🔥 The SEOs Diners Club - Issue #139 - Weekly SEO Tips & News

Welcome to another edition of The SEOs Diner's Club! Each week, I bring you a digest of the latest SEO updates and AI-driven insights, all crafted to fit into just a few minutes of your time. With over a decade of experience in SEO, my goal is to break down the week’s most important developments into a quick, insightful read. This way, you stay ahead of the curve in less than seven minutes. Let's jump into what matters this week!

1. Google Search Central Live Turkey 2024: Highlights and Notes

I recently attended the Google Search Central Live Turkey 2024 event in Istanbul. The event took place at Tekfen Tower and, aside from some interesting points, mainly revolved around familiar topics, as I expected. Martin Splitt attended the event in person, while John Mueller joined via video conference.

Martin Splitt gave a presentation on Google's crawling and indexing mechanism and investigating traffic drops through Google Search Console.

John Mueller's words were particularly noteworthy:

"Those who produce content with AI should know that these contents are based on content previously produced on the web."

This statement spoke volumes to me. If we aim to succeed on Google with AI content, it highlights that achieving this with ordinary and average AI content produced by everyone is impossible. I read that Google understands these contents are mediocre through its algorithms because hundreds of sites say similar things.

The general atmosphere of the event essentially revolved around basic information. When will AI Overviews be introduced into Turkey's search results? Are you satisfied with the quality of the sites appearing on the first page of Google search results? Additionally, we received no answers to the questions we asked via the form about video verification being the only option for verifying Google Business accounts. I could say, "A mountain has given birth to a mouse."

At the end of the event, I made the following note: as John Mueller emphasized, if we want to make a difference, we must add our experiences, know-how, and original thoughts to AI content. On the other hand, the notion that Google entirely disfavors AI-generated content is just a myth. It's possible to succeed using AI tools with quality, original, and different perspectives. However, such myths lead to the emergence of various tools and profit generation. Therefore, paying attention to who initiates these stories is also essential.

In conclusion, I find it significant that an event like this was organized in Turkey for the first time. I'm also aware that Google spokespeople cannot discuss everything transparently. I had hoped they would share more information specific to Turkey.

2. Semrush Acquires Search Engine Land, SMX, and Third Door Media

Semrush's acquisition of Search Engine Land and other media outlets has sparked significant debate in the industry. Although the Search Engine Land team claims to remain independent, the fact that such a powerful SEO tool platform controls such an influential media outlet raises severe doubts about impartiality.

I no longer believe this platform can provide objective news about competitive products. Expecting news in the SEO industry to remain unbiased under the control of a tool provider is challenging. Therefore, I will follow Search Engine Land more cautiously than I did previously. This acquisition is concerning regarding media impartiality.

3. Enhance Your Expertise with Wix Studio's Free Technical SEO Course

This week, I discovered a valuable and free SEO course.

Aleyda Solís’s technical SEO course on Wix Studio is one of the best courses I've attended. It progresses comprehensively from beginner to advanced levels within a short period, enabling even those without SEO experience to make more informed SEO decisions. The JavaScript and structured data sections offer significant benefits even to those with over ten years of SEO experience, like me.

4. Google CrUX Vis: New Tool for Analyzing Web Performance

In October, Google introduced a new experimental tool called CrUX Vis. This tool allows for a retrospective analysis of the website performance of Chrome users. CrUX Vis collects data based on Google's Web Vitals metrics, making it easier to analyze your site’s performance over time.

Since CrUX (Chrome User Experience Report) provides data based on real user experiences, it offers more valuable insights than lab results. This data mainly includes key metrics like Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Interaction to Next Paint (INP), and Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS).

CrUX Vis offers an ideal solution for publishers and digital marketers looking to analyze their site's past performance, see the effects of changes made, and improve web performance.

5. Bing Webmaster Tools Update: More Data, Recommendations, Copilot

I want to share an exciting and significant update regarding Bing Webmaster Tools. Microsoft announced a series of innovations to provide more comprehensive analyses to SEO experts and webmasters. These developments demonstrate Bing’s effort to strengthen its SEO tools and responsiveness to user needs.

Firstly, access to Search Performance data has been extended from 6 to 16 months. This extended date range provides a much deeper analysis of your site's seasonal trends and long-term performance. Analyzing past data is crucial when determining SEO strategies; hence, this change is quite valuable.

Another innovation is the expanded Recommendations feature that replaces the "Insights" tool. This new feature gives us access to more detailed performance metrics and site-specific optimization suggestions. Additionally, data is updated in real-time, offering tips on different aspects of SEO. This tool not only provides general recommendations but also site-specific improvement paths.

One of the most notable developments is the introduction of the AI-supported Copilot assistant. Currently accessible to a limited number of test users, Copilot features a chat interface that can answer real-time questions. It also offers the ability to automate routine tasks by integrating with Microsoft's other services. This provides a significant advantage, particularly regarding time management and operational efficiency.

With these updates, Bing again demonstrates its goal of strengthening SEO and web management tools. These innovations offer a more robust analysis and optimization process and show how much they value user feedback. As those experiencing Bing’s developments with these tools, we can contribute to further improving the process with our feedback. Let's hope Google follows suit.

6. This Week in the World of AI: Tools, Services, and Tips

I've put together this week's agenda focused on AI for you:

• This week, ChatGPT Plus, Enterprise, Team, and Edu users began testing an early version of the Windows desktop application. The Alt + Space shortcut lets you access ChatGPT faster on your PC. I had the opportunity to use this application and found it truly successful.

• NotebookLM, powered by Gemini 1.5, helps users quickly master the resources they upload and understand complex information. The latest update offers customizable "Voice Summaries," allowing users to give commands to AI servers and listen to audio content while working. The NotebookLM Business version, available through Google Workspace, will offer enhanced data privacy and security features for businesses, universities, and organizations. You can apply for the NotebookLM Business pilot program to gain early access to new features.

• Google Gemini received a significant update and has become more successful in visual creation. With the most advanced visual creation model, Imagen 3, turning words into visuals has become much more practical. I recommend trying it.

• Did you know? Within ChatGPT (4o), you can press the / key to provide context. From here, you can choose the Information Retrieval (SearchGPT) option, which makes acquiring information faster and more efficient. SearchGPT facilitates the information acquisition process by summarizing critical points without overwhelming users.

• I recommend watching the video below to learn how to create viral short videos using AI. Beneficial tactics have been shared:

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Best,

Mert Erkal