Eric Van Buskirk’s Post

This is the best take on the Google leak and SEO in general. Nicely put Seth Besmertnik.

Understandably, some people may have read this post differently than I intended. My point is that your entire website effort is SEO because SEO encompasses everything you need to do with your tech stack, content, and product to deliver value to the customer throughout their entire journey. The person in your company who knows your customers, understands what they are intent/needs are, and knows how to deliver value to them is likely your SEO team. This is why these folks are being promoted, leading digital teams, and will be the future CMOs/CDOs of businesses.

There is no more “SEO." Just great websites with great content. Google Search’s API Leak only further validates this… Regardless of what Google says they use and how they use it, it should be obvious by now that they look at EVERYTHING in order to understand a website’s value. There’s no hiding. Data from people’s browsers? ✅  Data from Google Analytics? ✅  Chrome extensions? ✅ It’s all part of the system. Yes, what Google says and does are not always the same. It isn’t in Google’s best interest to communicate exactly how their system works. This shouldn’t be surprising...it should be expected. In fact, I’m shocked by how many people took Google at their word for so long. So, what does this mean for your business and how should you alter your website/content strategy based on the leak? For starters, if you had the right strategy to begin with, it shouldn’t be changing much. The leaked docs make it very clear: Google wants to rank the best content, not the company that is best at “SEO.” The base of your strategy should be centered around your *customers*. Create quality content that is authentic to your brand and resonates with the need of your customers. Your customer’s heart & mind is the only algorithm that matters. Do this, and you will sustainably perform in search results. The other factor here is a bit more tactical: Website Technical Health Matters (a lot). Is your website fast? Is it accessible? Does it break often? Is your navigation easy to use? If you don’t upkeep your site, Google will punish you with fewer “free” visitors because they can’t afford to give you 2nd and 3rd chances for having a low quality website. You need real-time data on your site’s health and a quick triage response to address these insights. Otherwise, you'll be in the 'digital jail' which is not fun. 🔨 Hammer home point: There is no SEO; there is only great websites that deliver content and experiences that best meet the needs & intent of your customers. Do this - and all the organic love will follow.

Fred Algorithm Update https://lnkd.in/gvudkq-d Fred Update penalizes low-quality sites. Prioritize user experience, quality content, and ethical SEO practices to safeguard your rankings from Fred's impact.

Fred Algorithm Update https://lnkd.in/gvudkq-d Fred Update penalizes low-quality sites. Prioritize user experience, quality content, and ethical SEO practices to safeguard your rankings from Fred's impact.

Google sandbox theory: The Google Sandbox Theory is a concept in search engine optimization (SEO) that suggests new websites are temporarily placed in a "sandbox" by Google. During this period, which can last several months, the site may not rank well for competitive keywords or may not rank at all. This is believed to be a way for Google to evaluate the quality and trustworthiness of new websites before allowing them to rank highly in search results. While the Google Sandbox Theory is widely discussed in the SEO community, Google has not officially confirmed its existence or provided detailed information about how it works. Some SEO experts believe that the sandbox effect may be caused by factors such as the age of a domain, the quality of backlinks, and the overall trustworthiness of a website. However, others argue that fluctuations in rankings for new websites can be attributed to a variety of factors, including algorithm updates and competition in the search results.

Recovering from an algorithmic penalty in SEO takes a combination of investigation, correction, and monitoring: 1. Identify the Cause:    Track your performance: Look for drops in rankings that coincide with known Google algorithm updates. Tools like MozCast, SEMrush Sensor, or Rank Ranger can help track volatility.    Analyze your website: Use SEO audit tools to identify issues like thin content, low-quality backlinks, technical problems (broken links, slow loading), or keyword stuffing.    Compare with Google's guidelines: Ensure your website adheres to Google's Search Quality Guidelines to avoid violating their principles. 2. Fix the Issues and Improve:    Content: Address thin content by expanding it with valuable information. Remove duplicate content and ensure your content is relevant and user-focused.    Backlinks: Audit your backlink profile and disavow low-quality or spammy links that could be hurting your reputation.    Technical SEO: Improve website speed, mobile-friendliness, and fix broken links or structural issues.    On-page optimization: Optimize meta tags, headers, and image alt attributes while maintaining natural keyword usage. 3. Wait and Monitor:    Recovery takes time: Search engines need to re-crawl and re-evaluate your website after you've made improvements. Be patient and consistent with your efforts.    Track progress: Use analytics tools to monitor rankings and other website metrics over time.    Continue improvements: Stay up-to-date with SEO best practices and keep improving your website for a sustainable presence. Additional considerations:    Reconsideration request (if applicable): In rare cases, some algorithmic penalties might offer a chance to submit a reconsideration request to the search engine. Only do this after you've made significant improvements and are confident you've addressed the issues. Remember, recovering from an algorithmic penalty requires diligence and ongoing commitment to maintaining a high-quality website aligned with search engine guidelines and user experience.

#BlackHatVSWhiteHatSEO Black Hat SEO: Black Hat SEO involves using unethical or manipulative techniques to rank higher in search engine results. These methods go against search engine guidelines and aim to exploit weaknesses in the algorithms for quick, short-term gains. Some common Black Hat tactics include: Keyword Stuffing: Overloading a webpage with keywords in an unnatural way. Cloaking: Showing one version of content to users and a different one to search engines. Link Farming and Buying Links: Acquiring backlinks through illegitimate sources to artificially boost authority. While Black Hat SEO might deliver fast results, these are often short-lived. Search engines like Google regularly update their algorithms to detect and penalize sites that use these tactics. Websites caught using Black Hat methods risk heavy penalties, including being removed from search engine results entirely. White Hat SEO: White Hat SEO, on the other hand, follows ethical practices and adheres to search engine guidelines. This approach focuses on providing genuine value to users while optimizing the site for search engines. Some key White Hat techniques include: High-Quality Content: Creating original, informative, and user-friendly content that answers search queries. Proper Keyword Usage: Using relevant keywords naturally within content, without overstuffing. Earning Organic Backlinks: Building a strong backlink profile through natural means, like guest posting or creating shareable content. Improving User Experience (UX): Ensuring the website is mobile-friendly, fast-loading, and easy to navigate. White Hat SEO is a long-term strategy, and while the results might take longer to achieve, they are sustainable and won't risk penalties from search engines. Conclusion: Though Black Hat SEO might seem tempting due to its quick results, it carries significant risks. White Hat SEO, while more time-consuming, ensures steady growth, a solid reputation, and a better user experience. In the long run, White Hat SEO is the safer and more rewarding choice for building a successful online presence.

Black Hat SEO refers to unethical or manipulative practices used to improve a website's search engine ranking in ways that violate search engine guidelines, especially Google's. These methods focus on exploiting loopholes in search algorithms rather than providing valuable content or enhancing user experience. While these tactics can produce quick gains in rankings, they often result in penalties, including lower rankings or complete removal from search engine results. Common Black Hat SEO Techniques: Keyword Stuffing: Overloading a webpage with keywords in an attempt to manipulate its ranking. Cloaking: Showing different content to search engine crawlers than what is shown to users. Hidden Text and Links: Placing invisible text or links on a webpage (e.g., white text on a white background). Link Farms: Creating a network of websites that link to each other to artificially inflate the number of backlinks. Content Scraping: Copying content from other websites and publishing it as one's own without adding value. Doorway Pages: Creating pages that are optimized for a specific keyword but redirect users to another website. Private Blog Networks (PBNs): Creating or buying a series of blogs solely for the purpose of linking back to the main site. Clickbait: Using misleading titles to get users to click, often without delivering the promised content. Negative SEO: Using unethical tactics to sabotage a competitor’s rankings, such as building harmful backlinks to their site. Risks of Black Hat SEO: Penalties: Search engines, especially Google, have sophisticated algorithms to detect black hat techniques. Websites caught using these methods can face severe penalties, including a drop in rankings or complete de-indexing. Damaged Reputation: Engaging in black hat SEO can hurt a brand's credibility and trustworthiness, especially if users realize the manipulative practices. Short-Term Results: Black hat strategies may work for a short while, but they are not sustainable in the long term. To avoid penalties and ensure long-term success, it's advisable to focus on White Hat SEO techniques, which follow search engine guidelines and prioritize creating valuable, high-quality content for users.

A backlink is a link from one website to another. It's a crucial aspect of search engine optimization (SEO) because search engines like Google use backlinks as one of the key factors to determine the authority, relevance, and popularity of a website. Essentially, backlinks act as a vote of confidence from one site to another. Backlinks are valuable for several reasons: Improved search engine rankings: Websites with a higher number of quality backlinks tend to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) for relevant keywords. Increased website traffic: Backlinks from reputable sources can drive referral traffic to your website, potentially increasing your audience and customer base. Credibility and authority: Backlinks from authoritative websites signal to search engines and users that your site is trustworthy and credible within your industry or niche. Indexing and crawling: Backlinks can help search engine crawlers discover new pages on your website and understand the relationship between different pages. However, not all backlinks are created equal. Search engines prioritize quality over quantity. High-quality backlinks come from authoritative websites that are relevant to your industry or niche and have good reputations themselves. On the other hand, low-quality or spammy backlinks can actually harm your website's SEO performance. Building a strong backlink profile requires a strategic approach, often involving outreach to relevant websites, creating high-quality content that naturally attracts backlinks, and ensuring that your website provides value to visitors. Additionally, monitoring your backlink profile regularly and disavowing any harmful backlinks can help maintain and improve your site's SEO performance.