THE LATEST IN SEO

August 2024 Core Update Survival Guide: What to Do & What Not to Do

In this video, I dive into the details of Google’s core algorithm updates, with a specific focus on the August 2024 core update. I explain what these updates are, how they impact your website's traffic, and why they should not be seen as penalties but rather as algorithmic adjustments. I offer practical advice on how to approach these updates, what to avoid, and the importance of waiting until the update fully rolls out before making any drastic changes to your SEO strategy.

​

Google's August Core Update Shows Promising Recovery for Some HCU-Affected Sites

Barry Schwartz reports that some websites hit by Google's September 2023 Helpful Content Update are seeing ranking improvements following the August 2024 Core Update. SEO experts Glenn Gabe, Lily Ray, and Marie Haynes share charts showing traffic increases for affected sites, though results vary and long-term effects remain uncertain.

Google to Replace Old Merchant Center with New Version by September

Google plans to switch all retailers from the classic Merchant Center to a new version called Merchant Center Next by September. The new platform includes AI tools for creating product content, better analytics, and a simpler way to manage online and local product listings together. While this change might be challenging for some businesses, Google says it will make things work better overall.

Google Adds OG Title as Potential Source for Search Result Title Links

Google Search has updated its documentation to include OG title meta tags as a potential source for title links in search results, bringing the total number of possible sources to nine. Barry Schwartz reports that while Google typically uses the HTML title element, it may choose alternative sources for search result titles.

August 2024 Google SEO office hours

The August 2024 Google SEO office hours contains lots of super powerful SEO tips. Not only can you watch the episode (or listen to it) but you can also enjoy the written version. Some of the best tips include:

• Cross-link all language versions of your pages to boost indexing of lesser-known language pages.
• Using many nofollow or noindex tags does not signal low-quality content to Google.
• Having multiple 404 errors won't harm your rankings, but avoid redirecting users to irrelevant content.
• Mitigate scraping issues by using a CDN to block bot traffic and distribute server load.
• Submit a temporary site removal request via Search Console to control old URLs after domain expiration.
• Avoid Geo-IP redirects and use banners to guide users to the correct regional version of your site.
• Make your login page indexable to increase its chances of appearing in sitelinks.

CORA SEO TOOL THE TOOL THAT CHANGED MY SEO ​Cora SEO Software has completely transformed my approach to SEO. It analyzes thousands of factors and pinpoints exactly which ones impact rankings, and how much you need to compete with top-ranked sites. Don't just take my word for it – try it yourself! As a special offer for my newsletter subscribers, you can get a lifetime deal with 25% OFF plus free unlimited training with Ted Kubaitis. Don't miss out on this game-changing tool! ​ Get Cora 25% OFF

SEO Tips from Google

Working With Search Console API [Search Off the Record]

In this episode, Martin and John are joined by SEO expert Mihai Aperghis. Mihai shares his SEO journey and his role as a Google Search Central Product Expert, helping users with specific issues that aren't fully covered by Google's documentation. They discuss common challenges with Google Search Console, like misinterpreting notifications, and the importance of community support.

Main Takeaways:

• Product Experts (PEs) provide valuable user support and fill gaps in Google's documentation and escalating unresolved issues.
• Search Console Challenges: Users often misinterpret notifications, leading to confusion. Forums help clarify these issues.
• Mihai developed a Google Sheets add-on to automate Search Console data extraction, simplifying large-scale data analysis.
• There's potential to integrate AI into SEO tools to further ease data analysis and reporting.

​

​

SEO Consulting Survey 2024 Reveals Industry Trends and Challenges

​Aleyda Solis's SEOFOMO survey of 337 SEO specialists highlights key trends in SEO consulting for 2024. The survey reveals that most SEO consultants focus on ongoing processes, with client referrals being the primary source of new business. Consultants report increasing difficulty in achieving SEO goals compared to previous years, citing increased competition and frequent Google updates as major challenges.

Interesting stats:

• 77% of SEO consultants get clients through referrals
• 79% prefer ongoing SEO processes over one-time consultancies
• 58% find it harder to achieve SEO goals compared to two years ago
• 64% specialize in Technical SEO
• 81% have incorporated AI tools into their SEO consulting work
• 52% expect Google updates favoring certain site types to be a threat in the next year

STUFF FOR YOU FROM ME

Are You Ready For This? (Black Hat) SEO for Casino & Gambling Sites With John Wright

In this video, I discuss advanced SEO strategies and challenges in the iGaming industry with John Wright, focusing on casino websites, link building, and ethical considerations.

​

​

Fundamental SEO Rules That Only 5% Of SEOs Know & Understand

In this video, I discuss the critical SEO rules that most people either misunderstand or completely overlook. These rules are the backbone of every effective SEO strategy, and without them, your efforts are doomed to fail.

​

Show Me Your Headings And I Will Tell You How You Are...

In this episode, I dive deep into the importance of proper heading structure on the example of lawyer websites. I'll review random pages that show up in Google search results and analyze their headings.

​

Internal Links: Are You Committing SEO Suicide? The #1 SEO Mistake on Lawyer & Local Business Sites

In this video, I dive deep into the importance of internal linking for lawyer websites and other local businesses. As an SEO expert with over 12 years of experience, including a significant focus on the legal industry, I've seen firsthand how proper internal linking can dramatically impact a website's SEO performance.

​

How I feel after I quit my SEO job

"My full-time job was the most secure thing in my life. I have done everything to get it. In my wildest dreams, I couldn’t imagine I would have the courage to do it. But courage doesn't have anything to do with it." Adrijana Vujadin

​

DON'T MISS THESE SEO RESOURCES

ChatGPT Prompts for SEO: Benefits and Pitfalls

​Tom Demers discusses how to effectively use ChatGPT for SEO tasks, providing examples of helpful prompts for keyword research, content creation, and technical SEO. While highlighting ChatGPT's value for brainstorming and efficiency, Demers emphasizes the importance of quality assurance and understanding its limitations to avoid potential errors or harmful outcomes.

Sitebulb JavaScript SEO Report​

"The first website I ever had to 'optimize' was built in Dreamweaver. Static HTML pages that you had to edit one by one. Don't get me wrong, it was awful. But at least the HTML you could see in the back-end was the same as the source code on the page - and the same thing that Google would use for crawling and indexing."

Shopify SEO – How To Optimize Your Shopify Site For Google

Learn how to optimize your Shopify store for Google and improve your SEO rankings. Boost your online visibility and increase sales with these effective strategies.

6 Underrated Keyword Research Methods — Whiteboard Friday

​Sofia Tyson outlines six unconventional methods to enrich keyword lists, including targeting competitor-branded keywords, using listening tools, and leveraging proprietary data. Tyson emphasizes the importance of these techniques to capture new search queries and stay ahead of competitors, given that 15% of daily Google searches are brand new.

How to Become an SEO Conference Speaker

Eleven SEO experts share tips for becoming a conference speaker: start small, pitch organizers, speak from experience, practice, find a niche, and network. Aleyda Solis emphasizes, "Speaking is about sharing what you see to be useful from your own day to day."

SEO FOLLOW OF THIS WEEK: Marin Popov

​Marin Popov is a technical SEO freelance consultant with over 15 years of experience. He knows a ton about enterprise SEO, international SEO, and technical SEO. If you aren't following Marin Popov, then stop whatever you are doing and follow him because you are missing out a lot!