My Local SEO + Internal Link Tests - digital surfer wave 190

SEO

Start off with a screenshot of the top technology news on Google News. If you want some helpful Google AI Overviews, head down to the bottom for a little collection 😅 

Google's AI Summaries Cause Headaches and Spawn Memes

Everyone’s getting in on reporting the crap that Google AI Overviews is throwing out there. Ina Fried at Axios highlights several errors, from health advice to historical data.

The Verge editor-in-chief, Nilay Patel also interviews Google’s CEO with many great, direct questions. But Sundar Pichai answers with many non-answers. Not worth the listen if you’re really hoping for anything helpful or meaningful out of it.

AI Overviews SEO Impact Report [New Data]

Ross Hudgens analyzes data from 43 diverse clients to find an increase in impressions, clickthrough rates, and overall traffic since the deployment of AI Overviews. This counters earlier predictions and suggests a growing number of searches post-update.

They saw a positive impact across different industries, including SaaS, fintech, and B2C e-commerce. They experienced positive traffic and CTR improvements, though the degree varied.

The March 2024 Spam & Core Updates on Google

Lily Ray and Silvia Gituto provide their analysis on the Google March 2024 Core and Spam Updates. They share the winners and losers across different sectors, but also the specific changes made to Google's ranking algorithms, and the impact on various websites. There’s also coverage on affiliate sites because Wirecutter has continued to drop.

And yes, no significant recoveries seen from any sites that were hit by HCU. Just lots of ugly charts like this one:

Lily Ray also has a post on Moz discussing the March Updates. It’s more of the same, but she does add this quote from Google:

Well, duh. Would you really expect them to lay that out in black and white?

SEO Ripples

• I shared Glenn Gabe’s post last week on how to remove content from AI Overviews, but apparently it doesn’t work immediately. Glenn said his content showed up again in AI Overviews. John Mueller said he checked with the team and it should work “over time.” So don’t worry if it’s not working for you, just wait.

• If you want to get rid of AI Overviews (and miss out on upping your meme game), The Verge has a few hacks and extensions to turn off AI Overviews.

• Google has confirmed that no algorithmic actions have been taken yet against sites for reputation abuse. When these measures are introduced, they will target only specific content, not entire websites. This detail is important for those who use sponsored content, since it means only the violating pages will be affected.

• Bing experienced a significant outage this week , affecting not only its search functionality but also several major partners like DuckDuckGo, Ecosia, and ChatGPT Search due to downed APIs. The ripple effects extend to Microsoft's Copilot and its advertising platforms, causing widespread disruptions.

• Google can now index .epub file types. Most commonly used for ebooks, the biggest benefit is it’s ability to adapt to different screen sizes, devices, and orientations.

• John Mueller of Google hints at potential adjustments to the helpful content signals, which could allow new pages to rank more freely. Roger Montti points out that while the shift from site-wide to page-level criteria is designed to enhance ranking opportunities, deeply ingrained site-wide signals may still hinder the performance of deserving content. Basically, don’t hold your breath.

AI

Scarlett Johansson Told OpenAI Not to Use Her Voice

Scarlett Johansson has taken legal steps against OpenAI, expressing shock and anger that the AI's new voice feature, "Sky," closely resembles her own despite her refusal to collaborate. OpenAI has since halted the use of Sky's voice and is seeking to address Johansson's concerns with transparency.

Washington Post clarifies the time and details of the casting and selection process for the voice actor, saying that there wasn’t intentional steps taken to imitate Scarlett Johansson.

My Take: I still have “Sky” and usable on my ChatGPT app. Maybe it’s because I haven’t updated the app in the last few days? I have to say, I didn’t even think of Scarlett Johansson when hearing the voice for the first time. Only when I saw this news.

AI Ripples

• While the focus is on Google AI Overviews stealing content, Heather Kelly reports on Meta AI summarizing news without users having to leave its apps - sparking another major impact on the news industry. By synthesizing and slightly altering news content, the tool offers quick news insights but skirts the line on content originality and source acknowledgment.

• OpenAI has partnered with News Corp, to access publications like The Wall Street Journal, New York Post, The Times, and other large ones. This collaboration aims to infuse OpenAI’s platforms with premium News Corp content.

• Think it might be cool to work at OpenAI? Kelsey Piper dives into controversial practices at OpenAI regarding its exit procedures for employees. They allegedly used threatening clauses to withhold vested equity from departing staff unless they agreed to restrictive non-disclosure terms. CEO Sam Altman claims such aggressive policies were unknown to him and assures they won't continue.

• The team at Anthropic details their recent study showcasing the "Golden Gate Bridge" feature, where it makes Claude fixate on this bridge and San Francisco, regardless of the relevance to the query posed. This starts to open the potential avenues for enhancing model safety.

MARKETING

New Google Search Ads Resemble AI Assistant App

Roger Montti explores AI in Google's new search ads, which are now seamlessly integrated within AI-assisted search contexts, offering a more interactive and direct shopping experience. He describes a future where visual and dynamic search ads not only suggest products but guide consumers through a more immersive decision-making process.

Roger Montti also covers how Google AI Overviews will showcase interactive shopping ads, moving organic search results even further out of mind.

My Take: If you’re in ecommerce or thinking about it, the Google Marketing Live Keynote is a good watch. My main takeaway is that you’ll want your product images and videos as high-quality and clean as you can, along with best practices for media SEO. Make it easy for the AI systems to understand your media.

CONTENT

22 Content Marketing Examples to Inspire You

Leigh McKenzie shares 22 dynamic content marketing examples to improve your own strategies. Each example is carefully chosen to illustrate innovative ways to engage audiences, from viral videos to high-impact case studies, providing readers with actionable advice to replicate these successes in their own campaigns. This is packed with valuable insights and tips to inspire and elevate your content marketing game.

AI for Thought Leadership: 5 Prompts That Get You Halfway There

Andy Crestodina contrasts AI effective creation of basic, informational content with its inability to craft genuine thought leadership. He emphasizes that while AI is invaluable for generating what he terms "commodity content," it falls short in areas requiring emotional depth, personal experiences, and strong viewpoints—key elements of impactful thought leadership.

My Take: This is a good read if you do want to be considered a thought leader and more public-facing. I’ve often tried not to share too much ‘opinion’, but this has made me want to be more opinionated 😉

CASE STUDY

State of the SEO Job Market: Q1 2024

Nick LeRoy examines the significant 37% drop in SEO job listings in the first quarter of 2024 compared to the previous year. Despite concerns about the stability of SEO careers, he offers a nuanced perspective, the demand for SEO professionals is evolving rather than diminishing. He presents an insightful breakdown using data from over 80,000 job listings, explaining the changing dynamics in hiring for different levels of SEO expertise and the impact of AI technology on the industry. Some of the highlights:

• Mid-level SEO roles are experiencing the most significant decline, with a 6% drop in listings.

• There is a slight increase in hiring for senior-level (+3%) and intern/entry-level positions (+1%).

• Top non-US countries hiring SEOs: Germany, the United Kingdom, India, France, and Philippines.

• Top 5 US states publishing job listings: New York, California, Illinois, Texas, and Florida.

When Online Content Disappears - Pew Research Center

The Pew Research Center reveals the alarming rate at which online content becomes inaccessible. The report provides an overview of the phenomenon of digital decay, noting that a significant portion of webpages disappears within a short period. There’s a prevalence of broken links on both government and news websites, and even the referenced links in Wikipedia articles show similar decay. Some of the highlights:

• 38% of webpages from 2013 are now inaccessible.

• 21% of government webpages and 23% of news webpages have broken links.

• 54% of Wikipedia reference sections contain broken links.

• Social media platforms are not immune. Sites like Twitter show that nearly 20% of tweets become invisible within months due to account changes or deletions.

My Take: Broken link service business anyone? 🚨 

The Top SERP Features in 2024 — Whiteboard Friday

Tom Capper explores how the prevalence of SERP features in 2024. He highlights significant shifts such as the increased presence of videos on mobile platforms and the rise of carousels and images, also primarily on smartphones. The 'Share of Voice' metric also provides fresh insights, revealing that features like the Knowledge Graph are gaining prominence. Tom hints at possible future changes, suggesting a move towards interactive features such as chat interfaces.

CONTENT CREATORS

The Future of Authority Sites

The Authority Hacker guys, Mark and Gael, take a look at the current challenges online business owners are facing. They discuss the necessity of adapting business models to stay relevant, emphasizing the shift from SEO-focused strategies to more dynamic, platform-diverse strategies.

My Take: Lots of info here that might be able to spark some ideas for you and your businesses.

Google’s Search Changes are an Real Existential Threat

Eric Hochberger, CEO of Mediavine, discusses the severe impact of Google's search updates and AI Overviews. He says they are threatening the viability of smaller publishers. Despite the purported goal of these updates to improve the web's quality, they've resulted in significant traffic losses for these publishers, favoring user-generated content and keeping users within Google's ecosystem.

He emphasizes the importance of collective action within the industry to address these challenges and support diverse, independent content creators. 👇️ 

My Take: That’s what the Web Publishers Association (WPA) is all about!

GOOGLE AI OVERVIEWS x X/TWITTER

There are so many out there. These are just a few of the fun ones that I saw.

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