2 Core Updates and a Spam Update in a Pear Tree

Digital Surfer Wave 220; Are Content Sites Dead?; Another Google Exploit; Thriving in Age of AI Search; Forbes Cuts Freelance Writers; Radar the Elf; Whisk AI Image Remixes; and Much More!

Author

Yoyao
December 21, 2024 • Est. Learning Time: 16 minutes

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FIRST …

As most of you know, I’ve been building Floyi to help people conduct topical research and create topical maps and content plans in sync with your brand and audience.

Floyi beta has been going well and we’re prepping for a pre-launch in the next week or two with a big discount for early adopters.

Happy Holidays to the Surfer community!

Enjoy the time with your family and friends 🎉 

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SEO

Multiple SEO tracking tools showed some of the most dramatic SERP fluctuations that Barry Schwartz has seen in recent memory, with some sites reporting traffic drops of up to 75%. The timing is particularly notable, coming just a week after November's update wrapped up.

One day after the Dec. Core Update was completed, Google released the Dec. 2024 Spam Update. This global update, targeting all languages, aims to enhance Google's AI-powered SpamBrain system in detecting and preventing search spam. Unlike link spam updates, this one focuses on general spam techniques rather than link manipulation or site reputation abuse.

Mordy Oberstein discusses what he saw from Google's November 2024 Core Update. Unlike the August update, this one showed lower volatility during implementation but came with unprecedented pre-update ranking fluctuations that complicated analysis.

Data from Semrush's tracking tools indicates the November update packed less punch than August's iteration. Across verticals, peak volatility levels stayed notably lower, with average position changes of 2.4 spots compared to August's 2.6. Even dramatic ranking shifts were less common – only 2.8% of top 5 URLs came from beyond position 20, down from August's 3.3%.

Authority Hacker is closing its flagship SEO courses after a decade. Co-founder Gael Breton explains that while SEO isn't dead, the traditional content site model that once offered low barriers to entry and predictable growth has fundamentally changed. The perfect storm of Google updates, AI-generated content, and dramatic SERP changes has made their strategies unreliable for newcomers. Instead of maintaining courses that no longer deliver consistent results, they're taking the bold step of discontinuing their 8-figure revenue generators, TASS and AH Pro. Authority Hacker will continue their podcast and free content while exploring new opportunities in digital marketing.

Mark Williams-Cook's discovery of a Google vulnerability reveals details about the search giant's ranking process and how content quality is evaluated. The exploit exposed over 2,000 properties Google uses to classify and rank websites.

Google uses a "consensus scoring" system that measures how well content aligns with generally accepted facts. The search engine also categorizes queries into eight distinct classes—including short fact, boolean, and definition—each receiving specialized algorithmic treatment. A sophisticated site quality scoring system factors in brand visibility, user interactions, and anchor text relevancy across the web.

Jason Barnard lays out a comprehensive strategy for dominating search in the AI era. Stop obsessing over traditional SEO metrics and start optimizing for how machines understand your brand. He outlines the three technologies to master: traditional search engines, large language models, and knowledge graphs. His approach focuses on building credible digital entities that AI systems can confidently understand and trust. This means securing knowledge panels, crafting multi-modal content strategies, and ensuring consistency across all digital touchpoints.

Gianluca Fiorelli demolishes the myth that Google simply "favors big brands" and reveals how search engines actually understand and evaluate brand signals. The key isn't just having a recognized brand - it's about effectively translating your brand identity into signals that search engines and AI can comprehend. Here are some of the key takeaways:

  • Create a complete Knowledge Graph presence by leveraging not just Wikipedia but also trusted sources like social media profiles, business listings, and industry databases.

  • Map and optimize for branded queries, even for new brands, by studying competitor patterns.

  • The content should align with both user intent and your brand values.

  • Build brand visibility through strategic content repurposing across channels.

  • True brand success requires collaboration between SEO, content, social, and paid teams working toward unified brand goals.

My Take: This is what marketing and branding is all about, not just SEO. It’s what I’ve been building and working towards with Floyi. I wanted to make a platform that helps people focus on the topics and keywords that align with their brand and that matter to their audiences.

Forbes has halted its freelance operations for several sections, including the lucrative Forbes Vetted product reviews. The move comes in response to Google's tightened "site reputation abuse" policies, which target websites that exploit their domain authority with excessive third-party content. Forbes paid handsomely for quality content ($3,000 per product review), but now they’re going to be using in-house staff to write new content and rewrite existing freelance content.

SEO Ripples

  • Google's Gary Illyes discusses the dangers of poorly implemented faceted navigation - those handy filtering options on e-commerce sites. While great for users, faceted nav can spawn an infinite number of URLs that cripple your site's SEO by diverting Google's crawling resources from your important pages. The fix? Either block these URLs using robots.txt/URL fragments or optimize them with consistent parameter ordering and proper 404 handling for empty results. He says that even with rel="canonical" and rel="nofollow" implementations, faceted navigation URLs still consume precious crawl budget.

  • In response to the DOJ lawsuit, Google proposes straightforward contract changes: browser companies like Apple and Mozilla can now switch default search providers every 12 months and set different defaults across devices, while Android makers gain freedom to preload multiple search engines. VP Lee-Anne Mulholland says these targeted fixes address the court's specific contract concerns without compromising user privacy or tech innovation – a notably different approach from DOJ's broader demands. While Google plans to appeal, these interim changes could reshape how users access search across browsers and devices.

AI

The NORAD Tracks Santa site now has Radar the Elf, an AI-powered question and answer elf that can speak 133 lanugages! The kids now have Radar and OpenAI’s Santa mode to talk to.

Greg Sterling’s study shows ChatGPT has emerged as Google's first serious challenger in two decades. The research shows 49% of users now view AI and traditional search as interchangeable, with 57% using AI daily. What's truly eye-opening is that while Google remains the top choice at 36%, the combined preference for ChatGPT and Gemini comes remarkably close. Users particularly value AI's ability to handle follow-up questions (44%) and provide ad-free direct answers (42%). With 67% believing AI could replace traditional search within three years, we're witnessing a profound transformation in how people seek information online.

My Take: I’ve been using ChatGPT Search more and more for the last few weeks as my ‘Google’ searches and the results are better. With Christmas gift buying, it’s actually made my research on gifts easier. I’m able to compare products really quickly by asking ChatGPT to do it.

Tomasz Rudzki delivers a compelling analysis of how Google's AI Overviews (AIO) are transforming publishing. AIO appears on 18% of publisher-related queries (up from less than half in June 2024) at the top of search results. 63% of sources cited in these summaries don't come from traditional top 10 rankings, creating new opportunities for visibility. Publishers can increase their chances of being featured by leveraging YouTube content and focusing on conversational queries, as Google's algorithm prioritizes finding the best answer fragments rather than just ranking the best overall content. While this shift may impact traditional click-through rates, he suggests embracing AI Overviews as both a branding opportunity and a way to bypass traditional SEO hierarchies.

OpenAI released a number of new features and models during the 12 days. There was the o3 model, 1-800-CHATGPT, more app integrations, o1 model out of preview, ChatGPT search for all, Projects feature, Santa mode, Sora and video features, Apple Intelligence integration, Canvas, and more for developers.

o3 is currently an early access program for safety researchers only.

Google Labs just their twist on AI image generation. Instead of wrestling with text prompts, Whisk lets you simply drag and drop images to create fresh visuals. Upload a subject, scene, and style image, and watch as Gemini and Imagen 3 work their magic to transform your inputs into something uniquely yours. Currently only available in the US.

AI Ripples

  • Google Cloud shares an AI trends report that businesses need to watch in 2025. Multimodal AI will revolutionize how companies process information across text, images, and audio, enabling more intuitive interactions and improved accuracy. AI agents will become workplace MVPs, streamlining complex tasks and workflows. Enterprise search is getting a major upgrade, moving beyond keywords to understand natural language and visual queries. Customer experiences will become hyper-personalized through AI-powered recommendations and support.

  • Andy Crestodina shares 20 AI prompts for your B2B marketing workflow. The prompt library covers marketing functions from audience research and content creation to SEO optimization and GA4 analysis. Each prompt is crafted to extract maximum value from AI tools like ChatGPT.

MARKETING

Chenell Basilio share how to avoid common pitfalls that can hinder newsletter growth. From content strategy to technical setup, she breaks down elements that make newsletters thrive, offering practical solutions backed by real-world examples from successful newsletter creators like Justin Welsh and Dru Riley. Some of the key takeaways:

  • Make your newsletter signup form prominently visible on your website's main pages and avoid burying it in footers or complex navigation menus

  • Customize welcome emails based on subscriber acquisition channels to provide relevant context and set clear expectations

  • Focus on mastering one monetization channel before diversifying, ensuring you can deliver quality before expanding revenue streams

  • Build relationships with other creators whose audiences align with yours, regardless of size differences, through cross-promotions and collaborations

  • Only promote products and services you genuinely believe in – maintaining audience trust is more valuable than short-term sponsorship gains

My Take: Some good tips in there. For me, #11 is not thinking about revenue soon enough and definitely not something I think about. But I do basic beehiiv ads here because it’s simple and easy CPC revenue.

Marketing Ripples

CONTENT

  • McCall Lanman breaks down how brands can partner with creators to produce authentic sponsored content that resonates. Let creators maintain their unique voice while naturally integrating your brand message. Success requires choosing the right creators, embracing TikTok trends, and being transparent about partnerships. Track metrics like views, engagement and conversions to optimize performance.

LINK BUILDING

Vince Nero shares a study and insights about media request hashtags on X/Twitter. The study shows that despite the UK being roughly the size of Oregon, it dominates the digital PR landscape across all major media request hashtags, including #prrequest, #bloggerrequest, and #mediarequest. This geographic disparity stems from the hashtag's UK origins and the region's more mature digital PR industry. Here are some of the key takeaways:

  • 76 average daily #journorequests

  • 27.8 average daily #prrequests

  • 78.5% of #journorequests come from UK accounts

  • 11.6% of #journorequests come from US accounts

  • 91.4% of #bloggerrequests come from UK accounts

  • 75% of #mediarequests come from UK accounts

  • 50%+ of #prrequests come from UK accounts

  • Entertainment is most requested category in UK

  • US requests skew toward retail, health, and tech

CASE STUDY

Si Quan Ong takes you behind the scenes of Ahrefs' leap into large-scale event marketing with 'Ahrefs Evolve’. From the $400k investment in their sold-out Evolve conference to networking meetups, he reveals how to scale events strategically. Using insights from Events Marketer Shermin Lim, he shares granular details on budgeting (like negotiating away a venue's "overnight hold" charges), securing top-tier speakers, and crafting multi-channel promotion strategies that drove ticket sales.

My Take: Lots of great information here if you’ve ever thought about doing events for your brand and company.

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