use AI for content, and keep up with privacy rules. By making great content, using the right tools, and focusing on user experience, marketers can overcome these SEO challenges.