SEO National’s Post

"Traffic, always traffic" -Me when asked what is hardest part about publishing. Take this article for what you want, but at a minimum take a look at: 1) Google's manipulation of the SERP to pump it's own ads (and zero click) 2) The massive challenge Google has with defining quality vs reputation vs. user expectation 3) How SGE is going to rely on Ads (product listings) to inform its own answers... and provide ad links. There are a ton of shenanigans in SEO, always has been, but we've reached an epic level. Google (except for the above) is stuck in the middle trying to referee a good user experience... Hence the "Google search is broken" trope (imho, it is). May 5th is gonna be an interesting day for sure... https://lnkd.in/gAhu9Jh8

You know how I said in my last post telegraph.co.uk/betting had 3,720 pages indexed by Google? ... well today it only has 10 pages indexed on Google! On Sunday, just 2 days after I posted, Google rolled out a surprise "site reputation policy", adding manual actions against sites engaging in "parasite SEO" with news that an algorithmic component will follow at some point. I read about the enforcement at https://lnkd.in/exEAPqKn which is primarily focusing on sites with promo/voucher code sections, but thought I'd check on telegraph.co.uk/betting as I'd only just spoken about it. A quick google of site:telegraph.co.uk/betting shows just 10 pages indexed now, and this is the same method I used to get the original 3,720 figure. Could this mean there's hope to smaller sites who don't benefit from as high a reputation? Probably not... but it looks like Google is trying to clean the serps up a little bit. #SEO #SiteReputationPolicy #ParasiteSEO

Ever wondered how Google magically delivers the most relevant search results? 🌐✨ It's thanks to a brilliant algorithm called PageRank! 🤔 What's PageRank? PageRank, the brainchild of Google's founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, is like the VIP pass for web pages. It ranks them based on popularity—more quality links mean a higher rank! 🌟 Why Does it Matter? When you search for cat videos or life hacks, PageRank ensures the top results are not just any pages but the crème de la crème. It's all about giving you the best of the web. 🧠 How Does it Work? Imagine the web as a big party, and each link is a connection between guests. If you get invited by the popular crowd, your rank goes up. The more influential friends (links) you have, the higher you climb on the search ladder! 🔍 Why Businesses Love It: For businesses, a higher PageRank means more visibility. Just like being at the front of the line, it increases the chances of people discovering your content, products, or services. 🌐 The Web's Social Network: In a way, PageRank turns the web into a giant social network where popularity matters. But here, it's not about likes and shares; it's about the quality and quantity of connections. 🚀 In Conclusion: PageRank is like the wizard behind the curtain, ensuring your Google searches are like a well-curated playlist. So, next time you find exactly what you're looking for, tip your hat to PageRank! #ASMTalks #PageRank #GoogleMagic #SearchAlgorithm #DigitalWorld #SEO

Where's the best place to hide a secret? The second page of Google search results... It's estimated that 92% of search traffic always stays on the first page of Google’s search results, leaving the second page in the dark. So how do you ensure your business' website lands on page one? The (really short) answer: relevant keyword usage. Relevant keyword usage may seem obvious, but often, industry-specific professionals do not realize the terms that people use in a Google search are not, necessarily, the terms that they use in their day-to-day jobs. Tools, such as Moz, are extremely helpful for keyword research – just be sure to use language that appeals to the client and target audience. If you’re ready to optimize your website and grow your business, look no further; contact my team at Top Fox Marketing today! https://buff.ly/4aGalJi

The only reason Google has downplayed the importance of links in the past, is because so many people try to manipulate and game the system. It's been pretty clear since day 1 - that quality, relevant links are what provide actual authority, yet many still choose to misinterpret and ignore the guidance provided. Why? Because getting crap links is a hell of a lot easier (and cheaper) than getting good ones. Unfortunately they do little to aid your SEO efforts. Earlier this week Demand Generation report shared my thoughts on the Google leak, its stance on links, and why I believe links and positive brand coverage are more important than ever. (Link in comments). The most interesting part of Google’s leak IMO 👀 ? Its nuanced tiered approach to link weighting that fundamentally integrates user click data. These tiers — low, medium and high quality — are determined by the volume and authenticity of user clicks, analyzed through data from Chrome and other Google services. Low-quality links with minimal engagement are ignored in rankings, medium-quality links have moderate influence and high-quality links, which receive significant verified clicks, provide the strongest ranking signals. TLDR: Focus on quality over quantity links - in the publications your target audience engage with most. Yes - it really *is* that simple - although admittedly not always easy to secure, but it is worth the time investment and strategic planning in doing so #stopbuyinglinks.

Why do we talk about Google News? Google News Approved website visibility. What does it mean? "It means that when you search for news on Google and scroll down, you will find many websites providing news, such as Geo News, ARY News, and American channels where news is provided. "Google News Approved means that Google considers them as new, and as soon as an article, news, or press release is published here, Google scrolls it in seconds or minutes and starts ranking it in the search engine. As soon as someone searches for news, this information appears in front of them. I have written about Google News improving websites here because people post press release links in it. What does press release mean? As soon as you open a news, you see a press release. Press releases are not blog posts. Let me explain again, this is news that is a press release. People also put their links in it to generate backlinks. 🤐These are a bit risky. #seo #guestpost #googlenews #digitalmarketing

My friends know that I'm an avid home baker, but this webinar I'm doing with @thehothseo tomorrow is not about the cookies we like to whip up in the kitchen. Instead, we're going to chat about... 1) Google phasing out 3rd party cookies 2) What you can do to make sure you're still getting quality leads into your pipeline and 3) Using organic efforts to leverage your first-party data See ya there! https://lnkd.in/eRergWMY

Will links still matter in two years? You don’t have to answer with “it depends…” The short answer is most likely yes, but we can’t be 100% sure 🤷♂️ Links are the foundation of how Google finds new content, understands it, and ranks it appropriately. In the past, this was a particularly good way of providing valuable content to users rather than what was otherwise available. Since then, links have become easy to manipulate and industrialise, and Google’s had to act to counteract that. One of the ways it has done that is with other ranking signals that help illustrate value other than just links. Links are still used today, and so are other linking factors, which has gradually diluted the importance of links over time. Links can and should be used as a signal, but we need to focus more holistically on all of the signals that we can influence 🔗 #SEO #SearchEngine #SearchEngineOptimisation #LinkBuilding

So I feel compelled to weigh in on the Google leak. Sure, there is a lot of info in there about ranking factors, the API, sandbox, dwell time, etc. A lot of people have looked through it and felt vindicated. Dangerously, some other people in SEO appear to be looking through this leak and saying “oh, cool, this will help us figure out our approach to SEO.” It seems to me like all the documents and articles and videos can be boiled down into one meaningful takeaway: Google does not tell the truth in a lot of its public-facing communication. For a while, I’ve called myself a “Google skeptic”, a label I share with Ella Cashman, Joe Kerlin, Ben Lohrding, Marisa Malahowski, Mark Van Cleve, among others. At times, we’ve made the claim: “We don’t work for Google. We work against Google.” Now, you can debate that, especially when one considers the false dichotomy of that statement (we work for the human, the searcher, the user; we work for the client, the brand, the business; for or against Google can seem irrelevant; etc.) But what I’m going to say here is that people who are reacting strongly to this Google leak fall into two categories: a) vindication or b) reactionary. And I think I’m sitting strongly in the vindication camp, although I’m going to argue that many of the details are irrelevant. The simple message: Google is a very large company that puts a lot of effort in PR — and that its market share is quickly shrinking. Now go read about what Joe Kerlin has to say on the topic. #googleleak #seo #sxo

In the last few weeks or so, it was reported that files containing details about the kind of data Google collects and potentially uses in its search ranking algorithms was leaked online. It seems there is a big difference, some say a huge difference, between what Google says they measure, what in practice they actually measure when it comes to ranking sites and web pages. I would recommend reading this article from Search Engine Journal about the initial leaks https://lnkd.in/eJ-qPXiD Then check out this article that features Rand Fishkin's thoughts on what these new revelations may mean https://lnkd.in/eDxhvuvz The most important takeaways from Rand's thoughts are... - Invest in author/entity authority - Supplement link-building with public relations - Embrace geographic nuance In essence, get known for what you do. Be the go to person or company for the sector or product range you're in. Keep sending out guest posts with links back to you and your website, but also get a PR company to help spread the good word. There have been discussions about press releases and their importance. I guess this may settle it, for now. If you're doing SEO in-house, a PR agency or a marketing company who is aware of good SEO practices , then you are going to have to rethink your current approach... #eventindustrty #SEO #Marketing #PR