A new study finds that despite concerns about AI in online services, users are more satisfied with search engines and social media platforms than before. The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) conducted its annual survey of search and social media users, finding that satisfaction has either held steady or improved. This comes at a time … Read more
In a recent session of Google’s SEO office-hours Q&A, the Search Relations team addressed a common concern among business owners: how to determine if an SEO agency is actively optimizing your website. The Business Owner’s Question The discussion was prompted by a business owner who asked: “If I have an agency that is managing our … Read more
In a recent episode of the Search Off The Record podcast, it was revealed that Google’s rendering system now pretends to be “idle” to trigger certain JavaScript events and improve webpage rendering. The podcast features Zoe Clifford from Google’s rendering team, who discussed how the company’s web crawlers deal with JavaScript-based sites. This revelation is … Read more
An interview with Google’s SearchLiaison offered hope that quality sites hit by Google’s algorithms may soon see their traffic levels bounce back. But that interview and a recent Google podcast reveal deeper issues that may explain why Google seems indifferent to publishers with every update. The interview by Brandon Saltalamacchia comes against the background of … Read more
Google updated their documentation to reflect that it added eight new languages to its translated results feature, broadening the reach of publishers to an increasingly global scale, with automatic translations to a site visitor’s native language. Google Translated Results Translated Results is a Google Search feature that will automatically translate the title link and meta … Read more
An SEO asked on LinkedIn why an anonymous user on Reddit could outrank a credible website with a named author. Google’s answer gives a peek at what’s going on with search rankings and why Reddit can outrank expert articles. Why Do Anonymous Redditors Outrank Experts? The person asking the question wanted to know why an … Read more
Boost your skills with Growth Memo’s weekly expert insights. Subscribe for free! Google’s launch and pullback of AI Overviews (AIOs) caught the most attention in the SEO scene over the last two months. However, a change with at least the same significance flew under the radar: Google’s transformation from search engine to marketplace for shopping queries. … Read more
A new study by search industry expert Rand Fishkin has revealed that Google’s rollout of AI overviews in May led to a noticeable decrease in search volume, particularly on mobile devices. The study, which analyzed millions of Google searches in the United States and European Union, sheds light on the unexpected consequences of AI integration. … Read more
Few concepts have generated as much buzz and speculation in SEO as E-E-A-T. Short for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, this framework has been a cornerstone of Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines for years. But despite its prominence, more clarity about how E-E-A-T relates to Google‘s ranking algorithms is still needed. In a recent episode … Read more
While Google has made strides in understanding user intent, Director & Product Manager Elizabeth Tucker says specific queries remain challenging. In a recent episode of Google’s Search Off The Record podcast, Tucker discussed some lingering pain points in the company’s efforts to match users with the information they seek. Among the top offenders were searches … Read more
Are you still sleeping on brand as a ranking factor? Explore Tom’s detailed takeaways from the Google leak, with an emphasis on understanding Navboost queries, a click-based ranking system, and branded search. Source link
Google’s Gary Illyes recently answered the question of whether one should spend time fixing backlinks with wrong URLs that are pointing to a website, known as broken backlinks. The answer is interesting because it suggests a way of considering this issue in a completely unorthodox manner. Google: Should Broken Backlinks Be Fixed? During a recent … Read more
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
