Hi!
Back with SEO updates after the Black Friday break. After an exhausting seasonal rush, I needed time to recharge...
There were unexpected developments with my course (details coming soon) and I successfully migrated the SEOSLY website to a new design.
Starting January, I'm returning to regular article writing and dedicating 50% of my time to knowledge sharing.
Now, let's explore the latest in SEO!
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Latest in SEO
❗️The December 2024 Google core update finished rolling out
Google completed its December 2024 core update rollout on December 18th after just 6 days, making it the fastest documented core update on record.
This update caused significant volatility in search rankings and was the fourth and likely final core update of 2024.
Barry Schwartz wrote a nice recap of the update.
Here is my Google core update survival guide (what to do/what not to do):
❗️December 2024 spam update started
Google is not slowing down. The core update finished and the spam update began.
As the name suggests, a spam update occurs when Google enhances its automated systems like SpamBrain to better detect and address search spam.
Sites affected by these updates must review Google's spam policies, as violations can lead to removal from search results.
Unless you are a spammer, you have nothing to worry about 😉
❗️SEO Predictions & Advice for 2025
In 2025, SEO professionals should expand their focus beyond Google to include Bing and Large Language Models (LLMs), as visibility across these platforms becomes increasingly important.
Good rankings in both Google and Bing will be crucial, with Bing's importance amplified by its integration with ChatGPT and other AI tools.
SEOs should ensure consistent brand positioning and clear communication online to become reliable sources for LLMs to cite.
I'm honored to be included on the list of SEOs who shared their predictions for 2025. Check the entire article at SEJ.
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Other SEO & AI News
Google Study Reveals Local Review Removal Patterns 📍
A comprehensive study by GMBapi analyzed nearly 5 million Google Business Profile reviews across 78 countries and 19,000 locations to understand how and why Google removes local reviews.
The analysis found that 5-star reviews and those without business replies are more likely to be removed, with peak deletion activity occurring on Wednesdays and Fridays.
Key factors influencing review removal include inauthentic activity detection, suspicious keyword patterns, and lack of engagement through business responses.
The Ultimate SEO Guide to SE Ranking ⚡️
SE Ranking is one of my favorite SEO tools. I use it every day for multiple purposes, rank tracking being one of them.
I invite you to check my guide to this awesome SEO tool. You will be surprised how capable this tool is!
SEO Videos You Don't Want to Miss
Free Videos + Tips from my SEO Course (No Catch)
Here is a YouTube playlist where you can find several videos from my SEO Audit Mastery course (closed now and reopens in March 2025). Enjoy!
Olga Zarr and Ex-Googler Zach Zach Boyette on AI and SEO
Here is my latest video interview with an ex-Googler (the third on the show) Zach Boyette. We discuss the future of SEO and AI. Make sure to jump in!
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Subscribe to me on YouTube
Will you help me reach 10K subscribers on YouTube? It will only be possible with your help. I share tons of SEO knowledge on my channel for free.
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SEO Tips Curated Just for You
Here are the key insights and tips about SEO and UX from the latest episode of the Search Off the Record podcast.
- UX plays a significant role in SEO as both aim to satisfy users and drive conversions
- User experience starts before website visits, including search results appearance
- Good UX supports SEO goals by keeping users engaged with content
- Replace image carousels with static images as users rarely click through carousels
- Strategic button placement and clear calls-to-action improve conversion rates
- Consider cultural UX differences (e.g., Japanese users prefer more visual content)
- Use heatmap tools to analyze user engagement and content effectiveness
- Track conversion metrics like button clicks and content shares
- Consider multiple success metrics for documentation (not just time-on-page)
- Test UX changes with A/B testing to measure impact
My Friend's SEO Bootcamp - Adrijana Vujadin's - Land Your First 3 SEO Clients
This is for full-time SEOs who want to get their own clients in 2025.
- 6 weeks of working on yourself and your mindset to get 3 SEO clients.
- 6 calls.
- On-going support and feedback on your actions.
Price: 497 EUR
- Submit your info here to get more info.
Resources from Other SEOs
Dumb Things SEO Experts Keep Doing
Michael Martinez highlights problematic SEO practices that experienced professionals should avoid: unnecessary crawling of non-indexed URLs, premature keyword targeting without understanding client business needs, neglecting conversion goals while growing traffic, inadequate content editing, overreliance on charts without supporting data, and hasty content deletion based solely on traffic metrics.
He emphasizes that experienced SEOs should evolve beyond basic practices and develop more efficient, thoughtful strategies that consider business context and comprehensive data analysis.
3 ways to use AI for SEO wins in 2025
Bruce Clay explains that successful SEO in 2025 requires balancing AI capabilities with human expertise across three areas: maintaining strong SEO foundations for AI Overviews, using AI as a strategic tool with human oversight, and leveraging AI to better understand customer behavior while keeping core optimization principles intact.
Top 5 takeaways from the 2024 Web Almanac SEO Chapter
Jamie Indigo, leading the 2024 Web Almanac SEO research across 16.9 million pages, reveals key findings: robots.txt implementation has improved with increased successful responses, robots directives show more specific bot targeting, canonical tag usage has grown to 65% with better consistency across desktop and mobile, dynamic rendering has significantly decreased, and websites passing Core Web Vitals have increased to 48% on mobile and 54% on desktop.
The Critical Importance of Subdomain Management
Glenn Gabe explains why finding and monitoring all subdomains is crucial for SEO success, highlighting how unknown subdomains can impact search visibility and site quality evaluation.
Key points include Google's hostname-level quality algorithms, security risks affecting both organic and paid search, with practical methods for discovering subdomains using GSC, Bing Webmaster Tools, and third-party SEO tools.
Our SEO Friend Needs Our Support
Our SEO friend needs support. Let's do what we can!
Kim, the wife of Clint Butler (one of the best SEOs out there and a host of the SEO Fight Club), has been diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer. Despite surgeries, radiation, and chemotherapy, her battle continues with more treatments and mounting expenses.
Kim, a veteran, devoted mother, and creative spirit, needs our help to cover travel, medical costs, and materials for her cherished Glowforge projects, which bring her joy during this difficult time. Every contribution makes a difference.
Clint has been sharing his knowledge for free for many years. Now it's our turn to return the favor. Fight on Kim!
Thank you for getting to the end. That's all I have for you today!
See you in the next episode!
Best,
P.S. Do you want me to share a specific article or resource in the newsletter? Do you want me to give a shout-out to some SEO?