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๐ SEO Updates, News & More with SEOFOMO [Mar 24 2024]
Published about 1 year agoย โขย 9 min read
The March 24, 2024, SEOFOMO edition โSubscribe and join +32,200 SEOs and Marketers
๐๏ธ Search Updates and News from Search Engines
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โGoogle March 2024 spam update done rolling outโ โBarry Schwartz / Google Search Updatesโ โGoogleโs March 2024 spam update rollout is now complete after nearly 15 days. The March 2024 core update is still rolling out and will likely continue to roll out for the next couple of weeks.
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โGoogle starts testing AI overviews from SGE in main Google search interface โBarry Schwartz / Google Search Updates โSome users who haven't opted-in to the Google Search labs SGE feature may see AI overview answers in the search results. Google expects to get feedback and learn how a more general population will find this technology helpful.
โGoogle: Publishing Content In Bulk Is Not Spam โBarry Schwartz / Google Search Q&Aโ โJohn Mueller: "...if you publish awesome content in bulk, Google loves awesome content. But if you publish low-quality content in bulk or not, then Google does not like that content."
โOpenAIโs Sam Altman On Challenging Google With AI Search โRoger Montti / Search Trends โThe CEO of OpenAI answered questions about challenging Googleโs search monopoly. โThe intersection of LLMs plus search, I donโt think anyone has cracked the code on yet. I would love to go do that. I think that would be cool.โ
"Weโve had incredibly positive feedback on the combination of quick answers and the ability to dive deeper on the web. With SGE, we are able to serve a wider range of information needs and answer new types of questions, including more complex questions, like comparisons or longer queries."
In a recent article about her, it's mentioned how "Google Search will almost certainly look more like SGE over time. It will increasingly trade links for answers โ and Reid has acknowledged that figuring out how to cite those answers, and continue to be a good partner to the open web, is part of her ongoing challenge."
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Google actually has an official SGE overview, where they explain how it works, and how they're meant to be "AI-powered overviews", a sort of "enhanced" featured snippets, that are meant to keep referring users to relevant source websites: "These snapshots serve as a jumping-off point from which people can explore a wide range of content and perspectives on the web. SGE will show links to resources that support the information in the snapshot".
โ However, we know how SGE snapshots have not always clearly referred to Website sources, and this is something that is still continuously tested.
โ Ironically, after the announcement, Lily Ray also found SGE snapshots featuring spam pages with other SEOs like Will O'Hara and Jeff Coyle following up with even more scenarios, despite that in the SGE overview shared above they also share how they apply generative AI responsibly when training the model, human input and evaluation, and have search quality systems in place.
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There's clearly room for a lot more testing and refinement. Let's hope these "open" SGE tests serve to do that and these issues are tackled before an official release.
โ โBut, what you can do to prepare for Google's SGE? โ โ
To help you assess Google's SGE traffic risks and opportunities, check out the following existing research, analysis and resources:
It's now *the* time to prepare for Google's featured snipp.. I mean, Google's SGE, in case you haven't started yet!
[Sponsor / Affiliate]โ โโก New from Wix: SEO resource center
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This new addition to Wixโs SEO Learning Hub is packed with free resources, created by top SEOs in the game. The topics they cover range from backlink monitoring to creating SEO project proposals for potential clients, and a whole lot more.
These downloadable checklists, templates, and toolkits let you develop smoother SEO processes and ramp up productivityโon any project.
Each resource can be customized for specific tasks and shared with teammates and clients for more effective collaboration.
โItโs not you - itโs Google Search Console โGianna Brachetti-Truskawa / Technical SEO โGianna walks through 11 exhibits of Google Search Console flaws and how to overcome them, sharing many examples and resources along the way.
โHow to Look at Data for SEO โSara Taher / General SEO โIf youโre wondering how to use data for SEO, hereโs a useful, must read framework from Sara.
โHow to get technical SEO recommendations implemented โYours Truly / SEO Management โLearn how to overcome the most common challenges to get your technical SEO recommendations implemented, starting with principles of communication, prioritization, and collaboration for success.
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โStuffing pages with all of schema.org = a strategy-killing tactic โJarno van Driel / Technical SEO โJarno discusses the negative impact of stuffing web pages with excessive schema.org markup. He also shares ways to create and maintain structured data that drives results.
โThe Role of SEO in Mergers and Acquisitions โPatrick Stox / Enterprise SEO โSEOs have a lot to offer companies during a merger and acquisition (M&A) process. Patrick explains how in this guide. โ โ
โXML Sitemap Auditor โChris Green โEvaluate the overall quality of XML sitemaps, identify pages that are non-compliant with SEO, and generate a CSV report to work with/share with teams who can help fix the issue.
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Looking for more SEO Tools? Take a look at the recently launched SEOFOMO SEO Toolbox!
๐๏ธ Upcoming SEO Events
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โSEO Vibes Barcelona โWhitePress / Barcelona, Spain / April 4, 2024 โSEO Vibes on Tour edition 2 is coming your way with some Spanish flavor! Experience a fresh local perspective on SEO trends, network with awesome people, and learn tons of valuable insights while enjoying delicious tapas and drinks.
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โElevar Summit โElevar / Charleston, USA / April 29, 2024 โGet inspired and connect with eCommerce brands and marketers who are shaping the future of analytics and digital marketing.
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โInternational Search Summit: Speakers Application โWebcertain / Barcelona, Spain / November 14, 2024 โSubmit your SEO pitch with an international focus for this yearโs International Search Summit until 12th April 2024.
[Sponsor / Affiliate]โ โโก Learn How to Master GA4 for Local SEO โ Absolutely Free!
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Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is shaking up the analytics world and has left many professionals scratching their heads. If youโre one of them, fear not! You can learn to navigate this new dynamic world with Dana DiTomaso's latest course at BrightLocal Academy: 'Google Analytics 4: Essentials for Local SEO.'
Designed for marketers and SEOs, this course unravels GA4 mysteries through a local SEO lens. The best part? It's free! Don't miss out!
Garrett Sussman (Twitter/X,LinkedIn), Demand Generation Manager at iPullRank
Expect more awesome SEOs & digital marketers to follow every week. Do you have any suggestions? Please let me know overX/Twitter, Threads, or LinkedIn.
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SEOFOMO is a weekly free newsletter sent to +35K subscribers with the latest SEO news, updates, guides, tips, free tools and jobs. Avoid missing any worthy SEO update and subscribe now!