Archive for the ‘seo news’ Category
Monday, October 9th, 2023
Overstock relaunched as Bed Bath & Beyond on Aug. 1. Many SEO professionals have been critical of the move as the community has begun analyzing early data.
The primary complaint is that overstock.com did not cleanly 301 redirect all URLs to an equal counterpart on bedbathandbeyond.com. Thousands of URLs have not been redirected, and many more were blanketly redirected to the bedbathandbeyond.com homepage.
There are multiple reasons this might have happened.
- The Overstock team determined that certain URLs didn’t contain enough value to burden with a redirect.
- There may have been business reasons for not making the connection, such as reducing the number of products sold on the site.
- The initial merger was the MVP (minimal viable product) and the migration will be released in phases.
Why the merger was big SEO news
Overstock was founded in 1999 as a digital-only shopping destination that offered consumers deals on liquidated inventory. Over the last 20 years, they have evolved into a shopping destination spanning multiple categories.
Everyone knows Bed Bath & Beyond (BB&B) as the store that mails out a blue and white postcard with a discount. The store was founded in 1971 as a fixture in strip malls and suburban areas. As the name implies, the store specializes in home goods, primarily in the bed, bath and kitchen categories.
These two stores were powerhouses online for much of the last 20 years. Their traffic levels were significant among online retailers, making the merger such a big deal for search marketers.
Overstock’s organic traffic peaked during the pandemic when everyone was forced to shop online. Still, they couldn’t sustain their growth, losing market share to Amazon and other online retailers.
Bed Bath & Beyond’s organic traffic peaked prior to the pandemic but never recovered post-pandemic.
Traffic is growing, but still below pre-bankruptcy levels
Over three weeks after the migration, the initial results have been OK. That said, organic traffic has yet to rebound to pre-Overstock levels, according to Ahrefs.
It is not expected that BB&B’s website will reach pre-bankruptcy traffic and absorb Overstock’s organic traffic.
Much of bedbathandbeyond.com’s organic traffic prior to the bankruptcy was customers looking for coveted blue coupons, shopping online for store pickup, or looking at products and then shopping in-store.
It’s safe to assume that BB&B can rise above their pre-bankruptcy organic traffic levels with the combined sites’ organic traffic but below the aggregate traffic totals of overstock.com and bedbathandbeyond.com.
Why won’t BB&B reach the aggregate traffic totals of the two sites?
Partially for the reasons above (mainly shopping online and in-store pickup and people looking to shop in-store) and also due to product and other page overlap.
Many of the categories are the same and will be consolidated on BB&B. There are likely thousands of products that are the same, in which case those pages will be consolidated.
Due to these variables, traffic will be less than the previous sum of both sites. However, over time, BB&B can earn incremental traffic across pages that cater to customers in each stage of their shopping journey.
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Where does Bed Bath & Beyond go from here?
Here are some additional steps that bedbathandbeyond.com can take to boost its organic traffic.
- Focus on category page performance, which has declined since bedbathandbeyond.com declared bankruptcy.
- To counter this decline, the company should focus on improving the content related to its products on these category pages.
- By updating and enhancing the information on these pages, the company can work to regain its lost search engine rankings.
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- Assuming the migration is completed in steps, URLs redirected to the homepage should be redirected to the closest counterpart on bedbathandbeyond.com.
- To capitalize on the recent improvement in search engine rankings, the company could create individual pages on the new BB&B website that correspond directly to the content from the old website. This means there should be a dedicated new page on bedbathandbeyond.com for each piece of content that was moved.
- Stop the bleeding on deeper pages that contain keywords which are no longer ranking since the migration.
- Determine if the influx of new pages has compromised the internal linking structure. Create an internal linking map to ensure that priority pages remain the priority and that link equity is being spread throughout the site.
- Review crawl logs to determine if any site sections are having issues being crawled and accessed.
Dig deeper: How to complete a website shutdown with a split migration
How we would have migrated Overstock to BB&B
Migrations are difficult and complex, especially when merging and/or moving onto a new platform. A lot must happen in the right sequence to ensure the site functions as expected during launch.
When thinking of a migration from an SEO perspective, the main objective is matching pages (old to new) so that they pass their value onto the new pages. While this sounds simple, there are a number of steps that must be planned and executed.
Here are the steps we would take at our agency to ensure that all angles are being considered and that the old site is prepared to pass value onto the new pages:
- Review content on templated pages (e.g., product, category pages) and other content contained in buyer’s guides, blogs, how-to articles, etc.
- Review traffic data to determine which content should be kept on the new version of the site and which content can be retired.
- Once URL structure is understood on the new site, create a URL map that details redirects needed (e.g., single page level or directory level redirects).
- Create rules for programmatic update of internal links.
- Create canonical tag logic for the new pages on the new site.
- Update href-lang links to pages on the new site.
- Create XML sitemap strategy and QA once implemented.
- Review the site from a technical point of view in a sandbox environment to ensure that the site has no major issues and structured data is included on key pages.
- Ensure site speed is addressed for both mobile and desktop.
- Update robots.txt file. List any new XML sitemaps and remove all old references to the old site.
- Validate all changes prior to going live in the sandbox environment.
- Conduct post-migration steps, hotfix important issues, and add less-important issues to the dev backlog.
With most migrations, there will be some hiccups even if all the steps are followed.
It could be an issue with data migration, incorrect canonical logic, or a directive in the robots.txt file that blocks the site from being crawled.
As an SEO, you need to find and fix issues quickly. Product and development teams must be aligned to handle these hotfixes quickly.
Exploring the SEO impact of Overstock and Bed Bath & Beyond’s website merger
So, has it been a perfect migration? Not quite. But it’s also not as bad as some SEOs were initially reporting.
Organic traffic is growing, the number of keywords ranking is increasing, and the BB&B team is learning more about the site daily.
There are clear growth opportunities that the SEO and content teams can undertake. Adding content over time to priority category and subcategory pages would be among the most impactful tasks the BB&B team can tackle.
Also, a focus on internal linking and ensuring the entire site is crawlable and indexable.
The core focus must be getting people comfortable shopping on the new BB&B site. In time, traffic will grow organically if the brand reestablishes itself as a leader in shopping for home goods. W
hile these two combined powerhouses have the potential to eat market share, there are still many risks in the space – giants like Amazon and smaller companies – as DTC businesses continue to grow in popularity due to their ability to adapt to market needs.
The post Overstock’s Bed Bath & Beyond rebrand: The SEO impact appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Monday, October 9th, 2023
X (formerly known as Twitter) has started rolling out a new ad product that cannot be blocked or reported.
The new format doesn’t include an ad label so users are not informed that what they’re seeing is an advert. There also isn’t an account associated with the promoted posts, so users also can’t tell who the advertiser is either.
Users reported the new ad format to Mashable, claiming these posts cannot be liked or shared.
Why we care. A surge in spam ads on X could impact user perception and engagement with ads across the platform, potentially resulting in a decline in conversion rates. This new ad type could also be an indication that X is experiencing a shortage of advertisers investing in targeted advertising. It’s essential for advertisers to monitor these developments closely and adapt their strategies accordingly to maintain effective and meaningful user interactions.
What it looks like. The new ad format looks like a regular post, consisting of text and a photo. However, in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to make these ads appear like organic posts, they also feature a fake avatar resembling a profile picture.
So far, these new ads have only been seen on the X mobile app. It’s not yet clear if they are being served on desktop as well.
Who’s using them. The type of ads using this new format are reportedly consistent with those found in spammy, low-quality or click-bait ad campaigns. No major brands appear to have opted for this campaign type.
Third-party links. People who have clicked on the new ad format have reported being taken to third-party websites in a new window. Clicking anywhere on these ads, including the avatar profile, will take you to a third-party website.
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Why now? X has been partnering with third-party companies to address its declining ad revenue issue. In fact, the platform recently announced it had partnered with Google after deciding to outsource the sale of some of its ad space. This new ad type cannot be found in the X ad campaign manager platform, according to Mashable, suggesting these posts are being served via a third party provider.
Deep dive. Visit the X Ads Help Center for more information.
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Monday, October 9th, 2023
Google is testing a toned-down, more subtle version of the Search Generative Experience. Some are calling this version the lite SGE, where Google is showing a couple of lines of text from the AI-generated snapshot with the ability to expand that answer to see more.
What it looks like. Here are screenshots that Glenn Gabe provided on social media:
Here are more screenshots:
SGE continues to evolve. I'm now seeing what I'm calling "SGE lite" in the SERPs. SGE doesn't trigger a large block by default anymore… it's now much smaller with a large "Show more" button. Again, IMO SGE will not roll out unless it's revenue-neutral or positive… Stay tuned: pic.twitter.com/JSlUJ7V7ef
— Glenn Gabe (@glenngabe) October 7, 2023
Normal SGE. Compare this to what we normally see for SGE results, with a big answer, that takes up the whole screen real estate and sometimes more:
Why we care. Some might prefer this “lite” version of the SGE results. Instead of it overtaking all the search results, the ten blue links and other elements, it is a smaller, more subtle answer at the top of the page that can be expanded upon user choice. Searchers can easily scroll past it to the the traditional search results, unlike the original SGE interface.
The post Google testing more subtle Search Generative Experience design appeared first on Search Engine Land.
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Thursday, October 5th, 2023
Successful marketing agencies know that the key to building trust with clients is to own what customers say about a business online.
Whether your clients are struggling with negative or non-existent reviews, or already have a solid online reputation, this guide from GatherUp will help you approach, generate, manage, and make the most of your clients’ online customer reviews over the long term.
Download it and learn how to:
- Implement an effective review management strategy
- Track and analyze customer feedback
- Use reviews to improve SEO and boost client credibility
Visit Digital Marketing Depot to download the Marketing Agency’s Guide to Customer Reviews.
The post The marketing’s agency’s guide to customer reviews appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Thursday, October 5th, 2023
Best of the Bot showcases Search Engine Land Bot’s responses to prompts submitted by readers. The language model is based on content from Search Engine Land layered on top of ChatGPT. The editors of Search Engine Land selected this response for its usefulness and have supplemented it with additional relevant content.
I am the first generative AI chatbot for search marketers. I am trained with Search Engine Land content.
Here’s something somebody asked me! After that, how you can improve prompts to get even better answers from me.
Prompt:
Create 15 Google ads in RSA format for this ad group: Car Diagnostic Services.
Answer:
Sure! Here are 15 Google Ads in RSA format for the “Car Diagnostic Services” ad group:
1.
Headline 1: Expert Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Fast & Accurate Results Description: Get professional car diagnostic services for accurate and efficient troubleshooting. Book an appointment now!
2.
Headline 1: Affordable Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Quick & Reliable Service Description: Need car diagnostics? Our team offers affordable and reliable diagnostic services. Contact us today!
3.
Headline 1: Advanced Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: State-of-the-Art Equipment Description: Experience advanced car diagnostic services with our state-of-the-art equipment. Trust our experts for accurate results.
4.
Headline 1: Reliable Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Certified Technicians Description: Our certified technicians provide reliable car diagnostic services. Get your vehicle diagnosed by the experts.
5.
Headline 1: Efficient Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Quick Turnaround Time Description: Experience efficient car diagnostic services with fast turnaround time. Schedule an appointment with us today.
6.
Headline 1: Professional Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Comprehensive Analysis Description: Trust our professionals for comprehensive car diagnostic services. Get a detailed analysis of your vehicle’s issues.
7.
Headline 1: Affordable Diagnostic Solutions
Headline 2: Expert Car Technicians Description: Looking for affordable diagnostic solutions? Our expert car technicians provide top-notch diagnostic services.
8.
Headline 1: Quick Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Same-Day Results Description: Need quick car diagnostics? Our team delivers same-day results for prompt troubleshooting. Contact us now!
9.
Headline 1: Accurate Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Cutting-Edge Technology Description: Get accurate car diagnostic services with our cutting-edge technology. Trust us for precise troubleshooting.
10.
Headline 1: Expert Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Affordable Prices Description: Our experts offer professional car diagnostic services at affordable prices. Book your diagnostic appointment today.
11.
Headline 1: Reliable Diagnostic Services
Headline 2: Trusted by Car Owners Description: Car owners trust our reliable diagnostic services for accurate troubleshooting. Contact us for expert assistance.
12.
Headline 1: Comprehensive Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Detailed Reports Description: Experience comprehensive car diagnostic services with detailed reports. Trust our experts for thorough analysis.
13.
Headline 1: Fast Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Efficient Problem-Solving Description: Need fast car diagnostics? Our team provides efficient problem-solving for all your vehicle’s diagnostic needs.
14.
Headline 1: Advanced Diagnostic Solutions
Headline 2: Industry-Leading Experts Description: Benefit from our advanced diagnostic solutions delivered by industry-leading experts. Get your vehicle diagnosed today.
15.
Headline 1: Quick & Accurate Diagnostics
Headline 2: State-of-the-Art Facility Description: Our state-of-the-art facility offers quick and accurate car diagnostic services. Trust us for reliable troubleshooting.
Feel free to customize these ads further to align with your specific brand messaging and target audience.
Updated prompt with formatting
How this prompt could be improved
The key elements and enhancements to this prompt are as follows:
(Task)
Please create 15 Google ads in RSA format for an ad group called Car Diagnostic Services.
(Context)
You are an experienced PPC marketer with expertise in creating effective Responsive Search Ads (RSAs). You are experienced in creating successful, high-performing automotive campaigns.
(Format)
Format the results in markdown.
(Tone)
You write in a professional, concise tone.
(Example)
You follow best practices including writing concise and distinctive headlines and ads that follow the best practice format of “brand, product, keyword, and product benefit.” You use call-to-action words to motivate buyers and highlight unique selling points with enticing hooks such as discounts, free add-ons, or other value propositions.
New SearchBot answer
As an AI assistant, I can provide you with examples of Google ads in RSA format for the Car Diagnostic Services ad group. Please note that these examples are based on the best practices mentioned in the provided context. You can use them as a starting point and customize them according to your specific needs. Here are 15 RSA examples:
1.
Headline 1: Expert Car Diagnostic Services
Headline 2: Accurate Diagnostics for All Makes
Description: Get reliable car diagnostic services from our expert technicians. Find and fix issues quickly. Book now!
2.
Headline 1: Affordable Car Diagnostic Services
Headline 2: Fast and Reliable Diagnostics
Description: Don’t let car problems linger. Our affordable diagnostic services help you identify issues and save on repairs. Call now!
3.
Headline 1: Advanced Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: State-of-the-Art Diagnostic Tools
Description: Experience advanced car diagnostics with our cutting-edge tools. Accurate results for efficient repairs. Visit us today!
4.
Headline 1: Quick Car Diagnostic Services
Headline 2: Same-Day Diagnostic Solutions
Description: Need fast diagnostics? Our expert team provides quick and reliable car diagnostic services. Schedule your appointment now!
5.
Headline 1: Comprehensive Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Thorough Analysis for All Systems
Description: Get a comprehensive analysis of your car’s systems. Our diagnostic services cover everything from engines to electronics. Book today!
6.
Headline 1: Professional Car Diagnostic Services
Headline 2: Trusted by Car Owners
Description: Trust our professionals for accurate car diagnostics. We help you understand your car’s health and recommend the right solutions.
7.
Headline 1: Efficient Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Pinpointing Problems with Precision
Description: Our efficient car diagnostic services pinpoint problems with precision. Get the answers you need for effective repairs. Call now!
8.
Headline 1: Reliable Car Diagnostic Experts
Headline 2: Diagnose and Solve Car Issues
Description: Our team of experts provides reliable car diagnostic services. Trust us to diagnose and solve your car issues. Visit us today!
9.
Headline 1: Advanced Car Diagnostic Solutions
Headline 2: Cutting-Edge Technology for Accurate Results
Description: Experience advanced car diagnostic solutions with our state-of-the-art technology. Accurate results for efficient repairs. Book now!
10.
Headline 1: Affordable Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Quality Service at Competitive Prices
Description: Get affordable car diagnostics without compromising on quality. Our competitive prices ensure value for your money. Schedule your visit!
11.
Headline 1: Expert Car Diagnostic Specialists
Headline 2: Trusted by Car Owners
Description: Our expert specialists provide reliable car diagnostic services. Trust us to diagnose and solve your car issues. Call now!
12.
Headline 1: Quick and Accurate Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Same-Day Results for Fast Repairs
Description: Need quick and accurate car diagnostics? Our same-day results help you get fast repairs. Visit us today!
13.
Headline 1: Thorough Car Diagnostic Services
Headline 2: Complete Analysis for All Systems
Description: Get a thorough analysis of your car’s systems. Our diagnostic services cover everything from engine to electronics. Book your appointment!
14.
Headline 1: Professional Car Diagnostics
Headline 2: Trusted by Car Owners
Description: Trust our professionals for professional car diagnostics. We help you understand your car’s health and recommend the right solutions.
15.
Headline 1: Efficient Car Diagnostic Services
Headline 2: Pinpointing Problems with Precision
Description: Our efficient car diagnostic services pinpoint problems with precision. Get the answers you need for effective repairs. Schedule now!
Please note that these examples are for reference purposes only. Make sure to customize them to align with your brand, unique selling points, and specific offers.
Try Search Engine Land Bot
The post Best of the Bot: Write Google RSA ads for car diagnostic services appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Thursday, October 5th, 2023
Google Analytics 4 has rolled out two new features to help improve data security and reporting accuracy.
The new capabilities, which are available in GA4 now, enable marketers to redact client-side text and exclude Google data signals from reports and explorations.
Data redaction. This new feature is designed to help minimize the risk of unintentionally transmitting Personally Identifiable Information (PII). On GA4, you can now set up your web data streams to execute client-side text redaction on email addresses and user-defined URL Query Parameters. Email redaction is automatically enabled by default for new web data streams.
Why we care. Adopting tools to address the mishandling of Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is crucial for advertisers as it can mitigate legal repercussions, safeguard reputation, and preserve customer trust.
Excluding Google signals from reports and explorations. GA4 now has the ability to enable advertisers to exclude certain demographic and interest data from reports, particularly data from signed-in, consented users. If you’ve enabled Google Signals for your property, simply disable “Include Google Signals in Reporting Identity” on the Admin’s Data Collection page.
Turning this option off helps to minimize data thresholding if your property uses Belnded or Observed reporting identity. However, even with this option off, GA4 can still gather Google Signals data, allowing you to use it in audiences and conversions. Additionally, you can share this data with linked Google Ads accounts for re-marketing and bid optimization.
Why we care. This tool can help improve the accuracy of reporting, allowing advertisers to better understand user behavior, preferences, and interactions, leading to improved audience targeting and increased conversion rates. In addition, the ability to then share this data with linked Google Ads accounts enables advertisers to enhance remarketing efforts and optimize bids, ultimately improving the overall performance and return on investment of their advertising strategies.
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What has Google said? A Google spokesperson said in a statement:
- “It’s important to remember that while data redaction provides a powerful tool against inadvertently collecting PII, the ultimate responsibility for meeting regulatory requirements still lies with the entity collecting data.”
- “To further help you meet that responsibility, this feature lets you test your configuration to understand whether the text patterns you identify are redacted as expected.”
Deep dive. Read Google’s Data Redaction or Google signals guidelines for more information.
The post Google Analytics 4 adds new features to improve data security and report accuracy appeared first on Search Engine Land.
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Thursday, October 5th, 2023
Google’s October 2023 core update is now rolling out and may take up to two weeks to complete.
This is the third broad core algorithm update of 2023. the first core update of 2023 was the March 2023 core update, which started rolling out on March 15 and was completed on March 28. The second core update of 2023 was the August 2023 core update, which started rolling out on August 22 and was completed on September 7.
The announcement. Google announced this on X and updated its search status page:
- “Released the October 2023 core update. The rollout may take up to 2 weeks to complete.”
What to do if you are hit. Google has given advice on what to consider if you are negatively impacted by a core update in the past:
- There aren’t specific actions to take to recover. A negative rankings impact may not signal anything is wrong with your pages.
- Google has offered a list of questions to consider if your site is hit by a core update.
- Google said you can see a bit of a recovery between core updates but the biggest change would be after another core update.
Why we care. Whenever Google updates its search ranking algorithms, your site can do better or worse in the search results. Knowing when Google makes these updates gives us something to point to understand if it was something you changed on your website or something Google changed with its ranking algorithm. Today, we know Google has released a core ranking update, so keep an eye on your analytics and rankings over the next couple of weeks.
Although with the spam update rolling out at the same time, it might be hard to isolate which update or updates impacted your site.
Previous core updates. Here’s a timeline and our coverage of recent core updates:
Other recent Google algorithm updates. Google is currently rolling out the October 2023 spam update, which can take three weeks to roll out. So this October 2023 core update and the October 2023 spam update will overlap. In September, Google rolled out the September 2023 helpful content update over a 14 day period.
You can read more about past Google updates here.
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Wednesday, October 4th, 2023
Google’s September 2023 helpful content update started rolling out Sept. 14 and completed rolling out 14 days later, on Sept. 28. The impact of this update was significant – many websites were devastated.
X (formerly Twitter), forums, and Facebook groups were inundated with thousands of publishers reporting traffic drops from 10% to 70%. The update was so dire that companies even publicly commented they would have to lay off dozens of employees.
Google says that the point of helpful content updates is to promote helpful, reliable, people-first content, and has directed affected site owners to review their help page for information on how to self-assess content if they feel negatively impacted.
Google was also clear that this update would not be rolled back, and as of publication of this article, we have not seen that happen. That’s a sign that Google is confident that the update did what it was intended to do, which is no salve or comfort for affected site owners.
So what happened?
What did this update target, and what is really the difference between helpful and non-helpful content?
First, some great analysis of this update has already been done by several of my colleagues. I would urge any who have not already done so to review:
These resources provide a great overview of the update, good commentary on what has changed compared to 2022 versions of the update and strategies for possible recovery.
I’m going to concentrate today on my personal observations as a site auditor, focused exclusively on the food, travel and lifestyle niches. These niches, explicitly, were incredibly impacted by the update.
Because I routinely do hundreds of audits a year, I have access, at any one time, to 400+ Google Search Console profiles. This provides me with an incredible amount of data from sites big and small, from which I can pull Google-only data to discern any clear patterns.
Next, as a recognized professional in the food and lifestyle niche, I’m an invited “group expert” in several of the world’s largest Facebook groups. That also allows me to pull detailed information on affected sites.
I’ve taken that data and distilled it down to the top seven findings below.
These findings are what I’m using to assess sites that come to me following the helpful content update and what I would recommend site owners also consider when doing a self-assessment to recover lost traffic.
1. Ad companies are not your friend
You want to read endless horror stories about traffic loss? Visit the Mediavine or Raptive ad network groups on Facebook. The recent update affected thousands of bloggers and the drops were significant.
The drops, unfortunately, are not surprising.
Ad companies are notorious for pushing aggressive ad density percentages, giving incredibly poor SEO advice and optimizing for “ad income” over site UX whenever possible.
Some of the more questionable practices from these ad companies include the following;
- Auto-playing video ads that follow the user down the page are the norm.
- Pushing full-screen vignette ads that activate “between pages” covering the entire screen.
- Advice to write longer posts so that “you can stuff more ads” onto the page.
- Pushing for “one-sentence paragraphs” and repetitive photography to increase page length.
- Ad densities as high as 28% to 32%, which is well above “recommended” levels.
- GumGum sticky ads that attach to the bottom of in-post images. The new ones actually cover the entire ad briefly and then disappear.
- Stuffing the above-the-fold area with leaderboard banners and auto-playing video ads.
The helpful content update has a clear Page Experience component, and it is here where we can start to see why Google would target “ad aggressive sites” algorithmically:
“Does the content lack an excessive amount of ads that distract from or interfere with the main content?”
Also from the same page:
“Does content display well for mobile devices when viewed on them?”
If a page is covered in ads, and the user struggles to discern all the content on that page, then by its very nature, that page is no longer “helpful.”
Finally, it’s worth noting that Google’s Markus Bordihn published a blog post on web.dev on Friday, Sept. 29, just one day after the end of the September 2023 helpful content update.
This blog post discusses the interaction between ads and UX and how users need to balance their overall UX with their end goal of generating revenue.
Bottom line: If you are running ads and were negatively impacted by the recent update, this is the first thing I would look at.
Dial your ads back. Always optimize for the user.
2. Always optimize for usability
Besides dialing your ads back, optimizing for the user can be done in other simple ways.
Two of the easiest ways to improve usability in content these days is to include either jump links or a table of contents at the top of posts.
Jump links
For the average recipe site, having a jump to recipe button is a simple user-first optimization that allows visitors to access the recipe card quickly to qualify their time. For example, do I have the ingredients on hand for this? Can this be made in less than 30 minutes?
Unfortunately, some ad companies “take over” this jump button. So instead of sending the user to the recipe card, they send them to an ad.
This is both a slap in the face to users and a WCAG accessibility violation.
You are communicating to both visual users and the visually impaired using a screen reader that the user is going to the recipe card by clicking on this button. Instead, you send them to an ad, and they have to click a second link to go to where they should have been going in the first place.
That’s not usability and certainly not “helpful” for the user.
Table of contents
Adding a table of contents to the top of blog posts is a popular practice. You can see great examples of this in action on sites here and here.
But imagine including a nice table of contents, then closing it completely. That’s become a common recommendation from ad companies in 2023.
Do not do this.
There is no reason to include a table of content nobody will see. And again, it’s certainly not “helpful” to do this.
3. Stop using interstitials and pop-ups incorrectly
The page experience algorithm is something routinely coupled with the helpful content update. I’ve already noted the “avoid excessive ads that cover main content” notation above.
But another one that is commonly seen (and ignored by site owners) is the use of violating interstitials on a website.
Google can filter and/or penalize a site if it uses regular “violating interstitials” that “cover the majority of content on a page,” per the guidelines.
I cannot tell you how many times per day I see a site running a “violating interstitial.”
As a review, if you are running any pop-up (email, newsletter, ebook, etc.) that takes up more than one-third of the screen and activates on the “first click from Google,” you are in violation.
- “But my interstitial only activates when you scroll down.” Still a violation!
- “But my interstitial only activates as an exit-only.” Still a violation!
If you want to run a pop-up, focus on making sure that it activates “between pages” and, most importantly, not after the first click from Google.
Finally, please stop showing the pop-up to the same person multiple times as they navigate the site. You will not get that person to sign up the second or third time.
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4. Helpful content doesn’t mean more content
No matter how many times Google says it, most still don’t understand that word count is not a ranking factor.
One of the bigger themes seen while reviewing sites during this recent update was the incredible amount of superfluous content that existed on affected pages.
Example: Recipe site
The author wrote an entire treatise on “Crème Brulee” and then wondered why they were beaten by multiple sites with less info.
Being helpful means providing the information the user needs and, in many cases, only the information the user needs.
Having an extra 400 words on the “disputed history of crème brulee dating back to the 17th century” is not needed to fulfill the intent of this recipe for the average user.
Example: Travel site
The author wrote a detailed article on sights to see in Wellington, NZ. The article was well above the ranking average for word count and very detailed.
The problem? The author had never personally visited the country or any sight listed therein.
The article reflected that:
- No photos with the author in them existed.
- The information lacked any clear personal observations from someone who would have visited.
- More than one “point of interest” referenced in the post no longer existed.
Being helpful means showing “clear expertise” per the guidelines on what you are actually writing about.
Writing a detailed article is not enough, especially when you also use stock photography and have no first-hand observations to share with the audience.
5. Bloggers must support any and all health claims
Health-related blogs and recipe sites were hit noticeably during this last update. A clear pattern was easy to see when reviewing the aggregate of the sites affected.
The vast majority of health sites that were hit struggled to understand the difference between a “health fact” and a “health claim.”
For example, a blogger can say, “This recipe is dairy-free,” and that is not a health claim. That’s a health fact. Something is either “dairy-free” or it’s not. No outside support is usually needed.
But if the same blogger says, “This recipe is dairy-free and, as such, will work great to clear up acne,” that’s a health claim that has to be supported.
One of the easiest ways to see if you have done this accidentally or intentionally is to conduct simple Google Site Operator searches of your site content.
Here are some major ones I recommend when auditing a site:
- site:yoursite.com intext:health benefits
- site:yoursite.com intext:weight loss
- site:yoursite.com intext:reducing inflammation
- site:yoursite.com intext:heart disease
The above would fall under the proving expertise of the content and author section, per Google helpful content update guidelines. Does the information make you trust the author by means of clear sourcing or verifiable information?
In the examples above, little to no visible expertise was involved, and the ranking drops for the target sites reflected as such.
6. Stop writing copy just because you think it will rank
This is the most confusing one.
Per Google, if you are writing content “solely because it’s something you think you can rank for,” that’s actually not something they wish to rank. Ironic, right?
This is detailed under the “why” portion of Google’s “How to Create Reliable People-First Content” page.
This update continues a string of changes we see with Google where the main focus is to elevate content that is original, unique, or that adds something new for users to truly find useful and, in turn, helpful.
The content quality questions that Google provides here become increasingly valuable with every update. As a site owner, look at your dropped content.
Now, compare that content against the 12 content quality questions Google lays out for all publishers.
When you do your content audit and look at what dropped, ask yourself three simple questions:
- Is your content primarily written for human or search engine readers?
- Does your content provide unique and valuable insights that are not readily available elsewhere?
- Would you be happy to share your content with your friends, family, or colleagues?
If the answer to any of these questions is “no,” it’s time to rethink that piece of content and remove it completely from the site!
7. Niche down and elevate individual expertise
A noticeable minority of affected sites from this most recent update were multi-niche in nature.
Those sites had food, lifestyle and travel posts. Or, they had food and travel posts. Or, they had how-to, health, food and product reviews all living on the same domain.
Google has said many times that although they grade on the individual page level, they penalize at the host level. And the helpful content update is a sitewide algorithm.
Do you have multiple niches that exist on your site? Is it possible one or more of those niches have significant downgrades in overall content quality?
Understand that it is not only possible, but exceedingly common, to have varied content quality across multiple niches. And with the helpful content update, that can specifically hurt your overall ranking prospects.
Example: Travel site
Site authors previously traveled a lot pre-pandemic but had to move to another niche (recipes) when COVID-19 shut down travel.
For the last several years, they have been expanding their content choices to more and more niches, first to recipes, then to how-tos, and more recently to a whole section on product reviews.
This site is now down 50% following the September 2023 helpful content update. A review shows that some niches have extremely low-quality content compared to others.
Just like you may have to cut away a gangrenous limb to save the entire body, that may be the case with this site if it wishes to recover. Cut away the low-quality, weak niche content and start moving forward again with what you used to do best.
Example: Dessert blogger
This blogger initially did incredibly well niching down to just gluten-free dessert recipes. She did a fantastic job writing complete recipes and staying away from health claims.
Then, she decided to expand the blog to cover non-recipe-related content because she was told she needed more content to really grow her blog.
The result was a significant amount of “complementary content” made with AI tools that didn’t remotely match her previous content quality.
New content posts like “X ways to use fondant icing” and “What to serve with pumpkin dip” were then chosen, not because her audience was asking for them, but because her ad company provided tools that were telling her, “Hey, you can rank for this and we can serve more ads for you when you do.”
That site is down 52% since the update. Most content published in the last 18 months no longer ranks competitively.
Finally, and most importantly, work to elevate your individual expertise.
It’s not enough these days to say you are good at something. You must show it. Rewrite that About page and brag to all that will hear, “Hey, I’m really damn good, and this is why you should trust my content.”
You also need to look externally for cheerleaders. From podcasts and interviews to past clients and existing fans, milk all of them for whatever visible examples of expertise you can show.
Now is the time to consider optimizing for a knowledge panel. Or writing that cookbook you’ve been putting off. Or, just getting over your insecurities and finding a podcast to tell your story.
Bottom line: We cannot be experts in all niches. If you are suffering traffic losses, now is the time to go back to what you know and what Google was initially using to rank you. Remove the new niche content, or move the new niche content to a completely new domain.
Also, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, they always say. Make it impossible to be ignored. Be your own cheerleader and build up external mentions to your site to reinforce your E-E-A-T.
It’s never been harder to be a content creator
It’s a dark wasteland for many bloggers right now.
I’ve been a search marketing professional for nearly 25 years. And yet, I’m no better today at consoling a blogger or site owner who has lost their livelihood.
Although you can recover from Google’s core and helpful content updates, it’s not a quick fix. It takes several months and a clear effort to communicate to Google that you are writing for humans, not robots.
But you can do it. Focus on the takeaways above.
Always put the user front and center. The site you save will be your own.
Good luck out there.
The post How to survive and thrive in a Google helpful content world appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Wednesday, October 4th, 2023
Broken internal links on your website are bad for user experience and search engine visibility.
But among the long list of technical SEO improvements you can make to your site, identifying and fixing broken links can fall by the wayside. This is especially true if you’re trying to do this at scale on a site with thousands of webpages.
Fortunately, regular audits and a whole suite of SEO tools make broken links an easily solvable problem without needing vast technical expertise.
This guide will highlight everything you need to know about the critical process of fixing broken internal links on your site.
What are broken internal links?
As implied by the name, broken internal links point to a non-existent page on your website.
Internal links become broken when they point to a page that returns an error, no longer exists or can’t be found.
Causes of broken links
Links become “broken” for a number of reasons. Depending on the number of stakeholders who work on your website as well as your site’s size, it can be easy for these errors to fly under the radar.
Here are the primary broken link causes to look out for.
- The page in question has been deleted/removed from the site.
- There is a typo in the link’s URL.
- A change was made to the page’s URL without an update reflected in the redirect.
- Pages are structured or have had their naming convention changed during a site migration.
Pay special attention to your links if you plan on undertaking a site migration in the near future. A comprehensive 301 redirect map can prevent the loss of search equity and ultimately help save you time by preventing mass broken links site-wide.
Why it’s crucial to fix broken internal links
Impact on SEO
Broken internal links can have major repercussions from an SEO standpoint. First and foremost, Internal links with strong anchor text are a ranking signal used by search engines like Google.
Broken links can impact the ability of search engines to index a site properly. Pages that are not correctly linked or are unreachable might not get indexed at all, leading to lost opportunities in search visibility.
Additionally, a well-linked internal structure distributes link equity throughout a website.
Broken links interrupt this flow, potentially diminishing the value of a page or even the entire domain.
User experience (UX)
Ultimately, improving the end-user’s experience is the core mission of any website. No matter what marketing or web development aspect your role covers, a website’s smooth and rewarding navigation should be everyone’s goal.
Encountering a broken link or 404 error can quickly frustrate users and deter visitors from further exploring your site. Repeated encounters with broken links can erode a user’s trust in your website.
For users and search engines, a site riddled with broken links might be perceived as neglected or outdated, causing questions about its content quality and legitimacy. Over time, this mistrust can decrease repeat visits, longer-term on-page engagement, and even the ability to rank.
While broken internal links may seem like a small oversight, their cascading effects on user experience and SEO can be detrimental to a site’s overall health and performance. Luckily, there are several fixes you can employ to identify and fix these pesky errors.
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How to identify broken internal links
The first step to fixing broken internal links is identifying where they may be present on your site.
Manual checking
This approach is exactly what it sounds like – going page by page to verify which, if any, internal links are not directing to the correct page.
While this method is thorough, it is certainly tedious and not a practical solution for large enterprise websites with thousands or tens of thousands of pages.
For these reasons, most SEO professionals will turn to tools designed to solve broken link problems at scale.
Utilizing online tools
Google offers several tools for finding and fixing incorrect links and 404 pages within your domain.
- Use Chrome’s Inspection feature by right-clicking on a webpage and selecting Inspect from the dropdown menu. The Console tab will highlight any 404 errors indicative of broken internal links.
- Similarly, you can visit Google Search Console directly to identify all 404 error webpages within your domain property. Identifying these errors implies the existence of a malfunctioning internal link leading to the error on your website.
- Another method involves using Google Analytics. One of the most useful features of the GA4 rollout is the automated tracking of 404 error responses. This data can be retrieved in the Pages and Screens report section, where the error page can be searched directly.
Outside of Google, several popular SEO tools also offer capabilities to detect and resolve issues like broken links. Some examples include:
- Screaming Frog: A desktop website crawler designed primarily for SEO professionals, Screaming Frog can quickly scan a website and identify broken links. Within your crawl, use the Response Code option to isolate 404 pages. Then, filter for inlinks to view just internal issues.
- Ahrefs: This backlink database tool also offers a Site Audit feature, which combs through a website, highlighting various issues, including broken internal links. The detailed report segregates the links based on their HTTP status codes, making it easier to locate and rectify 404 errors.
- Semrush: Semrush’s Site Audit tool is designed to uncover on-site issues that might be hampering a website’s performance. Among the issues it detects are broken internal links. Navigate to the Issues tab after running an audit to see the list of links requiring immediate attention.
Incorporating these tools into your SEO toolkit can streamline the process of identifying broken links, each offering a reliable means to ensure your website remains free from the disruptions caused by broken internal links.
CMS-specific solutions
You might not have to look too far outside your setup for a broken link solution.
Popular content management systems (CMS), including WordPress and Drupal, have integrated or supported plugins and modules that identify problematic links.
These plugins integrate with the platform’s core functionality and are designed for ease of use, ensuring you don’t need to be a seasoned developer to maintain your site’s SEO health.
Steps to fix broken internal links
Redirecting links
One of the most effective ways to fix broken internal links while retaining SEO benefits is by employing 301 redirects. A 301 redirect essentially tells browsers and search engines that a page has permanently moved to a new location. Importantly, this type of redirect still passes on PageRank to the redirected page.
Employ 301 redirects if a page on your site has moved permanently or a page has been deleted, but you can redirect users to a similar page.
For example, you’ve combined an About Us and a Meet the Team page into a single URL.
All previous links to each of these individual pages can be redirected to the new combined webpage, given that the user will still see the expected content when clicking the link.
You should never 301 redirect to an irrelevant or unrelated page, as this can damage your user experience and subsequent site rankings.
Content management systems like WordPress offer redirection plugins to help simplify and automate this process.
Removing or replacing links
Sometimes, a 301 redirect might be more of a labor-intensive fix than is needed, especially if the broken link is due to a simple typo, making a redirect non-applicable.
In this case, once you identify broken links using one of the aforementioned tools or methods and the anchor point for the link on your site, simply replace the old URL with the correct or updated URL. Test the updated link to ensure it directs users to the right location.
If the content linked is outdated, irrelevant, or no longer exists, it’s often best to either remove the link altogether or replace it with a more relevant resource.
For links pointing to outdated content, evaluate if there’s a newer version or a more recent resource on your site. Replace the old link with the new resource.
If no replacement exists, consider linking to a relevant external resource, ensuring it’s credible and adds value to your content. If neither of these options is available, remove the link to maintain content integrity.
Preventing future broken links
Regular audits
Stop broken links in their tracks before they become a major problem for your site. To prevent a major faulty link build-up, schedule regular link audits.
Tools like Screaming Frog or CMS-specific solutions can be set up to periodically scan your site, ensuring broken links are identified and rectified in real time.
Training and guidelines
With any size website, it’s undeniable that some percentage of your broken links will result from human error.
Mistakes can happen when creating or updating content. As such, it’s imperative to train content creators or anyone responsible for touching the backend of your website about the importance of proper internal linking.
As an SEO professional, you might consider providing best practices on content upload, including the basics of:
- How to create and fix links, with directions specific to the CMS used by the site in question.
- The significance of double-checking URLs.
- The importance of updating links when pages are moved or deleted.
By instilling this sense of awareness, many broken link issues can be nipped in the bud, ensuring a seamless user experience and improved SEO performance.
Proactively manage broken links on your website
While individual broken links might not seem like a big deal, they can quickly add up to have a major adverse impact on your user experience, ability to rank and general SEO health.
By following the guidelines set out here, you can not only easily identify broken links but also take preventative measures to minimize the effects of broken links on your site in the future.
The post Your SEO guide to finding and fixing broken internal links appeared first on Search Engine Land.
Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing
Wednesday, October 4th, 2023
LinkedIn has started rolling out a new tool that leverages AI to simplify ad creation.
The new feature, called Accelerate, has been designed to help advertisers execute optimized campaigns in Campaign Manager in under five minutes.
Why we care. LinkedIn’s Accelerate campaigns can help streamline the ad creation process, saving time and resources, while also enhancing ad performance through data-driven insights and optimization. These tools enable advertisers to create more effective and targeted campaigns, ultimately improving the return on investment
Getting started. If Accelerate is available in your market, log into Campaign Manager and then follow these simple steps:
- Select your campaign objective and decide if you want to use Accelerate or LinkedIn’s classic experience to build your campaign.
- Provide a URL for the product you’re advertising.
- LinkedIn will then use AI to analyze the website you shared, your company’s LinkedIn Page and your account’s prior LinkedIn ads to recommend a campaign.
- Using this customer data, LinkedIn will build creatives and an audience, allowing you to adjust copy, images and refine targeting parameters by adding inclusion and exclusions, like geography.
How it works. Accelerate uses AI models to autonomously adjust bids and shift budget to the best performing placements and creatives. The technology integrates multiple automation features, including Predictive Audiences, to dynamically refine campaign targeting and facilitate effective outreach to high-value consumers within the LinkedIn community of more than 950 million members.
Additional help. Advertisers can click on the “Assist” button to get recommendations to improve campaign performance. You can also ask questions directly to get insights into how to improve your campaign, such as:
- Why was this budget recommended?
- What are some best practices for targeting?
In addition, you will be able to connect to a live support agent for further support.
Testing. LinkedIn has confirmed that the Accelerate feature is currently only available in limited markets. The platform is testing the tool in English with a small group of B2B advertising agencies, including Brainlabs, Closed Loop, Lewis, Speedwork and WebFX in the US.
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What has LinkedIn said? A LinkedIn spokesperson said in a statement:
- “For B2B marketers, creating campaigns that reach and influence the right buying committee is no easy task, especially when resources are tight. And creating campaigns can often take hours from developing creatives, to determining targeting, placement and bidding strategies.”
- “We know that 84% of marketers believe artificial intelligence (AI) will support them with their work, and saving time in the campaign creation process is a great place to start.”
- “Accelerate, builds on our other AI features, such as automated placement, which is delivering a 47% improvement in cost per conversion, and Predictive Audiences, which is improving cost per lead by 21%.”
Deep dive. Read LinkedIn’s Predictive Audiences guidelines for more information.
The post LinkedIn unveils AI-powered tool that can create optimized ads in minutes appeared first on Search Engine Land.
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