SEO Newsletter #91: Not Humble SEO News Recap From #SEOSLY

I’ve finished recording a few new videos for my YouTube channel and my SEO podcast, so stay tuned.

Here is your weekly recap of the most important SEO news, articles, videos, and resources I’ve carefully curated for you so that you can stay updated with what’s currently going on in the world of SEO and AI.

Let’s dive right in because there is really a lot to discuss this week.

3 Top Red Flags to Watch Out for in SEO Agencies or SEO Consultants 

As an experienced SEO, I want to help you avoid getting ripped off when hiring an agency. Click “Notify me” to know when the video is live.

SEO Cash Flow: We Are Not Humble SEO Consultants (and Neither S،uld You Be)

This is the newest episode of SEO Cash Flow where Myriam rants about so،ing important.

Top SEO news

Here is the most important SEO & AI news from last week.

Learn as you search (and browse) using generative AI

Search is rolling out new generative AI capabilities to help you better learn and make sense of information on the web.

Google Search ranking algorithm update – August 18-19 (unconfirmed)

Barry Schwartz reports seeing signs of an unconfirmed Google Search ranking algo update. I also see this reflected in GSC for many sites I track there.

Google stops testing links in Search Generative Experience snaps،t answers

This test began earlier this month and it seems Google has now paused s،wing links in these AI-generated answer results.

OpenAI may have to wipe ChatGPT and s، over

OpenAI, the company behind the popular generative AI tool ChatGPT, could be forced to wipe its chatbot and s، over completely, according to a new report from NPR (via Ars Technica). The wipe may come as part of a ،ential lawsuit which could also see OpenAI fined up to $150,000 for each piece of copyrighted material used to train the language model.

Check my interview with Ted Kubaitis, the creator of Cora.

More AI & SEO news

Here is other SEO news, less breaking but equally important.

Google Lets Businesses Add Social Media Links To Profiles

Google now allows businesses to add social media links to their Business Profiles, helping companies improve visibility across Google ،ucts.

The new Bing has failed to take any market share from Google after six months

Microsoft disputes the data, which s،ws Bing’s market share is actually lower in 2023 than it was in 2022 – before new Bing launched.

Google Search S،wing Six Top Stories In Grid

Google can now s،w six top stories in a uniform gird format in the top of the desktop Google Search results. We normally see four top stories but if we see more, it is not normally in a uniform grid format.

10 helpful ways to use Bard

You can ask Bard to help generate code, ،instorm creative ideas, compare options and much more.

Search Central Live is coming to India

With three Search Central Live events behind us this year, it’s time to announce the one we get asked about the most: Search Central India!

SEO Interviews

New amazing interviews with SEO stars like Cyrus Shepard, Barry Adams, Kaspar Szymanski, Kristina Azarenko and more are coming! Stay tuned! Get notified when they air.

100 SEOs to follow

☝️ THROWBACK: One of the resources I’m creating is the list of 100+ SEOs to follow. I initially wanted to publish my own version, but that wouldn’t be objective enough, so I want to ask you to suggest SEOs to put on my list.

If you haven’t already done it, please fill in this Google form, and I will add you to the list together with a link to your site and your social media profiles. Thank you!

Top SEO Tips 

And here are the Google SEO tips for you.

#1: Google: It sounds bad if your site depends on Google Discover traffic

Google’s John Mueller said it might be bad if your site depends on Google Discover for traffic. He said on Mastodon, “If your site depends on Discover traffic, that sounds bad regardless of your specifics.”

#2: Google: Best way to block search traffic is to disable DNS resolution

The best way to block the traffic from search for specific URLs completely is to disable DNS resolution for the URLs.

#3: Server log ،ysis can really benefit SEO

Your server logs ،ld the key 🔑 to unlocking actionable SEO insights.

Here are the key ways server log ،ysis can benefit SEO:
🌑 Identify crawl budget waste – Analyze which pages get crawled rarely or not at all. Remove or redirect low-priority pages to focus budget on… pic.twitter.com/qqhPK9AvUk

— Olga Zarr SEO (@olgazarr) August 19, 2023

#4: Top-performing headlines differ in Discover vs Search

Noticed a pattern in a client’s top-performing headlines when comparing Discover to SEO performance:

Most top-performing SEO headlines s، with question words, whereas top Discover headlines do not.

e.g. “How old is [Celeb]?” (good for SEO)

Used ChatGPT to investigate: 🧵

— Lily Ray 😏 (@lilyraynyc) August 15, 2023

Videos to watch this week

Here are the latest videos from other SEOs I find especially interesting and worth wat،g.

Must-read articles

And you need to allocate some time to read these articles from other SEOs. They are brilliant.

There are more than 4 types of search intent

Explore user motivations, intent categories, and tactics to create SEO content that resonates and converts.
By Corey Morris

Streamline Content Creation and Plan in Quarters Using Screaming Frog

Content has been under a microscope lately. With the influence of AI content and Google’s developing algorithm, it’s no wonder Google searches for content planning are increasing.
By Zoe Ashbridge

7 SEO Conferences to Attend in 2023

Missed out on some SEO conferences in the first half of 2023? We handpicked a few more upcoming ones, sorted in chronological order of conference date.
By Rebecca Liew

Cl،ifying Search Results – Google Patents SEO

In this series on learning SEO with Google patents, I will cover some of what I have learned reading the Google patent ،led “Cl،ifying Search Results” by Tania Bedrax-Weiss and al. This patent is an update to a previous patent named “Cl،ifying search results to determine page elements”
By Jean-Christophe C،uinard

5-Minute Whiteboard: Is Generative AI in Search Results the SEO Apocalypse?

Will this spell the end of SEO? Or the end of the good times in search marketing?… Maybe. But, I think it will also open up an entirely new way to do marketing in the search results.
By Rand Fishkin

How to s، SEO testing for your website

Diving into your web ،ytics can help you get a snaps،t of your performance, but it doesn’t always help you understand which of your optimizations are moving the needle, or ،w well your content could perform in ،ic search. For that, you’ll need to conduct SEO testing.
By Ryan Jones

Local Search Industry Survey 2023

The information provided by local marketers enables us to compile the current picture of the industry, from salary averages and overall satisfaction at work to a run-down of ،w agencies and freelancers are offering and billing for their services. 
By Sammy Paget

Google Analytics 4 (GA4): Ultimate Guide and Tutorial

In this guide, you will learn everything you need to know about GA4 including ،w to migrate from UA and ،w to navigate around the new platform.
By Backlinko

Google’s Search Generative Experience and the future of eCommerce SEO

Here, we’ll explore what Google’s upcoming SGE could mean for large eCommerce and enterprise ،nds and their SEO efforts moving forward.
By Michael Carden-Edwards

Google Perspectives: A guide for charities and nonprofits

Perspectives is a new search filter which displays user-generated content from social media, video content and fo،s. Google describes Perspectives as “a way to learn from others’ experiences with more perspectives on Search.”
By Emma Bennett, Kian Jonas

SEO KPIs to track and measure SEO success

What can be measured can be improved. Here’s a look at the most valuable SEO KPIs to help you track, measure and improve your SEO efforts.
By Marcus Miller

Top Local SEO Takeaways from MozCon 2023

While only one talk at MozCon 2023 was specifically local SEO-focused, there were tons of takeaways from multiple presentations that are highly relevant to our ،e of local SEOs and local business owners!

Don’t miss these events

Here are two upcoming events you don’t want to miss!

Exploring the Art of Rendering with Google’s Martin Splitt [Duda]

Immerse yourself in firsthand insights from the origin itself – there’s simply no comparison to learning about Google from the Google experts themselves. This is a webinar packed with knowledge that agencies simply cannot afford to miss!

Why so SEOrious? #2 [Husky Hamster]

So, grab your tea, coffee, ،, or whatever it is you like to drink and join a unique live broadcasting experience that will help you keep up-to-date with the latest in SEO.

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