Welcome to another insightful week with The SEOs Diners Club newsletter. Leveraging over a decade of SEO expertise, I aim to distil 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.

A/B Test for Better Search Engine Performance

With IndexNow and Search Console, you can speed up SEO tests, get fast results in Google and other search engines, and instantly optimize your strategy.

When you update product and service pages on your website, your goal is to increase conversions. However, understanding which versions engage better can take time due to irregular visits from traditional browsers. A/B testing is an effective solution here, but gathering test results can often take months. This makes it challenging to optimize changes and remove underperforming elements quickly. This is where the IndexNow protocol comes into play.

ndexNow instantly notifies participating search engines of your changes, eliminating the need to wait for crawlers and significantly reducing data collection time. You can start collecting data immediately after making your changes. This speed advantage is not limited to Bing and Yandex; IndexNow can also contribute to Google’s indexing processes when used with Google Search Console.

While Google hasn’t fully embraced IndexNow yet, some studies show that IndexNow can help Google notice your page changes faster. With this integration, you can get faster results on Bing, Yandex and Google.

Essential Steps to A/B Testing

A/B testing is essential for SEO strategists looking to optimize website performance and improve rankings. Adjusting on-page SEO elements can directly impact your site’s rankings, user engagement, and SERP click-through rates. You can take your A/B testing even further with AI-powered content generation tools.

For example, AI content generation tools can create multiple versions of your website, from titles to product descriptions and keywords to page layouts. When you use a reliable AI content generation tool, you can produce high-quality, relevant content. If your site runs on a CMS like Wix, Duda, or WordPress, you can make the process easier using plugins specifically developed for these platforms.

Determining the Elements to be Tested

A/B testing is a powerful way to compare two web page or app versions to determine which one performs better. By systematically testing changes to your content, you can optimize the user experience and make data-driven decisions to increase conversions.

Several elements can help improve your SEO:

• Title Tags: You can run A/B tests on title tags to increase SERP visibility and ensure maximum engagement.

• Meta Descriptions: Well-crafted meta descriptions can increase the click-through rates of your pages. With A/B tests, you can learn which descriptions generate more engagement.

• Headings (H1, H2, etc.): Optimizing headings that affect user interaction and content accuracy can positively contribute to SEO.

• Keywords: Strategic keyword selection is critical to attracting targeted traffic. With A/B tests, you can determine which keywords are most effective.

• Page Layout and Design: You can test different page layouts to determine the most effective layout for increasing user engagement and session duration.

IndexNow Advantage: Integration with Google Search Console

IndexNow stands out for its ability to instantly apply results to participating search engines. For example, if test (B) doesn’t produce the results you expected, you can quickly revert all URLs to (A) and publish them to IndexNow or test and publish a new set of (B2) URLs. You can also use IndexNow and Google Search Console to help Google pick up on your changes faster.

By integrating these two powerful tools, you can manage your SEO tests faster and more effectively, achieving faster indexing and better-ranking results in Google.

User Experience Analysis with Microsoft Clarity

When you start driving traffic to different variants through A/B testing, understanding each variant's performance is critical. Microsoft Clarity is a free tool that visualizes user behaviour to help you identify winning variants.

Clarity’s logs let you track how users navigate each variant, while heatmaps show where users focus their attention (clicks and scrolls, for example). Additionally, with Copilot’s features and friction metrics, you can quickly zero in on key pain points and identify trends.

Track for Success: Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools

Once you’ve completed your tests, you can track the results in Bing Webmaster Tools and Google Search Console to see which variations perform better. The “Performance” tab in the Search Console provides a detailed breakdown of which of your pages and keywords are generating more clicks, impressions, and other vital metrics.

Conclusion: Boost Your SEO with IndexNow and Search Console

Integrating IndexNow and Google Search Console allows you to manage your SEO tests faster and more effectively. This approach will enable you to achieve faster indexing and better ranking results in Bing, Yandex, and Google. Don't forget to use these two powerful tools to increase your online visibility, organic traffic, and conversion rates.

Google Video SEO: Watch Page and New Requirements

Google has updated its Video SEO documentation and introduced significant improvements.

This update clarified video indexing requirements and technical details. It also added a critical feature for video content creators, the “watch page” section.

These improvements will make your video content more visible on Google. There are now more precise criteria for video results, and steps have been taken to make it easier for users to access your videos. It’s time to take your video SEO to the next level!

Google to Refresh Merchant Center in September

Google will replace the classic Merchant Center with Merchant Center Next by September. The new platform offers AI-powered tools and unified product management.

Google has announced that it will shut down the classic Merchant Center platform by September and replace it with a more advanced platform, Merchant Center Next.

The new platform includes significant changes for retailers competing in digital marketing. Product Studio, an AI-powered content creation tool, will streamline previously time-consuming tasks and allow for better sales data analysis.

Additionally, the renewed interface allows for automatic product information entry and allows for the management of online and local product lists from a single location.

This transition may present challenges for those accustomed to the classic interface, but Google says it will provide extensive resources to support users in this process. Adapting to the new system is critical for businesses that want to sell globally. Google says existing features will be automatically enabled on the new platform and recommends businesses start preparing.

Google Starts Using Open Graph Title Tag (og:title) in Search Results

Google uses the og tag when creating search result titles. Learn how this update impacts your SEO strategies and best practices.

Google now considers the og meta tag when generating search result titles. This update expands the use of Open Graph data beyond social media.

This change could significantly impact your SEO strategies. First, the dog tag allows you to specify a different title for your content than the HTML title tag. This allows you to optimize how your posts appear on social media platforms or in search results.

Google’s title generation system has long relied on various on-page elements. With the addition of og, Google now considers this meta tag when determining the title. This development means that you should optimize your og tag to accurately and compellingly reflect the content of your page.

Regarding SEO and content strategies, we now must pay more attention to og tags. Your titles must accurately represent the page's content and be attractive to searchers. Google’s automatic title generation resources include:

• <title> tag content

• The main visual title displayed on the page

• Heading elements like <h1>

• ogmeta tag content

• Other significant texts highlighted with style treatments

• Other content on the page

• Link texts on the page

• Texts within links to the page

• Website structured data

While Google states that the title generation process is automatic, understanding these resources can help you influence how your pages appear in search results.

Regarding best practices, Google’s recommendations for titles have remained mainly unchanged. You should create unique and descriptive titles for each page, avoid keyword stuffing, and ensure that titles accurately reflect the page content. Remember that changes to these elements can take time to be reflected in search results; your pages must be recrawled and processed.

Hidden Features of Google Trends: Advanced Filters and Search Operators

Discover hidden filters and search operators in Google Trends to perform more detailed and meaningful data analysis. With seven tips, analyze seasonal trends and optimize data sharing.

I recently watched a video and learned about some of Google Trends' hidden features, which really excited me. I have used this tool for years for SEO and topic research, but I haven’t discovered it yet. The possibilities offered by search operators and filters, in particular, gave me an entirely new perspective.

I have analysed exact match phrases and related topics more accurately by using advanced search operators like quotation marks, minus signs, and signs in Google Trends. With quotation marks, I can see precisely how a particular phrase is searched, and with minus signs, I can filter out unwanted words. The plus sign seems to be very useful for broad keyword research.

Additionally, with language-based segmentation, I can more specifically analyze searches made in a particular language. For example, I found exciting results comparing Japanese searches for “cat” in the US with English searches. This will be especially useful when developing strategies for multilingual audiences.

I also learned to use filters to analyze seasonal trends and annual changes. Neutralizing the seasonal effect and seeing trends between years more clearly will greatly affect my future strategies.

Finally, I discovered ways to compare search volumes across countries and share data. It has become much easier to download data from Google Trends in CSV format and share it with my teams and clients.

Thanks to these newly discovered features of Google Trends, I can reach more in-depth and meaningful results in my analysis and strategies. I started using this information immediately, and I already saw the effects.

Let's Shape the Future of SEO in the Age of Artificial Intelligence Together!

Join our live event with Gül Yüksel Tuğanalp to discover how AI changes SEO. On September 3, let's shape the future of SEO together!

As AI rapidly transforms the world, staying competitive in SEO has become more critical. The pace of change can be daunting, especially for those not immersed in SEO daily.

That’s why I have exciting news! We’re joining forces with Gul Yuksel Tuganalp, founder of Bullseye Digital Marketing Services, to host a live event. We’ll discuss how AI transforms SEO and what strategies we must adopt to succeed in this new era.

What will we talk about at this event?

• 🔍 SEO ​​in the Age of AI: I will share the latest updates and how to shape your strategy.

• 🤖 Using AI in Content Creation: We'll examine how AI benefits small businesses and the importance of understanding AI detection.

• 🌐 Optimizing for AI: How do we ensure our websites drive traffic and conversions when AI summarizes content before it reaches your site? I’ll share my ideas.

• 🎤 Voice Search: Is this the next ample opportunity in SEO? We'll talk

• 💬 Live Q&A: I'll be answering questions from you and Rose, so get your questions ready!

🗓️ Date: Tuesday, September 3, 2024
⏰ Time: 15:00–15:30 (Local Istanbul time)
📍 Location: Online
🔗 Event Link: https://www.linkedin.com/events/howaiisshapingtheseolandscape-s7231617246177988608/comments/

Don't miss this opportunity; let's shape the future of SEO in the age of artificial intelligence! I look forward to meeting you at this event.

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 for creating and optimizing 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 page.”

• Semrush Map Rank Tracker is a Google-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 Erkal