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 won't take more than ten minutes of your time. Let's dive into the insights that matter.

1️⃣ Researchers Discover How to SEO for Artificial Intelligence Search

Researchers tested multiple AI search optimization strategies and discovered how to increase visibility in AI search rankings.

Researchers conducted an extensive study to discover how to optimize SEO strategies for AI search engines.

This team from Princeton, Georgia Tech, Allen Institute for AI, and IIT Delhi increased the visibility of low-ranking sites by 115%, surpassing the large corporate sites that usually dominate search results.

The nine techniques tested were applied to a database of 10,000 search queries across different knowledge domains and levels of complexity. Some of these techniques were particularly effective for specific information fields, while three were particularly good for all sites.

The researchers conducted tests on an AI search engine model based on Perplexity.ai and Bing Chat. Among the methods tested are the following;

• Gaining authority

• Keyword optimization

• Adding statistics

• Citing a source

• Adding a quote

• Making content understandable

• Fluency optimization

• Adding rare and unique words

• Add technical terms

The three most effective strategies were citing sources, adding citations, and adding statistics. These strategies resulted in a 30-40% improvement compared to the baseline.

On the other hand, some methods, such as authoritative and persuasive tones or adding more keywords, did not improve overall ranking in AI search engines.

Interestingly, it varied which optimization worked best depending on which knowledge domain the content belonged to. For example, historical content ranked better with an authoritative tone, content developed with authority-based sources gave the best boost for factual search queries, and adding statistics worked well for questions related to law and government.

This study shows that low-ranking websites can benefit significantly from these optimization strategies for AI search engines. Specifically, citation increased the visibility of fifth-ranked websites in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) by 115.1%, while the visibility of top-ranked websites decreased by 30.3% on average.

This presents an opportunity for small creators to significantly increase their visibility in Generative Engine responses, allowing them to compete more effectively with larger organizations in the digital space. This study shows a new SEO method for AI-based search engines and shows that those who claim that AI Search will defeat SEO are speaking prematurely. The study reveals that SEO will eventually evolve into GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) to compete in the next generation of AI search engines.

You can find the research PDF document below. If you plan to be successful in SEO in 2024, stop what you are doing and try to understand this document.

2️⃣ Google Search Under Massive SPAM Attack

We look at the massive spam attack on Google and its effects on the SEO world. Learn the details of the attack!

Google's search results have recently been subjected to an out-of-control SPAM attack.

This attack involves many domains that rank for hundreds of thousands of keywords, suggesting that the attack could reach millions of keyword phrases.

SPAM sites appear to exploit at least three opportunities in how Google ranks websites. These include the local search algorithm, long-tail keywords with low competition, and new domains.

SPAM sites can rank for rarely searched long-tail keywords because competition is generally meager.

It is also easy to rank phrases with a local search component. Spammers exploit the ease of ranking for these long-tail phrases and the vulnerability in the local search algorithm.

Google knows this SPAM problem and may take stricter measures, such as blocking sites on certain domains from ranking. It will be interesting to see how Google deals with a SPAM attack of this scale.

3️⃣ Google SGE And Generative AI In Search: What To Expect In 2024

How will Google's Search Generative Experience (UX) and AI search impact marketing in 2024?

Google SGE continues to evolve with growing consumer interest in AI-driven search engines. This new search experience demonstrates a shift towards AI-enhanced search experiences, including faster response times and new ad formats.

According to a survey of US adults, people are most interested in AI-powered search engines, with more than 25% trusting AI-provided search results, brand recommendations, and ads. About 29% of adults are willing to switch to AI-powered search engines.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai cited the evolution of search engines with AI among Google's priorities. While AI provides better answers to the questions users ask, it also enables search engines to answer entirely new types of questions. Google aims to continue to increase the speed of AI responses. New ad placements are being tested, and ads are expected to continue to play an essential role in the UI search experience.

The potential impact of the UGC on organic search traffic has led to concerns about a reduction in traffic for websites dependent on search engines. However, with the growing demand for generative AI tools and AI-powered search, the potential for net monetization through Google Ads outweighs complaints about copyright and traffic. Therefore, we can assume that the UGC will be part of Google search results and behave like other SERP features, pushing organic listings further down the page.

How Can Marketers Adapt To The Generative AI Search Experience From Google SGE and Other Search Engines?

• A shift towards long-tail and conversational keywords is expected.

• Creating "Ancillary Content" satisfies the E-E-A-T, while using appropriate formatting schemes for text, image, and video content is essential.

• Always include citations/links to sources and monitor the evolution of SERPs for your website's most important search terms. For example, Semrush's newly added Position Changes module in Organic Research lets you track SERP changes daily.

The most important thing is to experiment with Google SGE and AI search. Test AI-powered search engines and assistants with your brand name, products, and customers' most important questions and optimize your online presence accordingly.

4️⃣ Semantic Internal Link Optimization

Learn how to improve your SEO performance by showing Google your semantically related topics through internal links.

This week, I watched the following YouTube video featuring SEO experts, including Aleyda Solis:

Internal links are an undervalued and overlooked SEO tactic that can significantly improve website ranking, page scalability, and user experience.

Here are the main criteria for optimizing internal links:

• Internal anchor text: Use descriptive and relevant anchor text that accurately reflects the linked page's content. Avoid generic terms such as "click here" or "learn more"

• Internal link placement: Link to related pages using hierarchical and contextual links. One of the sites that does this best is Wikipedia, and while this is not the only determining factor, it is one of the most important reasons for Wikipedia's high visibility.

• Internal linking practices: Ensure internal links are crawlable and functional, and avoid JavaScript-based links or broken URLs.

• Prioritization: Focus on fixing broken links and redirecting URLs to essential pages first.

• Quantity: There is no magic number for the ideal amount of links; prioritize quality and user experience over quantity.

• Crawling: Tools like Screaming Frog can help crawl your website and identify broken links, redirects, and other internal link issues.

• Issues: When fixing internal link issues, prioritize pages that are critical to your business goals and have high traffic potential. Audit your internal links regularly, at least quarterly, to identify and fix new issues. Communicate the value of internal linking to stakeholders by showing the potential impact on traffic, rankings, and revenue.

• Guidelines: Create rules to prevent future internal linking issues, such as automatically redirecting deleted pages to relevant parent categories.

• Internal Link Opportunities: Start internal link building at the content creation stage by including internal link opportunities in your templates.

• User Experience: Keep user experience in mind when implementing internal links; avoid overwhelming users with too many links or unnatural placement.

Once you've read and digested all of this, you can use the tool below, which matches your semantically related content after a simple Screaming Frog crawl.

5️⃣Google Answers: Whether Double Slashes (//) in a URL Affect SEO

Double slash does not impact SEO; Google says: Consider usability and browser confusion in your URL structures!

Google's Gary Illyes answered whether a double slash in a URL impacts SEO.

A double slash is usually associated with a coding error in the CMS or .htaccess file and can lead to duplicate web pages that differ only in the URL.

This problem cannot usually be solved by creating a .htaccess rule, as this does not solve the actual problem. Determining precisely why the double slash appears in the URL is necessary.

Illyes stated that using a double slash in a URL does not impact SEO. The slash is a separator and can be used as many times as desired in the URL path, even repeatedly.

However, this may not be ideal in terms of usability and may confuse some browsers. Usability can lead to user dissatisfaction and frustration, hurting the website's popularity in the long run.

Browser confusion can have a direct impact on SEO. A website should be easy to scan and understand, so anything that causes browser confusion should be addressed immediately.

6️⃣ Book Of The Week: “Die with Zero: Getting All You Can from Your Money and Your Life” - Bill Perkins

A journey to financial freedom with Bill Perkins: Discover how to make the most of every moment and live a balanced life!

The book allows readers to optimize their lives and financial resources at the highest level. Instead of saving for the "golden years" of life, Perkins suggests making the most of every moment and living unforgettable experiences. The book offers practical advice on how to do this without risking the future.

I recommend this book for SEO and digital marketing professionals because it offers a solid perspective on life and resource management.

Professionals in these fields often work in a busy and fast-paced environment. This book can help professionals lead a more productive and balanced life by providing ideas on balancing work and personal life. It also contains valuable information on managing financial resources effectively, an essential skill we must acquire in this economic crisis.

I hope you enjoyed this week's SEOs Diners Club.

See you next week for a new episode of SEOs Diners Club full of further information, tactics, and strategies...

Have a great week, and goodbye!

Best,

Mert Erkal

👋 Hey there, SEO enthusiasts! Are you enjoying the insights from my newsletter? Why not fuel the creativity behind the SEO magic? ☕ Click here to 'Buy Me a Coffee, and let's keep the SEO wisdom flowing! 🚀