EDGE of the Web - The Best SEO Podcast for Today's Digital Marketer

Olga Zarzeczna joins the EDGE again to provide some fantastic insight into over a hundred SEO audits she has done. We have some of the top issues that she has seen, and you have it all here in the podcast. Well, not all of them - please check out her full article in the link below. We tackle some of the most important things to get right in this OglaTober episode. Yes, we have 3 episodes with Olga this month of October - might as well name it after her. Dig in deep on the Best SEO Audit Mistakes….today on the EDGE! [00:06:08] SEO Mistake: Low-Value Anchor Text  [00:07:23] SEO Mistake: Homepage Content Invisible to Google [00:09:25] SEO Mistake: Random/unrelated Text in Headings [00:11:08] SEO Mistake: Corrupt And/Or Overly Complicated Structure Of Headings [00:12:25] SEO Mistake: Canonical Links Pointing To Non-Indexable Pages [00:14:23] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower [00:15:18] SEO Mistake: Menu Links Pointing To Staging URLs [00:16:20] SEO Mistake: Horrendous Speed Scores [00:18:02] SEO Mistake: No Text on the Homepage [00:19:04] SEO Mistake: Lorem Ipsum Content on the Live Site [00:20:42] SEO Mistake: Links that Do Not Look Like Links [00:22:29] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics [00:23:06] SEO Mistake: Non-indexable URLs in the XML sitemap [00:24:53] SEO Mistake: The Highly Complex Structure Of The Website [00:27:22] SEO Mistake: No Blog Section [00:28:06] SEO Mistake: No Custom 404 Page Thanks to our sponsors! Page One Power https://edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower Site Strategics https://www.sitestrategics.com  Follow Guest https://twitter.com/olgazarzeczna  https://www.linkedin.com/in/olgazarzeczna/  https://www.youtube.com/c/SEOSLY  Olga’s 99+ SEO Mistakes! https://seosly.com/blog/seo-mistakes/

There were so many things from the Google Search On event! All the things! And we didn’t cover nearly enough of them from Barry’s article. But Mordy and Erin did dig into plenty of items from Search Engine Land and Search Engine Roundtable this week.   We also realized that we’re getting really old! GetOffMySERP.com   [00:08:15] Form interactions can be measured in GA4 [00:11:26] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics [00:12:50] Brands suspending their Twitter campaigns after finding their ads alongside questionable accounts [00:17:07] Which of these advanced Google search operators did you already know about? [00:24:31] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks   [00:25:41] Fast Track 1: Google Testing Things To Know On Right Search Panel [00:28:15] Fast Track 2: Google Really Wants You To Avoid Changing URLs Just For SEO Reasons [00:31:39] Fast Track 3: All The Google Announcements From Search On 2022 Thanks to our sponsors!   Site Strategics https://edgeofthewebradio.com/site Inlinks https://edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks   News Articles This Week: https://searchengineland.com/ga4-now-has-an-enhanced-measurement-option-for-form-interactions-388424 https://searchengineland.com/30-brands-suspend-their-twitter-marketing-campaigns-after-finding-their-ads-next-to-child-pornography-accounts-388359 https://searchengineland.com/advanced-google-search-operators-388355 https://www.seroundtable.com/google-testing-things-to-know-on-right-panel-34169.html https://www.seroundtable.com/google-url-change-seo-34163.html https://www.seroundtable.com/search-on-2022-34164.html   #StandwithUkraine edgeofthewebradio.com/ukraine

Tyler Bain, project manager with Page One Power, joins Erin to create of drinking game with the use of analogies in project management! No, of course not, that would not be responsible of us (see below if you want to play with your team)! Erin and Tyler dig into the usage of “it depends” when working with SEO clients. There’s a lot behind that phrase, and it has a stigma as well. Listen in as we tackle goal communications with clients and the responsibility of project managers to help educate their clients. There are a lot of things depending on SEO success, and it’s our job at the agency level to guide our client's understanding as well as their success! This special episode of the EDGE is where we connect with one of our sponsor’s leadership members. Be sure the check out Page One Power over at edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower. [00:03:04] Tyler Bain: Project Manager at Page One Power [00:06:23] You Have to be Hungry for Knowledge in the SEO Industry [00:07:32] "It Depends": The Bane of Communication in the SEO Industry [00:13:03] “It Depends” Can Actually be used to Build a Partnership with the Client [00:15:35] Communicating and Understanding Goals [00:17:10] Project Goals are Performance Goals As Well [00:20:15] "It Depends" Can Be a Deal Killer [00:23:44] Losing Your Traffic Isn't Necessarily a Bad Thing...It Depends [00:24:51] Your Agency SEO Data Should Be Part of the Conversation [00:32:45] A Level of Trust in Sailing: Best Practices of the Crew Count the Analogy Drinking Game! Did we get them all??? Let us know at @EDGEWebRadio The cherry on Top Plates Spinning Giant Crank Improv Toilet Seat Cover Secret Sauce Magic Wand Pie in the Sky Out on a Limb Live Sports Game White-knuckling  Shelves of the Candy Store Workout Sailing a Ship, Trusting the Crew Painting a Picture Voiceovers to the Voice of the Client Bandoliers

Mike Blumenthal’s second segment on the EDGE takes us into the realm of the value of image optimization for Local Search. It’s a huge conversion factor for businesses that can be easy wins. Check out the incredible tool, AirCam.ai - a service that gives a breakdown of all of the images your business needs for local visibility. Mike gives us his take on the most recent Google updates and how they may affect local visibility. He also unequivocally lays down his opinion about AI machine learning evaluating human content: Google’s not being accountable for the businesses that are relying on local visibility for revenue. [00:04:35] The HCU: Content Written For People By People Evaluated By AI [00:06:40] The Machine is Getting It Wrong [00:08:40] Is Helpful Content Update Unfair to SMB’s Without Budget? [00:12:37] Will the Updates Affect the Knowledge Graph? [00:14:09] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics [00:15:11] Why are Images So Valuable to Local Search? [00:29:14] Mike’s Pro Tip for Local Optimization: Aimcam.ai Thanks to our sponsors! Site Strategics https://www.sitestrategics.com Follow Mike! https://www.twitter.com/mblumenthal  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mblumenthal/  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQb7CMIgNQz38U6RVcE8rug  Connect: mblumenthal@nearmedia.co

Dug into Search Engine Land, Tech Crunch and yes, Bloomberg (the first one on deck) this week. Of course, we couldn’t cover the bloody 5th Product Review Update from Google, as we recorded on Monday. Wow - updates are coming inside of weeks now. Can’t really grab ahold of that unless we go to a daily news show! (Please stop the updates, Google, please!) Had great fun, as usual, with Mordy and Jacob. Check out the links and let us know how we’re doing at RateThisPodcast.com/Edge! [00:03:12] Negative reviews can not be changed through incentives to customers [00:06:19] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics [00:07:08] Discord-like Messaging coming to Facebook [00:09:02] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks [00:09:55] Google and Alphabet antitrust suit regarding ad technology will NOT be thrown out… [00:14:15] Fast Track 1: Google Drops Article Too Short & Word Count Section From The Search Console Content Errors [00:16:26] Fast Track 2:Google Promotes Google Lens In Mobile Search [00:18:34] Fast Track 3: Google Tests Two People Also Ask Results In One Question Thanks to our sponsors! Site Strategics https://edgeofthewebradio.com/site Inlinks https://edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks #StandwithUkraine edgeofthewebradio.com/ukraine

Mike Blumenthal, “Professor Maps” of the Local SEO community, catches up with the EDGE after some time to lay out the volatility he’s seen in local search. Mike’s been focused on the Google Business Profile forums and has seen some pretty striking and concerning developments. Witnessing around 200 review take-downs and close to 2,000 business profile suspensions per month, Mike’s a bit concerned to say the least. Where is Google’s accountability and transparency in responding to these issues? There’s no mechanism to challenge the decision on the review take-downs.  The value of Local Search positioning and consumer interaction is unquestionable. But one question does present itself: who’s property is this, yours or Google’s? [00:05:59] So Many Changes in Local SEO - The Last Few Years [00:08:20] Local SEO Volatility: A Recent Timeline [00:09:47] Google Sees Their Future as Local [00:12:16] How Valuable is Google Local Search? Sometimes 95% of Leads [00:14:07] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower [00:17:11] The Consumer is Trained on Google Reflection of your Brand [00:18:09] Hunting in GBP Forums with a Specific Focus [00:21:39] There’s No Support from Google, Once They Nuke a Review [00:22:51] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics [00:24:34] Are We Just Going to Just Publish to Google in the Future? [00:25:49] Is This Our Property or Google’s? [00:28:28] Business Suspensions Complaints are 10X  Thanks to our sponsors! Page One Power https://edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower  Site Strategics https://www.sitestrategics.com Follow Mike! https://www.twitter.com/mblumenthal  https://www.linkedin.com/in/mblumenthal/  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQb7CMIgNQz38U6RVcE8rug

Ever listened to a podcast dumpster fire? You’ve got to check this one out. We led with today’s breaking news of Google’s September 2022 Core Update and didn’t rearrange the rest of our headlines. And what were those headlines, you might ask? Talking about the PREVIOUS update that we were still waiting to see affect our rankings. Yup - poured gasoline over the entire show and watched it burn! Still - good stories from Search Engine Land, Search Engine Journal and Barry. We could only really use two stories out of the six…..probably should have thought that one through a little bit more. [00:03:59] A New Core Update - Now! [00:10:46] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics [00:12:19] Youtube May Be Adding New Analytic Research Features [00:16:04] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks [00:16:42] Helpful Content Might Still Get Stronger With Next Core Update [00:18:51] Fast Track 1: Google Helpful Content Update Is Now Done Rolling Out [00:19:25] Fast Track 2: Book On Google For Google Flights To Be Discontinued Outside US [00:20:10] Fast Track 3: Only 20% Noticed Ranking Changes After Google's Helpful Content Update Thanks to our sponsors! Site Strategics https://edgeofthewebradio.com/site Inlinks https://edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks

The second segment of our Michel Fortin interview goes from helpful content straight into the customer’s search intent. Are we meeting them on the road to their solution with insightful, useful content, or is our SEO page built for keyword ranking? We may be in a new world of pruning and reworking content, shaking off some old habits and replacing them with a new discipline of careful evaluation. Check out the first segment of our interview with Michel Fortin, a 30-year vet in the SEO industry and a pivotal player in our quest to understand how we can be helpful. [00:05:28] The Three P’s: Presence, Prominence, and Performance [00:08:34] Where Are You Standing Out? [00:11:20] Are We Along Their Journey? [00:12:41] Google's Changing Things for a Reason! [00:14:28] Answer Three Key Questions [00:15:40] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor:Site Strategics [00:16:38] SEO Boils Down to Two Essential Ingredients [00:20:50] Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs [00:24:11] Focus on Quality Signals [00:27:14] QRG Married to the Helpful Content Update [00:29:20] Is the Ranking Content Going to Have to Be Rewritten? [00:33:20] Machine Learning is Just Getting Started Thanks to our sponsors! Site Strategics https://www.sitestrategics.com  Follow Michel: https://www.twitter.com/michelfortin/ https://www.facebook.com/michelguyfortin/  https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelguyfortin/  https://www.instagram.com/michelguyfortin/  Michel’s recent article: https://www.wix.com/seo/learn/resource/user-first-seo Google’s recent update announcement: https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/08/helpful-content-update

We came across a very important article from Dan Taylor this week regarding the possibility of site indexing being the most coveted goal for SEO’s of the future. Coupled with an article from Search Engine Roundtable regarding Google’s ability to ascribe quality to different sections of your site - I think we have some clear perspective of the SEO future to come! (see, Erin can write!) Article from the Verge, Search Engine Land, and DanTalyor.online, as well as Search Engine Roundtable - it’s a jammed-packed digital marketing news show this week! [00:04:55] Paid features coming to Facebook and Instagram [00:09:30] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics [00:10:28] The Helpful Content update is still going, and going, and going… [00:13:23] Next up for SEOs: Indexing! [00:18:31] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks [00:19:33] Fast Track 1: Google Ads To Disapprove Ads That Don't Meet Better Ads Standards [00:20:40] Fast Track 2: Google Can Crawl Site Sections More Frequently & Determine Quality By Section [00:22:44] Fast Track 3: SiteGround Now Hosting Bill Slawski's SEO By The Sea For Free [00:23:22] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower [00:24:00] #SEOChat Thanks to our sponsors! Site Strategics https://edgeofthewebradio.com/site Inlinks https://edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks Page One Power https://edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower  #StandwithUkraine edgeofthewebradio.com/ukraine

It couldn’t be more timely! Michel Fortin, long time SEO professional, has recently written a fantastic article regarding “user-first” SEO principles, a concept that he has been championing for sometime. The article came out just weeks before the Google Helpful Content Update algorithm change that came in August of 2022. This is exactly where Google is telling us where to go with the user and Michel is the coach to help us along the way. Please read the article at Wix and reach out to our sponsors and thank them for helping us do what we do with the show! [00:05:44] Michel’s User-First SEO Focus Couldn’t Be More Timely! [00:08:15] Google Wants to Take Itself Out of the Picture [00:10:24] The Keyword Chase is Dead, Finally [00:13:38] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower [00:15:22] Presence, Prominance, and Performance [00:18:22] Leaning In: People Search Next [00:21:42] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics [00:22:36] Are You Sure Google Wants to Take Us To YOUR Answer? [00:27:13] Make Sure that the Answer is Available When They Need It, Where They Need It Thanks to our sponsors! Page One Power https://edgeofthewebradio.com/pageonepower  Site Strategics https://www.sitestrategics.com Follow Michel: https://www.twitter.com/michelfortin/ https://www.facebook.com/michelguyfortin/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelguyfortin/ https://www.instagram.com/michelguyfortin/ Michel’s recent article: https://www.wix.com/seo/learn/resource/user-first-seo Google’s recent update announcement: https://developers.google.com/search/blog/2022/08/helpful-content-update