Dug into Search Engine Land, Tech Crunch and yes, Bloomberg (the first one on deck) this week. Of course, we couldn’t cover the bloody 5th Product Review Update from Google, as we recorded on Monday. Wow - updates are coming inside of weeks now. Can’t really grab ahold of that unless we go to a daily news show! (Please stop the updates, Google, please!)
Had great fun, as usual, with Mordy and Jacob. Check out the links and let us know how we’re doing at RateThisPodcast.com/Edge!
[00:03:12] Negative reviews can not be changed through incentives to customers
[00:06:19] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:07:08] Discord-like Messaging coming to Facebook
[00:09:02] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks
[00:09:55] Google and Alphabet antitrust suit regarding ad technology will NOT be thrown out…
[00:14:15] Fast Track 1: Google Drops Article Too Short & Word Count Section From The Search Console Content Errors
[00:16:26] Fast Track 2:Google Promotes Google Lens In Mobile Search
[00:18:34] Fast Track 3: Google Tests Two People Also Ask Results In One Question
Thanks to our sponsors!
Site Strategics https://edgeofthewebradio.com/site
Inlinks https://edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks
#StandwithUkraine edgeofthewebradio.com/ukraine
Mike Blumenthal, “Professor Maps” of the Local SEO community, catches up with the EDGE after some time to lay out the volatility he’s seen in local search. Mike’s been focused on the Google Business Profile forums and has seen some pretty striking and concerning developments. Witnessing around 200 review take-downs and close to 2,000 business profile suspensions per month, Mike’s a bit concerned to say the least.
Where is Google’s accountability and transparency in responding to these issues? There’s no mechanism to challenge the decision on the review take-downs.
The value of Local Search positioning and consumer interaction is unquestionable. But one question does present itself: who’s property is this, yours or Google’s?
[00:05:59] So Many Changes in Local SEO - The Last Few Years
[00:08:20] Local SEO Volatility: A Recent Timeline
[00:09:47] Google Sees Their Future as Local
[00:12:16] How Valuable is Google Local Search? Sometimes 95% of Leads
[00:14:07] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
[00:17:11] The Consumer is Trained on Google Reflection of your Brand
[00:18:09] Hunting in GBP Forums with a Specific Focus
[00:21:39] There’s No Support from Google, Once They Nuke a Review
[00:22:51] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:24:34] Are We Just Going to Just Publish to Google in the Future?
[00:25:49] Is This Our Property or Google’s?
[00:28:28] Business Suspensions Complaints are 10X
Thanks to our sponsors!
Page One Power https://edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
Site Strategics https://www.sitestrategics.com
Follow Mike!
https://www.twitter.com/mblumenthal
Ever listened to a podcast dumpster fire? You’ve got to check this one out. We led with today’s breaking news of Google’s September 2022 Core Update and didn’t rearrange the rest of our headlines. And what were those headlines, you might ask? Talking about the PREVIOUS update that we were still waiting to see affect our rankings. Yup - poured gasoline over the entire show and watched it burn!
Still - good stories from Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal and Barry. We could only really use two stories out of the six…..probably should have thought that one through a little bit more.
[00:03:59] A New Core Update - Now!
[00:10:46] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:12:19] Youtube May Be Adding New Analytic Research Features
[00:16:04] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks
[00:16:42] Helpful Content Might Still Get Stronger With Next Core Update
[00:18:51] Fast Track 1: Google Helpful Content Update Is Now Done Rolling Out
[00:19:25] Fast Track 2: Book On Google For Google Flights To Be Discontinued Outside US
[00:20:10] Fast Track 3: Only 20% Noticed Ranking Changes After Google's Helpful Content Update
Thanks to our sponsors!
Site Strategics https://edgeofthewebradio.com/site
The second segment of our Michel Fortin interview goes from helpful content straight into the customer’s search intent. Are we meeting them on the road to their solution with insightful, useful content, or is our SEO page built for keyword ranking? We may be in a new world of pruning and reworking content, shaking off some old habits and replacing them with a new discipline of careful evaluation.
Check out the first segment of our interview with Michel Fortin, a 30-year vet in the SEO industry and a pivotal player in our quest to understand how we can be helpful.
[00:05:28] The Three P’s: Presence, Prominence, and Performance
[00:08:34] Where Are You Standing Out?
[00:11:20] Are We Along Their Journey?
[00:12:41] Google's Changing Things for a Reason!
[00:14:28] Answer Three Key Questions
[00:15:40] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor:Site Strategics
[00:16:38] SEO Boils Down to Two Essential Ingredients
[00:20:50] Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
[00:24:11] Focus on Quality Signals
[00:27:14] QRG Married to the Helpful Content Update
[00:29:20] Is the Ranking Content Going to Have to Be Rewritten?
[00:33:20] Machine Learning is Just Getting Started
Thanks to our sponsors!
Site Strategics https://www.sitestrategics.com
Follow Michel:
https://www.twitter.com/michelfortin/
https://www.facebook.com/michelguyfortin/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelguyfortin/
https://www.instagram.com/michelguyfortin/
Michel’s recent article:
https://www.wix.com/seo/learn/resource/user-first-seo
Google’s recent update announcement:
https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/08/helpful-content-update
We came across a very important article from Dan Taylor this week regarding the possibility of site indexing being the most coveted goal for SEO’s of the future. Coupled with an article from Search Engine Roundtable regarding Google’s ability to ascribe quality to different sections of your site - I think we have some clear perspective of the SEO future to come! (see, Erin can write!) Article from the Verge, Search Engine Land, and DanTalyor.online, as well as Search Engine Roundtable - it’s a jammed-packed digital marketing news show this week!
[00:04:55] Paid features coming to Facebook and Instagram
[00:09:30] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:10:28] The Helpful Content update is still going, and going, and going…
[00:13:23] Next up for SEOs: Indexing!
[00:18:31] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks
[00:19:33] Fast Track 1: Google Ads To Disapprove Ads That Don't Meet Better Ads Standards
[00:20:40] Fast Track 2: Google Can Crawl Site Sections More Frequently & Determine Quality By Section
[00:22:44] Fast Track 3: SiteGround Now Hosting Bill Slawski's SEO By The Sea For Free
[00:23:22] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
[00:24:00] #SEOChat
Thanks to our sponsors!
Site Strategics https://edgeofthewebradio.com/site
Inlinks https://edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks
Page One Power https://edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
#StandwithUkraine edgeofthewebradio.com/ukraine
It couldn’t be more timely! Michel Fortin, long time SEO professional, has recently written a fantastic article regarding “user-first” SEO principles, a concept that he has been championing for sometime. The article came out just weeks before the Google Helpful Content Update algorithm change that came in August of 2022. This is exactly where Google is telling us where to go with the user and Michel is the coach to help us along the way.
Please read the article at Wix and reach out to our sponsors and thank them for helping us do what we do with the show!
[00:05:44] Michel’s User-First SEO Focus Couldn’t Be More Timely!
[00:08:15] Google Wants to Take Itself Out of the Picture
[00:10:24] The Keyword Chase is Dead, Finally
[00:13:38] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
[00:15:22] Presence, Prominance, and Performance
[00:18:22] Leaning In: People Search Next
[00:21:42] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:22:36] Are You Sure Google Wants to Take Us To YOUR Answer?
[00:27:13] Make Sure that the Answer is Available When They Need It, Where They Need It
Thanks to our sponsors!
Page One Power https://edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
Site Strategics https://www.sitestrategics.com
Follow Michel:
https://www.twitter.com/michelfortin/
https://www.facebook.com/michelguyfortin/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelguyfortin/
https://www.instagram.com/michelguyfortin/
Michel’s recent article:
https://www.wix.com/seo/learn/resource/user-first-seo
Google’s recent update announcement:
https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/08/helpful-content-update
Robots can recognize other robots, right Modie (Mordy’s AI name)?
Alright, we evidently were advertising SERP’s Up, the new Wix podcast, as Mordy’ threw promos everywhere in the show. Yup - very proud to be able to roll out that show with Wix!
On OUR show, we covered articles from Search Engine Land, and Search Engine Roundtable and followed a conversation on Twitter and Linked in regarding Google giving visual cues of how long it is to read content from the mobile device. Is that really a good thing? Give us feedback on Twitter @EDGEWebRadio.
[00:04:30] Are You Listening to this Podcast Right Now on Twitter?
[00:07:49] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:09:27] Before Using Ai to Help with Your Next Piece of Content, Consider The Pros and Cons of the Choice
[00:14:01] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/inlink
[00:15:15] Google has a New Tag That Indicates Content-Length. Will This Impact Click-Thru-Rate?
[00:19:39] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
[00:21:05] Fast Track 1: Google Helpful Content Update Is Now Rolling Out
[00:23:07] Fast Track 2: Google Core Web Vitals Report Adds URL Level Data For Examples URLs
[00:24:21] Fast Track 3: Google Expanded From Sources Across The Web Feature
Thanks to our sponsors!
Site Strategics https://edgeofthewebradio.com/site
Inlinks https://edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks
Page One Power https://edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
#StandwithUkraine edgeofthewebradio.com/ukraine
Dawn Anderson shares her expertise of semantic relationships of content for the EDGE audience, in this second part of her interview with Erin Sparks. They dive in the machine learning concepts that are being honed right now for search engine to better understand th relationship between topics and the method of semantic distancing. Search machine learning is sorting out what is valuable and relevant to the user in ways it has never done before, and Dawn Anderson weighs in on whether data science should be a place for the SEOs of the world to focus on - get a chuckle at timestamp: 0:39:04!
[00:01:40] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:04:44] What is Next in Semantic Search?
[00:07:09] The Dense Retrieval Process
[00:08:35] Pulling Hard Negatives to Speed Up Search
[00:12:25] Search Result Diversification is Expensive
[00:13:14] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:13:13] The Research is Open Source
[00:16:06] Walnuts and Peanuts: It's All About Importance
[00:18:43] It's Not the Amount of Content, It's the Completedness of the Niche Topic
[00:20:33] What is Semantic Distancing?
[00:24:50] You've Got to Know More About Their Industry Than They Do
[00:28:01] Is That Page Good Enough to Represent the Query?
[00:31:20] Finding the Content Gap in Client's Industry
[00:33:27] Blogs are Jumble Sales!
Thanks to our sponsors!
Site Strategics https://www.sitestrategics.com
Follow Dawn:
https://www.twitter.com/dawnieando
https://www.facebook.com/dawnlesleyanderson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/msdawnanderson/
https://www.instagram.com/dawnieando
So the whole SEO world turns on its ear, and we hold it back until the third article? Really, an update like this deserves top billing! We are here at the onset of the Helpful Content Update (HCU), and there’s much discussion about how big this really is. Inside take: it’s going to be big! We covered several articles from Search Engine Land, Journal, and Roundtable. But most importantly, we discovered that we could track Mordy on his phone!
Seriously, dig in and let us know what you think about the algorithm changes and whether you think this is as big as Penguin. Hit us up at #EDGETalk on Twitter!
[00:03:57] ANOTHER Anti-Trust suit headed Google’s way?
[00:10:19] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:11:17] Algorithm Updates come in … Threes, wait, Fours?
[00:13:50] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
[00:14:30] What you need to know about the “Helpful Content” update
[00:29:00] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks
[00:30:18] Fast Track 1: New Google Helpful Content Update To Change SEO Much Like Panda Did
[00:29:58] Fast Track 2: Poll: Many SEOs Say The Content They Produce Is Helpful & Not Concerned
[00:31:13] Fast Track 3: Google Search On How Many Ads Are Too Much For Your Site
[00:32:42] #SEOChat
#StandwithUkraine edgeofthewebradio.com/ukraine
Dawn Anderson joins Erin Sparks to discuss the history of Google updates and the pursuit of “cleaning” up the web. Dawn shows her expertise and knowledge in the science of SEO. She gives context to the timeline of updates in light of the new Google Helpful Content update just released. We discuss the continued goals of spam removal and increasingly helpful content promotion in search. Listen as we unpack Natural Language Processing, BERT, E.A.T., and all of the signals that Quality Raters Guidelines mark as trustworthy.
[00:01:30] Our Title Sponsor
[00:01:59] Check Out Our Weekly News
[00:08:55] Google Crawling the "Frontier": Avoiding Low Quality
[00:10:08] The 2009 Caffeine Update
[00:10:49] 2011 Google Panda: A Focus on Low Quality
[00:11:27] 2012 Google Penguin Update was Massive
[00:12:58] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
[00:13:40] 2014 - The Emergence of E.A.T. (YMYL)
[00:15:09] E.A.T. is a Testing Standard to Give Feedback Back to the Algorithms
[00:17:08] 2015 Mobilegeddon & RankBrain
[00:17:55] 2018's Broad Core Algorithm Update
[00:19:07] BERT (2019): Understanding of the Nuance in Language
[00:21:24] Page Experience Updates in 2020
[00:24:02] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:24:48] 2021 Passage Ranking (not Passage Indexing): Related to Efficiency
[00:27:52] Now that we have Efficiency, MUM expands across all Media
[00:29:57] Product Review Updates (more Helpful Content?)
[00:34:08] The Push Back on Disinformation
[00:37:40] The Speed of Updates: Testing is Happening in the Wild
Thanks to our sponsors!
Page One Power https://edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
Site Strategics https://www.sitestrategics.com
Follow Dawn:
https://www.twitter.com/dawnieando
https://www.facebook.com/dawnlesleyanderson
https://www.linkedin.com/in/msdawnanderson/
https://www.instagram.com/dawnieando
In our second segment with Tim Schmoyer, founder of VideoCreators.com, we walk through what it takes to create YouTube Shorts with success. It’s not for the faint of heart, truly. Learn about the steps to adhere to and the audience's desires in Shorts. Tim also shares his story of content creation burnout and the stresses and issues it caused. Tim provides a good deal of transparency into how he got through it and shared tips to avoid “hitting the wall” in your production and, more importantly, your health.
[00:04:58] YouTube Shorts: What Value Do They Have?
[00:09:22] 1 YouTube Subscribers = 23 TikTok Subscribers
[00:12:47] Getting Into YouTube Shorts: Key Steps
[00:19:01] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:19:46] YouTube Shorts: Just Show Change
[00:24:45] Would Tim Recommend Going to YouTube Shorts?
[00:27:46] Burnout on Creating Content
[00:29:03] Tim Shares His Story on Content Creation Burnout & Tips
[00:31:56] (1) Set Healthier Boundaries with Social Media
[00:32:37] (2) Stay Well-Grounded
[00:33:46] (3) Surround Yourself with People Who Can Do Things Better Than You
[00:34:42] (4) Make Sure You Have Therapy in Your Life
Thanks to our sponsors!
Site Strategics https://www.sitestrategics.com
Follow Tim:
Does Mordy really think that we going to answer our live chat WHILE doing the show? Seriously. Articles from Search Engine Journal, Land, and Roundtable, are on deck as we dig through some Google update information for you. We take a pause and unpack a story from last week: Olga Zarzeczna had her entire 188-point technical SEO audit plagiarized by someone who published it as his work on Amazon! Most of the SEO community chimed in on this issue, and it was truly a site to behold. Such ridiculous posturing from the offender, but from this came a true rallying behind Olga. Listen to our take today on the EDGE!
[00:02:06] Mordy’s booking a therapy session with Erin
[00:04:22] Product Pros and Cons Search Snippets
[00:11:03] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:12:40] Oh, NOW DuckDuck Go is Private
[00:16:19] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks
[00:17:26] 6 Days for a Google Update to Rollout?
[00:20:23] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
[00:20:52] The Case of Stolen SEO Content
[00:29:15] Fast Track 1: Google tests new SERP feature that gives searchers Perspectives
[00:29:58] Fast Track 2: Google Adds Asian Owned Business Attribute For Business Profiles
[00:30:57] Fast Track 3: Google Local Spam Now Includes Duplicate Photos, Posts, Videos, and Logos
[00:32:42] #SEOChat
#StandwithUkraine edgeofthewebradio.com/ukraine
Tim Schmoyer joins back up with the EDGE to discuss a dissonance that has to be figured out: we can’t use our Google SEO mindset for YouTube optimization. It’s not going to work, and we learn why it doesn’t on today’s show. Sneak peek: It’s about engagement and emotion…that’s what feeds the algorithm. Be sure to check out the Video Creators YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/videocreatorstv
[00:07:42] The Google Mentality Doesn't Apply to YouTube
[00:13:18] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Page One Power edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
[00:14:54] Paradigm Shift #1: No Longer Targeting Keywords - Target People
[00:19:53] Paradigm Shift #2: Don't Think Search, Think Browse
[00:22:58] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:25:11] Archetypes in Thumbnail Design
[00:26:59] Paradigm Shift #3: Less Info, More Entertainment
[00:29:09] Emotion is a Higher Value Than the Topic
[00:32:15] Steps to Reach Your Audience
Thanks to our sponsors!
Site Strategics https://www.sitestrategics.com
Page One Power https://edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
Follow Tim:
https://twitter.com/timschmoyer
https://www.facebook.com/videocreatorstv
https://www.linkedin.com/company/videocreators/
The Video Creators Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/video-creators/id1073455415
Discover Calls - https://videocreators.com/seven-signals/discovery-call/
Late in the week for recording due to a power outage at the studio, we jump into this week’s news from Search Engine Land and Search Engine Roundtable. Sizable changes in the Quality Raters Guidelines from Google. Please make sure you read up on those.
Also, we have offered up a Public Service Announcement to the entire SEO community. [00:18:19]
[00:03:38] Just trust Google with your attribution....nothing to see here
[00:06:44] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:07:29] Google Revenue Verification Report Confirms Buyer Publisher Ad Spend.
[00:09:30] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks
[00:10:21] QRG has changed - a lot
[00:18:19] Our SEO Public Service Announcement: mordysringtone.com
[00:20:09] Fast Track 1: Google Core Web Vitals No Longer Impacted Pages With Noindex
[00:21:14] Fast Track 2: July 2022 Google Product Reviews Update Rolling Out - Everything We See So Far
[00:23:00] Fast Track 3: Google Ads Revenue Up 13.5% & Microsoft Bing Ads Revenues Up 15% But Slowed Growth
[00:24:02] #SEOChat
In this second segment of our interview with Barry Adams, we unpacked further some SEO tips for the news publishing industry. We delve into misconceptions about how Google processes news sites. We also find some shocking points, including how Google looks at titles in news posts. We finish up with a discussion about truth in the news industry and how that affects rank.
Be sure to check out the first part of the interview: we start with some major SEO points common from over 50 news site audits Barry has performed.
[00:05:18] Don't Make Optimization a Challenge for the Writers
[00:08:48] The Navigation of the Site Cannot Be Overlooked
[00:12:33] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:13:19] Which is a Stronger Optimization Signal: Nav Links or Site Structure?
[00:16:53] The Title Isn't Important: How About That?
[00:18:17] Google Doesn't Even Read the Content Until It Reads the Structured Data
[00:20:05] Google Doesn't Even Render the HTML. News is Fast
[00:23:07] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: <Wix> edgeofthewebradio.com/wix
[00:23:37] The Monetization Factor: Where Load Time Dies
[00:28:21] Small Changes Over Time Make the Difference.
[00:32:00] How Valuable is Trust in News?
[00:39:04] News and Editorial SEO Summit: NewsSeo.io
Did Mordy literally try to piss off every one of our sponsors this week? Boy, it felt like it. Drop in as we cover Search Engine Journal and Content Marketing Institute articles. Dig in and have a bite of digital marketing news this week with Erin, Mordy, and Jacob!
[00:04:43] All's Fair in SEO and Relinking
[00:11:15] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:13:16] Clickbait caused $115M in ad spend loss
[00:17:03] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks
[00:17:14] Is Your Thought Leadership Content Missing the Point?
[00:25:05] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
[00:26:18] Fast Track 1: Google People Also Ask Back To Normal Levels
[00:28:29] Fast Track 2: Google Now Test Interactive Card Knowledge Panel Box Layout
[00:30:08] Fast Track 3 :Google Local Service Ads Seeing A Lot Of Fake Reviews
#StandwithUkraine edgeofthewebradio.com/ukraine
Barry Adams returns to the EDGE to share key SEO tips for the news publishing industry. We delve into what Barry has seen from over 50 news site audits as the most common opportunities to leverage in the news ranking race. Be sure to check out the second part of the interview: we continue with these key SEO points as well as a focus on expertise and truth as it applies to News SEO.
[00:04:55] Career Path of a News Publishing SEO
[00:09:03] The Volatility in News Publishing: less than 48 Hours
[00:11:15] Topical Expertise, not Domain Authority
[00:14:37] Your Quality Raters Guidelines Checklist
[00:17:16] Page One Power: Title Sponsor edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
[00:17:53] Get the Structured Data Right: NewsArticle + Images
[00:20:28] Having SEO Policies for News Adopted from the Top Down
[00:22:24] Know Thy Internal Links/Tags
[00:27:44] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics edgeofthewebradio.com/site
[00:29:58] Infinite Scroll: Kill It
[00:33:30] Slow Response Times Can Be Your Undoing
Crystal Carter, Head of SEO Communications at Wix joins the EDGE crew in Mordy’s stead to cover all of the hot topics, including the hottest topic, the HEAT! Stay cool with us as we tackle news from Search Engine Roundtable, TechCrunch, Social Media Today, and Esquire.
Be sure to RateThePodcast.com/EDGE today!
[00:06:06] Amazon sues FB group admins because of fake reviews
[00:11:42] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks
[00:12:55] YouTube offering more creative options for YT Shorts
[00:19:40] Google’s Artificial Intelligence has apparently hired a lawyer
[00:31:13] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:32:49] Fast Track 1: Google Reporting Outages
[00:34:32] Fast Track 2: Google Search Tests Rich Cards Layout
[00:36:23] Fast Track 3: Google Politics Ads Update
[00:40:03] #SEOChat 1PM EST THURSDAYS
#StandwithUkraine edgeofthewebradio.com/ukraine
There was a huge bit of news that is stirring up a good deal of conversation in the SEO circles on social media. Patrick Stox and Ahrefs released a study representing almost 150,000 websites and nearly 9 billion total clicks for one month of data. He studied Google Search Console, and the clicks reported from the console were incredibly different from the click data available from the API call. The conclusion? Google Search Console hides the keyword term for 46.08% of clicks!
Some huge variations in these figures: two sites with traffic from 60 million to 100 million clicks showing 2.27% and 90.3% hidden terms, respectively.
How is this possible, and what are we in for now, seeing that we can’t even see the terms that are clicked on almost 50% of the time? Listen as we unpack a shocking study today on the EDGE!
[00:01:21] EDGE Show Notes
[00:06:57] The GSC Hidden Terms Study
[00:07:47] Google Search Console is Missing 46% of Query Clicks
[00:12:22] It’s Not Privacy, So What Is It?
[00:13:14] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:14:08] Another Reason from Google: They're Just Not Storing the Data
[00:18:15] From Google Every Year: 15% of Searches are New
[00:21:41] No Consistency in the Loss of Data. Couldn't Even Model It.
[00:23:03] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/Wix
[00:25:31] Google's Help Documents Changed After This Report
[00:26:30] They Aren't Storing the Data?
[00:28:43] How Do We Reconcile This To Report to our Clients?
[00:31:13] Operating in a Data-Missing Marketing World
[00:36:23] Are We Going Back to Hit Counters Per Page?
Study: https://ahrefs.com/blog/gsc-hidden-terms-study/
Check for YOUR Missing Data
Patrick Stox’s Data Studio Tool: edgeofthewebradio.com/missinggsc
Greg Finn of the Marketing o’Clock podcast comes on to step in for Mordy while he’s at #MozCon! Oh wait - Mordy crashed the party! We thought we had a break from him!
Join us as we dive into articles from Search Engine Land and Search Engine Roundtable. We’re trying something new out - a BarryBlast! Rapidfire Barry Schwartz articles are really the only way to keep up with the guy!
Bill Hartzer, SEO veteran, and speaker joins Erin Sparks to discuss the history of technical SEO audits, the best tools to analyze log files, and key information to delve into to understand your site better. They don’t stop there! Join us to learn about domain name protection - what you don’t know will hurt you - today on the EDGE!
We take a moment to not talk SEO on the show this week. Believe that? Actually, we do sew in some key concepts about search regarding the investment in SEO in light of this time of inflation as well as the sheer fact that Google can’t remove Nazi pictures from simple search results. Articles from Search Engine Journal, Social Media Today, Buzzfeed, and Search Engine Roundtable.
#StandwithUkraine edgeofthewebradio.com/ukraine
Norm Vogele of Page One Power joins the EDGE to discuss the concept of inbound marketing as a romance, one that has to be carefully managed and developed over time. Nuggets of gold in this show are aplenty, so many to count. We learn about the value of links at this time, the way to develop content for the pitch that is valuable to the conversation, and the reconnaissance necessary to know the gaps in the conversation. Learn more from Page One Power at edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower and receive a free 30-minute consultation.
[00:01:26] Title Sponsor: Page One Power edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower
[00:04:25] Having a Depth of Perspective
[00:06:28] The First Step: Helping Build the Assets that will Earn Links
[00:09:08] Norm's Previous Career Taught Patience
[00:11:55] The Value of Links to a Website
[00:16:57] Link Building is Dead, Right?
[00:19:29] Your Relationship with the Audience Has to Be Aligned
[00:21:16] The Challenge of Earning Links
[00:22:32] What do Links Really Represent to Today's Google Algorithm?
[00:29:08] How Do You Find the Best Opportunities for the Pitch?
[00:32:32] Bringing Something New to the Conversation
[00:34:19] Content Marketing to the Top of the Funnel
[00:38:22] Give a Mouse a Cookie
[00:39:48] The Romance | Real People and a Memorable Experience
[00:44:25] Hey, This is Content That is Missing: Know the Site
[00:49:53] Sincere and Authentic
[00:53:00] The Rest of the Site has to be As Authentic as the Pitch
[00:55:25] Going out to E.A.T.
[01:01:06] Things Are Always Changing: Revisit Old Targets
[01:02:26] Rejection Can Be a Learning Opportunity
A chunk of the EDGE conversation this week revolves around the potential monetization of information with the news that Google is paying Wikimedia for access to its information for Knowledge Panels. Are we going down the road of a two level content visibility, the paid content and the rest of us?
And then their are Mordy’s socks.
We cover news from Search Engine Journal, Search Engine Roundtable and Search Engine Land.
[00:04:26] Google says it’s only the first 15 megabytes
[00:06:55] TikTok commits to updating ad policies to better align with EU rules
[00:10:28] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics
[00:11:02] Are Keywords Hidden For 46% Of Google Search Console Clicks?
[00:17:41] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks
[00:18:52] Google To Pay Wikipedia For Content In Knowledge Panel & Search
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Erin and Mordy have fun while Jacob’s away and try out a new podcast recording platform. Wow - did we hit a wall with lag. We’re not saying which platform, but man, do you really sell that? Stories from Search Engine Land and Search Engine Roundtable, we cover a good deal of road on the concept of podcast processing on the search engines side of things. Come on, Google, give us the NLP money! Remember, as we continue to celebrate our 500th episode, be sure to grab a swag kit from Ahrefs by sharing your #epicfail with us at #EDGE500!
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