Atomic Media

How to spot and avoid shady link building vendors

Written on July 2, 2024 at 7:07 pm, by admin

Have you ever been tempted to pay for a really great link? 

Between Google’s algorithm leak and Danny Goodwin’s subsequent exposé of the importance of links for rankings, the broader marketing industry is having its “aha” moment while scrambling to launch digital PR strategies that earn high-authority links at scale.

Sadly, many brands will look for shortcuts and they’re about to experience the scourge of link network spam.

I’ve been at the receiving end of hundreds of scammy pitches promising high-authority links at seemingly legitimate sites for a fraction of the cost of most reputable content marketing agencies: 

What’s even more terrifying is that some of these vendors have access to legitimate sites and these publishers could soon face penalties as a result. 

How do you protect your brand from the deluge of link network spam and how can you spot the most toxic sites? 

To provide a more data-driven exposé, I curated hundreds of spammy link network pitches we have received over the last few years. 

I conducted an in-depth analysis of the commonalities between these pitches along with an audit of the common publishers associated with dozens of vendors, providing insights on how to identify and avoid them.

How to spot a spammy link network pitch 

The first step in my analysis was consolidating hundreds of these pitches into a single repository, allowing for a thorough examination of their commonalities.

Here’s a brief snapshot of the pitches I analyzed for reference:

Quickly, patterns emerged in these often generic emails that lacked substance while simultaneously promising remarkable SEO results:

• Overly generic introductions: Vague introductions without specific details about the sender or their credentials.
  • “I hope this message finds you well.”
  • “I hope you are keeping well and safe.” 
• Random capitalization: Incorrect capitalization and grammar issues throughout the pitch.
  • “We provide Natural, relevant, in-content links, from 100% real bloggers.”
  • “I have a good number of relevant Quality Sites, where I can help you to build Guest Post-Blog Post Links which help you to get good Domain Authority and Rank High in Google and other Search Engines.”
• Too-good-to-be-true offers: Promises of high-quality backlinks on sites with high Domain Authority (DA) for very low prices.
  • “I can offer you access to a curated list of high-demand and premium websites with Domain Authority (DA) ranging from 50 – 90.”
  • “We can tap into my extensive network to deliver exceptional results, improving your clients’ search rankings and organic reach.”
• Urgency and no upfront costs: Claims of no upfront costs, which often indicate a pay-after-results scam.
  • “Permanent Post Guaranteed. Do-Follow. Payment after link. The post will be Google Index.”
  • “I have more than 10k sites with high traffic. Price starts from $10. Should I send you my site lists?”
• Guaranteed results: Assurance of guaranteed results or permanent links, which is not always realistic in SEO.
  • “We offer permanent links, guaranteed.”
  • “Choose from 73k+ websites across 60+ niches for efficient link-building. Receive live links in 2-3 business days.”
• Lack of trust signals: No reference to specific brands they’ve worked with, nor the inclusion of any case studies or specific metrics demonstrating their results. 
• Lack of personalization: Generic emails that do not address the specific needs or content of the recipient’s website.
• Suspicious contact information: Unbranded email addresses (@gmail.com); often lacking legitimate names and verifiable contact information.

Understanding these patterns should be the first step in redirecting these pitches to your spam folder. 

While I’m hopeful that most CRMs will allow you to blacklist certain keywords from your contact forms (e.g., “guest post service provider”) one day soon, until then, it’s important to teach your team to recognize these trends.

This will help them better identify potentially harmful link building pitches that could jeopardize your website’s standing with search engines.

The most common strategies of shady link building agencies  

While there are dozens of effective link building strategies that could drive incredible results for your brand, scammy vendors commonly rely on low-value or black hat strategies instead.

1. Guest post solicitors: ‘Pay a nominal fee to pen a column on my site that gets 50K monthly visitors’

One of the most common pitches we receive is from vendors soliciting guest posts as a way for our clients to “quickly and easily earn high-value” links. These pitches pose the most harm to SMBs, since they prey on their smaller budgets, limited capacity and eagerness to drive quick results.

But they come at a steep price: Your site being deindexed. 

Oftentimes, these vendors claim to own sites that generate five figures in monthly organic traffic, which is your first opportunity for a quick spot check.

More often than not, you’ll see an exponential growth curve in referring domains, which is mirrored by an equally drastic decrease in organic traffic. 

2. The link exchange: ‘If you link to my resource, I’ll link to yours’ 

Link exchanges are the second most common offer we receive, with pitches often highlighting seemingly legitimate publishers.

While I’ll often roll my eyes over Fortune 500 PR teams mass-blasting us with link exchanges around HR and design resources, I’m more scrupulous when vetting pitches from seemingly legitimate domains owned by niche SMBs.

Typically, these vendors will start with a somewhat personalized pitch about your brand’s impressive content strategy, but the remainder of the pitch will prove they know little about the overarching themes you cover:

While some site managers might be open to adding this “harmless link” into a somewhat relevant blog post in consideration of a high-value link exchange, these links actually open you up to a toxic backlink portfolio.

Over time, Google will catch up to these massive, unnatural link portfolios and both domains risk being penalized:

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3. Guest post requests: ‘I see you cover ABC, I’d like to submit a post on XYZ’

The worst part about link spammers is the volume of irrelevant garbage that floods your inbox.

Writing guest posts for mainstream news sites or industry-relevant publishers is a great way to boost your thought leadership and earn reputable links.

However, accepting guest posts that don’t match your niche can severely damage your brand’s content quality and reputation, no matter how well you try to hide it.

4. Guaranteed .edu links: AI-generated stories on hacked .edu domains

One of the most intriguing parts of this project was investigating vendors who promised coveted .edu links from Ivy League and other U.S.-based and international colleges.

First, I requested examples of the links they had achieved on these sites.

Although few vendors reluctantly complied with my request, I uncovered a trove of issues:

• Dozens of the examples were hacked pages on .edu sites, such as:
  • https://wordpress.cs.vt.edu  
  • https://wordpress.ed.pacificu.edu
• Some leveraged PressBooks to gain access to .edu links:

• Several pages were created as .pdf links and were hidden from the main site navigation instead of being nested as normal blog pages:
  • https://canvas.ubc.ca/eportfolios/46591/Parker/MCDLevel1_PDF_Dump_Easy_Technique_to_A_Success
• A significant portion of the examples presented as client wins either redirected (301) or resulted in server errors (502):
  • https://gogs.as.arizona.edu/emmadobie/mblog/issues/6
  • https://myweb.uiowa.edu/dpipr/ 
• The majority of the articles were incredibly thin (< 200 words), and many longer articles were flagged as AI content by basic detectors.

Ultimately, I identified dozens of SMBs that were the victims of these offers, with many sites receiving penalties.

How to verify a quality link from a shady one  

In the deluge of link network spam, it seems that these vendors are scaling B2B outreach teams that exclusively target domain owners, agency owners, digital PR directors and any other LinkedIn profile that mentions growth or links.

It’s incorrigible, and more brands need to be aware of this risky offer.

As I hinted at above, the best ways to vet these vendors involves: 

• Verifying which countries they’re getting the majority of their traffic from. These are the top 10 most common countries that appeared as a primary traffic source across the thousands .coms listed in the link vendor publications I analyzed:
  • India 
  • Pakistan
  • Indonesia
  • Sri Lanka
  • Malaysia
  • Ethiopia
  • Russia 
  • Kenya
  • Philippines
  • Australia
• Checking for an exponential growth curve in their referring domains. Whenever you see a site go from a couple hundred to a couple thousand referring domains overnight, something is fishy and likely will be followed shortly by a Google manual action.

• Analyzing the volume of authoritative backlinks they’ve earned. Since domain authority is on a logarithmic scale, it’s normal for a site to have a significantly smaller percentage of authoritative links. However, when you see a site’s total backlink volume clearing 20,000 and high-authority links under 100, the ratio is off and can be a clear signal for a toxic backlink portfolio you want to avoid.

While there are dozens of methods for checking a site’s backlink portfolio and authority, these are the three quickest routes I’ve found for identifying shell sites being built as link networks that will one day be penalized by Google.

The cost of buying links

The best link building strategies are designed to earn relevant top-tier backlinks by providing something of value to journalists.

This typically involves quotes from subject matter experts (SMEs) or exclusive industry research your brand produced that journalists perceive as newsworthy and of value to their audience.

Unfortunately, too many brands still rely on quick-hitting strategies offered by paid link vendors, but in time, they’ll feel the full wrath of Google.

While SMBs with limited SEO knowledge are most at risk for falling prey to these offers, even reputable brands we work with have come to us for refuge after falling victim to these snake oil salesmen.

Although link vendors may initially appear to offer trusted publisher links at an insignificant cost, my analysis of over 20,000 paid link opportunities reveals a different story.

High-value links from these vendors often cost as much as those from reputable agencies, with the added risk of your site being deindexed.

• DA 30-39: $204.21
• DA 40-49: $229.58
• DA 50-59: $225.81
• DA 60-69: $277.74
• DA 70-79: $451.63
• DA 80-89: $549.03
• DA 90+: $597.76
• .edu links: $444.42

What’s even wilder is the seemingly reputable publishers that appear most frequently across these vendors:

• deadlinenews.co.uk 
• natureworldnews.com 
• latinpost.com 
• kpopstarz.com 
• kdramastars.com 
• philly.com 
• presstelegram.com 
• newsmax.com 
• timesunion.com 
• cbs19news.com 
• buffalonews.com 
• suntimes.com 
• psychcentral.com 
• orangecounty.com 
• valuewalk.com 
• thedailybeast.com 
• newsexaminer.com 
• chronicleonline.com 
• smmirror.com 
• ibtimes.co.uk 

And their sharp traffic declines in recent years: 

The moral of the story? Don’t be lured by the “low cost” and perceived “high ROI” of paid link vendors. In the world of SEO, quality will always trump quantity.

By investing in high-quality, earned media strategies, you can secure valuable, sustainable links that enhance your brand’s authority and drive meaningful results. 

Remember, the cost of buying links extends beyond the financial; it impacts your site’s integrity and your brand’s trustworthiness. Choose wisely and prioritize quality over shortcuts to build a robust, penalty-free backlink profile that drives rankings and qualified search traffic.

Dig deeper: Link building in 2024: 12 ways to win or fail

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Google expands conversion tracking for Merchant Center

Written on July 1, 2024 at 4:07 pm, by admin

Google Merchant Center will soon track conversion events beyond those attributed to clicks on Shopping free listings, including conversions from Search web results and other sources.

Why it matters. This change aims to provide merchants with more comprehensive performance data and optimize the Google shopping experience.

Key details:

• The update will roll out in the coming months.
• It expands conversion tracking to include all conversions from merchants’ websites.
• Google will use this data to optimize shopping search experiences and improve its products and services.

How it works. The expanded tracking will automatically apply to merchants using Google Merchant Center.

Opt-out options:

• Disable the conversion setting in Merchant Center
• Turn off the setting in the Google & YouTube channel app on Shopify
• Unlink Google Analytics and Merchant Center accounts

First seen. This update was first seen on Search Engine Land Contributor Menachem Ani’s X. He shared the email he got:

The big picture. This move reflects Google’s efforts to provide more comprehensive data to merchants while also improving its own shopping-related services.

What to watch. How this expanded data collection will impact merchants’ ability to optimize their listings and overall performance on Google’s platforms.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Take your career to the next level: Become a search marketing master

Written on July 1, 2024 at 4:07 pm, by admin

It’s halfway through 2024. How many of your SEO, PPC, and AI resolutions have you kept? Now is the perfect time to take stock of your existing campaigns and initiatives, sharpen your skills and set yourself up for a winning Q3 and beyond.

Attend the summer edition of the SMX Master Classes — live two-day deep dives into organic SEO, Google Ads, GA4, gen AI, and more — online August 21-22.

These unique training experiences deliver actionable tactics you can implement immediately to drive measurable results – and engaging Q&A opportunities with industry legends that address your specific questions. It’s all streamed directly to your computer for a fraction of the cost of in-person events (and a fraction of the time investment, too).

Check out the complete lineup and learn more about each class, including detailed course curriculums and hourly breakdowns of what you’ll learn. Each two-day class runs concurrently from 12:00pm – 3:00pm ET* but you can purchase as many as you like.

• Powering advanced SEO success with Bruce Clay
• Mastering advanced Google Ads with Brad Geddes
• Leveraging technical SEO and AI to drive growth with Eric Enge
• Mastering generative AI for SEO and PPC with the SMX all-stars
• Dominating Google Analytics 4 and reporting with Colleen Harris
• Crafting SEO content for today’s Google with Heather Lloyd-Martin
• Designing landing pages that convert with Brian Massey

These expert-led courses are split across two focused days of training and Q&A – equipping you with tactical insights, reliable next steps, and fresh inspiration without a major time investment.

On-demand access is included in your Master Class pass, so you can watch and rewatch for deeper learning — and digital access means you can tune in from anywhere – no plane ticket, hotel reservation, or travel headaches required.

You’ll also unlock a personalized certificate of completion and downloadable digital badge, perfect for posting on LinkedIn to showcase your knowledge of the latest in search.

Registration is open – and now is the best time to buy (Super Early Bird rates expire July 27!). Secure your spot at one of these exclusive SMX Master Classes for just $249!

Psst… Teams that train together, thrive together. Attend with your colleagues to score up to 20% off** with group discounts, depending on your party size. Learn more here!

*The Generative AI class runs until approximately 3:30pm ET. Bruce Clay’s SEO class runs until 4:00pm ET.

**Discounts cannot be combined.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Microsoft Advertising launches Property Center and expands Lodging Campaigns

Written on July 1, 2024 at 4:06 pm, by admin

Microsoft Advertising introduced Property Center, an evolution of Hotel Center, and made Lodging Campaigns globally available.

Why they matter. These new features aim to help property owners and managers attract more customers and increase bookings with simplified campaign management and expanded reach.

Key features:

• Property Center: A centralized hub for managing assets for Lodging Campaigns, including Hotel Price Ads and Property Promotion Ads.
• Lodging Campaigns: Now globally available, offering simplified campaign creation, enhanced reporting, and improved bidding and budgeting options.

How to get started:

1. Review resources on Property Center in Microsoft’s help pages and API content.
2. Sign in to your Microsoft Advertising account and access Property Center from the Tools tab.
3. Contact Ad Support or your account team for assistance if needed.

The big picture. These updates are part of Microsoft Advertising’s ongoing efforts to expand its global presence and offer innovative solutions for the lodging industry, including the introduction of vacation rental offerings and Property Type Badge.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Google expands Audience Signal Targeting to App campaigns

Written on July 1, 2024 at 4:06 pm, by admin

Google quietly expanded availability of Audience Signal Targeting for App campaigns, a feature previously only available for Performance Max campaigns.

While Google hasn’t made an official announcement, advertisers are reporting the ability to use Audience Signal Targeting in their App campaigns.

Why it matters. This update gives advertisers more control over their App campaign targeting, potentially improving campaign efficiency and performance.

Why we care. Audience Signal Targeting allows advertisers to reach more relevant users, potentially increasing app installs and engagement.

Key details.

• Before this update, App campaign targeting was fully automated.
• Advertisers could only exclude audiences, not target them directly.
• Now, advertisers can insert Audience Signals into their App campaigns.

First seen. This update was first spotted on Thomas Eccel’s LinkedIn:

Yes, but. Audience signal targeting can still be ignored by Google.

The big picture. This move aligns App campaigns more closely with Performance Max campaigns, suggesting Google is standardizing features across its automated campaign types.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Microsoft AI CEO: Web content is ‘freeware’

Written on June 29, 2024 at 10:03 am, by admin

Microsoft’s AI CEO Mustafa Suleyman believes most web content is “freeware’ that can be used for training AI models. The only exception: websites that explicitly opt out.

Freeware is any form of copyrighted software that can be freely downloaded, installed and used by end users.

The quote. Here’s what Suleyman told CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin at the Aspen Ideas Festival:

• “…With respect to content that is already on the open web, the social contract of that content since the ’90s has been that it is fair use. Anyone can copy it, recreate with it, reproduce with it. That has been freeware, if you like. That’s been the understanding.
• “There’s a separate category where a website or a publisher or a news organization had explicitly said, ‘do not scrape or crawl me for any other reason than indexing me so that other people can find that content.’ That’s a gray area and I think that’s going to work its way through the courts.”

Fair use or theft? Fair uses allows for limited use of copyright material (e.g., criticism, teaching, research), but what AI models do goes beyond this. The companies behind the AI models clearly want to profit from this content.

Why we care. There is no such “social contract” that I’m aware of. Microsoft (and Google) simply believe that all online content should be available for AI training. Clearly, this benefits these large multinational corporations. The actual content producers? Not so much.

Zoom out. This controversial quote comes as Microsoft, OpenAI, Google and other companies face multiple legal challenges over copyright infringement. This is also why OpenAI is signing so many content licensing deals.

The video. CEO of Microsoft AI speaks about the future of artificial intelligence at Aspen Ideas Festival (CNBC)

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Apple expands 30% fee on Facebook and Instagram ads globally

Written on June 29, 2024 at 10:03 am, by admin

Apple is set to extend its 30% fee on Facebook and Instagram ad purchases made through iOS devices to advertisers worldwide, starting July 1.

Why we care. This move could significantly impact digital advertising costs and strategies for businesses of all sizes, potentially altering marketing strategies and budget allocation toward mobile advertising.

The big picture. Initially implemented for U.S. advertisers in February, this expansion marks a major shift in how social media advertising is priced on mobile devices.

Details:

• The fee applies to ad purchases made via iOS apps but can be avoided by using desktop web browsers.
• Meta has updated its web platforms to offer the same ad-boosting functionality as mobile apps.
• EU regulators and a U.S. federal judge have criticized Apple’s fee structure.

What they’re saying. The fee is “anti-competitive” and gives Apple an unfair advantage, according to Meta’s Director of Privacy & Fairness Policy, Pedro Pavón.

The other side. Apple contends it’s entitled to charge for access to its platform’s audience.

Between the lines. This move is part of an ongoing battle between tech giants over app store policies and revenue sharing.

What’s next. Advertisers will need to adapt their ad purchasing strategies to avoid the fee, potentially shifting more activity to desktop platforms.

How to avoid the fee. Meta has provided guidance on purchasing ads without incurring Apple’s 30% charge.

The bottom line. This change could reshape mobile advertising practices and further intensify scrutiny of Apple’s App Store policies.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Google Colab for SEO: How to get started

Written on June 28, 2024 at 7:03 am, by admin

Google Colab has been around since 2017 but has gained more popularity recently from SEO professionals sharing code samples. 

SEOs love Colab because, unlike GitHub, you can actually run the code directly on the platform.

What is Google Colab?

Google Colab is a tool that allows users to quickly run Python directly on the platform with little to no setup. Google Colab is a hosted Jupyter Notebook that uses Google’s hosting services in the cloud.

In case you’re new to Python, a Jupyter Notebook is a free online tool you can use online to write code, solve math problems, make graphs and show your work. It’s like a digital notebook that helps you keep all of your project parts in one place and share them easily with others.

The best part about Google Colab? It’s free.

If you require more computing power, there is a tier pricing system. As of writing this, I pay $9.99 per month for the first paid tier. The next tier is $49.99 per month and then there’s a custom enterprise version.

Benefits of Google Colab

I’ve personally reaped the benefits of Google Colab for several years and am pleased to share what I’ve found to be its biggest benefits for SEOs. 

Fast to start

If you’ve ever installed Python on your local machine, then you know firsthand how annoying it is to get Python set up. Also, if you’re trying a new bit of code, then you’re likely having to install new libraries to get your code to run. 

The best part about Google Colab is that most common Python libraries are already installed on Google Colab. If something is missing, you can simply run:

!pip install new-library

The one nuance here is that you need the exclamation point before pip to install a new library. 

Doesn’t use your computer’s bandwidth

I often use Python to compute large datasets, which can take quite a bit of time. I’ve run some bits of code that take hours to compute due to the size of the data. 

In SEO, we often run crawls and other analyses in the background while we work. Have you ever run a Screaming Frog crawl that completely slows down your computer, making it nearly impossible to do other SEO tasks?

With Google Colab, you can seamlessly run compute-intensive code and work on other SEO tasks while the code runs.

Shareable

Google Colab is meant to be easily shared with collaborators or the world. As someone who believes in the power of open source, I believe that Google Colab is great for me to share code with the SEO community.

AI integration

Google has integrated Gemini directly into Google Colab. So, if you’re struggling to build a new feature in your code, you can leverage AI to help generate new code features.

I would urge caution when doing this, as you may find yourself debugging more than helping yourself.

Dig deeper: Can AI perform technical SEO analysis effectively?

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How to use Google Colab

Let’s dive right into how to use Google Colab. I’ll run you through the eight most important features to get you right to coding for SEO.

How to run code

Probably the most simple step here is to know how to actually run the code.

Once you’re ready to run your code, click the play button. 

How to open the folder pane

To run code that relies on any source data or exports results into a file, you’ll need to be able to open the folder. Luckily, just like running code, this is just one button, specifically the one that looks like a folder.

How to connect to Google Drive

One of the great things about Google Colab is that it’s part of the Google suite of tools, allowing you to connect directly to files in Google Drive and even save your results to Google Drive.

To connect to Google Drive, you first need to mount It by clicking the button shown in the screenshot below.

Once Colab finishes mounting Google Drive, your Google Drive folder will appear in the files pane. 

From here, you’re able to reference any of those files by right-clicking on the file, selecting a copy path and pasting it wherever you reference a file in your code.

How to upload files manually

Before uploading files, note that anything you upload will not be saved and will only be used as temporary files. Those files will disappear once you refresh the page or close it.

If you want the files to stay available, you’ll need to use Google Drive and connect to them that way (see previous steps). 

If you’re OK using files temporarily, then you have two options. You can drag and drop your files from your computer to the files pane or click the upload button.

How to create new files directly in Google Colab

Sometimes, I find it easier to create new files directly in Google Colab.

For example, if I have a bunch of keywords I want to analyze, it’s easier for me to copy them and paste them into a file in Colab rather than create a new file locally on my computer and upload it.

To do this, just right-click on a blank space in the files pane and click New File. From there, you can name it whatever you want, and paste your data and then save it with your hotkeys (Command + S or Control + S).

How to download results

Once you’ve run the code, you may have an exported file created in the process.

You can preview the file by double-clicking on it, but if you want to download it, all you need to do is right-click on it and select Download.

How to connect to a runtime

If you’re running code that may take a more heavy compute load, you may want to experiment with a faster runtime.

To do this, select Runtime in the top menu and then in the dropdown, select Change runtime type.

From there, you’ll see some options that you can change. 

Please note that if you’re going to change the runtime, any files in the file pane will disappear. 

How to use the AI integration

One of the latest features in Google Colab is the integration of Gemini. Google has made it easy to take advantage of this new feature by adding a Gemini button in the top right of the screen.

By clicking that, a sidebar will appear for you to ask it prompts. 

Free code to get you started

Now that you’ve taken the crash course to getting started with Google Colab, it’s time to try some code! 

In one of my previous articles, I’ve provided five Python scripts for SEO that you can try right now in Google Colab.

In that article, you will be able to see the context of the scripts, how to set them up and I provide the actual code for you to try.

It’s never been easier to get started in Python for SEO. Happy coding!

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

8 SEO concepts explained in business terms

Written on June 28, 2024 at 7:03 am, by admin

Businesses can easily neglect the optimization of organic traffic. This happens because stakeholders often don’t understand how it works or its impact on company goals.

Continue reading and learn how to translate SEO concepts into business terms so you can onboard your business partners and secure their buy-in for organic projects.

Improving customer experience

Customer experience is one of those aspects of the business that almost all leaders agree is super important. And it can’t be different when 52% of customers say they will switch to a competitor after a single negative impression.

But which SEO factors have an impact on it?

1. Broken pages and redirects

Broken pages (like 404 or 500 errors) and implementing redirects are usually business priorities. This is because stakeholders are also online users who likely encounter these issues and understand the frustration they cause.

Cleaning up redirects, however, is another story. Users don’t see the change, but as SEOs, we know that excessive redirects can hurt a website’s performance.

Redirects consume search engines’ crawl budget, dilute page authority and negatively impact speed performance. But how do you explain this in business terms?

One of the easiest ways to explain this is with everyday examples, which people can easily relate to and probably have experienced.

In the 301 case, imagine you have a shopping list, but when you arrive at your local grocery store, you find the store has moved, adding 20 extra minutes to your shopping trip. Even though you’re “redirected” to the new location, you’re frustrated by the extra step. 

The same happens with search engine bots when they encounter redirects. Too many redirects can frustrate them, leading to a potential negative impact on your site’s ranking. Similar to a negative customer review. 

We all know the impact of negative reviews – the next potential customer will see them, and it may influence their decision to buy from you.

2. On-page SEO

The concept of optimizing individual webpages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic is a key one in SEO. It is very similar to merchandising practices in the offline world, and its goal is to keep users and bots engaged with your content. 

The higher the engagement, the lower the bounce rate, which can improve your rankings (or at least we have a strong reason to believe this after the recent Google documentation leak).

Keeping users engaged increases the time spent on the page and the visibility of important elements like CTAs. 

This is similar to how supermarkets place essential items like bread at the back so customers can see other products as they navigate the store, enhancing product visibility.

Just as customers might end up with a basket of unplanned items in a supermarket, good on-page optimization can lead to increased leads and a healthier sales pipeline.

3. Page speed

Page speed is another important factor for SEO and overall user experience. 

Slow-loading pages can lead to higher bounce rates, as users are likelier to abandon a site that takes too long to load. We all know how frustrating it is to see how the images load or to need to wait too long to be able to click or scroll.

It is the same as when you walk into a coffee shop for a quick morning coffee on a street full of coffee shops. If your order takes too long, you will probably go elsewhere the next time. 

The same principle applies to your website. Just as efficient service in a coffee shop enhances customer experience, a fast-loading website ensures that visitors stay engaged and are more likely to return. And search engine bots are like picky customers who won’t tolerate slow service. 

Optimizing your website for a good page speed can increase the loyalty from both humans and bots and can likely lead to higher rankings and sales.

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Enhancing lead quality and conversion rates

Good customer experience is not the only factor in having a successful business.

You need to make sure that you attract the right customers – the ones with the highest chance to buy from you and that you give them enough reasons to do so. 

On the online front, you have a couple of SEO allies to help you in this effort.

4. Meta titles and descriptions

By the clothes, they greet by the mind they send. This proverb is also true in the search engine world. 

Making a strong first impression online is as vital as in any business setting and your meta title and description are the key players here. They are crucial for how bots and users perceive your webpages.

The title tag is the first thing users see and serves as your digital business card. It should be concise and clear and immediately convey your page’s value. The meta description is your elevator pitch. It offers a brief summary that should give users a reason to click on your result. 

Just as a good introduction can lead to business engagements, well-crafted meta titles and descriptions enhance click-through rates and improve search engine visibility. 

They also ensure that potential customers see the best of what you offer at first glance – the same as a very well-designed and decorated shop window.

Better meta tags can improve the conversion rate of leads entering the sales pipeline, as they set the right expectations. In some B2C businesses, where purchase decisions are quicker and emotionally driven, effective meta titles and descriptions can also increase the number of closed deals.

But good meta titles and descriptions can’t be created without preliminary research.

5. Topic research and content strategy

Understanding market trends and customer needs is crucial for any company and usually starts with deep-dive groundwork. 

For example, when you plan to launch a new product or service, you have a preliminary discovery phase. Its goal is to clarify the details around your offer and launch something that has a good chance of being bought by your customers. 

The same approach applies to your online presence, but instead of market research, you conduct topic and keyword research before creating your content strategy. 

You can create relevant content that meets its needs by understanding what your audience searches for. 

Effective topic and keyword research improves traffic quality, increases conversion rates and MQLs and nurtures leads through the sales funnel.

6. Structured data

Structured data is another powerful SEO tool that can enhance lead quality and conversion rates. These pieces of code are not directly visible to users, but they provide search engines with clear, specific information about your website’s content. They are like nutritional labels on food packaging.

Structured data enables search engines to display richer and more relevant search results, including enhanced snippets, product details, review stars and other elements that make your results more attractive to users. This leads to higher click-through rates and potentially higher conversation rates.

Building brand reputation

Improving lead quality and customer experience is crucial for businesses’ everyday survival. But to set the stage for long-term success, you need to invest also in building your brand reputation.

The reason is simple: the purchasing decisions of 63% of consumers are impacted by the company’s reputation, according to Qualtrics. 

7. Internal and external links

Creating unique connections through internal and external links is essential for a website’s SEO. Internal links structure information and help users and search engines navigate through it. 

The concept is similar to 360-degree reviews and how they help managers and company leadership decide which employees deserve promotion because you can’t promote everyone. 

The same is true for Google and other search engines. Their mission is to organize the world’s information and display the best results on top. This won’t be very useful if you see 1 trillion results on page 1. 

External links, on the other hand, signal the credibility of your website. They act like professional endorsements, similar to positive customer reviews or media mentions that validate your business’s stability. 

External links build a positive image, making your site appear trustworthy, leading to growth opportunities, enhanced brand reputation, higher deal sizes and a stronger sales pipeline.

8. Anchor texts

Another element that has an impact on the website’s trustworthiness is the anchor texts. They are the clickable words in a hyperlink and serve as the invisible handshake between your content and the users. They are very similar to a good introduction at a networking event. 

Just as a handshake can set the tone for a business relationship, well-chosen anchor texts guide users and search engine bots to understand the context of your linked content. They should be clear and descriptive so they can ensure a smooth transition to the linked page. 

Targeted use of anchor texts can boost the relevance of your pages for concrete terms and serve as authority factors on a webpage level. They set the right expectations for the linked pages and naturally build trust with your users.

Simplifying SEO speak for business stakeholders

SEO is often seen as a mysterious process done by experts rambling about Google’s algorithms. Business stakeholders may view it as a black box where money is spent without clear results. 

Explaining SEO concepts in business terms is crucial for website optimization success. This helps stakeholders see SEO’s impact on growth and success, leading to more support and resources for SEO efforts.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing

Google June 2024 spam update done rolling out

Written on June 28, 2024 at 7:03 am, by admin

Google’s June 2024 spam update rollout is now complete. The spam update started June 20, 2024, about 7 days ago.

This update was a general and broad spam update, it was not a link spam update and did not automate the site reputation abuse policy, which is still only done via manual actions.

Google wrote this morning, “The rollout was complete as of June 27, 2024.”

Here’s our past coverage of confirmed Google spam updates:

• March 2024 spam update
• October 2023 spam update
• December 2022 link spam update
• October 2022 spam update 
• November 2021 spam update
• July 2021 link spam update.
• A two-part Spam Update – June 23 and June 28

Why we care. If you noticed your rankings changed during this time frame, it may be related to the June 2024 spam update. Maybe your rankings improved because your competitors were hurt by this update. Maybe your rankings declined because Google thinks you were going against its spam policies.

Spam updates. Here are the official Google spam updates documentation:

While Google’s automated systems to detect search spam are constantly operating, we occasionally make notable improvements to how they work. When we do, we refer to this as a spam update and share when they happen on our list of Google Search ranking updates.

For example, SpamBrain is our AI-based spam-prevention system. From time-to-time, we improve that system to make it better at spotting spam and to help ensure it catches new types of spam.

Sites that see a change after a spam update should review our spam policies to ensure they are complying with those. Sites that violate our policies may rank lower in results or not appear in results at all. Making changes may help a site improve if our automated systems learn over a period of months that the site complies with our spam policies.

In the case of a link spam update (an update that specifically deals with link spam), making changes might not generate an improvement. This is because when our systems remove the effects spammy links may have, any ranking benefit the links may have previously generated for your site is lost. Any potential ranking benefits generated by those links cannot be regained.

Courtesy of Search Engine Land: News & Info About SEO, PPC, SEM, Search Engines & Search Marketing