Archive for the ‘seo news’ Category
Thursday, December 29th, 2022
Since Search Engine Land launched, we have given PPC experts a platform to share their in-depth knowledge and timely insights – with the goal of helping you solve problems, manage challenges and understand the constantly shifting landscape of paid search, paid social and display.
That’s why one of my top priorities this year was to help relaunch the Search Engine Land Subject Matter Expert program, which had been on pause for the past few years.
Below you’ll find links to the 10 most-read, must-read Search Engine Land PPC columns of 2022 that were contributed by our fantastic group of Subject Matter Experts.
Before that, I have to give some special recognition to PPC expert Melissa Mackey, who authored the most viewed column of the year, which published Nov. 9 – 10 things to eliminate from your life to be more productive at work. That article isn’t included on our top 10 list because the insights can apply to anyone really – not just search marketers. Regardless, the article did monster numbers – in large part thanks to Google Discover.
Also, congratulations to Anthony Tedesco for authoring three of the top 10 most-read articles this year on Search Engine Land. Amazing.
Onto the list:
Responsive Search Ads are a huge shift from the ETA format. Learn how RSAs work and get tips on how to get more out of them. (By Mona Elesseily. Published April 14.)
SEO and PPC are often at odds. Yet the things they “bicker over” are actually areas for improved workflow and channel optimization. (By Navah Hopkins. Published June 29.)
Learn the benefits of RSAs, how the transition from ETAs impacts you search strategy and how to write effective RSAs (By Jenny Mallory. Published May 3.)
Google Ads has clarified what identical keywords are. But does this tactic go against what Google has been preaching for years? (By Greg Finn. Published June 29.)
Learn how to use Excel pivot tables to QA bulk sheets, plus some tips and shortcuts to enhance your pivot table skills. (By Anthony Tedesco. Published Nov. 7.)
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Investment in brand keywords is critical because it allows you to directly influence your brand’s presentation on the SERP. (By Anthony Tedesco. Published July 5.)
Getting data and insights from Performance Max can be frustrating. Here are some tips and tricks that will help. (By Menachem Ani. Published Aug. 19.)
Set yourself up for more success. Learn how to take your PPC dashboard from good to great using Google Looker Studio. (By Amy Hebdon. Originally published March 10, updated and republished Oct. 31.)
Maximize your performance with Google Ads Performance Max. Here’s everything you need to know to set up PMax for success. (By Menachem Ani. Published July 22.)
Use these tips to quickly analyze performance data and identify high-impact PPC optimizations that will move the needle. (By Anthony Tedesco. Published Aug. 24.)
The post Top 10 PPC expert columns of 2022 on Search Engine Land appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Wednesday, December 28th, 2022
As 2022 proved once again, SEO is never boring.
Was 2022 the year of AI – or perhaps the official dawning of the age of AI? For the last month, it’s been hard not to read about or avoid the temptation to spend hours playing with ChatGPT.
We also had our usual share of algorithm updates, new tools and features, acquisitions, and plenty more changes.
One constant through it all? For 16 years, Search Engine Land has covered all the biggest stories, just as we did again in 2022.
Here’s our look back at the biggest SEO news of 2022 – from Google and other search engines, tool providers and the community.
Google news
Google Search Essentials and more documentation changes
Google did a major refresh of its 20-year-old Webmaster Guidelines and also renamed it to Google Search Essentials. The updated guidelines were streamlined, simplified, and updated “to ensure people have clear guidance for how to build sites that serve people well.”
While Search Essentials was the biggest of Google’s documentation updates in 2022, there were plenty more.
Google updated several Feature Guides help documents:
Google also:
Also, not long after a study by SEO tool company Ahrefs showed half of GSC clicks going to hidden terms, Google removed language in its Performance report (Search) help doc, calling hidden Search Console query data “very rare.”
In other documentation changes, Google:
E-E-A-T and the QRG
Google’s quality rater guidelines (QRG) for search were updated twice this year – once in July and then again in December.
Lily Ray provided her usual excellent breakdowns of what changed in both updates to the QRG.
For the July update (Google search quality rater guidelines update: What has changed), Google reframed its definition of YMYL, revamped its definition of low-quality pages and more
And as Ray covered in the December update (E-E-A-T and major updates to Google’s quality rater guidelines):
“The addition of ‘experience’ indicates that content quality can also be evaluated through the lens of understanding the extent to which the content creator has first-hand experience in the topic.
With this reframing of E-E-A-T, Google also states that “trust” is at the center of this concept and is the “most important member of the E-E-A-T family.”
Before E-A-T became E-E-A-T – we learned from Google that E-A-T is synonymous with “good content quality.”
“E-A-T is a template for how we rate an individual site. We do it to every single query and every single result. It’s pervasive throughout every single thing we do,” according to Hyung-Jin Kim, VP of Search, Google, who spoke at SMX Next in November. Dig deeper: in 7 takeaways from the SMX Next keynote with Hyung-Jin Kim, VP Search at Google.
While this is decidedly not new, it is always good for SEO professionals to understand why Google does the things it does.
Continuous scroll, multisearch, featured snippets and more search feature changes
Google is constantly testing its SERPs, all in the name of making sure users have a great experience and find the information or answer they are looking for.
One of the biggest changes was Google bringing continuous scroll (don’t cal it infinite!) to desktop earlier this month. Yes, it’s officially time to retire the term “Page 2 of Google” – and focus on position when talking about rankings.
Another significant change was multisearch – searching by image and then adding text to that specific image search.
Google played around with featured snippets this year, testing ‘From the web’ and ‘Other sites say’ in featured snippets, as well as showing two or more featured snippets.
For feature snippets, Google now uses MUM to determine whether there is general consensus for information. Google also reported that MUM helped reduce false premise results by 40%
Also of note: a SERP analysis found that People Also Ask appears 10x more than featured snippets. PAA also was in the news because People also ask was showing up half as often in Google Search but it later returned to normal.
FAQ rich results also gained some significant Google SERP visibility.
Oh and if you ever have trouble keeping track of all the parts that make up Google’s user interface, Google launched a visual gallery documenting 22 elements.
Here’s a look back at even more features that were added or tested in Google’s search results in 2022:
Algorithm updates
In 2022, there were 10 confirmed Google algorithm updates:
At SMX Next, we learned from Google’s Kim that Google’s Panda algorithm evolved into a new algorithm called Coati. Although this was new information about something fairly old in the Google algorithm world, it was still an interesting discovery.
Also, Google’s John Mueller confirmed that Google no longer used the 2010 and 2018 page speed signals. They were replaced by Core Web Vitals.
We also learned, via a document Google released to the U.S. Copyright Office, that Google’s Pirate Update can cause 89% drop in search traffic for offending sites.
In November, Google published a document on its notable ranking systems, which included algorithms that are no longer used for ranking or have been incorporated into new systems.
Google also introduced a new “algorithmic improvement” for how it selects titles for the search result snippets for multi-language or transliterated titles or where the title element is written in a different language or script from its content.
Read Barry Schwartz’s recap to dig deeper into the year in algorithm updates. And make sure to check out our history of Google algorithm updates page for all our latest news and guidance around the latest algorithm updates.
AI & machine learning
ChatGPT was all the talk in the SEO world in the final weeks of 2022. And you can bet we’ll be hearing more about the (and other) exciting AI technologies in 2023, especially with GTP-4 not far away.
Without a doubt, many sites will attempt to mass produce content using AI tools. Just be careful – earlier this year, Google warned that Google doesn’t want your AI-generated SEO spam content.
Which was a bit ironic, considering you could, theoretically, use Google Docs to write your meta descriptions. And surprisingly, they weren’t all that bad.
Google also detailed how it uses artificial intelligence In Google Search. One other way Google was considering using AI was to update business hours in local listings. Google also formally introduced SpamBrain, its AI-based spam prevention system, which launched in 2018.
And despite the many positive and exciting ways to use AI, there is always a dark side, as we reported in Beware of fake DMCA link requests by AI-generated lawyers.
Local search
Lots of local search news in 2022 – new attributes, review issues, Google Business Profile changes, and scams were among the main headlines:
New attributes:
Google Business Profile, Maps and reviews:
Scams:
More Google news
Microsoft Bing
IndexNow
Microsoft Bing continued to push its IndexNow initiative, adding co-sharing of URLs with Yandex, announcing in August that more than 16 million websites were using it (publishing more than 1.2 billion URLs per day to the IndexNow API), as well as adding multiple new integrations:
More Microsoft Bing news
Analytics, reporting and tools
In case you missed all the thousands of reminders to adopt Google Analytics 4 until now, now is the time to adopt GA4. Because Universal Analytics ceases to exist July 1, 2023. Hope you are ready.
In an odd bit of rebranding, Google Data Studio was renamed Looker Studio. Google said it was “unifying” the Google business intelligence products – including the popular Google Data Studio product – “under the Looker umbrella.”
Google Search Console
Google Search Console had plenty of new additions – tools, features and reporting improvements. Here are links to our coverage:
In December, we reported on an experimental feature called Content ideas. Days later, we learned Question Hub is closing down. Coincidence? Maybe we’ll find out in 2023.
GSC also had a fair share of reporting bugs and other issues in 2022:
We also said a final farewell to the URL Parameters tool, which Google said had “low value,” the old message panel and the International targeting report.
And did you get one of those intrusive interstitials notices from GSC?
Acquisitions in the SEO space
Early in 2022, it looked like we were in for a busy year of acquisitions. Things slowed down around mid-year, but check out the major changes we saw this year with some of the largest SEO technology companies:
Moz deindexed
A DMCA request removed SEO tool Moz from Google search for just under 12 hours. To be removed from Google search for your branded term is the stuff of SEO nightmares, no matter how long it lasts.
Zero-Clicks: an alternative view
Semrush put out an interesting study on zero-click searches. It found that 25.6% of desktop searches and 17.3% of mobile searches were zero-click, much lower than prior – let’s call it “suspect” – zero-click research.
Other search engines
Ahrefs made big news when it revealed details about its own general-purpose search engine, Yep. While it’s no Google killer, more alternative search engines is a good thing.
Meanwhile, DuckDuckGo, the most well-known privacy search engine, seemed to be continuing its steady growth, finally passing 100 billion searches in January. Until April. That’s when DuckDuckGo fell below 100 million daily average searches per day. And in the months since, DuckDuckGo has been unable to get back to that level.
In memoriam
In 2022, we lost influential SEO pioneer and expert Bill Slawski on May 17. He was best known for helping the community make sense of search patents, mostly on SEO By The Sea. Thankfully, that treasure trove of information lives on, after it briefly went offline. In the wake of his passing, we also discovered some upsetting Google search results for [bill slawski obituary].
Another incredibly sad loss was that of Tatiana Perebeinis, the chief accountant of SE Ranking, who was one of four people killed in a Russian attack in Irpin, Ukraine.
SMX Advanced & Next
We ran two digital events this year – SMX Advanced in June and SMX Next in November. Both shows were packed full of actionable SEO tips and insights.
Below are links to our coverage of the SEO track from Advanced.
And you can expect to read lots of coverage of the SEO track from SMX Next over the coming weeks on Search Engine Land.
SEO in 2023
As we look ahead, here’s what we know:
Unless you plan to abandon Google Analytics, you need to accept and fully adopt GA4 – because the current GA goes away in July. And if you haven’t migrated yet? You’re going to have an extra hard time comparing year-on-year data. Also: make sure you save whatever historical GA data you need, because Google will delete it all. And once it’s gone, it’s gone.
Should be excited or terrified by ChatGPT? Yes. I mean, it depends. Just remember, ChatGPT it’s only useful for things up until 2021. But GPT-4 is coming soon.
With the rise of AI tools, it will be interesting to see how Google responds to what could potentially be a flood of duplicative AI-generated content. If that does happen, spoiler: it won’t go well for those sites. Because there are plenty of tools that are good at detecting AI content – and Google is well aware of what’s happening.
We also know there will be Google algorithm updates. Google has confirmed 10 major updates in 2021 and 2022. We know there will be core updates and probably more coming with the helpful content update. And when it happens, Search Engine Land will be first to report on it.
The post SEO 2022 in review: E-E-A-T, ChatGPT, Search Essentials and more appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Tuesday, December 27th, 2022
2022 was a wild ride and we’re not just talking about NyQuil chicken or the slap heard ‘round the world at the Oscars. The digital marketing world was inundated with a new Chief twit, old platforms making comebacks (enter Microsoft), and more campaign automation features then we really care for.
As the year comes to a close, let’s take a look at some of the most headline-worthy, controversial, biggest-impacting changes that rocked the PPC world over the last 12 months.
The bigger picture
We asked and you answered. This year marketers told us that although the adoption of Google Ads automation is high, it’s their least favorite part of PPC. The gradual loss of control, as well as forcing automation and broad targeting on marketers, doesn’t give us that warm and fuzzy feeling after all. Who knew?
But automation and economic uncertainty aside, search advertising is thriving and spending in 2023 could hit $112 billion (nearly double the spend in 2019). Google dominates that spend, holding over 56% of ad revenue. Even Black Friday and Cyber Monday hit record numbers this year. So it’s no surprise that digital marketing ranks in the top 3 hottest skills Americans are learning in 2022.
Speaking of skills, our Search Engine Land PPC Award winners were announced. NP Digital was the big winner this year, taking home Agency of the Year along with 2 other awards. Streamline Results took Small Agency of the Year, and Workshop Digital blew us away with Best B2B Search Marketing Initiative. And who can forget Melissa Liu from RPA taking home Search Marketer of the Year. Congrats to all of our winners!
Security concerns and legal woes
Google had to tighten their policies surrounding explicit content after Reuters found illicit ads advertising liquor, sex toys, and high-risk investments. Large brands are even leaving Twitter after finding their ads next to adult, harmful, or violent content. More about Twitter later.
Google security remained in the spotlight when Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn) wrote a letter to CEO Sundar Pichai claiming that Google wasn’t doing enough to crack down on deceptive ads originating from their platform. The claim was citing an investigation from last year claiming that Google advertisers are impersonating government websites and purchasing ads in an effort to scam consumers.
Location data concerns also plagued Google and they were sued by Washington D.C. attorney general Karl Racine. Lawsuits were also filed in additional states.
But Google users concerned about privacy and security may be happy to know that Google updated their My Ad Center features to allow for more control.
TikTok, though making aggressive moves toward a more secure and safe platform, isn’t a stranger to security flaws. The FCC even told (recommended?) that Google and Apple remove it from their app stores for breaching user data. The request claims that U.S. data had been accessed by China and that “TikTok poses an unacceptable national security risk due to its extensive data harvesting being combined with Beijing’s apparently unchecked access to that sensitive data.”
Speaking of TikTok, in an effort to play nice, the social media platform banned political fundraising and started requiring accounts that belong to U.S. government departments, politicians, and political parties to be verified.
We can’t talk about safety and security without talking about Meta. From 12:01 AM PT on Tuesday, November 1, 2022, through 11:59 PM PT on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, no new ads about social issues, elections, or politics were allowed to be published, and most edits will be prohibited. This policy runs every year and is likely in response to the 2016 presidential election.
Hot topics
Russia declared war in Ukraine. In response, Google and Microsoft Bing halted ad sales in Russia. A smart, necessary move to protest Russia’s actions in Ukraine, but they also help search engines avoid brand safety debacles like misinformation campaigns making it through their automated systems and showing to users.
In July Google eased ad restrictions for at-home abortion providers, making it easier for at-home abortion providers to distinguish themselves from other services that try to discourage the practice. Telemedicine providers who mail FDA-approved medications to people looking for at-home abortions previously weren’t allowed to label themselves as abortion providers. But in the aftermath of the Supreme Court overturn of Roe v. Wade, Google has amended its policies.
Gmail, YouTube, Smart Shopping updates; and is Google Search getting worse?
Freakonomics podcast asked us if Google Search was getting worse. What do you think? According to their research, maybe.
Gone but not forgotten
Automation & Performance Max
- Google starts automatically upgrading Smart Shopping campaigns to Performance Max. Like it or not, PMax isn’t going anywhere, and if you missed the deadline to switch your SS campaigns over, don’t worry, Google has got your back.
- Google Ads launches placement reports for Performance Max campaigns finally giving advertisers a view into where their ads served, how many impressions they received, and insight into brand safety.
- Google launches automated vehicle ads and are designed to allow auto advertisers to promote their entire vehicle inventory to potential customers on Google.com. This format includes an image of the vehicle, make, model, price, miles and the advertiser’s name.
- Google will automatically switch some advertisers’ attribution models. In a bold, but unsurprising move, Google took it upon themselves to switch advertisers’ attribution models to data-driven.
New & improved
YouTube
Cookies
Cookies will remain active on Chrome until 2024. In July, Google announced that their Sandbox initiative has been delayed and developers are aiming for a Q3 2023 launch. Google developers also predict that it will start phasing out third-party cookies in the second half of 2024 – not 2023 like originally planned.
Microsoft is making a giant comeback
Microsoft isn’t new to PPC. But over the years it’s become third, fourth, or even fifth string to Google, Meta, twitter, LinkedIn, and even TikTok. But 2022 impressed us with just the sheer volume of new, improved, and updated features that Microsoft released.
One of the biggest announcements this year was the acquisition of AT&T’s Xandr. By joining forces, Microsoft hopes to combine their audience intel and technology with Xandr’s powerful platform. This could allow Microsoft to leverage their audience network and provide additional inventory such as native video and digital TV.
Microsoft even announced plans to double the size of its ad business to $20 billion. I’d say they’re on the right track, since they also launched in 29 more countries in Europe and Africa.
As if this year couldn’t be any more busy, they also won the bid to partner with Netflix for their ad supported tier. The deal gives Microsoft access to a quality streaming video inventory – something they previously lacked.
New launches
- Cruise Ads were launched and appear on the right-hand side of the Bing search results and appear alongside mainline text ads. They can trigger for queries such as cruise name, location, length, etc.
- Multimedia Ads. The new video and image formats are “infographic-inspired,” meant to “innovate and disrupt web search.”
- New ad type for service providers. Professional service ads can also be used to promote regional offices, branches or even national brands that provide relevant services.
- Cash back incentives. This is a new ad offering that will incentivize shoppers via a rebate upon purchase. Microsoft will choose the “right amount of cashback for the right ad and right user” allowing for advertisers to gather the best possible return on ad spend.
- Pinterest import, Performance Max beta, Multimedia ads support in Editor, and subdomains in DSAs. Whew!
- New audience network markets, automated bidding data exclusions, URL tracking for auto extensions, doctor and clinic beta.
- Credit cards are now available globally. Plus, 10 other updates were announced in November.
- Auto-generated remarketing lists, flyer extensions, and expanded coverage of hotel and property promotion ads closed out the month of December.
- Crypto exchange ads are now allowed on the platform, with pre-approval of course.
- The dreaded auto-apply of recommendations has hit Microsoft, too. In February, auto-apply was out of beta and users started seeing recs being applied to their accounts.
Housekeeping
Meta takes a backseat
Meta stayed pretty quiet in 2022. With Zuck focusing so much time and resources on the Metaverse, they didn’t launch as many new products or features as Google or Microsoft. That said, there were still a few new developments.
Twitter – where do we even begin
Twitter has had an interesting year. It’s not even over and new Chief twit Elon Musk is still making headlines. As always, we try our best to keep you updated with the latest news, as it happens. But Twitter updates are happening faster than we can report, so thanks for sticking around while we try to navigate what’s post-worthy and what’s too ridiculous to even mention.
After the Musk takeover, security policies seemed to loosen and 30+ brands suspended their marketing campaigns after finding their ads next to child pornography accounts.
But despite all the drama, Twitter has released a few new useful tools and features. Let’s take a look.
TikTok shopping debacle, longer videos, and unhappy creators
TikTok continued to compete against Facebook and Instagram to gain an edge over the short form video market. In doing so, they extended the length of their videos to 10 minutes, and updated the description character limit to 2,200.
But the longer videos and descriptions wasn’t enough to keep creators happy. In July we reported that TikTok’s history of low Creator Fund payouts were forcing some influencers to leave the platform for good. Some creators claim they’re paid between $0.02 – $0.03 per one thousand video views. Yikes!
Shopping confusion
You would think that TikTok would be doing everything they could to get a leg up on other social and ad platforms. So it was surprising when Meta announced their plans to scale back on shopping, TikTik followed suit with its own announcement to abandon plans to bring shopping into the US. Though, understandably after a disastrous launch in the UK.
But just one month later, TikTok announced three new shopping ad features, including video, catalog, and LIVE ads. So what gives?
For their LIVE feature, they aimed at enhancing the experience and promoting greater brand safety, something that the app has been accused of neglecting in the past.
They did this by introducing:
- The introduction of Multi-Guest
- Increasing the LIVE minimum age from 16 to 18
- Introducing safety reminders for all LIVE guests
I think they were hoping that brands that saw features being cut on Meta would abandon the platform and move to TikTok. But has that happened? We shall see.
And to further compete with Meta, TikTok also launched Photo Mode as well as 7 other photo editing features including:
- Edit clips: Stack, trim, and split video clips
- Edit sounds: Cut, trim, and set the duration for sounds
- Edit and position text: More easily edit, position, and set the duration for text
- Add overlays: Add photo and video overlays for picture-in-picture (or video-in-video) stacking
- Adjust video speed: Speed or slow the pace of video clips
- Frame content: Rotate or zoom in and out of frame of individual clips
- Add sound effects. Add musical soundtracks to videos and photo carousels
Look familiar?
Competing with Amazon, too?
But Meta isn’t the only media giant TikTok is going after. In November, they launched TikTok Shop, where users can now make purchases directly through the app. At the time of this publishing, TikTok is currently inviting select U.S. businesses to participate in the initiative. That means live streamers from places where the feature is not live will need to continue directing shoppers to third-party websites.
Apple
Apple is trying its hardest to join the ad game, but unless you’re a publisher or game developer, there aren’t a ton of options for you right now. But nevertheless, Apple made some noteworthy changes and updates this year. Let’s take a look.
Apple is expanding ads on iPhone and iPad. Display ads are currently shown in the search tab. But soon Apple will expand the ads to the main Today tab as well as in third-party app download pages, according to Bloomberg. For search ads in the app store, developers can pay to have their apps featured in the results when users search terms related to the app.
Four new Apple Search Ad placement options. Apple released four new options for advertisers to drive visibility and downloads in the App Store. The new placements are:
- Today tab
- Search tab
- Search results
- Product pages — while browsing
Apple could be building an ad network for live TV. In November we reported that Apple was holding discussions with advertising partners and MLS sponsors with the plan to launch next February.
Apple Search campaigns shifting to cost-per-tap (CPT) pricing model. Starting in June, Apple shifted their model to Cost-per-Tap, or CPT. CPT is Apple’s version of CPC, or cost per click. It is calculated by dividing your total spend by the number of taps your ad received.
Other platforms making headlines
We would be remiss if we didn’t mention that there are plenty of other platforms that made waves in 2022. Although these may not have been big enough to deserve their own category, they definitely deserve mentioning.
Best Buy
Best Buy to sell search ads under its own in-house media company. Best Buy has launched Best Buy Ads, its own in-house media company. Best Buy Ads offers paid search ads and sponsored product listings on Best Buy’s website, among other ad offerings.
Instacart
Walmart
- Walmart is expanding their self-service Marketplace platform. Search Brand Amplifier gives products listed in the Walmart marketplace higher visibility by boosting advertised products to the top of search results. Walmart says this benefits newer and smaller brands that haven’t achieved high organic listings within the Walmart platform.
- Walmart is now selling ads on TikTok, Roku, and Snap. For the first time ever, Walmart has expanded its ad reach beyond its own ecommerce platform by powering ads on TikTok, Roku, and Snap. They’ll also have the capability to measure any sales that come from those ads.
LinkedIn
- A podcast network aimed at professional audiences. The LinkedIn Podcast Network is a pilot program that will include shows about topics such as technology, recruiting and mental health, from external experts as well as its own in-house news team.
- LinkedIn announces Business Manager. Finally! The new Business Manager will aim to simplify how marketers keep track of their accounts by offering their Campaign Manager and Pages options easily visible from a central location.
Pinterest
Pinterest is doubling down on Shopping by adding 4 new features. Pinterest introduced four new merchant features to help retailers promote their stores.
- Product Tagging on Pins
- Video in Catalog
- Shop Tab on Business Profiles
- The API for Shopping
Reddit
Uber
Uber ads are coming, and they’re already raising privacy concerns. Ubers’ new journey ads will be shown in the Uber app at least three times during the riders’ journey. The new feature will let brands place ads using data drawn from riders’ travel history and their precise geographic destinations, according to Uber.
SMX Advanced and SMX Next
We can’t wrap up our 2022 year in review without talking about SMX. We had 2 epic virtual conferences this year with expert speakers discussing topics such as how to leverage automated bidding to finding success with an audience-first strategy. Let’s take a look back.
SMX Advanced
SMX Next
Did you miss SMX Next, or wanna watch it again? You still can. Registration is free.
- SMX Next PPC kicked off with an incredible keynote from Google’s own Ads Liaison (and former Search Engine Land Editor in Chief) Ginny Marvin.
- Melissa Mackey taught us how to make automation work for lead gen.
- Navah Hopkins gave us the guide to permission based audience targeting.
- Anthony Tedesco showed us how to level up our analytical skills using Excel.
Well that’s a wrap on 2022. What a year it’s been. Looking forward to 2023 I think we’re going to see more automation, a bigger push into GA4 as Universal Analytics gets sunsetted, big moves from Microsoft and other smaller platforms like Walmart and Instacart, and privacy-first strategies as third-party cookies finally retire.
The post PPC 2022 in review: Performance Max, Apple Search, chaos at Twitter, and more appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Tuesday, December 27th, 2022
This year had different stresses accompanying the Google algorithm updates, fewer pandemic stresses, and more recession-related stress. We had ten confirmed Google algorithm updates this year, the same number of confirmed algorithm updates we had in 2021. This year, we had a brand new ranking system named the helpful content update, and we had two of them.
Also similar to last year, Google rolled out two big algorithm updates at the end of the year.
Google confirmed algorithm update summary
We whipped up this timeline documenting all the confirmed Google search algorithm updates in 2022, so you can visualize the updates over the year. Please note, the last two updates have not completed yet, when they are finished, I will update this story.
Google’s May and September core updates were big updates
May 2022 core update. On May 25, 2022, Google released the first core update for the 2022 year, the May 2022 core update. That update took 15 days to roll out, ending on June 9, 2022. This update was a big update and rolled out quickly for many queries the data providers track. We did see some “tremors,” shifts in volatility, after the initial update, the largest tremors were around June 5th and that should be the final sets of volatility you would see from the initial broad core update release.
September 2022 core update. On September 12, 2022, Google released the second core update for the 2022 year, the September 2022 core update. That update took two full weeks to roll out, ending on September 26, 2022. This update hit fast, but was less impactful than previous updates. While there was some rank volatility, the consensus was that it was weaker than past Google core updates.
At least we are not expecting any additional core updates by year’s end.
Google’s new two helpful content updates seemed tame
Google released a new algorithm update named the helpful content update, which aim to demote content that is written to rank on search engines and not written to help people.
August 2022 helpful content update. On August 25, 2022, Google released the new helpful content update. The helpful content update will target websites that have a relatively high amount of unsatisfying or unhelpful content, where the content has been written for search engines rather than humans. This update took 15 days to roll out, ending on September 9, 2022. This update did not feel tremendously widespread, but Google did say it was a big update that did not cause a huge shakeup.
December 2022 helpful content update. On December 6, 2022, Google released the second helpful content update, the December 2022 helpful content update. This update is not yet done rolling out but when it is done, I will update this story. (This update took X days to roll out, ending on December X, 2022.) This update also did not feel widespread or all that impactful compared to core updates or product review updates.
Google’s March, July and September product review updates shuffled the shelves
While Google only had two core updates in 2022, it pushed out three product reviews updates in 2022. That is one more product reviews update than in 2021.
March 2022 product reviews update. On March 23, 2022, Google released the first product reviews update for 2022, the March 2022 product reviews update. This update took 19 days to roll out, ending on April 11, 2022. Technically, this was the third product reviews update in history with the first product reviews update was launched on April 8, 2021, and the second was launched on December 1, 2021.
With the third release of the product reviews update, Google said this update “builds on” the work of the first two product review updates to enhance Google’s “ability to identify high quality product reviews.” “This will make it easier for us to get sound purchasing advice in front of users, and to reward creators who are earnest in being helpful,” Alan Kent of Google said.
This update was not as big as the December 2021 update, based on data from the data providers.
July 2022 product reviews update. On July 27, 2022, Google released the second product reviews update for 2022, the July 2022 product reviews update. This update only took six days to roll out, ending on August 2, 2022. We saw very limited changes from the tracking tools and honestly, while some sites seemed to get hard by this update, it does not seem there was a lot of SEO community chatter around ranking changes due to this update. In fact, we saw a spike on August 3rd but that was after this update was complete.
September 2022 product reviews update. On September 20, 2022, Google released the third product reviews update for 2022, the September 2022 product reviews update. This update also only took six days to roll out, ending on September 26, 2022. This update did not feel as big as the two previous ones but it also overlapped with a core update.
Google’s spam and link spam updates sparked fear
Like with any spam updates, SEOs and content creators become scared and nervous that their sites or content may be hit.
October 2022 spam update. The first spam update of the year was released on October 19, 2022, the October 2022 spam update. This update took only 48 hours to roll out, ending on October 21, 2022. Google used SpamBrain, a form of artificial intelligence, to better detect spam and not rank it in Google Search. This spam update did not feel huge, but it was targeting spam and not content written by normal people for normal purposes.
December 2022 link spam update. Then on December 14, 2022, Google released a link spam update named the December 2022 link spam update. This update is not yet done but when it finished, I will update this story. (This update took X days to roll out, ending on December X, 2022.) This is the first time Google used SpamBrain AI to detect and neutralize link spam. It did seem to have an impact on links and rankings.
Google’s page experience update for desktop
We only had one-page experience update this year, and it was to bring the page experience signals to desktop. This page experience update for deskop was launched on February 22, 2022, and took nine days to roll out, completed on March 3, 2022. This update will include all the current signals of the mobile version of the page experience update, outside of the page needing to be mobile-friendly. Google said all of the page experience factors for mobile would be included, with the exception of the mobile-friendliness requirement, which is obvious.
Other Google algorithm changes, updates, tweaks or topics
Another busy year for the Google Search team, with over 5,500 changes in 2021 alone, and I suspect that number will be higher for the 2022 year.
We learned that the Panda update eventually evolved into the Coati algorithm, although both are now baked into the core algorithm. We actually learned a lot from speaking with Hyung-Jin Kim, VP Search at Google, at SMX, a lot. Google also started to use MUM in more areas, like for featured snippets and more. And Google also updated its title algorithm for multi-lingual or transliterated pages.
Google documented some of the more notable ranking systems, and with that confirmed the 2010 and 2018 page speed algorithms are no longer in use.
Google replaced the Webmaster Guidelines with Google Search Essentials, revamped the quality raters guidelines by adding “Expertise,” an additional E to E-A-T.
Also, we did a deep dive on how Google uses artificial intelligence in search.
Are you all excited for 2023, I know I am.
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Friday, December 23rd, 2022
When you go to the Google homepage, you’ll most likely know what you’re about to type into the search box – whether you’re checking in on the weather forecast, looking for a business or service, or want to find out where you recognize that actor from. (Unless you’re “feeling lucky,” that is.)
You enter a word or a single letter, and Google will populate the search box with a list of “predictions” before you’ve even finished typing. This Google feature is called Autocomplete.
But what exactly is it? How does Google come up with those predictions? Read on to find out how Google Autocomplete works.
What is Google Autocomplete?
Autocomplete is a feature within Google Search that, in Google’s own words, is “designed to make it faster to complete searches that you’re beginning to type.”
Starting as an experimental feature in 2004, it was fully introduced four years later as Google Suggest and was renamed Autocomplete in 2010.
It is available anywhere you can expect to find a Google search box, including:
- The Google home page.
- The Google app for iOS and Android.
- The quick search box from within Android.
- The “Omnibox” address bar within Chrome.
Begin typing, and you’ll see predictions appear.
In the screengrab above, you can see that by typing “new y” Google brings up predictions such as “new york times” or “new york Yankees.”
This makes it easy to finish entering your search on these topics without typing all the letters. The predictions change in real-time in response to each character being typed into the search box.
The user then has the option to continue typing their desired query or choose from the dropdown selection.
But if you know what you’re searching for, why do you need Google to tell you?
It saves time. While Autocomplete began as a desktop search feature all those years ago, it has become a popular time-saving feature on mobile devices.
Google estimates that, cumulatively, it saves the equivalent of over 200 years of typing every single day and, on average, reduces typing overall by about 25%.
How Google Autocomplete works
Google Search doesn’t quite know how to read minds. Instead, it makes calculated predictions by looking at searches made by real people.
Autocomplete displays common and trending queries relevant to the characters entered into the search bar.
Here are some key factors used by Autocomplete to predict search queries:
- Overall popularity.
- Trending topics.
- Search history.
- Location.
Put simply, the results shown are influenced by things you’ve previously searched for, the location you’re searching from, and the search term data that Google has gathered – using all of this data to automatically predict what you’re looking for.
Let’s take a closer look at each factor.
The popularity of search queries
When it comes to predicting search queries, popularity often walks hand in hand with what’s trending. But trends can fade over time, whereas one or more subjects might always be commonly linked together.
While some searches are far more common than others, some less popular searches might be shown above more common ones if Google deems them more relevant, the company says. In short, personalized > popular.
Trending searches
We’ve all heard of Google Trends, the website that analyzes the popularity of top search queries across various regions and languages. Well, this isn’t that.
A current trending search is a term or phrase that suddenly spikes in popularity. As people flock to Google to ask the same question, the query can appear as a suggestion, even if it hasn’t gained long-term popularity.
Google uses the following example to explain:
When actress Anna Paquin was getting married, “Anna Paquin wedding” began appearing as a suggestion just before her big day. The term was useful to suggest, as many people were starting to search for it.
If Google had relied solely on long-term data, then the “suggestion” wouldn’t have appeared as an option in the search box, as it hadn’t widely been searched for previously.
And today, Autocomplete no longer offers the term as it didn’t harness enough long-term popularity (though “Anna Paquin married” has stuck).
Previous search queries
The predictions dropdown list will include a variation of topics and questions depending on who is doing the searching. To speed up the search process and identify what you might be looking for, Google sifts through your past searches.
In the example below, you can recognize that a previous search result appears because the text is highlighted in purple.
On desktop, you’ll also see the word “Remove” appear next to the prediction, which you can click if you want to delete the past search.
However, on mobile, things look a little different. You’ll see a clock icon on the left for previous searches and an X button on the right to remove it.
You can also delete all your previous searches in bulk or by particular dates or those matching particular terms using My Activity in your Google Account, regardless of the device you use to search.
Language and location
With a service that seems so personalized, it’s perhaps no surprise that not everyone receives the same suggestions. Among the factors that can tailor your experience is the language you’re searching in and the location you’re searching from.
The country, the state or province, and even the city can all produce different suggestions – whether it’s where you currently live or are originally from.
Different suggestions will also appear if you’ve told Google that you prefer to search in a particular language or based on the language Google assumes you use, as determined by your browser’s settings.
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Why are some predictions removed?
Google outlines that Autocomplete makes “predictions” rather than “suggestions.”
This could be due to several controversial and legal claims previously made which suggested that Google was promoting harmful, offensive and/or inaccurate information by suggesting certain search queries.
When rebranding in October 2010, Google moved away from “Suggest” since it’s not always offering the most thoughtful, caring, or appropriate term.
The company prefers to use “predictions” and is committed to bettering the service by taking on feedback and monitoring searches.
In addition, Autocomplete is designed to help people complete a search they intended to do. The feature offers predictions based on the query you were likely to continue entering.
While the results show depend on several factors outlined above, Google removes predictions that are against its autocomplete policies, which block:
- Sexually explicit predictions that do not cover or relate to medical, scientific, or sex education topics.
- Hateful predictions against groups and individuals based on race, religion, sexuality or other demographics.
- Violent or harmful predictions.
- Dangerous and harmful activity in predictions.
Google may also remove predictions considered spam, closely associated with piracy, or in response to valid legal requests.
How do inappropriate Autocomplete predictions happen?
While Google has systems designed to automatically catch inappropriate predictions, the search engine processes billions of daily searches.
Billions of searches mean billions of predictions, which means that sometimes, inappropriate predictions can slip through the net.
While some predictions may seem odd, shocking or make you question why someone might want to search for it, looking at the actual search results generated sometimes provides needed context.
In some cases, the search results themselves may make it clearer that predictions don’t necessarily reflect awful opinions which some people may hold but instead may come from those seeking specific content that’s not problematic.
This is why popular searches measured in our Google Trends tool might not appear as predictions within Autocomplete.
Google Trends is a tool designed as a way for anyone to research the popularity of search topics over time, regardless of the search intent.
How to report inappropriate Autocomplete predictions
If you spot something which doesn’t feel right, makes you uncomfortable or might offend someone, you can report using the “Report inappropriate predictions” link, which appears below the search box on desktop.
For those searching on mobile or using the Google app for Android, long press on a prediction to get a reporting option. Those using the Google app on iOS can swipe to the left to get the reporting option.
Google reassures users that they don’t just remove a reported prediction that violates their policies but also investigate closely related predictions to provide a broader solution and prevent inappropriate predictions from being made in the future.
More than just Autocomplete
Google Autocomplete benefits all types of users, helping them to make searches and load pages more quickly.
Whether you’re looking to inform your marketing strategy, generate content ideas, research keywords or explore search intent, Autocomplete can be a valuable tool.
Search and digital marketers use it to find out what people are actively searching for so they can better meet their customers’ needs.
The post How Google Autocomplete works appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Thursday, December 22nd, 2022
On January 20, 2023, Google will update its Dangerous Products and Services and Healthcare and Medicines ads policies to allow for the promotion of FDA-approved pharmaceuticals containing cannabidiol (CBD) and topical, hemp-derived CBD products with THC content of 0.3% or less in California, Colorado, and Puerto Rico.
Why we care. If you’re a brand or advertiser for CBD products in the three approved locations, the new policies will allow you to advertise if you are certified by Google. Advertisers can request certification with Google starting on January 20, 2023, when the form is published.
Certification from LegitScript. Google will only allow CBD products that have been certified by LegitScript to be promoted. The certification process will require that any product that is going to be advertised adhere to the following:
- Provide samples of their product to test for compliance with legal THC limits
- Provide LegitScript a third-party Certificate of Analysis
Still not allowed. Certain formats, including YouTube Masthead, will not be eligible for serving. CBD will be removed from the Unapproved Pharmaceuticals and Supplements list. All ads promoting other CBD-based products, including supplements, food additives, and inhalants, remain disallowed.
Dig deeper. Review the announcement from Google here.
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Thursday, December 22nd, 2022
Most SEO experts are still afraid to publish their success stories, with a few notable exceptions.
Many are simply unable to share their work even when it’s successful. How can SEOs stop practicing “ghost optimization”?
Before we dive into this question, let’s look at the reasons for the ongoing secrecy and still prevailing negativity among SEO practitioners.
SEO horror stories, anyone?
One of the most popular SEO hashtags within the industry over recent years has been #seohorrorstories.
Why are SEO experts much more likely to share the horrible failures of the industry and their colleagues than their own success stories?
Is this the overall prevailing negativity of society as a whole? Or do we have an internal problem aggravating the situation?
I think it’s probably both.
First off, the recent years have led to a never-ending, downward spiral of public debate. Diplomacy has made way for trolling.
When even presidents provoke people online to get attention, how is everybody else meant to stay civil in day-to-day conversations?
Also, social media like Facebook and Twitter have been capitalizing on fear and anger.
Such “bad news” goes straight to our lizard brain and elicits fearful and angry reactions without consulting the parts of the brain responsible for logical thinking.
No wonder that even within the relatively professional SEO industry, the discourse has degenerated into the realm of “OMG! Look at that nonsense! How stupid!”
I’m exaggerating a bit, but that’s the essence of most shares where #seohorrorstories are involved.
These are more than cautionary tales. It’s also a way of ridiculing those reckless enough to get caught red-handed while employing outdated SEO tactics.
Perhaps the thought process is that when one can’t shed light on their actual successes, then highlight others’ failures. This way, they indirectly stand in a better light by sheer comparison.
Of course, this is merely guesswork. The motivation behind the many horror stories may vary. It won’t simply gloat or malice, in most cases.
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‘Look at this random graph, please – the growth is stellar!’
There is also a compromise, anonymized “success” stories – where the alleged success can’t be fully reviewed by peers.
Such stories seem to be the middle ground between failure and success stories. So what is the logic behind them, then?
You will find lots of social media posts shared of random graphs without any URL connected to them.
It’s usually an analytics screenshot clumsily anonymized before publication. Ultimately, the stellar growth they exhibit lacks any credibility.
I’m usually acquainted with those who share such success stories, so I know they won’t lie.
In most cases, they also add as much context as possible without giving away any meaningful detail so that you cannot track down the website they’re talking about.
What about industry outsiders and potential clients?
They have no idea who the people sharing the graphs are and how trustworthy the information is.
What is the purpose of sharing graphs without any context?
Again, I can only guess.
- Some SEO experts try to convey their expertise that way.
- Others share their success out of sheer joy at having made it.
- Some may want additional opinions on what happened when things went wrong.
Take note that #seohorrorstories are quite often anonymous. That way, some limited peer review does happen within a very small perimeter. It’s better than nothing, right?
Are there any SEO hero stories?
Some of you may have noticed. I have been looking for SEO hero (as in superhero) stories for two months and have been quite aggressive about it.
There were far fewer success stories than bad news from the SEO industry. Yet, I was astounded that even the prospect of getting additional free publicity did not motivate many SEO companies, in-house SEOs or SEO consultants to divulge their success stories or share their case studies with me.
I started a similar hashtag inspired by #seohorrorstories called #seoherostories to encourage sharing such positive examples, but it seemed like I was the only one using it.
Are SEO experts ashamed of their work or afraid to show it?
Given the poor reputation of the SEO industry in the last 25 years, it’s no wonder some people are not keen on outing themselves as SEO practitioners.
Numerous SEOs still engage in unethical practices, which might be why they are ashamed to show what they do.
Still, others may simply be afraid. I probed about the reasons behind this fear, and here are the obvious ones.
Manual Google penalties
This is an age-old fear of SEO practitioners stemming back from the early days. Sometimes, outing yourself as a practitioner of the dark arts of SEO – and mentioning the actual website you’re working on – was akin to suicide for your project.
Even before the somewhat weird term “manual action” was introduced by Google, penalties have been known to hit out of the blue and after too much publicity for SEO practitioners’ work.
This fear is no longer reasonable. And like most fears, it’s rather irrational.
SEOs are not criminals, and hiding is not necessary in most cases.
‘Secret sauce’ copycats
Another albeit more likely scenario is that the competition may steal your “secret sauce” and copy your SEO techniques.
While this is possible, it’s important to realize who your competition on the web is. Most SEOs would still say something like “businesses who sell the same thing in the same area.”
The reality of Google SERPs or the “SERP real estate” is that you mainly compete against the web giants:
- Google itself pushes its own services and ads above actual organic results.
- Huge websites like Amazon or Wikipedia are always on top by sheer popularity.
Would a competitor or colleague who happens to have a similar business as you really hurt you that much by looking at your site’s SEO?
Also, anybody can look up your secret sauce by using a tool like Semrush and find out about on- and off-page SEO with ease. So, why hide your success from the general public?
Client-stealing competitors
The other fear relating to the competition is that other SEOs may see who you work with and, thus, contact them and “steal your clients.”
People do this. I have had several clients notifying me of such attempts over the years.
I don’t think I lost any clients that way, though. Why? Is it just because I’m such an expert?
Probably not. I was a beginner at the time as well.
It’s such a sneaky practice that business people are not fond of offers made that way. If they are, you may be lucky to get rid of them.
Toxic clients often hurt you more than they help financially. I had to learn that lesson the hard way over the years, trying to satisfy everybody.
I believe the above common “reasons” for not sharing SEO work are often irrational fears and traditions – merely excuses.
One reasonable explanation for why someone would not want to share the actual website address or their “stellar growth” chart is that the work is still in progress.
Many other parts of the project were far from ready for prime time, and it was not a good idea to share them prematurely. I’ve only heard that justification once, though, even when I asked many times.
NDA: The dreaded acronym
A common explanation for not publishing actual results or disclosing website addresses and client names is the typical non-disclosure agreement (NDA). It may as well be called a “gag order,” as most SEO experts have to shut up completely about their work.
Some popular search marketers, including John Doherty and Brendan Hufford, emphasized this point on LinkedIn.
For those in creative industries, being unable to share their work or having to do so anonymously would be virtually impossible.
Imagine the following scenario if designers, architects and programmers were involved.
- “Look at this house based somewhere in the northern hemisphere. Brown brick has been used for the structure, and the large window frames facing south are made of a local wood I can’t disclose here. To protect the owner’s privacy and hide the location, I had to blur some of the images.”
So why do we have to sign so many NDAs forbidding us to show our actual work or even sometimes tell our friends and families about it?
What’s with the high level of confidentiality? Are we secret agents?
Clients who demand that SEOs do not talk about their projects may be due to any of the following reasons:
- They are unethical and will ask you to perform SEO outside Google guidelines or even beyond what the law allows.
- They want to claim success for themselves and their sales department.
- They are simply ashamed to buy SEO services as these are still considered to be some kind of voodoo by some.
The common logic is, of course, about “trade secrets.” But as noted above, many tools allow you to analyze those supposed secrets.
The bright side: 3 inspiring case studies that welcome peer review
After talking so much about the issues surrounding (the lack of) success stories in the SEO industry, let’s focus on a few actual case studies that inspired me this year.
Hopefully, these SEO hero stories encourage you enough to follow in their footsteps.
Dogs and owners often become very similar to each other, even by their looks. I am one and can tell you that it often happens “accidentally.”
But there’s an artistic photo series taking it to the extreme, where dog owners and their pets dress up and get their hair done in the same style.
UK-based SEO agency Rise at Seven made this the idea behind a very successful campaign:
As CEO Carrie Rose reports in her case study, the results have been more than impressive:
“865% increase YoY traffic to this area of the site, 134,757 page views to be exact.”
She goes into great detail to explain how it worked and what exactly happened to make it such a success, so make sure to read the entire case study.
Olga Andrienko, well-known for her leadership role at Semrush, showcased the success story of LiberEat, made possible by Mich McClure and the team behind Hoojy.
“1000% organic traffic growth in 3 months”.
While this might sound too good to be true, especially given the approximate numbers, she goes to great lengths to highlight what happened, why and how in her extensive Twitter thread.
If that’s still not enough, check out the full-fledged case study with lots of screenshots, keyword examples and figures over at Semrush.
The folks over at Boom Online have many case studies, but their campaign for Unbeatable Blinds made me feel good. It might be the artistic quality of the images they have shared as part of the campaign.
While they did not divulge the numbers, the links they attracted speak for themselves:
“The content was covered by a number of high-profile publications such as Design Taxi, Bored Panda, Line Today & The York Press among others.”
Given such attention from popular blogs and local press alike, I’m confident that the traffic and other metrics will follow suit.
How to get clients who are proud to work with you
As a writer, I do not offer ghostwriting services.
Ghostwriters tend to become invisible. Someone else gets the credit for their work.
Nobody knows what they have done, so they can’t prove their expertise.
It’s pretty straightforward when it comes to writing.
Potential clients usually tell you upfront that they are looking for a ghostwriter. You can just ignore such offers unless your financial situation forbids you to.
With SEO services, it’s much trickier. Nobody will tell you they are looking for a “ghost optimizer.”
Often, after plenty of discussions and only when you are short of signing a contract will you get a cryptic NDA full of legalese meant to hide its true scope.
In other cases, you get the NDA, or they don’t talk to you at all. Either way, you risk losing a lot of time and money and not getting the client.
Some NDAs are meant to protect trade secrets. Yet, most of them usually grant sweeping powers to the client to ban you from disclosing much of anything.
No wonder people working in SEO and adjacent industries (think marketing or advertising) are simply shutting up in general in order not to breach their agreements.
You never really know what goes too far, so you play it safe by keeping quiet.
So what can you do to identify clients who undermine your status as an industry expert?
You can prepare upfront, be clear during the preliminary talks and stand firm once you start working. Below are four specific tips.
Work on your own projects first
Always work on your projects first or at least keep them going in the background.
Once you have independent revenue sources and ways of gaining status outside client work, you can rest assured when choosing to engage with others.
Having to work for third parties out of necessity is never a good place to be at.
Whenever possible, work for others because you love the challenge and variety, not because you need the money. Ideally, clients seek you out because they are fond of your personal projects.
Build your authority in the industry and beyond
Visibility is not limited to client work. Many practitioners attend conferences, trade fairs or meetups to show up and teach others what they know.
Some hoard knowledge and keep it to themselves so that nobody can “steal their ideas.” This is a short-sighted approach.
Ideas can be discovered by more than one person at any given time. But the one who publishes it first or does so more widely is usually credited with the “invention.”
It’s crucial to become an authority within your industry, and beyond the narrow field you specialize in.
When I started out in SEO, I made sure to keep branching out into broader yet more popular areas like web development, marketing and blogging.
SEO is often viewed as merely “technical SEO” and a small subset of actual search engine optimization, in my opinion. The number of people interested in what you are talking about is very small.
By sharing your knowledge, you are enabling those unfamiliar with your work to understand what you do.
Introverts can share and teach on the web. You don’t have to show up in person, shake hands and pat backs.
You can also network online with like-minded individuals. LinkedIn is your best bet here.
Charge more for ‘ghost optimization’
A simple yet powerful way to make a point is to charge more money for something harder or more valuable.
Usually, ghostwriters are underpaid young writers who have no name yet so that they are forced to write in the shadows of the bigger names. But once you’ve built a name for yourself, you have to be proud enough to charge accordingly.
Almost nobody will think you are valuable as long as you undercharge or are too timid.
The few who know will be glad to exploit your expertise for low fees and shut up about your true worth in most cases.
Similarly, you have to make it clear that you charge more for ghost services from the start.
With “ghost optimization” being much more complex and riskier than mere writing, it’s even more important to charge your true value.
There are far fewer high-quality SEO practitioners out there, so don’t be afraid to get what you deserve.
Flatly refuse to do the dirty work
Once you have worked with a client for a while, some drop their masks or become more daring.
Others might get frustrated with the slow pace of SEO progress and demand you do what the competition does.
Riskier tactics may get their domain banned or penalized, but in the short term, the results may look impressive.
Now you have to keep your integrity. How?
Flatly refuse to make your hands dirty and to use questionable means of SEO.
The client feels safe due to the NDA, so they think they can get away with it. But SEO does not happen in a vacuum.
Just because you don’t tell anybody that you have to spam doesn’t mean it’s invisible.
As noted above, publicly available tools give you an X-ray vision of any website’s SEO.
Google also has human quality raters and increasingly sophisticated algorithms to find the bad apples.
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Thursday, December 22nd, 2022
GA4, everyone’s favorite new Google Google Analytics product, will now let you use the Migrator for Google Analytics Google Sheets add-on tool to recreate many of your Universal Analytics properties into a GA4 property. You can also personalize the content on your home page to make what’s shown more relevant. Let’s take a look.
Why we care. First, these new tools attempt to make GA4 tolerable by allowing you to customize your dashboard and properties as close to UA as possible. Though not perfect, this should at least bring a little more familiarity into the mix. Advertisers who have been slow to implement or learn GA4 might find solace in these familiar features.
If you haven’t implemented GA4 yet, this is your sign.
Recreate Universal Analytics audiences in Google Analytics 4
Audiences based on dimensions and metrics that are the same in UA and GA4 can be recreated just as they are. When the audiences use dimensions or metrics that differ between UA and GA4, you can edit the audience definitions in the spreadsheet to use the relevant GA4 dimensions and metrics.
For each audience, the spreadsheet includes information about whether the audience is available for recreation; if it isn’t, the spreadsheet has information about why. Editable audience conditions are included so you can modify them before recreating them.
More information on the Migration tool can be found here.
Personalize the Home page
Keep in mind that when you personalize your homepage, the customization is only visible to you. Other users will not see your dashboard.
The following information is from the Google Analytics Help documentation.
Personalize the metrics and dimensions
You can now change the metrics on the overview and realtime cards. On the overview card, hover over a metric to see a drop-down menu so you can change the metric.
On the realtime card, you can also choose from a number of dimensions (e.g., Audience, City) or let us choose a dimension for you (i.e., Choose for me).
Restore your choices
Whether you change the metric, dimension, or date on a card, we’ll restore your choices in future sessions. For example, we’ll populate a card with City the next time you visit Google Analytics when you choose the dimension in your current session.
Additionally, when you return to a report using the Recently accessed section, you’ll see all the changes you made to the report. For example, if you changed the primary dimension, you’ll see the dimension applied when you select the report from the Recently accessed section.
Try Suggested cards
When you’re new to a property and haven’t viewed a card frequently, a new Suggested for you section will appear. The section surfaces cards that are popular across all Google Analytics 4 properties to help you find useful information in your property.
Provide feedback
You can now give a thumbs up or thumbs down when hovering over the top right of a card in the Suggested for you, Because you view frequently, and Insights sections. The feedback options allow Google Analytics to provide you with more helpful information in the future.
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Thursday, December 22nd, 2022
Just in time for the holidays, Google has reported a Feeds issue in Merchant Center. The following is a screenshot from the status dashboard.
Why we care. This issue could affect your product feed. Keep an eye on the dashboard for a resolution.
The post Merchant Center Feeds issue appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Wednesday, December 21st, 2022
Since its initial release in 2016, TikTok has become the fastest-growing social media platform.
If you’re looking to learn more about the popular short-form video app and how your brand can use it, you’ve come to the right place.
We read TikTok’s creator guidelines and newsroom documentation, so you don’t have to.
In this article, we’re sharing everything we learned – along with insights from the TikTokers well-versed in increasing views, engaging users and growing a following.
Find out how the TikTok algorithm works, what you need to do to create a winning video, and decide whether TikTok can benefit your brand.
In this article:
What is the TikTok algorithm?
The TikTok algorithm is a recommendation system that determines the videos you see on your app. Like any good algorithm, it works to bring relevant content that you enjoy based on your interests.
Recommendation systems are used all around us in the digital world and not new. Many platforms, including Netflix, use them to deliver you the content you like the most.
The purpose of a recommendation system is to share content that users like based on their preferences and those of people in similar demographics.
The TikTok recommendation system and algorithm centers around the “For You” page.
What is the For You feed?
The For You feed (a.k.a., For You page or FYP) is a curated stream of videos, a unique and tailored feed to the user’s interests.
Although TikTok users will see the same videos, your FYP is totally unique and curated only for you.
When you open the app, you land on this feed first. The great news is that you can curate your own FYP by interacting with the app.
When you first join TikTok, your FYP will likely be curated by the interests within your demographic based on the information you gave (i.e., age, gender and interests).
It’ll be a broad approach until you show TikTok what you want to see more of.
Let’s take a look at the actions that influence the algorithm.
How does the TikTok algorithm work?
TikTok documentation states three core factors that influence the algorithm:
- User interactions.
- Video information.
- Device and account settings.
1. Factor: User interactions
User interaction includes actions that users take on a particular video. These interactions can be negative or positive.
A positive interaction will cause the app to show you more of the same, and a negative interaction will do the opposite. More on negative actions and their impact on “What the algorithm won’t show.”
Positive interactions include engagements like:
- Posting a comment.
- Following an account.
- Liking a video.
- Video watch time.
As a creator, knowing how the TikTok algorithm works means that you know what to ask from your viewers to increase the right sort of engagement.
User interactions in practice
User engagements are certainly a factor in the algorithm, and TikTokers know it.
The TikTok algorithm got it right when it put the below viral video on my FYP a few weeks ago. I don’t engage with TikTok videos very often, but I did like the below video and left a comment about how wholesome the content was. I didn’t want to follow the creator, but I enjoyed the brief interaction.
@brialem
♬ original sound – bria lemirande
The video amassed 785,200 links, 9060 comments, 76,900 saves and 5,579 shares. Most impressively, the video has 6,000,000 views.
Thanks to my like and comment, when the creator made a second, similar/follow-up video, it landed on my FYP.
The second video didn’t quite have the same magic, but the virality of video one certainly helped the creator’s second video land in the right places based on previous user interaction.
To TikTok’s credit, there seems to be a level of trust in the TikTok algorithm.
On some of the most engaging videos – or videos made in a series – you’ll often see comments like, “Trusting the algorithm to bring me back.”
TikTokers might comment something like this when they want to show the algorithm that they’re interested in the content but (perhaps) don’t want to follow the creator.
In the video below, a creator reminds viewers they can hit the follow instead of trusting the algorithm. A follow is a desirable action for creators as it almost guarantees the user will see more of their content.
@molzysketch its there for a reason guys 
#tiktokartist #tiktokart #handsofthedsmp ♬ Luna, amore e no – Piero Piccioni
How to encourage user interactions
As a creator, you want to encourage user interactions. You can achieve this by creating great content, but you can inspire meaningful action from passive viewers with a call to action.
TikToker Tyla Brimblecombe from Styla Socials explains the importance of a call to action in her TikTok.
@stylasocials 3 more quick points in the comments 
Send this to someone who would benefit from this 
#tiktokcontentcreator #viraltips #growontiktok ♬ In a French Cafe – Relaxing Piano Waltz – Classical Piano Music Masters
She says:
- “We all know the most important metric on TikTok is watch time… someone is scrolling on the For You feed, they see your video, they like it, they make it all the way to the end. When they see your call to action, ‘take a look at my other videos,’ they click on your profile, they check out your other videos, which lets TikTok know your content is valuable and is going to push your content out to a wider audience.”
2. Factor: Video information
According to TikTok documentation, video information includes:
- Sounds
- Captions
- Hashtags
- Video descriptions
- Text overlays
Video information in practice
TikTok is well known for its association with trending sounds. With a trending sound, the TikTok algorithm can identify a group of people who are likely to engage with a video based on previous user interactions. If a user watches a video to the end each time a certain sound is used, they are likely enjoying the content and want to see more of it.
It’s important to note that trending sounds are not just viral dances. Brands can use sounds to get fast visibility to a wider audience.
Kristyn Higginson, Skinician’s TikTok creator, says:
- “Creating ‘viral’ content seemed challenging in the early days as a lot of the trending music wasn’t available for business accounts. The way around this was to opt for trending sounds when we wanted to create relatable, relevant content for the platform. This meant, as a brand, we leaned into trends without any copyright infringement. This might be a useful tactic for other small brands in the early stages of content creation on the platform.”
With early adoption of a trending sound, Skincian’s most viral video received 50,900 views, 2,142 likes, and 40 engaged comments. The video introduced the brand to their TikTok audience.
@skinician Get to know us! 
#skinician #skincare #localbrand #beautytok #skincaretok ♬ เสียงต้นฉบับ – [FS]ICHIGO_TH 
– 「 saijoutakato7 」°• ⚘
TikTok creators are finding that video information contributes significantly to video success.
Kate Smoothy from Web Hive Digital is a TikTok creator.
Smoothy shares that captions, hashtags, and video descriptions are a core part of her strategy. She says:
- “I can’t express enough how much you have to caption your videos. This is essential for those without hearing but for those who prefer to scroll through TikTok without the sound on. You’ll significantly reduce your audience size and reach without captions. There has never been a better time to include keywords in your TikTok descriptions. We’re seeing a huge shift with the platform where videos optimized for their search feature seem to perform better.”
Smoothy credits the inclusion of video information tactics with the success of her “super low effort marketing hack video.”
@webhivedigital Not enough people know about this super low effort marketing hack to get interactive video on your website. I’ve got it on mine 
#websitetips #websitetipsandtricks #digitalmarketing #marketingtips #websitesyouneedtoknow ♬ original sound – Kate Smoothy | Websites & SEO
The video has 92,400 views, and amassed 5,913 likes, 91 comments, and 740 shares.
The keywords used in the video description, within the text overlay and within the video description have communicated to TikTok what the video is about. This resulted in the video ‘ranking’ for the search term ‘marketing hack’ and ‘marketing tips’ within TikTok’s search feature.
How to use video information
The top tip from TikTok experts is to conduct keyword research using the TikTok app, then use keywords in your video, captions and hashtags.
@socialby.lu Take advantage of the search bar results to see what others are looking for and create content to attract the right audience, make your account relevant, get more views and more followers! This is the easiest way to create a TikTok strategy aligned with your niche and according to the platform’s enhanced SEO! #tiktokseo #tiktokcontentideas #contentcreatortips2022 #growyourtiktok #socialmediastrategist #ugccreator #socialmediatipsandtricks #greenscreen ♬ Hold Me Closer – Elton John & Britney Spears
3. Factor: Device and account settings
TikTok is clear that device and account settings receive lower weight in the algorithm.
Some of the more obvious factors include language preference and country setting. It makes sense that users want to see videos in the language they speak.
TikTok also includes device type in its algorithm. They may prefer to show you videos that your device can play seamlessly since this would lead to a positive user experience for people using older phones or smaller screens.
Keywords and the TikTok algorithm
In recent months there has been a lot of talk from TikTokers about a change in the TikTok algorithm and how TikTok now prioritizes keywords.
If you search “TikTok Algorithm Change,” you’ll find people saying a lot of the same thing – TikTok SEO is becoming more prevalent.
@coach.alexrob NEW algorithm changes for TikTok! If you are a business owner or content creator, in this video I break down all the new changes happening to TikTok, you definitely want to make sure you are using some of the key features such as SEO, improved analytics and making your content longer form. #tiktokforbusiness #tiktokforcreators #socialmediaforbusiness #tiktokseo ♬ Trap Sax – Nish
Interestingly, TikTok doesn’t seem to mention “keywords” in relation to their algorithm anywhere in their documentation.
But that doesn’t mean that keywords aren’t important.
It’s no coincidence that TikTok increased video descriptions to 2,200 characters. In their announcement via the app, TikTok did say:
“Increased characters gives creators a chance to ‘generate engagement while becoming more searchable and better recommended by TikTok to viewers.”
TikTok also mentions captions and hashtags, which both contribute to FYP.
Captions and hashtags are words that help contextualize videos. If captions are a contributing factor, it suggests that words – or keywords – contribute to the TikTok algorithm.
We also know that TikTok users can limit content based on keywords (more on that later).
TikTok SEO and Google
To further explore TikTok SEO and how this transpires on the world’s most loved search platform, Google. We ran some tests to explore Google’s indexation of TikTok videos.
When you search for “TikTok recipes” on Google, you’d expect to return TikTok videos. But what we found was the contrary.
Google prioritized websites sharing TikTok’s viral recipe trends. TikTok ranked with a tag page in the eighth search position. Considering the relevancy to the search term, this isn’t an overly strong rank.
In the Video results, TikTok ranked sixth below five YouTube videos. It makes sense that Google would prioritize its owned channel, YouTube, above TikTok.
It is worth noting that videos featured in the TikTok recipes tag all featured the hashtag #recipes in the caption. Captions help the TikTok algorithm sort videos by topic and could even boost visibility via Google search.
As shown in the screenshot, the caption includes the hashtag #recipes, suggesting that keywords are relevant to the TikTok algorithm.
So, what does this mean?
- Creators should use relevant keywords in their captions and hashtags.
- According to TikTok documentation, captions and hashtags are contributing to the TikTok algorithm.
- For increased visibility in Google, consider sharing your video on other platforms, like YouTube Shorts.
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TikTok algorithm myths debunked
Let’s clear up some commonly held misconceptions about TikTok.
Myth: You need to post daily
Posting 1-3 TikTok videos daily is a common recommendation for new TikTokers. However, TikTok’s guidelines make it clear that it’s not required for growth.
That said, it may be useful to test different videos. TikTok’s documentation advises that experimenting with videos you share and posting quality content is more useful to keep an audience engaged.
Myth: Creators in the TikTok Creator Fund get more discoverability
The good news is: you do not need to be in the creator fund to increase your chances of discoverability.
Those in the TikTok Creator Fund are more likely to earn increased engagement, but this is because these TikTokers know how to create great content that engages the community.
Myth: TikTok is only for short-form videos
Although TikTok started as an app with seven-second videos, the maximum video length has since increased.
Within the app, you can create videos that are 15 seconds, 60 seconds, or three minutes long.
Alternatively, you can create extended videos and upload them to the TikTok app.
TikTok doesn’t mention longer videos earning favor in the algorithm, but they do seem to be sharing reasons why longer videos are engaging with creators.
@rachforaday make longer videos to get more views - it’s not me saying it - it’s the algorithm ! #tiktoktips #socialmediatips #makelongertiktoks #tiktokhacks #getmoreviews ♬ longer TikToks getting more views - Rach • Social SEO Expert
What the algorithm won’t show
To give TikTok credit, it’s taking action to safeguard and diversify recommendations in the FYP.
With a recommendation system, it would be easy for TikTok to become repetitive, showing only similar videos. Equally, it could be easy for TikTok to show unwanted content to its viewers.
TikTok is taking measures to make TikTok a better place for everyone. Here’s what TikTok won’t show in the FYP.
Duplicate content
TikTok says that too much of anything can get tiresome.
For this reason, TikTok won’t show duplicate content in the FYP. Plus, diversifying the FYP keeps users exposed to a range of ideas and perspectives.
Potentially problematic clusters
The TikTok algorithm works to deliver the platform’s mission to inspire creativity and bring joy.
To achieve this, TikTok avoids recommending similar content around potentially problematic subjects such as extreme dieting or fitness, sadness, or breakups.
TikTok wants to protect its users from viewing content that may cause distress if viewed together but might be okay as a single video.
This type of restriction is positively compounded by the “not interested” and “keyword filtering” features.
Content marked ‘Not interested’
TikTok lets users control what they want or don’t want to see on the platform.
Viewers can press and hold the screen on any TikTok video and select any of the following options:
- Save video: A positive video engagement indicator for the algorithm.
- Clear mode: View videos without usernames and captions, etc.
- Report: This action indicates that a video goes against TikTok’s Community Guidelines and must be addressed.
- Not interested: This tells the TikTok algorithm that you, as a viewer, don’t like a particular piece of content. In return, you will see less of it.
If a viewer clicks “Not interested,” you can expect this to influence the algorithm and their FYP.
Content including filtered keywords
Users can tell TikTok what they don’t want to see by heading to the menu in the top right and navigating to Settings and privacy > Content preferences > Filter video keywords.
Here, you can add keywords and filter videos from users you’re following and/or the FYP.
Content created by those under 18
In its commitment to keeping the app a safe place for all, TikTok introduced measures to protect its younger users.
Children or teenagers under 18 can’t feature content on the Explore feed – meaning their content and profiles are not so easy for other TikTok users to come across.
7 tips for working with the TikTok algorithm and going viral
Some top TikTok creators provide some best practices for creating video content that might gain the algorithm’s favor.
Tip 1: Switch to a TikTok Pro account
TikTok Pro Accounts provide more detailed analytics to creators.
By creating one, you’ll be able to see insights on:
- Weekly and monthly views.
- Follower growth.
- Trending videos.
If you’re a lover of in-depth analytics, this might be for you.
But it’s important to note that TikTok’s guidance advises against creating content primarily around analytics. Instead, think of the bigger picture when creating content.
Tip 2: Find your niche
Finding a niche on TikTok gives you a greater understanding of the bigger picture.
If you know what niche you fall into, you can explore topics using the search bar and see exactly which videos perform well, so you can recreate something like them.
@secretsocialari You Just Need To Learn The Right Way! #tiktokgrowth #tiktokgrowthtips #socialmediatips #viraltiktok ♬ Lookmeinmyeyes - Iloveslowedmusic
Tip 3: Use the right hashtags, add captions and write video descriptions
Keywords clearly have advantages, as shared above.
Remember to opt for hashtags highly relevant to your video or niche for a chance to feature in the top lists for keywords.
@brooklynsocial.co How to find trending hashtags for your niche @Brooklyn Social | TikTok Coach @Brooklyn Social | TikTok Coach #trendinghashtags #socialmediacoaching #marketingtips ♬ original sound - Brooklyn Social | TikTok Coach
Tip 4: Use trending sounds and music
No matter how much the algorithm changes, music and trending sounds are likely to have a place on the TikTok platform.
Remember, trending sounds and music aren’t always about voiceovers and viral dance moves.
You can use them to introduce your brand, make them relatable in your niche and stand out.
Tip 5: Create high-quality videos
TikTok’s editing tools allow users to create and edit eye-catching, high-quality videos within the app.
TikTok creators express the importance of creating engagement early on, so try to edit your videos in a way that captures the user’s attention in the first three seconds.
@jimmy_talbert 9 video hook templates. #marketing #socialmediamarketing #videomarketingtips #tiktokmarketing ♬ Shout Out (No Vox) - Chris Alan Lee
Tip 6: Engage with other TikTok users
Your comment section is a trove of video ideas! And you can reply to comments with a video.
This feature puts your reply in the comment section in video format.
You can bet other commenters have the same questions, so they’re likely to click through and join you in your next video.
Tip 7: Publish a series
Somewhat contrary to the long-form video format, shorter videos in series can still be effective.
Henry Purchase from A Couple Things To Do has grown a TikTok following to 193,000 followers. Purchase shares destination and activities for couples. He says:
- “We post several videos of the same activity, uncovering more information each time - this keeps people coming back for more. For example, at first, we didn’t post the location of our most popular video. Once it had gained popularity we used comments we got to create more content. Therefore reusing content and engaging with our audience.”
@acouplethingstodo Replying to @metaltirana_al our most popular question answered! Have you guys been? 
#milan #fyp #italy #qctermemilano #stormroom #travelcouple #acouplethingstodo #traveltips ♬ original sound - Ian Asher
Why brands should care about TikTok
Love it or hate it, TikTok is standing the test of time as its generous algorithm lends itself well to fast growth.
With a little commitment, brands can reach thousands of people in no time.
Although high-quality videos are preferred, simple to-the-camera videos can earn just as much visibility.
The post How the TikTok algorithm works: Everything you need to know appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
