ChatGPT Vs Google
10/11/23
The suggestion that ChatGPT is eating away at Google's search dominance is exaggerated, with ChatGPT accounting for only 2% of Google's monthly traffic.
The claim stems from a Seeking Alpha article referencing a Bank of America report, relying on StatCounter and Similar Web data. Google's global search market share dipped to 91.53% in October 2023, its lowest in a year. However, StatCounter doesn't track ChatGPT, emphasising its role as a chatbot rather than a search engine. Google's search market share has remained relatively stable since August 2015, fluctuating between 91.1% and 93.37%. While generative AI, including ChatGPT, may impact search, current data suggests a minimal effect on Google's dominance.
Google Court Case
26/10/23
The U.S. Justice Department is accusing Google of using questionable tactics to maintain its position as the leading search engine with a 90% market share.
The allegations involve large payments to companies like Apple to secure Google as the default search engine. The 10-week trial includes testimonies from key figures like Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Google defends its dominance, claiming it's due to superior quality, while opponents argue that default settings discourage users from switching, citing complex steps required to change search engines on Android.
With Google dominating the search market, any changes to algorithms or the search engine itself may alter the path for SEO.
Local SEO – The Importance of
10/10/23
According to MOZ, 97% of people find local businesses online, with a further 72% travelling to the business within 5 miles; having an effective local SEO strategy can have a significant impact on your business growth.
Parts of a local strategy include NAP accuracy, local website optimisation, customer reviews and much more.
Get your business seen within your area, contact us today to find out how we can help.
Completed Algorithm Rollout
28/09/23
Google has finished rolling out an algorithm update to prioritise high-quality, user-centric content over SEO-driven material. This update aims to combat webpages designed solely for search engine rankings. Google intends to elevate websites offering valuable, authentic content for human users.
The goal is to reduce low-quality content in search results and improve user experience. If you believe your site has been affected, Google suggests self-assessing your content based on the E-E-A-T principle. Recovery may take several months if you align with the update and make necessary content adjustments gradually, if you would like help with your SEO, contact us today.
Algorithm Update – Helpful Content
15/09/23
Google has begun rolling out another algorithm update, focusing on website content, and is said to take a couple of weeks to roll out.
The Helpful Content update is the first of its kind since December 2022. It specifically targets content that appears to have been written for the search engines rather than the user and promotes quality content that clearly shows expertise in the relevant topic/service.
Is your website content over-optimised? Speak to one of our experts to see how we can help.
Citation links added to Search Generative Experience
01/09/23
Google Search Generative Experience (SGE), which uses artificial intelligence to generate more comprehensive and informative search results, has officially rolled out links to web pages within answers, starting in the US.
Users can now click on links within the SGE summary to view the full web pages from which the information is sourced. This is a significant improvement over the previous version of SGE, which only provided a summary of the information without any links. The new version of SGE is still in the experimental phase, but it can potentially revolutionise how people search for information online.
An interesting step forward for the use of AI.
Google Core Algorithm Update: August 2023
24/08/23
The second broad core algorithm update of 2023 has started rolling out this week, and Google anticipates taking two weeks to complete the rollout.
Broad core updates are not specific towards any metrics. However, Google claims that if you are negatively affected by the update, your focus should be on the core principles of website optimisation, revisiting the EEAT principles for your website content.
Speak to one of our experts today to see how we can help if your website traffic has dropped due to the recent algorithm update.
Targeting competitive organic keywords
17/08/23
Highly competitive keywords are popular and have a lot of search volume, but they also have a lot of competition from other websites. Targeting these keywords can be difficult, but it is possible with a strategic approach.
The first step is to analyse your competitors and see how they rank for these keywords. You can then identify opportunities to outrank them by creating better content, building backlinks, and optimising your website for the keywords. Another well-used strategy would be to focus on related long-tail keywords, phrases that focus on the later stages of a user's 'buying' journey. Finally, you need to be patient and persistent. It takes time to rank for highly competitive keywords, but it is possible with the right approach.
Get in touch to find out how we can help increase your website traffic.
New Google Chrome Search Features
03/08/23
Google Chrome has added new search-related features to the mobile version of the browser. These features include showing more search suggestions (from 6 to 10), trending searches directly in the address bar, and a "Related to this page" section in the address bar.
Search suggestions are based on your recent searches, browsing history, and popular search terms. The trending searches feature shows trending searches directly in the address bar. This feature is currently only available on Android, but it will be coming to iOS later this year.
The "Related to this page" section shows search suggestions related to the webpage content you're currently viewing.
Is your website optimised for Google? Speak to one of our experts to see how we can help progress your SEO.
Google Bard Update
19/07/23
The AI chatbot, Google Bard, has been updated with new features, languages, and countries. The update includes pinning and renaming conversations, adding images to prompts, customising responses, and using Google Lens to extract information from images. Bard is now available in 40 languages and over 180 countries and territories. The update makes Bard more helpful, versatile, and accessible to users worldwide.
As the AI chatbot battle progresses, more and more features will affect how people search for products and services. Is your website ready for the AI age?
Auto Generated Content and SEO
07/07/23
The rise of content-generating large language models (LLMs) and AI-generated content has highlighted the need for authority management in the field of SEO. This new discipline focuses on identifying trustworthy sources and filtering out incorrect information. E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) has become a crucial factor in Google search rankings, as it helps determine the credibility of authors and websites. E-E-A-T also influences the display of results in Google Discover and Google News, the helpful content system, snippet elements, and indexing.
Developing a strong online reputation and credibility is essential for rankings and visibility in search engines. Talk to us to see how we can help build your online presence.
The new generation of Google Analytics
23/06/23
Google Analytics Universal, the widely used web analytics platform, is being succeeded by Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and will stop recording data in July. GA4 brings a paradigm shift in data analysis, providing enhanced tracking capabilities and deeper insights into user behaviour across various devices and platforms.
This next-generation analytics tool focuses on customer-centric measurement, empowering businesses to understand the entire user journey and optimise their marketing strategies accordingly. With advanced machine learning algorithms and cross-device tracking, GA4 offers a more holistic and comprehensive view of user interactions, enabling businesses to make data-driven decisions to improve engagement, conversions, and overall digital performance. Need help setting GA4 up, speak to one of our experts today.
The Link between Social Media and SEO
06/06/23
Engaging social media posts that generate likes, shares, and comments increases brand awareness, drives traffic to the website, and enhances the chances of obtaining valuable backlinks.
Integrating social media into an SEO strategy is key to maximising online presence, reaching target audiences, and supporting organic search performance by creating positive user signals through interaction with your website.
Speak to us today about our SEO services and other digital marketing plans.
Mobile-First Indexing Is Complete
24/05/23
Google has completed its transition to mobile-first indexing after over six and a half years of efforts. John Mueller from Google confirmed that the last batch of eligible sites has been moved over, with only a few exceptions for sites that don't function well on mobile.
Some webmasters noticed notifications informing them of the switch from desktop-first to mobile-first indexing. While new sites default to mobile-first indexing, older sites that were not moved may never transition over. If your website is not optimised for mobile use, speak to us to see how we can help.
SEO Link Earning
12/05/23
SEO link earning, also known as link building, is the process of acquiring high-quality, relevant links from other websites to your own. Earning links from authoritative and reputable websites will help to improve your website's search engine rankings and drive targeted traffic to your site.
To earn links, you need to create valuable content that others find useful, informative, and worth linking to. This can include blog posts, infographics, videos, research papers, and other types of content that provide value to your target audience.
Focus on the E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness) principle when creating content, improving your chances of earning a backlink.
Google’s Page Title Mistake
28/04/23
After receiving feedback from users, Google has released a fix to address inappropriate or inaccurate site names in its search results. This was prompted by a web form posted by Google asking for feedback about inaccurate or inappropriate site names earlier this week. While the change has resolved issues for some sites, others have not been resolved.
Google has recommended using structured data on the home page to communicate the site name to the search engine. Additionally, Google has updated its favicon guidelines and made site names and ad labels more prominent in search results. If you need help in structuring your website, get in touch.
Google and Conversational AI
19/04/23
Google's ambitious plan to integrate conversational AI into its search engine promises to transform how users interact with search results.
Leveraging the power of natural language processing and machine learning, Google aims to enable users to have interactive conversations with the search engine, allowing for more fluid and intuitive search experiences.
This advancement has the potential to provide personalised, real-time responses to user queries, offer contextual suggestions, and even engage in multi-turn conversations, making Google's search engine more conversational, user-friendly, and efficient in delivering accurate and relevant information, which in turn will likely effect the way websites are optimised to rank in a Google search.
Helpful Content Update
28/02/23
Google's latest algorithm update targets website content, specifically, whether the content has been primarily written to rank well in a relevant search, known as search engine first content.
Over the years, Google has released update after update with the aim to list the most relevant and helpful websites related to your query. The latest update penalises websites that are not helpful to the user but have been designed to rank well.
The update, released on 25th August, will take 1-2 weeks to roll out fully. If you think you may have been penalised by Google's latest update, get in touch, and we will help to get your website back on track.
SEO and Website Hosting
11/11/22
To be viewed online, all websites need to be hosted; high-quality website hosting won't guarantee your website will rank well, but it's a must-have for a strong SEO foundation.
When considering a server host, there are three main factors: security, speed and location.
Nobody wants their website compromised by a virus or a hack, so security is key, and if your website doesn't load quickly, you will lose customers and more than likely be penalised by Google. Server location will not only indicate where you are based as a business to Google, which will help with location-based searches, but a local server location will play a part in how far the website data has to travel to reach the user's device.
Google Core Algorithm Update
16/09/22
On the 12th of September, Google began the rollout of another core algorithm update, the second major update this year.
Reports from industry-leading tracking software, Semrush and RankRanger, support that this update has had less impact than May's core update. However, many websites have experienced a sudden decline in traffic.
Google's core algorithm updates cover a broad range of metrics, which Google never officially release. Have you been penalised by the latest update? Get your free SEO review by clicking on the button below, and we can help get your website back on track.
