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!

A Guide to Creating Quality Content with Google NotebookLM

In today’s digital world, creating SEO-optimized blog posts is crucial for enhancing your website's visibility and reaching your target audience. AI tools simplify this process, saving time and helping you produce top-tier content. Google NotebookLM stands out with features designed for SEO-focused blogging. This guide will walk you through creating impactful blog posts using Google NotebookLM.

How to Use Google NotebookLM

Start by visiting Google NotebookLM and logging in with your Google account.

1. Topic Selection and Research

1. Identify your blog topic. For example, "Top Places to Visit in Chilean Patagonia."

2. Search Google for top-ranking organic blog posts on your topic, avoiding sponsored content.

3. Copy the URLs of these articles and add them as resources in Google NotebookLM. These will form the foundation of your content.

2. Adding Sources to Google NotebookLM

1. Create a new notebook in Google NotebookLM.

2. Add the URLs you found using the "Add Source" option.

3. For websites that block AI crawlers (e.g., TripAdvisor), use Chrome extensions like FireShot to save the page as a PDF and upload it to NotebookLM.

3. Blog Writing with Prompt Chaining

Google NotebookLM enables effective content creation through guided steps. Here’s a 5-step prompt chain you can use:

Step 1: Analyzing Themes and Key Points

Prompt: "Identify the most frequently mentioned themes, topics, and key points across all provided sources. Highlight elements appearing in multiple sources."
Outcome: This helps you understand common topics and key insights.

Step 2: Understanding Primary Search Intent

Prompt: "Determine the primary search intent of readers seeking information on [topic]."
Outcome: Gain insight into the type of information your audience needs.

Step 3: Identifying Gaps and Unique Angles

Prompt: "Highlight any missing elements or subtopics in these sources. List unique perspectives or added value that could enrich a new blog post."
Outcome: Uncover opportunities for originality and value addition.

Step 4: Gathering Additional Information

Prompt: "What complementary details, such as expert tips, historical context, or best practices, can we add to this topic?"
Outcome: Enrich your blog with depth and detail.

Step 5: Crafting a Detailed Blog Outline

Prompt: "Based on identified themes, search intent, gaps, and additional insights, create a detailed draft outline for this blog post. Include suggested headings, subheadings, and key points for each section."
Outcome: Lay the groundwork for a well-structured blog.

4. Completing the Blog Draft

Ask NotebookLM to generate the content using your draft outline: Command: "Using the blog outline, write the full content in markdown format with a [chosen tone, e.g., conversational, formal]. Maintain consistency throughout."

5. Editing and Enhancing Your Blog

1. Review the draft in Google Docs for detailed edits.

2. Add visual elements to make your content engaging.

6. Repurpose into a Podcast

Convert your blog into audio format using tools like NotebookLM for narration and upload it to platforms like SoundCloud.

7. Publishing Your Blog

1. Publish your blog on your website.

2. Cater to diverse audience preferences by offering both written and audio formats.

Google NotebookLM simplifies your content creation while enhancing its effectiveness. Leverage AI to produce original, high-quality, and SEO-friendly content. Remember, creativity and strategy are always in your hands. Don’t hesitate to experiment and keep learning. Good luck!

Google’s December 2024 SPAM Update Finalized

On December 26, 2024, Google announced the completion of its December 2024 SPAM update, which had started on December 19. This marks the third SPAM update of the year. Unlike targeted updates such as link SPAM, this was described as a general SPAM adjustment. Google said, "As of December 26, it is fully rolled out."

Impact on Sites:
Affected websites may notice ranking drops in their Search Console accounts. Since holiday season traffic is inherently variable, focus on ranking data instead of traffic trends to assess the update's impact.

Timing of the Update:
The close timing of this SPAM update with the recently completed core update caught the SEO community off guard. This highlights the potential disruptions of implementing algorithm changes during sensitive periods like the holiday season.

AI-Powered Search Results for Restaurants by Google

Google has launched AI-organized search results for restaurant queries, potentially impacting your holiday season traffic.

Google expanded its AI-organized search results to include restaurant recommendations. Initially introduced for recipes and menu planning in October after its announcement at Google I/O in May, this feature now enhances searches like “scenic restaurants in Chicago” by presenting results organized to meet user needs.

How It Works:
The feature consolidates information from various web sources, such as articles, videos, and forums, into detailed and categorized search results.

Google VP Robby Stein on X:
"We’ve launched AI-powered, organized search results for restaurant recommendations. This feature provides curated information from web sources, tailored to your queries. We debuted a similar functionality for meal planning in October. More to come!"

SEO Implications:
This change could significantly impact site and business traffic. For restaurants, this feature might result in unexpected traffic increases or drops, especially during peak seasons like the holidays.

Expect broader adoption of such features, as Google’s AI-driven updates have the potential to transform user experiences and search traffic patterns.

This Week in AI: Tools, Services, and Insights

AI is reshaping digital marketing. Let’s dive into the latest developments and practical applications driving industry innovation.

• Major Service Outage: This week saw significant outages for ChatGPT, OpenAI’s API, and Sora. Fortunately, the issues have been resolved, and systems are back online.

• Eric Enge’s Analysis of Google vs. ChatGPT Search Performance:
  SEO expert Eric Enge shared insights comparing Google and ChatGPT’s search performance across 62 queries. The findings indicate Google outperforms ChatGPT in broad, knowledge-driven searches. However, ChatGPT showed competitive performance in information-specific queries. Enge recommends segmenting your search strategy similarly. Read the full analysis here.

• Previsible’s AI Search Trends Report:
  New research highlights the growing influence of AI tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity in search. While AI-driven traffic continues to rise—especially in blogging—it remains a small share of total web traffic. Key insights:

  • AI tools drive meaningful traffic in sectors like finance.

  • Blog content remains a primary focus for AI-driven traffic.

  • Product pages rarely appear in AI search results.
    Explore the full report here.

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Best,

Mert Erkal