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.

March 2024 Google Update Completed: Key Changes & SEO Tips

The Google March 2024 Core Update is complete. How did it impact your site? Find essential tips for optimizing your SEO.

On 26 April 2024, Google officially announced the completion of the March 2024 Core Update, which caused fluctuations in web rankings for a month. This update included significant changes to the algorithm that evaluates websites' overall quality and relevance. Although the update was completed a week ago, the delay in the official announcement raised questions.

Update Overview

Google's March 2024 Core Update is a significant change intended to improve the quality of search results and reduce the prevalence of useless SPAM content. This update targeted low-originality content, including content auto-generated by artificial intelligence.

Primary Changes and Their Impact on SEO

• Reducing Low-Quality Content: Google aimed to reduce unoriginal and low-quality content by 40%. We do not know to what extent they have achieved this. This change emphasizes the need for websites to focus on creating high-quality, original content that provides real user value.

• Removing Sites from the Index: Many sites, especially those hosting AI-generated content, were de-indexed, leading to significant declines in organic search traffic and advertising revenue for those affected. This shows that Google is taking a stricter stance against sites that rely on automated content.

• Adjustments to Link Signalling: The update changed the way Google evaluates links, emphasizing quality over quantity and providing more oversight of link-building practices. Links are no longer as important as they once were as a core ranking signal.

• New SPAM Policies: Google has revised its policies to more aggressively target manipulative behavior, particularly the abuse of expired domains and manipulative link schemes.

Recommendations for Adjusting SEO Strategy

1. Prioritise Content Quality: With increased scrutiny of low-quality content, SEOs and content producers must focus on producing original, high-quality material. Regular content audits can help identify and improve or remove poorly performing content. Even if you make content with AI, be sure to publish it after having it verified by competent people.

2. Review Link-Building Strategies: To adapt to the new changes in link evaluations, SEO professionals should update their link-building strategies. They should focus on obtaining high-quality backlinks from reputable sources and avoid schemes to manipulate rankings.

3. Review and Update Old Content: You can improve your standing in search results by updating your old content. This is especially important for content that may no longer meet Google's heightened quality standards.

4. Monitor and Adapt to Algorithm Changes: It is vital to keep up with Google's algorithm updates. Monitor your site's performance using tools like Google Search Console and make adjustments based on insights from search analytics.

5. Emphasise Branding: The winners of this update have been mainly sites belonging to big brands. Paying particular attention to branding and motivating and guiding our customers has become imperative. For example, online PR activities can strengthen our hand in this regard.

It would be naive to think this update is independent of the SGE we will face later this year. I think Google has primarily made room for this transition with this update.

Google's March 2024 Core Update evaluates user experience and content quality over link manipulations like traditional SEO tactics. Creating valuable, high-quality content and adhering to ethical SEO practices allows website owners to align with Google's goals and improve their search engine visibility.

Google Reducing the Importance of Backlinks

Google's need for backlinks is diminishing. Focus your SEO efforts on content quality and user experience rather than the quantity of links.

Google's Senior Webmaster, Gary Illyes, recently stated that backlinks are no longer as important as they used to be and that Google is using different signals more extensively in determining search results. This has caused a stir in the SEO community.

According to Illyes, Google now emphasizes the quality of a site's content, reliability, and user experience. This means factors like the originality of content, author expertise, and mobile-friendliness are becoming more prominent than links.

Google's algorithm is constantly evolving. SEO practitioners need to keep up with these changes and follow best practices. Although backlinks are not as critical as before, they are still essential to your SEO strategy. Following the above advice ensures your website achieves higher rankings in Google's search results. My advice is not to overdo it and to try to be selective.

Google Emphasizes the Need to Verify the Accuracy of Content Generated by Artificial Intelligence

A Google podcast highlights that content produced by artificial intelligence can contain factual errors, underscoring the critical need for human oversight.

In a recent episode of Google's Search Off The Record podcast, the team testing the Gemini AI model encountered some factual errors in producing SEO-focused content. This indicates that AI tools may lack current SEO knowledge and could lead to misinformation.

What should SEOs do when using AI-generated content?

• Fact-checking comes first: Thoroughly review all content produced by AI for accuracy and make corrections where necessary. Stay informed on SEO knowledge: Remember that AI models may not be up-to-date with the latest SEO information. Use your knowledge and research as well.

• Use AI tools appropriately: Employ AI tools for drafting or idea generation. Always write and verify the final text yourself. (This is Google's suggestion, although it may not always be practical!) Human oversight is indispensable. AI tools can help, but human supervision and control are always necessary. Ignoring Google's warnings and statements can be the key to ensuring success and reliability when using AI-generated content.

Additional Tips:

Experiment with different AI tools to see which works best for you. Use real-checking tools designed explicitly for AI content. Seek help from SEO experts or content creators. Be ethical and transparent when using AI-generated content. AI content creation tools can be valuable for SEO. However, using these tools responsibly and always supporting them with human oversight and control is crucial not just from an SEO perspective but also for a company's or brand's reputation.

Google's Gemini Era: Impact on SEO and Revenue Growth

Explore the impact of AI integration during Google's "Gemini Era" on SEO strategies and how to adapt for success.

Google announced a significant strategic transformation by integrating artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into its search and advertising services during the "Gemini Era."

Alphabet Inc.'s revenue increased 15% in the first quarter of 2024, and it saw significant gains in revenue from Search, YouTube, and Cloud services.

Sundar Pichai stated that Google aims to enrich user experience by integrating AI features into search results. However, these innovations also raise concerns about prioritizing revenue over the quality of search results.

For SEO practitioners, this new era increases the necessity of adapting to algorithms and content quality. Adapting to AI-generated summaries and new search features signifies a period when producing quality and competent content becomes even more crucial.

Adapt your SEO strategies to align with new search features and fully leverage AI-integrated tools.

Dynamic Slogans Boost Media Brand Conversions by 15%

Discover how MagazinesDirect increased conversions and revenue with a simple change to their tagline.

By experimenting with dynamic slogans on magazine page headers, MagazinesDirect achieved a 15% increase in conversion rates and a 28% rise in revenues.

MagazinesDirect faced two main challenges. Despite its prestigious portfolio, the site’s outdated design and lack of user reviews diminished customer trust. Additionally, many visitors were unaware that MagazinesDirect was the official publisher for the magazines they sought, further complicating trust issues.

The conversion optimization firm Conversion Rate Experts designed a test targeting the slogan beneath the MagazinesDirect logo to address these issues.

The original slogan, "A Future Publishing Company," was replaced with customized taglines for each magazine, such as "The Official Publisher of Ideal Home." This change aimed to instantly establish a connection and communicate the official publisher status, enhancing the site’s credibility.

Strategically placing dynamic slogans in the top left corner of page headers—where users’ eyes naturally gravitate—was a perfect example of how minor adjustments using psychological cues can significantly reinforce trust and authority, profoundly impacting user perception and engagement.

The results of this experiment were impressive; the introduction of dynamic slogans not only increased MagazinesDirect's perceived authenticity but also converted more visitors into subscribers, highlighting the effectiveness of targeted messaging in digital marketing strategies.

This case study exemplifies the critical importance of aligning website elements with customer expectations and perceptions. By effectively communicating the official publisher status through customized slogans, MagazinesDirect closed the trust gap, leveraging its authoritative role in the publishing sector to achieve significant gains in conversions and revenue.

Such innovative approaches underscore the value of detailed research and targeted testing for companies seeking to enhance their digital assets and profitability.

As SEO experts, we should not limit ourselves to rankings and organic traffic increases. Such straightforward improvement suggestions will make SEO specialists far more valuable to brands.

Adding New Publications to Google Publisher Centre Removed!

Google has removed the ability to add manual publications in the Publisher Centre. Now, Google will automatically add publications using its algorithms.

Google has manually removed the ability to add publications to the Google Publisher Centre. Instead, publications will be added automatically when Google's algorithms decide.

Google added that they are ‘making this change as part of a transition to roll out automatically generated publication pages later this year.’

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