The SEOs Diners Club - Issue #28 - Weekly SEO Tips & News

September 04, 2022

Here are the weekly SEO insights for the SEOs Diners Club members. You may also join our free SEO Diners Club network to ask questions and share your thoughts on these topics.

Google Explains Why Useful Content Update Was Quiet

Responding to feedback on the impact of a helpful content update, Google reminded publishers that this is an ongoing update.

Google reported that the helpful content update had minimal impact on search results, reminding everyone that the update is still ongoing.

A week after the helpful content update was released, there is a growing consensus that it did not produce any significant changes.

The news that the update was silent led to a series of tweets from Google's Danny Sullivan.

In short, Sullivan reiterates last week's emphasis that the update is part of an ongoing effort, saying that websites that publish good content should rank well.

The bottom line is: Even if we don't feel the impact of this update from today to tomorrow, there will come a time when we will eventually feel it. Therefore, continuing to use methods that Google does not approve of in producing content may give you a headache in the future. Remember that your daily decisions will shape the SEO results you will achieve tomorrow.

You can find the explanation on the subject in the Search Engine Journal below:

Google responds to feedback regarding the impact of the helpful content update, reminding publishers that it's a continuing effort.

Here's a similar post on Seroundtable.com:

We keep watching to see if this Google helpful content update is making some sort of dent in the rankings but so far, we are not seeing massive, Panda-like, ranking changes due to this update. No fear, Danny Sullivan said yesterday it is not yet done yet and Google will update this page when it is done.

Compare Vocabulary Differences Between Ranking Web Pages On SERP With Python

Stay one step ahead of the competition with better content. Analyze the context and differences between your page and your top competitors in the SERPs.

Dear Koray Tugberk Guber, who has struggled with covid for a while, is slowly returning to the field.

I wanted to share the article he published in the Search Engine Journal this week. In this article, Koray has conveyed very well how you can use Python to compare the content of the pages you compete in the rankings based on the words they use.

Stay ahead of the competition with better content. Analyze context and differences between your page vs. top competitors in the SERPs.

16 Best Readability Checkers to Improve SEO Content

Easy-to-read content is an essential but often overlooked part of SEO. Take a look at some tools you can use to improve your readability.

Published in the Search Engine Journal, this article shares 16 tools you can use to make your content more readable. I used and recommend Grammarly, Semrush Writing Assistant, and Yoast SEO Readability Analysis tools.

Content that’s easy to read is an important but often overlooked part of SEO. Here’s a look at some tools you can use to improve your readability.

How Video SEO Can Improve Your Overall Digital Marketing Strategy?

You can use videos effectively to increase traffic and engagement, improve conversions, and produce more helpful content.

When discussing creating a video strategy, people often see it as a YouTube presence. Because every month, billions of users access the platform.

Then comes the inevitable argument: "I don't think my product or service is suitable for YouTube."

Creating and marketing videos goes far beyond YouTube findability.

Videos can improve your content, explain your product more efficiently, and make your brand more credible and relatable.

In addition, videos continue to appear on page 1 of Google's search results for an increasing number of queries. Beyond that, a well-formed video strategy can add to your overall SEO performance. You can find a roadmap to do this in the article below.

Uncovering video opportunities to increase traffic, boost engagement, improve conversions and produce more helpful content.

Google Shared Examples of How to Improve Your Meta Descriptions

Google has updated the help document for meta descriptions by providing five examples of how to improve your meta descriptions.

You can view the updated file via this link. I have shared the screenshot of the examples below for you. Unfortunately, there is no Turkish sample for now.

Learn how to write a quality meta description tag that may be displayed for your page in Google Search results by following these best practices.

Below you can find the blog post on the subject published on Seroundtable.com:

Google has updated its meta descriptions help documentation to provide five examples of how to improve your meta descriptions. This was added yesterday, plus Google did some formatting updates to the page.

6 SEO Tips For Ecommerce Websites From Google

Google has shared six ways to optimize your e-commerce website for search results using structured data and Google Merchant Center.

Google's Alan Kent detailed each clue in a new video released on the Google Search Center YouTube channel.

1. Ensure Products Are Indexed

When crawling a site, Googlebot may miss pages not linked to other pages. For example, on e-commerce sites, some product pages can only be accessed from in-site search results.

You can have Google crawl all of your product pages using tools like the XML sitemap and Google Merchant Center.

2. Check If Your Product Prices Are Appearing Correctly in Search Results

If Google incorrectly retrieves pricing data from your product pages, it may list your original price in search results, not the discounted price.

It is recommended that you add structured data to your product pages and provide structured feeds of your product data to Google Merchant Center to accurately provide product information such as list price, discounts, and net price.

This will help Google extract the correct price from the product pages.

3. Minimize Price and Availability Delay

Google crawls the web pages on your site according to its schedule. This means that Googlebot may not notice changes to your site until the next crawl.

These delays can result in search results lagging behind site changes, such as an out-of-stock product. You should minimize inconsistencies in pricing and availability data.

4. Make Sure Your Products Are Eligible For Rich Results

Eligibility for rich product results requires the use of product configuration data.

To achieve the custom-rich product presentation format, Google recommends providing structured data on your product pages and a product feed in Merchant Center.

This allows Google to understand how to extract product data to display rich results.

However, rich results will be displayed at Google's discretion, even with properly structured data.

5. Share Local Product Inventory Data

Get your in-store products to be found by people who enter queries with the phrase "near me." First, register your physical store location in your Google Business Profile, then provide Merchant Center with a local inventory feed.

The local inventory feed includes product identifiers and store codes, so Google knows where your inventory is physically located.

6. Sign Up for Google Shopping Tab

You may find that your products are available in search results but do not appear in the Shopping tab.

If you're not sure if your products appear in the Shopping tab, the easiest way to find out is to search for them.

Structured data and product feed are insufficient for inclusion in the Shopping tab.

SiteGround Starts Providing Free Hosting Support for Bill Slawski's “SEO By The Sea” Blog

SEO legend Bill Slawski's blog will continue to be published.

SiteGround, the hosting provider of Bill Slawski's SEO By The Sea blog, which we lost in May, stated that it would continue to keep the site live without any fee.

The incident broke out because the blog was offline due to non-payment of hosting fees. Seeing the opportunity to turn this situation into a successful PR effort in their favor, SiteGround announced that they will keep the site active from now on, making all SEO experts who have not forgotten Bill Slawski and thought that there is still a lot to learn from him.

As many of you know Bill Slawski passed away in May. But earlier this week, Bill's treasure trove of content covering search patents and more at SEOByTheSea.com went offline. The issue appeared to be that the billing was not paid, but when it was brought to the attention of the hosting company, SiteGround, they decided to reactivate the site for free.

Google PageSpeed ​​Insights Reports: A Technical Guide

Do your web pages meet Google's site speed standards? Learn how to use PageSpeed ​​Insights reports to identify problems and apply fixes.

Nothing is more frustrating than a slow website. Slow loading times degrade the overall user experience and hurt the conversion potential of your landing pages.

From an SEO standpoint, Google is less likely to feature web pages that take too long to load. The loading speed can play a decisive role in which of the sites where all the factors are close to each other will be highlighted, similar to determining which of the competitors who took the rope at the same time in the 100 meters race came first with the photo finish decision.

Yes, site speed is a ranking factor, so taking the time to improve it can significantly improve your ranking positions. So if you're ready to go from slow to fast, Google's PageSpeed ​​Insights Report can help you determine if your pages are meeting performance standards and if not, how to improve.

You can use this guide published in the Search Engine Journal to understand your PageSpeed ​​Insights report and learn how to take advantage of it for better SERP performance.

Do your webpages meet Google's site speed standards? Learn how to use PageSpeed Insights reports to identify problems and implement fixes.

WordPress Version 6.02 Vulnerability Update

WordPress has released a security and maintenance update to fix three vulnerabilities.

WordPress has released an update with bug fixes and security patches to address three vulnerabilities rated as severe to moderate severity.

Updates may have been downloaded and installed automatically, so it's essential to check if the website is indeed updated to 6.02 and if everything is usually working.

WordPress releases a security & maintenance update to patch three vulnerabilities.

Book Of The Week: “Man's Search for Meaning” — Viktor Frankl

I recommend this book to anyone who wants to lead a more meaningful life.

Viktor Frankl, one of the leading psychiatrists of the 20th century, describes the principles of logotherapy, which he founded, with his experiences in a concentration camp during the Second World War, in Man's Search for Meaning, which has been translated into more than thirty foreign languages ​​and has sold more than 12 million copies worldwide.

Readers will realize that the concentration camp Frankl describes has become a brilliant metaphor for our understanding of the world as a larger prison. Explaining the process that will help us to discover “meaning” in the harsh conditions of existence, in the light of the thoughts we are familiar with from Gasset, Heidegger, and Sartre, Frankl asks, “What makes human?” trying to answer the question.

“What was needed was a fundamental shift in our attitude towards life. We needed to learn that it doesn't matter what we expect from life; what matters is what life expects from us, and what's more, we had to teach desperate people. We should stop asking questions about the meaning of life and instead think of ourselves as being questioned by life every day, every hour.

Our response must include the right action and the proper lifestyle, not conversation or meditation. Ultimately, life means finding the right solutions to problems and taking responsibility for the uninterrupted fulfillment of the tasks set for each individual.”

Man's Search for Meaning [Frankl, Viktor E., Winslade, William J., Kushner, Harold S.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Man's Search for Meaning

I hope you enjoyed my weekly SEO insights. Hope to see you the following Sunday in the new episode. I wish you all a great week.

Best,

Mert Erkal