The SEO Newsletter: Volume 2

SEO Newsletter: Here are a few interesting SEO resources to read! 

1. Survey on SEO Knowledge Gaps for Business Owners: Source

This helps understand how much of SEO Jargon we should or should not be using!

Takeaway:

  • 1 in every 4 Business Owner is NOT AT ALL familiar with SEO
  • 1 IN 3 Business Owner had no understanding of how Google determines search rankings
  • Take the quiz at the end of the survey (Hope all you SEO’s score a 100% ? )

 

2. The big list of 2019 Google search algorithm updates: Source

 Takeaway:

  • Google’s Core Updates: March, June, and September
  • BERT
  • YMYL queries given more weightage with E-A-T
  • Diversity Update: Increasing domain diversity for top search queries by limiting the number of results from a particular domain
  • Emphasizing Original Reporting: Results from sites which rewards original coverage to news sources

The post ends with, ‘Don’t chase Updates’!

3. Yandex Releases an Updated, ‘Vega’ : Source

Lots of similar updates like Google, but they’re more transparent in sharing the details. While we might not be optimizing for Yandex or Bing, it still helps in understanding how Search Engine works.

Takeaway:

  • Machine learning with a personal touch: Expert Crowdsourcing to ensure results get audited and improved (Something which Google downplayed in the WSJ piece, but Yandex is seen embracing)
  • Improving search index with clusters: Algorithms use neural networks to now group pages into clusters based on their similarity. When a user enters a query, it’s searched among the most relevant cluster of pages, rather than our entire index.
  • Smarter results at lightning speed due to a larger Index: Yandex mobile users on Android have been searching with pre-rendering technology, which predicts the user’s query and selects relevant results as the user is typing all thanks to doubling the size of the Yandex Index.

4. Improving the Overall Website is more important than JUST Content: Source

The title says it all. The overall health of a website (especially performance) is very important to move the needle.

Takeaway:

  • Page rankings don’t significantly improve by JUST revamping content.
  • Rankings depend a lot on improving the overall website.
  • If you’re active in a competitive area then think about differentiating yourself from other sites, not just in content but offering.

 

5. Podcast: How To Tackle Advanced eCommerce and Technical SEO w/Luke Carthy: Source

An interesting podcast to understand e-Commerce SEO.

Takeaway:

  • What are the options when products are discontinued:
    • Noindex,
    • add a custom messaging to lead to a new page or redirect,
    • Include options for related products
  • Earning Links to Ecommerce Sites: Coupon Codes/discount codes, search URLs (which are no-indexed, non-canonicalized)
  • Canonical Setups for multiple URLs:
    • Create a whitelist for wanted parameters and a blacklist for exclusions
    • Prioritize URL types in monetary terms
    • Create Templates and patterns of similar canonical issues

 

Want to read Volume 1? Here’s the link

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