Google Changes, 2018 Trends & More
SEO trends and Google changes to expect in 2018
Columnist Pratik Dholakiya explores current search trends and speculates on where the industry might be headed in 2018.
For the last decade, I’ve made predictions about how the year in SEO and web marketing would go. So far, my track record is pretty decent — the correct guesses outweigh the wrong ones. But today’s the day of reckoning, to grade my performance from 2017 and, if the tally is high enough, share my list for the year ahead.
In 2006, before iPhones and Androids, a Google document mentioned the search engine uses “over 200 signals” for ranking. There are probably thousands of ranking signals now and we can’t pretend to know what they are. What we do know is how much of an impact optimising for the most significant ranking factors has – and how easy it was to get that done in the real world.
A Holiday Hornets’ Nest – Analysis and Findings From The December 2017 Google Algorithm Updates
From Maccabees to celebrities to doorways to affiliates, Google took it all on in December of 2017. There were several dates leading up to the holidays with significant movement from an algorithm update standpoint, including December 5, December 12, December 15, December 18, and December 26 (with possible connections between some of those updates). This post covers what I saw while digging into the December volatility.
Google Search Algorithm Update Tweaks Continue Into January
As you know, the Google updates towards the end of December were pretty aggressive and Google even somewhat confirmed some of them. These include what we called the Maccabees updates that seemed to target keyword permutations as well as Fred like stuff and even hit some celebrity sites. We also saw a PBN penalty roll out and maybe a featured snippets/knowledge graph algorithm update.
Is Google’s Panda algorithm still relevant in 2018?
In 2011, Google rocked the online world with its first Panda algorithm update. For the first time, webmasters were being hit with search penalties for breaking Google’s guidelines and 12% of all searches were affected by the update.
Google to roll out new Search Console features in coming weeks
Google announced today that it will be making the new Google Search Console available to everyone in the coming weeks. Specifically, verified users in Google Search Console will be able to access the new Search Performance, Index Coverage, AMP status and Job posting reports.
Google Search Console Performance Report Adds More Comparison Filters
If you have access to the new Google Search Console features yet, you may notice that Google added more comparison filter options to the Search Performance report.
Google My Business (Google Maps) Lacks Any Credible Spam Algorithms
Google My Business (Business Pages on Google Maps) lack any credible spam algorithms and it should scare the heck out of businesses. The reason Google has got away with this for so long is the simple fact that 70% of all Google Business Pages are unclaimed (un-managed) which means the business does not realise the business page exists, or manages it.
Google: URLs In Sitemap Used To Determine The Canonical URL
Google’s John Mueller said in a video hangout at the 3:16 mark that the URLs Google finds in your XML sitemap files are often used to define your canonical URLs. John said “we recommend doing that is that we use a sitemaps URLs as a part of trying to understand which URL should be the canonical for a piece of content.” “So that is the URL that we should show in the search results,” he added.
Tutorials, Analysis & SEO Budgeting
10 facts about rich results that all SEOs should know
As of December 19, 2017, “rich results” is the new name for all of Google’s special search result features and enhancements, including rich snippets, rich cards and enriched results. As a marketer, those terms probably aren’t new to you. They’re intended to make search results stand out by incorporating additional information in the form of pictures, review stars and so forth.
How to Choose the Best Links for Outreach Campaigns – Detailed Guide
When executing the link building campaign, the main benefit is leveraging SEO juice from a linking sites and getting higher in SERP. There are thousands of possibilities where to get a link from but the resources are often limited. Therefore, the following list of signals may be helpful with prioritizing the outreach targets.
Best practices for qualifying your link opportunities
Links are an essential part of the internet. In the early days of the web, links were not seen as “ranking signals” but as relevant connections and partnerships between sites. As links have become a dominant part of the search ranking algorithms, many have turned their focus to acquiring as many links as possible.
What the development of visual search will mean for SEO
Columnist Kristopher Jones talks visual search — its current state, its implications for the future and strategies for SEOs looking to capitalize on this evolving technology.
Pagination Tunnels – An Experiment in Crawlability and Click Depth
We’ve all seen pagination links — those little numbered links at the top and bottom of multi-page content. They are used on blogs, e-commerce sites, webcomics, gallery pages, SERPs, and multi-page articles.
HOW TO RANK IN VOICE SEARCH (DISSECTING THE QUALITY RATER GUIDELINES)
You have no idea how to rank in voice search until you read the actual quality rater guidelines. In this article, I go through each guideline piece by piece. By the end, you’ll have a deep understand of how to rank in voice search.
How independent retailers can thrive in a volatile market
Recent retail news headlines have been focusing on two major areas: the apparent death-knell of traditional retail stores and the market shift of customers to major brands such as Amazon and Walmart.
Social Media Marketing
Social Media And Content Marketing Trends That Will Shape 2018
In recent years, companies have turned to social media and content marketing as powerful tools to gain a broader and more engaged audience. With new technologies and apps, social media is now embedded in almost everyone’s daily life, however common or complex your lifestyle may be.
5 Social Media and Digital Marketing Trends to Watch in 2018
What are the trends that will matter most for CMOs and other marketing leaders in 2018? Though I don’t pretend to have a crystal ball or to know exactly what’s going on in your company, I can share what’s top of mind for SYKES and our brand partners, who represent some of the world’s leading brands.
Social Media Holiday Calendar for 2018 [Infographic]
A new year means a new beginning, new challenges, and new opportunities for every marketing manager. It’s time to start planning your marketing campaigns, allocating your budget, and defining your goals for the coming year.
20+ Blogging, Video, and Podcasting Predictions for 2018 From the Pros
Are you interested in learning where video, blogging, and podcasting are heading in 2018? To find out what to watch for in the coming year, we reached out to expert creators and influencers to get their thoughts.
7 Tips to Optimize Your Facebook Ad Campaigns
Want to increase the effectiveness of your Facebook ads? Looking for ways to get more out of your ad budget? In this article, you’ll discover seven tips to take the performance of your next Facebook ad campaign to a higher level.
How to Set Up Facebook Groups for Pages
Want to create a Facebook group for your business? Wondering how to connect your Facebook page and Facebook group? In this article, you’ll discover how to create Facebook groups for pages.
New Ways to Gain Social Media Reach, Interactions and Followers in 2018
Happy New Year everyone. As we head into 2018 I wanted to share, and remind you of a few tips to gain social media reach, interaction and followers.
