Welcome to another insightful week with The SEOs Diners Club newsletter. Leveraging over a decade of SEO expertise, I aim to distill the week's most critical developments into a concise read that will take less than seven minutes. Let's dive into the insights that matter.

Google Tests AI-Powered Summaries in Main Searches

Google's AI summary tests are challenging SEO professionals to understand the workings of the SERP and adapt their strategies accordingly.

Exciting developments continue in the digital marketing world. Even if you haven't opted for Google's Generative Experience feature in labs, Google is now testing AI-generated summaries in the main Google Search results. It's described as an experiment "on a small percentage of US search traffic, on a subset of queries."

This innovation could significantly change how search engines present information and require us to revisit our SEO strategies. While currently limited to American search results, this feature will likely be available globally within the year.

In this article, I'll share my thoughts on why Google is testing AI-powered summaries, how it could affect SEO professionals, and how you can benefit from this innovation.

Why is Google Testing AI-powered summaries?

Google constantly focuses on improving user experience and providing more comprehensive answers to search queries. This goal drives the testing of AI-powered summaries. Additionally, Google is trying to close the gap with Bing.

Google believes these summaries can benefit users by:

• Quicker Information Access: Users can quickly find the information they're looking for through summaries instead of navigating through search results.

• Understanding Complex Subjects: AI can digest complex topics and create summaries that help users understand better.

• Diverse Perspectives: Summaries can offer different viewpoints by pulling information from multiple sources.

How Can SEO Professionals Be Affected by This Update?

The inclusion of AI-powered summaries in search results could impact our SEO strategies in the following ways:

• Increased Competition on Search Results Pages: Summaries occupy search results, potentially decreasing the visibility of organic search outcomes. This could necessitate further optimization of our content to achieve higher rankings.

• Rethinking Keyword Research: AI's better understanding of search queries means it can show the most relevant results, encouraging us to broaden our keyword research and focus more on long-tail keywords.

• Improving Content Quality: Google will prioritize content quality when creating summaries, so we'll need to focus more than ever on creating comprehensive and informative content that helps users find what they're looking for.

How Can You Benefit from AI-Powered Summaries?

View AI-powered summaries not as a threat but as an opportunity for our SEO strategies. You can benefit from this innovation by:

• Making Your Content AI-Friendly: Use clear structures, headings, subheadings, and meta descriptions to facilitate AI's understanding of your content.

• Adopting a Q&A Format: Focus on creating content that answers common user questions. This can increase the likelihood of AI choosing your content for summaries.

• Offering Diverse Perspectives: Add different viewpoints and expert opinions to your content to encourage AI to create more comprehensive summaries. AI-powered summaries could significantly change the future of search results. We can stay ahead in the digital competition by closely monitoring this innovation and adjusting our SEO strategies accordingly.

The March 2024 SPAM Update is Complete, Core Update Continues

Google has completed the SPAM update, but the core algorithm update is ongoing.

I have important news regarding the updates Google has been working on since the beginning of March. The two-week SPAM update process, starting this March, has been completed.

Essential updates from Google continue, with the SPAM update spread over two weeks in March now completed. This update focused mainly on three areas:

• Scaled content production: Google is combating low-quality content produced through AI and automation. This update aims to increase the visibility of meaningful and helpful content in search engines.

• Domain abuse: It is now more challenging to use expired domains to host spam content. Google will detect and remove such abuses from search results.

• Site reputation misuse: This policy will come into effect in May. Google is taking action against those who try to gain an unfair advantage in search results by misusing the site's reputation. However, the excitement isn't over yet! Google's main update, based on the "Helpful Content" assessment, is still ongoing. This update will last four weeks and prioritize user experience in search results ranking.

Google emphasizes content quality and user experience. I advise you, dear SEO professionals, to review your content strategy accordingly. By producing applicable, original content that adds value to users, you can climb to the top of Google searches.

SEO is Much More Than a Checklist

Success in SEO requires setting strategies and goals, ensuring agility, and integrating your marketing channels.

Today, I want to address a topic critical to SEO success: emphasizing that SEO is not just a checklist.

Many entering the field of SEO believe achieving high rankings is a simple formula. Unfortunately, this isn't the case. SEO demands a comprehensive strategy and precise goal setting. To reach these goals, one must keep up with constantly updating algorithms, remain agile, and consider all marketing efforts.

Let's talk about the seven key stages to achieving success in SEO:

• Goal Setting: Before starting your SEO efforts, clearly define your goals. These might include increasing organic traffic, enhancing brand awareness, or achieving top keyword rankings.

• Strategy Development: After setting your goals, develop a comprehensive SEO strategy to achieve them. Your plan should encompass various areas such as content marketing, link building, and technical SEO.

• Resource Provision: Secure the necessary resources for SEO success. These resources could include skilled content writers, SEO specialists, and web developers.

• Plan Creation: Convert your strategy into concrete steps by creating a plan. This plan should include a timeline, task distribution, and success metrics.

• Measuring Results: Regularly measure the performance of your SEO efforts. This will help you understand which strategies work and which must be updated.

• Being Agile: The SEO world is constantly changing. Therefore, you must be agile enough to keep up with algorithm updates and industry trends.

• Integration with Marketing Channels: Integrate your SEO efforts with other marketing channels. This can enhance your SEO performance and strengthen your overall marketing strategy.

Remember, SEO is not just a checklist. Success requires a comprehensive strategy, clear goals, resources, and continuous updates. By following these steps, you can achieve success in your SEO efforts.

Semrush Copilot: Your AI Assistant for Faster SEO Analyses

Save time, obtain more accurate data, and optimize your SEO strategy.

Throughout my 15 years of SEO experience, I've used numerous tools and platforms. With the introduction of artificial intelligence into the mix, I've seen all SEO tools begin to benefit from the blessings of AI. Semrush Copilot, introduced this week, is the latest among these.

At Stradiji agency, we do more than create a Semrush project for all our clients; we provide them with read-only access so they can follow developments without spending unnecessary time on reporting.

Semrush's AI-supported Copilot SEO assistant helps us save time, conduct faster and more accurate analyses, and optimize our SEO strategy.

Semrush Copilot: Your AI Assistant for Faster SEO Analyses Save time, obtain more accurate data, and optimize your SEO strategy.

Throughout my 15 years of SEO experience, I've used numerous tools and platforms. With the introduction of artificial intelligence into the mix, I've seen all SEO tools begin to benefit from the blessings of AI. Semrush Copilot, introduced this week, is the latest among these.

At Stradiji agency, we do more than create a Semrush project for all our clients; we provide them with read-only access so they can follow developments without spending unnecessary time on reporting.

Semrush's AI-supported Copilot SEO assistant helps us save time, conduct faster and more accurate analyses, and optimize our SEO strategy.

Semrush — Copilot Why is it Important?

• Time-Saving: Copilot reduces hours of manual work to minutes with automatic reporting and analyses.

• More Accurate Data: The AI algorithm eliminates errors and inconsistencies, offering more reliable data.

• Better SEO Strategy: Copilot assists in improving your SEO with personalized recommendations and actionable insights. How to Use It?

• Set Your Goals: Enter your SEO goals for your website into Copilot.

• Research Keywords: Copilot helps you find and analyze the most suitable keywords.

• Monitor Your Competitors: Copilot allows you to analyze your competitors' SEO strategies and get ahead of them.

• Create Content: Copilot guides you in creating SEO-friendly content.

• Receive Feedback: Copilot provides feedback on your SEO performance and offers suggestions for improvement.

For more detailed information, visit the following page and start your free trial:

Bing Deep Search Open to All Users!

Get acquainted with Microsoft's Bing Deep Search feature, now accessible to all users. This feature makes your searches more profound than ever before.

Bing has rolled out its long-in-development Deep Search feature to all its users. Unlike traditional search results, this new feature focuses on understanding the deeper meaning behind your queries.

Deep Search aims to provide more relevant and informative results by comprehensively analyzing a page's content and credibility. This suggests a potential decrease in the effectiveness of keyword-focused strategies. Instead, this new AI-supported approach requires us to focus on creating genuinely helpful content and best-addressing user intent.

We know that Google is also working on AI-supported search results. So, how can you adapt your SEO strategy to Bing Deep Search?

Prioritize Understanding the Topic: Deep Search tries to grasp the intent behind the query. When creating content, focus not only on keywords but also on the coherence of the topic and in-depth knowledge.

Gain Expertise: Deep Search values credibility. Create high-quality content and cite reputable sources to position yourself as an expert.

Prioritize User Experience: Deep Search also considers metrics like how much time users spend on a page. Create engaging, helpful, and fluid content that captures your visitors' interest.

Bing Deep Search opens a new chapter in the SEO world. By keeping pace with this change and leveraging the power of artificial intelligence, you can strengthen your content strategy and climb to the top of the search results.

Recommended Tools & Services

• WhitePress: WhitePress is a content marketing platform that enables accessible article publishing across 90,571 websites in 30 languages, offering native copywriting and automated global publication services.

• Cannibalization Explorer Looker Studio Report is a tool for identifying keyword cannibalization and providing insights into how keywords perform across different pages.

• SurferSEO is a tool that helps you create and optimize content for SEO. It analyzes the top-ranking pages for your target keywords and gives you suggestions on how to improve your content. Surfer AI also has a feature that can generate ready-to-rank articles in minutes.

• Copilot Pro: Copilot Pro is available for $20/month for cloud-based GenAI models and $27/month with Microsoft 365. It is integrated with Microsoft 365 applications and provides access to GPT-4 Turbo and advanced AI rendering tools.

• AlsoAsked is a helpful tool that can boost your visibility in the “People Also Ask” section of Google's search engine results pages.

• Semrush Map Rank Tracker is a game-changing tool for local businesses looking to dominate their niche and attract more customers. I've been using the free version for a while now, and I'm impressed with its ease and effectiveness.

• ContentShake AI is an intelligent writing tool that combines AI with real-life competitor insights. It guides you from ideation to publishing directly to the blog, generates SEO-friendly articles, and helps you optimize them for organic traffic and engagement.

• Microsoft Clarity has recently introduced a feature called Copilot, which incorporates Generative AI through Large Language Models (LLMs) into the analytics tool. This integration aims to make data more accessible and understandable for users by leveraging the same technology created by OpenAI, which powers the new Bing or ChatGPT.

• InLinks is an SEO tool that uses a knowledge graph to optimize content for search engines. It automates internal linking and schema markup, simplifying SEO processes and content strategies.

Subscribe to my newsletter to stay informed about the latest in SEO and digital marketing. Next week, I'll continue to share the newest insights, tactics, and strategies for navigating the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape.

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Best,

Mert