Hello, fellow content enthusiasts!

It’s the final week of 2023, and I’m back for one last Content Forward newsletter of the year.

Looking back at the entire year in content has felt like reliving a bumpy Jeep ride through the mountains, full of curves, turns, and excitement, leaving me with that queasy feeling in my gut.

I, for one, am happy to have made it through the ride in content and SEO in 2023. It’s been one for the books!

Before heading into the new year, let’s pause to reflect on some of the key moments and major shifts that have shaped our industry.

I’m also sharing my top 3 newsletters of the year + my five articles of the year to read and ponder.

Let’s get into this!

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2023: A Year in Content Review

This was a wild year in content and SEO, and while I won’t be able to dive deep into everything that happened like I do every week here, let’s have a look back at some of the big changes I’ve seen in 2023.

It’s Now E-E-A-T: Experience and Experiences Matter

At the end of 2022, Google updated its Quality Rater Guidelines and added the second ‘E’ for experience. At the beginning of the year, I talked a lot about experiences and their importance for quality content, and I still stand behind this advice.

This change by Google at the end of 2022 also emphasized the importance of genuine human experiences in content creation, which they continue to tell us they want. Throughout the year, we've seen how vital it is to bring a unique point of view to the table, and I will keep pushing for this in content creation.

And yet, this approach seems at odds with how Google's algorithms interpret other E-E-A-T principles (at least the way the SERPs are now). Let's not forget that 2023 also became a significant year for platforms like Reddit, reflecting a shift in where and how people seek and engage with content.

What this means for 2024:

I hope that Google will figure out how to bring genuine, authentic human experiences to the forefront without ignoring the need for expertise. With the rise of Reddit in the SERPs, I don’t think Google is getting it 100% right. Reddit may be full of genuine points of view and, yes, experiences, but it’s also a vast cesspool of non-expert advice that may or may not be helpful.

In many ways, I think Google is giving away its responsibility as the leader in search if it continues to promote these types of platforms, where they have no control or can monitor the quality of content.

AI is Here to Stay

AI's presence in content creation and operations has been a game-changer this year, and it's clear it's here to stay. As I wrote in a May newsletter:

“AI isn’t going anywhere. It’s just getting better and better.

Writers are already losing their jobs.

AI-created content is out there.

And, to be fair, most of the content that AI creates is already better than the average content site.

Google has basically admitted that they do not have a moat when it comes to AI — basically, there isn’t too much they can do to address the AI content that will flood the internet.”

We are just starting to see the effects of AI content creation, but one thing I know for sure is that content has become even more of a commodity with AI. Many big publishers use AI en masse, and Google can’t keep up.

As we look to 2024, the integration of AI in our creative process will likely deepen, yet the challenge will be to keep our content authentic and engaging in an increasingly AI-driven landscape. I still believe we need real-world experts and humans to create valuable content.

What this means for 2024:

We will continue to see advancements in AI and new uses for content creation; that’s a given, but I see a lot of opportunities for human experts who can work with AI to help in AI-supported content workflows. I think the role of 2024 is that of SME Editor — someone who can work with AI, but also add expertise, and bring that real-world point of view to the content.

Google’s SGE Experiments: Still Rolling Out

This year, Google launched its own generative AI search, and while it’s been an experiment, I think Google is focused on improving this to roll out entirely in 2024.

There has been a lot of discussion about SGE this year. Publishers have been upset that Google seems to be ‘stealing’ their content and not giving them links, and the experience of SGE seems slow and painful.

Google still has to figure out how to monetize these results better (yes, they are experimenting with ads here). Ideally, they’ll fix the many, many inaccuracies that have been reported with SGE.

Still, it appears that Google is not slowing down on its goals to dominate AI search, so we’ll have to buckle up for this even more in 2024.

What this means for 2024:

As a Canadian who doesn’t like using a VPN to do my everyday searches, I’ve had limited time with SGE, which is okay with me. I still find it slow, and the results are still ‘meh to be fair.

I believe that SGE will impact our traffic as it rolls out, but I am optimistic (somewhat) that Google will find new ways to surface hidden gems and unique points of view here. We’ll have to see!

The Helpful Content Update: The Big Shakeup

I’ve written about the HCU update in a few Content Forward newsletters this year for a reason — it is the biggest Google update I’ve ever lived through.

With all the updates we’ve seen this year, the HCU was the toughest one for our portfolio of sites. And, to be honest, I don’t think the SERPs have greatly improved since this hammer came down. I think they are much, much worse for users.

The Helpful Content Update (HCU) turned out to be a seismic shift in the SERP landscape, and it felt like Google may have overshot the mark a bit. While some sites did manage to survive the HCU anchor, many fantastic publications with tons of E-E-A-T, human authors, and insightful content saw massive declines.

With smaller and mid-sized publishers reeling from the impact, it raises the question: did this update genuinely improve the helpfulness of content? It's a bit of a head-scratcher.

We’re now left with a sea of forums, like Reddit, dominating the SERPs, and I don’t think Google is getting the ‘search intent’ of its users right either. Anne Moss, fellow publisher, shares a fascinating finding here:

It's a wild time for content creators as we navigate this new reality and ponder Google's next move in 2024. Is it a case of Google recalibrating, or are we looking at a new normal? We’ll see!

Until then, I can only ponder, are the SERPs better now?

What this means for 2024:

We don’t have any true HCU recovery stories to dive into yet, even though we are flooded with a ton of SEO advice. I think a lot of small to mid-sized publishers will be forced to close shop because of this shift, which in turn will further hurt Google’s results. They need the ecosystem of content creation from publishers to provide to users.

Many publishers like us are already pivoting towards other traffic generation efforts, doubling down on monetization. While Google will never admit they need to roll an update back, we’ve seen the algorithm shift so many times before, so I’m somewhat hopeful that there will be some shifts and improvements in the SERPs as 2024 rolls out. We will have to see!

The End of Blogging as We Know It

This year, fellow blogger and Niche Pursuits founder Spencer Haws set a firestorm of responses when he declared that Google is killing blogging.

After the HCU and many Google updates this year, it’s been rough for bloggers as content creators.

This year has been a shakedown and wake-up call for bloggers to innovate and evolve, finding new ways to make their voices heard in an ever-changing digital environment (even if it’s unwelcome). As we move into 2024, the role and impact of blogging continue to be reimagined.

What this means for 2024:

Blogging alone is not a content strategy, and one can argue that this has always been the case, but this year, the Google hammer hit hard on typical blogs. This pains me as a niche publisher.

Content is still a valuable part of a marketing strategy in 2024. The delivery of that content is shifting, and while I’m personally sad to think of all the bloggers who have seen their beloved publications crumble, I believe there is still an opportunity for content marketing paired with a smart content strategy, and I’m excited about the future of our industry this year.

Content Forward: The Top 3 Newsletters of the Year

#1: The New Google — May 12, 2023

When Google announced that they were launching SGE, I wrote a newsletter about what this could look like and what this means for us in search marketing. Looking back a few months later, I would say that not everything I hoped for from Google came true. We will see what happens in 2024, but it seems that Google isn’t getting ‘right’ as much as I would like to see.

#2: Can We Figure This Out? — June 12, 2023

I’m still asking this question as we head into 2024, and I think many fellow publishers and content marketing professionals are asking the same thing. While I still believe in SEO as one growth channel, it’s not as reliable or effective as it once was. Real human experience will still matter, but we will still need to do more to see traction in content.

#3: Content Forward: How to Side Hustle Smarter — December 22, 2023

This was my third most popular newsletter this year, which was a surprise! But I get it. After the year we’ve had, we’re all thinking about how we can strategically start new projects and side hustles that make money. I got many great responses from this one as well, and this is what I’m thinking about as we round off another year.

I’m not sure what 2024 will bring, but I know for sure: we’re going to have to find new ways to do things!

Things to Read, Watch, and Ponder: My Top 5 Articles from 2023 Worth Reading

This was perhaps the most shared SEO article amongst my content pals this year, and if you haven’t had a chance to read it, what are you waiting for? Kohn examines how Google's focus on brands, user feedback, and algorithm changes has led to a "good enough" quality of search results, which he terms "goog enough."

He highlights the challenges and consequences of these changes, including the diminishing quality of search results and the need for SEO strategies to adapt to this new landscape. A must-read for all of us in content and my top pick for article of the year for 2023!

I’ve read this article so many times. Anyone in the business for more than a minute can relate to the personal challenges Rand Fishkin discusses here. Reading this deeply personal, first-hand account from his final chapter at SparkToro, Rand walks through the painful lessons and challenges he faced, a story he held back from telling for years.

Not enough people talk about the complications in our industry, so this was a refreshing take. It's definitely worth a spot on my list of top 2023 articles. Have a read!

Jason Mountford writes one of my favorite ‘water-cooler’ articles of the year, with this insightful piece on what’s next for content creators. I love this analogy of barbecue content, and I firmly believe this is how we should think about content creation this year.

What are the topics you’d chat about with your friends or colleagues? Do you have a spicy take? It’s time we stop thinking about keywords and start thinking about topics.

With all the AI buzz we’ve seen in 2023, this article is a must-read for all of us in terms of content. Creating words is easier than ever, but where’s the value in that? Robert Rose demands all of us ask: Should we write about this? We sabotage our content efforts if we don’t have a strong point of view.

Let’s face it. Most don’t have massive content budgets, yet we all want to produce top-shelf content. I love this clear, action-forward resource from Melissa Popp that offers some real-world advice we can all follow!

This is my final Content Forward newsletter of the year. It’s been quite a journey, but having this weekly place to gather my thoughts and share my learning has been fun.

I’ve enjoyed hearing and connecting with so many of you who read this newsletter. We’re in this together!

See you in 2024!

Cheers! Amy

Some Bonus Newsletters You’ll Love

If you want to get into the weeds on these topics, here are a couple of newsletters to subscribe to.