Google’s John Mueller responded to a question about whether affiliate links have a negative impact on rankings, touching on factors that affiliate sites should keep in mind. Hypothesis: Google Targets Affiliate Sites There is a decades-long hypothesis that Google targets affiliate sites. SEOs were talking about it as far back as Pubcon Orlando 2004 and … Read more
In a recording of Google’s June SEO office-hours Q&A session, John Mueller, a Google’s Search Relations team member, discussed the impact of AI-generated content on SEO. The discussion focused on two key areas: the indexing of AI-translated content and using AI tools for initial content drafting. As the use of AI in content creation grows, … Read more
Google updated their structured data guidelines to reflect support for a sitewide return policy within the Organization structured data. This eliminates the need to add redundant return policy information for every product listing structured data and can result in more traffic and sales to online merchants. This doesn’t mean that merchants are required to change … Read more
In a recent LinkedIn discussion, Gary Illyes, Analyst at Google, revealed that the search engine takes a binary approach when assessing a website’s lastmod signal from sitemaps. The revelation came as Illyes encouraged website owners to upgrade to WordPress 6.5, which now natively supports the lastmod element in sitemaps. When Mark Williams-Cook asked if Google … Read more
Automation can be powerful, but it can cause performance and output issues without human supervision. Google Ads is no exception. Despite the truly compelling advances Google has made in machine learning and automation over the past five years, it’s important not to lose sight of the reality behind that technology. In this article, I’ll walk you … Read more
People are always complaining that there’s something wrong with Google’s search results but what’s going on with search results for queries with the acronym “SEO” is in a class by itself and has to be seen to be believed. Anomalies In Search Results An anomaly is something that deviates from the norm or what’s expected. … Read more
In a series of tweets, Google’s SearchLiaison responded to a question that connected click-through rates (CTR) and HCU (Helpful Content Update) with how Google ranks websites, remarking that if the associated ideas were true it would be impossible for any new website to rank. Users Are Voting With Their Feet? Search Liaison’s answer was to … Read more
Over the last week, I observed many arguments against digging deep into the 2,596 pages. But the only question we should ask ourselves is, “How can I test and learn as much as possible from these documents?” SEO is an applied science where theory is not the end goal but the basis for experiments. Image … Read more
An analysis of 25,000 ecommerce queries by Bartosz Góralewicz, founder of Onely, reveals the impact of Google’s AI overviews on search visibility for online retailers. The study found that 16% of eCommerce queries now return an AI overview in search results, accounting for 13% of total search volume in this sector. Notably, 80% of the … Read more
Google’s rollout of AI-generated overviews in US search results is taking a disastrous turn, with mainstream media outlets like The New York Times, BBC, and CNBC reporting on numerous inaccuracies and bizarre responses. On social media, users are sharing endless examples of the feature’s nonsensical and sometimes dangerous output. From recommending non-toxic glue on pizza … Read more
The SERPs are a volatile place right now. Since March 2024, the SEO industry has seen significant disruptions, with Google rolling out its latest algorithm changes. From the deindexing of websites to the delivery of manual penalties, site owners and SEO professionals have found themselves in a tough spot as Google attempts to clean up … Read more
Discover the aftermath of Google’s targeted crackdown on reputation abuse. Analyze significant losses, identify patterns, and investigate the impact it has had on major brands. Source link
In the latest episode of the Search Off The Record podcast, Google Search Relations team members John Mueller and Lizzi Sassman did a deep dive into dealing with “content decay” on websites. Outdated content is a natural issue all sites face over time, and Google has outlined strategies beyond just deleting old pages. While removing … Read more
Google’s Search Advocate John Mueller recently addressed the SEO community’s concerns about site recovery after being impacted by algorithm updates. The conversation arose as people questioned whether sites hit by the September helpful content update could regain lost traffic and rankings after future core updates. The exchange began on X when an SEO professional, Thomas … Read more
Google revamped their product structured data documentation by splitting up one comprehensive page into three pages that are more closely focused on their topics, providing an example of how to rewrite a page that’s too big and turn it into multiple topically relevant webpages. Google Product Structured Data Product structured data is essential for ecommerce … Read more
According to data from GS Statcounter, Google’s search engine market share has fallen to 86.99%, the lowest point since the firm began tracking search engine share in 2009. The drop represents a more than 4% decrease from the previous month, marking the largest single-month decline on record. Screenshot from: https://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share/, May 2024. U.S. Market Impact … Read more
John Mueller, a Google Search Advocate, provided guidance this week regarding the path forward for websites impacted by recent search algorithm updates. The discussion started on X (formerly Twitter) by SEO professional Thomas Jepsen. Jepsen tagged Mueller, asking: “Google has previously said Google doesn’t hold a grudge and sites will recover once issues have been … Read more
Following the recent SERPConf event, Google Search Analyst Gary Illyes shared insights that provided a glimpse into the latest trends and challenges in the SEO world. His LinkedIn post touches on a range of topics, from technical issues to the role of AI, providing a thorough overview of the industry’s current state. Addressing hreflang Frustrations … Read more
