The SEOs Diners Club - Issue #5 - Weekly SEO Tips & News

Here are the weekly SEO insights for the SEOs Diners Club members. In addition, you can join our free The SEOs Diners Clubnetwork to ask questions and share your thoughts on these topics and more.

New Google Algorithm Update Targeting Product Reviews

Google rolled out the March 2022 product review algorithm update, adding new benchmarks to last year's updates.

Based on the product review updates introduced last year in search results, Google has launched a third product review algorithm update.

The first product review algorithm update, designed to reward content with first-hand research, was released in April 2021. A second product review update followed this in December 2021.

This new update marks Google's continued efforts to reveal higher-quality product reviews in search results. In addition, Google informed users about the update with two different reference articles:

We’ve regularly heard through user feedback that people prefer detailed

reviews with evidence of products actually being tested. Over the past year,

we’ve updated

how Search ranks product reviews

to prioritize in-depth and

authentic content based on that feedback and our internal testing and

evaluation processes. Today, we’re launching another update that builds on

that work to enhance our ability to identify high quality product reviews.

This will make it easier for us to get sound purchasing advice in front of

users, and to reward creators who are earnest in being helpful.

Learn about Search's latest update to show in-depth and authentic product reviews.

Google says the update will take a few weeks to roll out and will likely affect the ranking of product review pages for "many" English sites.

The New Google Guide to Product Review Articles

With the March 2022 product algorithm update launch, Google has also released a guide informing site owners about the search engine's quality standards.

Google recommends meeting the following criteria when creating product reviews:

  • Include practical granular details such as the benefits or drawbacks of a particular item, details about how a product performs, or how the product differs from previous versions

  • Reflect the experiences of people who have used the products, also demonstrate how to use the product.

  • Include unique information beyond what the manufacturer provides — such as images, audio, or links to other content detailing the reviewer's experience.

  • Consider comparable products or describe the features distinguishing a product from its competitors.

You may find other essential details in the following blog post:

Google rolls out the March 2022 product review algorithm update, adding new criteria to the updates launched last year.

How to Perform a Sitemap Audit with Python for Better Indexing and Crawling?

Check out this 16-step process for using Python to conduct a site audit that can reveal better indexing and crawling opportunities.

Koray Tugberk Gubur's article was published this week in the Search Engine Journal. 

The sitemap control includes syntax, crawlability, and indexing controls for URLs and tags in your sitemap files.

A sitemap file contains URLs to be indexed with more information about the last modification date, the priority of the URL, the images, videos in the URL, other language alternatives to the URL, and the frequency of changes.

Sitemap index files can contain millions of URLs, even if a single sitemap contains only 50,000 URLs.

Checking these URLs for better indexing and crawling can take time.

But with the help of Python and SEO automation, it is possible to audit millions of URLs in sitemaps. Here is Koray's article specially prepared for this subject.

XML Sitemap optimization is the most critical analysis you can do with Python because it will save time on large sites.

Check out this 16-step process for using Python to do a site audit that can uncover opportunities for better indexing and crawling.

Google: Alt Text Is a Ranking Factor for Image Search Only

John Mueller explained that Image Alt Text (alternative text) is only a ranking factor for image searches, not regular web searches.  

Mueller states that Google uses the Image Alt Text as a ranking factor for image searches.

Google spokesperson John Mueller announced this during the Google Search Center SEO office hours Hangout recorded on March 18.

From an SEO perspective, Mueller recommends using alternative text when your goal is to rank images in image search.

According to Mueller, the alternative text doesn't add value to a page when it comes to Google rankings, except for images.

When it comes to using alt text in general, Mueller recommends focusing on the accessibility aspect rather than SEO.

Google clarifies alt text is only a factor for image search, not regular web search.

Google Explains Why They Don't Crawl and Index Every URL

If you're wondering why Google isn't too keen on indexing every URL we publish, here's the answer.

 John Mueller wrote a very detailed and honest explanation of why Google (and third-party SEO tools) doesn't crawl and index every URL or link on the web.

He explained that crawling is quite expensive, that it can be inefficient, that the structure of the web has changed a lot, all of which has to be taken into account.

John replied to Reddit, “Why don't SEO tools show all backlinks?” 

Search engine optimisation and all its wider facets. Your community for SEO news, tips and case studies.

Google LaMDA: How the Language Model for Dialogue Apps Works?

Google LaMDA is a new algorithm like BERT and MUM to help machines better understand user intent. See how it works and the implications for SEO.

Google LaMDA is being added to the BERT and MUM algorithm to make machines better understand user intent.

Google has been researching language-based models for several years in hopes of developing a model that can engage in essentially insightful and logical conversation on any topic.

So far, Google LaMDA seems to be the closest algorithm to achieving this goal.

What is Google LaMDA?

LaMDA was created to allow the software to better engage in a fluent and natural conversation.

LaMDA is based on the same transformer architecture as other language models such as BERT and GPT-3.

However, due to its training, LaMDA can understand nuanced questions and conversations that cover several different topics.

How Does LaMDA Work?

LaMDA is built on Google's open-source neural network transformer, which is used for natural language understanding.

The model is trained to find patterns in sentences, find correlations between different words used in those sentences, and even predict the next possible word.

It does this by examining datasets that consist of dialogs rather than individual words.

While a conversational AI system is similar to chatbot software, there are some key differences between the two.

For example, chatbots are trained on limited, specific datasets and can only conduct a limited conversation based on the data they were trained on and precise questions. On the other hand, LaMDA is very good at open-ended conversations because it is trained on multiple different datasets.

How will LaMDA be used?

While there is no firm release date yet, it is anticipated that LaMDA will be used in the future to improve the customer experience and enable chatbots to deliver a more human conversation.

We will also witness the use of LaMDA when searching on Google's search engine.

Possible Effects of LaMDA on SEO

By focusing on language and speech models, Google offers insight into their vision for the future of search. LaMDA can lead to significant changes in search behavior and the way users search for products or information.

Google is constantly working to improve users' understanding of search intent to ensure they get the most useful and relevant results in the SERPs.

The LaMDA model will undoubtedly be an important tool for understanding the questions searchers might ask.

All of this highlights the need to ensure that content is optimized for humans rather than search engines.

Making sure the content is conversational and written with your audience in mind means your post-LaMDA site's content can continue to perform well.

It is also recommended that you always keep refreshing your important content regularly to ensure it evolves over time and remains relevant.

You can find the details in the following blog post:

Google LaMDA joins the likes of BERT and MUM in helping machines better understand user intent. See how it works and implications for SEO.

What is the Optimal Title Tag Length for SEO?

Do shorter or longer titles bring you better rankings and traffic?

I mentioned Zyppy.com before. The tool allows you to get more organic traffic by optimizing your page titles.

Cyrus Shepard and his team measured the effect of title length on rankings and organic traffic.

  • Keeping your page title below 600px is the best solution to have Google display your full title. However, If most of your search traffic comes from mobile, you may prefer to ignore this limit.

  • Secondly, there is no penalty for long title tags. Google will index keywords in your title even if they are long.

  • Third, if you want to reduce the likelihood of Google rewriting your title, your best bet is to target 51–55 characters. If your visitors come primarily from mobile devices, you can usually create titles more extended than that (not short!) before Google starts rewriting.

  • Fourth, every SEO study known to date shows a correlation between short-medium headlines and higher traffic. While cause and effect are unclear and the optimum length is not 100% clear, evidence recommends keeping your titles between 50–60 characters maximum.

You may find more details in the article below:

2: Make Your Titles Long Because Google May Use All The Words For Ranking Purposes. In Fact, Google Will Simply Rewrite Longer Titles, So It Really Doesn’t Matter

Run In Parallel The Old Google Analytics UA Tracking Code With New GA4 Code

With Google's decision to switch to GA4, it is recommended to use both the old and the new version at the same time.

While Google Analytics is rushing to install Google Analytics 4 in Universal Analytics, many are asking if they should run both UA3 and GA4 code at the same time. The answer is yes, at least until we stop watching UA3.

Google makes it mandatory to migrate to GA4 on July 1, 2023. It is possible to switch to GA4 using the GA4 setup assistant in Google Analytics. You can quickly switch through the “GA4 Setup Assistant” in the settings.

You may find information on the subject in the article below:

With Google Analytics rushing folks on Universal Analytics to set up Google Analytics 4, many are asking if they should run both UA3 and GA4 code at the same time. The answer, in my opinion, is yes, at least until UA3 stops tracking.

Yoast WordPress Plugin Update Caused Fatal Errors

Yoast WordPress plugin developers have apologized after a failed update that caused serious website issues for users.

Last week, the Yoast WordPress SEO plugin released an update. Soon after, some users started to report that they were having problems. Unfortunately, it appears that the issue is causing fatal errors. Users negatively impacted by the Yoast update had to revert to a previous version of Yoast.

Yoast quickly fixed the issue and issued an apology for what happened.

Yoast Version 18.4 Plugin Update

Yoast 18.4 aimed to introduce a new feature that introduces content and structured data timestamps for copyright protection purposes using blockchain technology.

The new feature is tied to WordProof, which provides verifiable timestamps that show site visitors when content was written and updated.

Unfortunately, the integration of this feature has caused severe problems for Yoast users. However, according to Yoast, Yoast free plugin version 18.4.1 and Yoast SEO Premium 18.2.1 are stable releases that no longer include the new WordProof feature. Therefore, if you are using Yoast SEO, there is no need to worry.

You can read the details in the following blog post:

Yoast WordPress plugin published an apology for a failed update that resulted in serious website problems for publishers

8 Free Courses For Writers & Content Marketers

There are tons of free online courses to help improve your content. Here are a few author favorites.

Increasing online competition and advancements in search technologies mean that writing is about more than just having a solid grasp of the English language.

Great content that performs well considers various marketing factors that not even the most seasoned writers are necessarily familiar with.

There are tons of free online courses that can help you learn everything you need to know to get the links and share your business needs.

There are tons of free online courses out there to help improve your content. Here are a few author favorites.

Book of The Week: "Entity-Oriented Search" [Free]

Bill Slawski highly recommends this free ebook from a visiting scholar at Google.

  • The first book on a rapidly developing area, providing a coherent and comprehensive overview of the state of the art

  • Details how entities can bridge the gap between unstructured and structured data for search

  • Shows how entity search can provide the basis for semantic search with rich and focused query responses

You may download the PDF version free from the link below:

This open access book is the first synthesis of research on entity-oriented search. It provides a coherent and comprehensive overview of the state of the art and describes fundamental techniques and methods, thus also offering a basis for future research and development.

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

Best,

Mert Erkal