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SEO

November Google Site Reputation Abuse Policy Updates

Google is tightening their stance on sites attempting to piggyback off established domains' ranking power. This update clarifies that no business arrangement - whether it's white-label services, licensing deals, or partial ownership - justifies exploiting a host site's ranking signals. The policy is hoping to create a more level playing field by treating website subsections as independent entities, ensuring content ranks on its own merit rather than borrowing authority from its host domain.

This article includes a screenshot of the differences between the old and new policies.

My Take: Google continues to try and take on parasite SEO. As far as I’ve seen, it’s all still manual. I’ve said before that they just won’t be able to do it algorithmically without pissing off their big advertisers.

And there are confirmed reports that site URLs hit with manual actions are still showing in AIO. Here’s an example from Glenn Gabe. Whether or not AIO will get the information about sites with manual actions is unclear.

Early November 2024 Google Core Update Winners + Losers

Glen Allsopp shared an image of winners and losers for “Best [Product]” search queries, comparing August and November 2024 searches.

My Take: Buy Reddit ($RDDT) stock now because Google is continuing to treat them very well 😅 (*Not financial advice)

The Value of Intent-Driven SEO in AI-Powered Search Engines

The Bing team discusses how AI search is changing content optimization through their Generative Search technology. Gone are the days of basic keyword targeting - today's AI understands the deeper context and intent behind each search query. The system analyzes intent through several keyword types:

• Intent-Based Keywords - Focus on the user's underlying goals and purpose, like "how to choose eco-friendly coffee makers" or "compare smart coffee machine features"

• Long-Tail Keywords - Use highly specific multi-word phrases that capture detailed intent, such as "best eco-friendly smart coffee machines for busy professionals" or "automated coffee maker with sustainability features"

• Conversational Keywords - Mirror natural speech patterns that people use when asking questions, like "What brands make sustainable coffee makers?" or "Which eco-friendly coffee maker is best for offices?"

• Semantic Keywords - Include related terms and concepts that help establish topical context, such as "sustainable brewing," "green coffee machines," "environmentally friendly coffee makers," and "zero-waste coffee making"

• Question-Based Keywords - Directly address common user queries in a question format, like "How do eco-friendly coffee makers work?" or "What are the benefits of smart coffee machines?"

Carlos Silva shared a comprehensive guide on search intent too this week. He breaks down how Google has evolved beyond simple keyword matching to interpret the deeper meaning behind searches.

134 SEO Tips for Ecommerce Stores: A Comprehensive Growth Playbook

In this extensive guide, Freddie Chatt organizes insights across ten crucial areas, from technical fundamentals to advanced strategies. Each tip is designed for immediate implementation, whether you're wrestling with product page optimization or exploring international markets. Some of the tips include:

• Use redirects for out-of-stock products and optimize product pages to reduce duplication

• Leverage customer insights for content creation by involving service teams and analyzing user-generated content, making your pages more relevant and converting

• Focus backlink efforts on revenue-driving pages rather than spreading them thin across your site

• Create static product category routes and enhance them with strategic internal linking to boost your site's authority structure

• Monitor and optimize your international SEO efforts through proper hreflang implementation and cultural intent understanding

The ‘Gabeback Machine’ Documents Google's Site-Level Evaluation and Impact on Search Rankings

Remember all the web creators saying how Google’s Pandu Nayak said there were no site-level classifiers that impact rankings? Glenn Gabe delivers a compelling exposé challenging those statements. Through extensive documentation dubbed the "Gabeback Machine," he demonstrates how Google has historically used site-wide quality signals to impact rankings across entire domains. Drawing from years of Google's own statements, patent filings, and algorithmic updates like Panda, Penguin, and the Helpful Content Update, he proves that site-level evaluation is very much alive and impacting search rankings today.

How UX and SEO Work Together to Drive Better Results

In the latest Search Off the Record, UX expert Rio Ichikawa shares insights on the symbiotic relationship between UX and SEO. Drawing from his experience at a Tokyo-based digital marketing agency, Rio explains how user experience plays a crucial role in converting search traffic into engaged users and customers. He emphasizes that UX isn't just about what happens on your website – it encompasses every touchpoint users have with your business, starting from the search results page. Some tips include:

• Focus on providing a seamless experience from search results through conversion, treating UX as a holistic journey rather than just on-site interactions

• Use heatmap tools to visualize and analyze user behavior, helping identify where visitors engage most with your content

• Replace carousel elements with static images when possible, as users often don't interact with carousel navigation

• Consider cultural differences in UX preferences, such as Japanese users' preference for more visual content compared to English-language audiences

SEO Ripples

• Google's John Mueller has sounded a PAA warning bell for content creators. Barry Schwartz reports that John is cautioning against over-reliance on Google's People Also Ask (PAA) feature for content ideation, echoing his recent warnings about Google Trends. He explains that simply mining PAA for topics and churning out shallow content can create a "content liability" that diminishes your site's overall value. He draws a parallel to retail: imagine walking into a store where 90% of the products look questionable – would you trust the remaining 10%? If that was my store, I’d expect customers to walk in and search for the good 10% and rank me based on that. “I’ve got good content (well, 10% of it anyways).” 🙃 

• Goog Enough on X found Forbes trying to move their parasite SEO content into a new folder - from forbes.com/advisor/ to forbes.com/portfolio.

  BUT people find out and now /portfolio redirects back to /advisor 😂 

• Barry Schwartz finds that Google’s AIO is slower at removing content from its index compared to regular web search. Through examples from Lily Ray and Glenn Gabe, we’re seeing pages blocked by robots.txt or hit with manual actions still appearing in AI Overviews while vanishing from web results. The lag time appears to be around 24 hours – a critical detail for anyone managing time-sensitive content or dealing with urgent content removal needs. But could those 24 hours be due to their public reporting of them vs what actually happens because it’s still manual?

AI

ChatGPT Search Optimization: 2025 Guide

First Page Sage shares a guide on how ChatGPT's algorithm evaluates and recommends businesses, sharing insights for companies looking to capitalize on this trend. The key strategy? Focus on establishing industry authority through specialized awards and high-quality backlinks from respected domains.

Exploring URL Volatility in Google's AI Overviews

Mordy Oberstein dives into Google's AIO research, analyzing 1,500 keywords that consistently triggered AIOs. The findings show these results are far more volatile than previously thought. Not a single keyword maintained consistent URLs throughout the study period, with Google swapping URLs on average every 3-4 days. Even more eye-opening: 91% of URLs were removed at some point, with less than half ever making a comeback. This volatility raises serious questions about the strategic value of targeting AIOs in your SEO efforts.

AI Ripples

• Greg Jarboe covers Coca-Cola's AI-generated remakes of their beloved "Holidays Are Coming" campaign sparking heated debates in the advertising world. While the three new AI versions maintained strong brand recall and attention metrics, they failed to capture the emotional magic of the classic ads. According to DAIVID's testing against 90 other holiday campaigns, none of the AI versions made it to the top 30 most effective ads of 2024. The original version generated almost twice as much warmth as industry norms, while the AI versions struggled to create authentic emotional connections. But pure AI-generated articles should rank in the top 10, according to many 😅 

• OpenAI announced ChatGPT’s writing abilities with their GPT-4o model has been improved creatively. It’s now more natural, engaging, and tailored writing to improve relevance & readability.

• Microsoft has emerged as the mystery partner in HarperCollins' groundbreaking three-year AI training deal to use select nonfiction titles to train an upcoming AI model, though they've clarified they won't be using it to generate AI-written books. While authors must opt in to participate, the deal offers a glimpse into the compensation landscape – one author revealed being offered $2,500 per book.

• OpenAI engineers accidentally wiped out evidence in their ongoing legal battle with The New York Times. While diving into training data files provided to NYT attorneys (who spent over 150 hours reviewing them), OpenAI's team managed to erase vital search data, with some elements being "irretrievably" lost. While most data was recovered, OpenAI claims this was unintentional, it's forced the Times' legal team to lose a week's worth of work. At least they didn’t purposely destroy evidence in their trial?

• OpenAI granted $1 million to Duke University researchers studying how to make machines understand human moral judgments. The three-year project’s goal is to train algorithms that can predict moral decisions in medicine, law, and business. The hard part is that today’s AI systems are essentially pattern-matching machines, lacking true understanding of the nuanced ethical concepts they're trying to grasp. Previous attempts at moral AI, like the Allen Institute's Delphi tool, have stumbled spectacularly when faced with slightly rephrased questions. Will they use Google and OpenAI morals as examples? 🙃 

MARKETING

Developing Strategic Partnerships That Scale With Less Effort

Michael Stelzner and Pamela Slim discuss building genuine, scalable partnerships that can transform your business trajectory. They identify four partnership types: ecosystem partnerships that connect you with influencers, PB&J partnerships linking complementary services, trust-based referral networks, and strategic brand collaborations. Start with crystal-clear business foundations, execute on "tiny marketing actions" consistently (think: 1% improvements daily), and build your beacon – the compelling content that attracts high-caliber partners.

How to Hire an Influencer: A Guide for Successful Partnerships

Sam Kendall's discusses the art of influencer matchmaking and that it’s not about chasing follower counts—it's about finding authentic voices that resonate with your tribe. His five-step framework starts with creating a data-driven shortlist based on content performance and audience alignment. You want to track engagement rates across platforms, verify authenticity (35% of Gen Z ranks this as top priority), and personalize your outreach. He says that successful partnerships are built on clear contracts, detailed briefs, and nurturing long-term relationships that transform influencers into genuine brand advocates.

Marketing Ripples

• Matt G. Southern covers YouTube's move into the creator monetization space with their new virtual tipping system, "Gifts, Powered by Jewels." Exclusively for vertical livestreams, this feature lets viewers purchase Jewels to send animated gifts to their favorite creators, with each Ruby (the creator's currency) worth one cent. To sweeten the deal, YouTube's offering a 50% bonus on gift earnings up to $1,000 monthly for the first three months. It’s currently limited to U.S. YouTube Partners.

CONTENT

What Is BOFU? Understanding Bottom of Funnel

Ross Simmonds shares why bottom-of-funnel (BOFU) content turns prospects into customers. While top-of-funnel content might rack up impressive page views, BOFU content is what makes the cash register sing. Through real-world examples and compelling data, he shows how comparison pages, case studies, and product demos can drive qualified leads even with modest traffic numbers. He shares insights about why some marketers are willing to pay up to $26 per click for BOFU keywords, and provides actionable strategies for creating conversion-focused content that addresses buyers' final decision-making questions.

How to Humanize AI Content So It Will Rank, Engage, and Get Shared

Ramona Sukhraj balances between leveraging AI's efficiency and maintaining authentic human connection in content creation. With 74% of marketers now using AI, successful content requires thoughtful humanization through personal storytelling, specific examples, and careful editing. She shares actionable tips like shifting from third to first person, incorporating original insights, and using more descriptive prompting to help AI better match your brand voice. .

25 Of The Best Examples Of Homepages

Lee Wilson showcases top-performing website homepages with actionable takeaways. Wilson highlights how homepages like Uber and Dropbox excel through laser-focused messaging, while brands like Pandora and BMW use the power of striking visuals paired with minimal CTAs. The article emphasizes that successful homepages consistently deliver on three key elements: clear brand positioning, intuitive user journeys, and strategically placed trust signals.

LINK BUILDING

Digital PR vs Traditional PR: Why They Should Work Together

Vince Nero breaks down how digital and traditional PR can create magic together. With 74% of stories now produced for digital media, he suggests the future lies in harmonizing both approaches. He shares practical insights on how digital PR teams can adopt traditional PR's relationship-first mindset by introducing themselves to journalists early, personalizing outreach, and maintaining meaningful connections. He advises getting journalists involved during campaign ideation – a traditional PR tactic that digital teams often overlook.

NEWS

DOJ Calls for Breakup of Google and Sale of Chrome

The Justice Department is pushing for Google to divest its Chrome browser following the August ruling that confirmed Google's search monopoly. Jennifer Elias reports that this marks the DOJ's most aggressive tech breakup attempt since the 2001 Microsoft case. The strategy aims to create a more level playing field by removing Google's control over Chrome—a crucial data collection point that feeds its $49.4 billion search advertising business. The proposal also seeks to ban exclusive deals with Apple and Samsung while requiring monthly oversight reports. Legal experts suggest a more likely outcome may be the elimination of exclusive agreements rather than a full breakup, though the final remedy decision could take years with Google appeals. See the DOJ proposal and Google’s response.

WordPress Security Plugin Vulnerability - Really Simple Security

Roger Montti reveals a critical flaw in the Really Simple Security plugin – used by over 4 million WordPress sites – has left a gaping hole in website defenses. The vulnerability (rated a 9.8/10 on the threat scale) allows attackers to waltz right into your site as an administrator, no password needed. They simply need to know a username. Wordfence has blocked 310 attacks in just 24 hours. Update to Really Simple Security version 9.1.2 or higher immediately.

TOOLS AND RESOURCES

Some of the early Black Friday deals out there:

• Cuppa, AI Content Writer - 4 months free on annual plans (33% off). That includes AI images too. I’m on the Power plan and you get free Midjourney and Flux models, the best ones out there for consistent images.

• Beehiiv Newsletters - 20% off annual plans. Sign up for Max and they’ll give you a year of Perplexity Pro too. I’m on the lower-level down on the Scale plan myself, but I’m on an older plan and they didn’t have Max before.

• Link Whisper - $50 off all plans. On the 1-site plan, that’s just over 50% off for the year. Use the code: BlackFriday.

• Semrush SEO Tool - Buy 1 month of Semrush Pro and get a Free SEO Consultation. 1 month is ~$140 and the consultation is valued at $300.

• Appsumo Lifetime Deals - Get an extra 10% off select deals during Black Friday. I have a number of them and one of the cheapest ones at $39 is TidyCal, which is my calendar booking app. Afforai is also great for uploading a bunch of documents to create a DIY RAG and using AI on it (price increases in 24 hours).

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