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How Web3 Will Change SEO: A Whole New Frontier for Digital Marketing
Web3 is the blockchain technology-centered, decentralized iteration of the internet that is about to blow up just about everything digital from the ground up—including SEO. As momentum for Web3 builds, a focus on user ownership and decentralization, along with a premium on privacy, threatens to upend traditional SEO practices while opening up fresh avenues for companies to better position themselves online.
In this article, we show some of the major ways Web3 is going to impact search engine optimization and also provide actionable insights for businesses looking to adapt.
What is Web3, and How Does It Differ from Web2?
Before diving into its impact on SEO, let’s understand what Web3 represents.
Web2: This is the current era of the Internet, nicely characterized by Google, Facebook, and Amazon—all centralized platforms, in a manner of speaking—that dominate information retrieval, social interaction, and e-commerce. These platforms make money by selling users’ data and act as the gatekeepers to online visibility.
Web3: Web3 is all about shifting power from centralized entities back to the user with the use of blockchain technology. For this reason, in Web3, users own their data, interact with dApps, and function in an environment where privacy and peer-to-peer links are prioritized.
Key attributes of Web3 include:
- Decentralized hosting of content.
- Blockchain-based domains, like .crypto and .eth.
- Cryptocurrency and tokenized interactions.
- Enhanced privacy, user control over data.
These basic shifts challenge the centralized search paradigms that SEO was built on in Web2.
Key Ways Web3 Is Going to Affect SEO
1. Decentralized Search Engines
Web3 gives a whole new meaning to decentralized search engines, which would run on blockchain networks. Unlike Google, the engines do not rely on any centralized servers or algorithms but leverage peer-to-peer networks, which incentivize users to take part in indexing and curation.
SEO Implications:
- Reduced Dominance of Google: Optimization would be required for Presearch and BitClout or other newly emerging blockchain-based search engines.
- Community Governed Rankings: Rankings will rely more on community voting or blockchain governance than on proprietary algorithms.
- Optimization Strategy Change: Traditional SEO factors of backlinks and keyword density may not be applicable anymore but rather give way to authenticity of content and blockchain verifiability.
2. Blockchain Domains and Decentralized Websites
Web3 offers a set of blockchain domains including .crypto, .eth, and .dao, among many others, hosted on decentralized networks, offering much better privacy and ownership.
SEO Implications:
- Challenges in Crawling and Indexing: Decentralized websites may not be accessible to traditional search engines, and thus, SEO professionals have to change their indexing strategies.
- Domain Authority Reimagined: Blockchain domains work outside of traditional DNS systems and can upset traditional metrics for domain authority.
- Content Permanence: On decentralized systems like IPFS (InterPlanetary File System), the content is immutable; hence, updating or even SEO changes must be carefully planned.
3. Privacy-Centric User Behavior
The focus of Web3 is on making sure user data is private, and the control lies with the user. That is quite opposite to Web2, which is based on tracking cookies and user data for targeted advertising and SEO insights.
SEO Implications:
- Decline of Third-Party Data: Without cookies or centralized user data, businesses will have to use zero-party data; that is, data shared willingly by users.
- Keywords and Behavioral Analytics May Change: With tracking capabilities such as Google Analytics diminished, businesses may need to devise newer, innovative ways to understand user intent.
- Content Transparency: Users in Web3 will likely favor transparent content over manipulative SEO tactics.
4. Engaged and Rewarded Tokenization
Web3 allows the creation of token-based ecosystems where users are incentivized with cryptocurrency or tokens for creating content, curating information, or other value additions to communities.
SEO Implications:
- New Engagement Metrics: Performance may be measured through tokenized interactions (e.g., upvotes or tips), not traditional measures like clicks and bounce rates.
- Content Sharing Incentivization: Businesses can develop token-based incentives for users to share and interact with content, further increasing visibility.
- Move to CTR Optimization: Businesses could instead optimize for engagement within tokenized networks.
5. Growing Focus on Authenticity
Web3’s transparent and immutable blockchain environment makes it more difficult for bad actors to manipulate search rankings or publish false information.
SEO Implications:
- Reputation Verification: Blockchain verifiability can be a ranking factor in which content creators are rewarded for having transparent, credible histories.
- Less Manipulation: Current spammy strategies, such as black-hat SEO, link farms, and keyword stuffing, may lose much relevance in this system, where authenticity will play a central role.
- More Quality, Less Quantity: Instead of just volume, content quality and user trust will likely determine visibility.
6. Voice and AI Search in Web3
Web3 technologies integrate AI-driven systems and voice search assistants at the backend of decentralized networks.
SEO Implications:
- Optimization for Decentralized AI: Businesses will need to ensure that their content is discoverable by decentralized AI tools.
- Conversational SEO Expands: The rise of voice will require optimization for more natural, conversational searches.
- Integration with Blockchain-Based AI Models: Content strategy may need to align with decentralized AI training data.
7. Monetization of Content in Decentralized Ways
Web3 empowers creators to monetize directly without intermediaries. Creatives can tokenize their work using platforms like NFTs (non-fungible tokens).
SEO Implications:
- SEO for NFTs: Metadata and description optimization will be required for NFTs by companies to enhance discoverability in decentralized marketplaces.
- Monetization-Driven Visibility: Content can gain visibility based on its revenue generation in tokenized ecosystems.
- Shift to Creator Economies: SEO strategies will need to support this new economy of individual creators and tokenized business models.
Actionable SEO Strategies for Web3
- Adopt Decentralized Search Engines: Optimize your content for new blockchain search platforms, including Presearch.
- Claim Blockchain Domains: Get your brand on the decentralized web by registering blockchain domains such as .crypto or .eth.
Unstoppable Domains is a great place to start. - Leverage Zero-Party Data: Focus on building trust with users to collect first-party and zero-party data ethically.
Learn about zero-party data: HubSpot Zero-Party Data Guide. - Tokenized Incentives: Use tokens to reward users for their time and interactions with your content.
- Emphasize Authenticity of Content: Showcase transparent sourcing and credibility in your content. Blockchain records can be used to prove this.
- Optimize for Voice and AI Search: Prepare your content for decentralized AI and voice search by using conversational language and structured data.
Structured Data Guide. - Track Decentralized Metrics: Engage with blockchain analytics to track engagement and visibility.
Conclusion: Embracing SEO in a Decentralized World
Web3 is setting a new meaning for the internet, and SEO will need to change along with it. While traditional approaches will continue to bear value, businesses must be future-ready for decentralized search engines, privacy-centric user behavior, and tokenized engagement models.
The shift to Web3 creates an opportunity to craft more authentic, user-focused content while embracing the values of decentralization and transparency. By adapting now, businesses can position themselves to thrive in the next generation of the internet.
Sources:
- Presearch - Decentralized Search Engine: https://presearch.io
- Unstoppable Domains - Blockchain Domains: https://unstoppabledomains.com
- HubSpot Zero-Party Data Guide: https://blog.hubspot.com
- IPFS - InterPlanetary File System: https://ipfs.tech
- Blockchain and SEO Insights: https://moz.com
- NFT SEO Strategies: https://opensea.io
- Voice Search Optimization Guide: https://searchengineland.com
- Blockchain Analytics Tools: https://www.blockchain.com