  | | | | Brought to you by:  | | | | | Friday, May 12, 2023 | Hello again, esteemed SEJ Today readers – for I have returned. Did you miss me? I sure missed you. What a week to return from vacation: Google I/O week. That was a whirlwind. I spent a lot of time thinking about the opening keynote, especially all the announcements about AI. (Yes, I lose sleep over other people's keynotes. Don't judge me.) I think many of us agree that Search is on the verge of looking completely different from the various iterations we've known for quite some time now. Based on what I observed at I/O this week, I get the sense that platforms are looking to move us toward searches being, well, a conversation. Ask a question and get an answer. That's it. Want to ask another question? Go ahead – as if you were continuing a conversation. But how do you optimize for that? I have a feeling there will still be optimization for us to do. But it might require some re-wiring of how we think about it. Take the earlier example of a conversational approach to search. In a way, it puts much of the control back into the hands of users by simplifying the experience. I'm inclined to believe that, in this case, "optimized" might become at least partially synonymous with "simplified." As Matt Southern wrote yesterday, Google also teased an update to its helpful content system among its many announcements, signaling that it might prioritize content "created from a personal or expert point of view." Better, uncomplicated answers, delivered directly to the user. Perhaps. To me, that hardly eliminates the need for optimization. I'd argue that it enhances it. I better stop before I digress, and take a minute to share some other cool stuff our team wrote about this week. - Ha ha, just kidding. As I said, Google I/O was action-packed: a term I don't use lightly. Matt also recapped some of the most important announcements here.
- ICYMI: Google also announced that it's retiring one core web vitals metric and replacing it with a newer one to reflect user experience better. More from Roger Montti here.
- Plus, a GA4 guide from Vahan Petrosyan on filtering out data you don’t need for better accuracy.
That's all, folks. Go forth, and enjoy a fabulous weekend. – AZW  News, SEO By Matt G. Southern At the annual Google I/O developer conference, the tech giant announced forthcoming changes to its helpful content system. This update aims to enhance the search engine's ability to identify content created from a personal or expert point of view, thus improving the search experience for users. The helpful content system is a crucial part of Google's automated ranking systems, designed to ensure that people see original, high-quality content in search results. It uses a site-wide signal to evaluate content, distinguishing between content that offers a satisfying experience to visitors and content that falls short of users' expectations. By doing so, the system encourages the creation of content written by people, for people, rather than content primarily designed to attract clicks. | | | | | Sponsored By SEMRUSH Explore ContentShake—a smart tool that automates your entire content creation, provides competitive highlights, and lets you write faster with AI. | | | | | CMS Software, SEO By Paul Schmidt In this article, we'll delve into the most essential native S.E.O. features and integrations available in HubSpot, ensuring your website is well-optimized for search engines. And to wrap things up, we'll discuss any missing gaps in S.E.O. features that you might encounter while building a brand-new site or migrating an existing one. Though HubSpot has a higher sticker price (in the Professional and Enterprise tiers) compared to other open-source C.M.S.s, there are a number of embedded features and customer support that would replace the need for additional hosting, C.D.N., security, and ongoing I.T. requests for C.M.S. updates. Additionally, HubSpot C.M.S. Hub Free and Starter tiers are a more affordable option and provide a solution for brands with websites smaller than 50 pages. | | | Analytics & Data By Vahan Petrosyan Google Analytics 4 is rolling out in a rush, and if you're reading this guide, you might be having a tough time figuring out how it works. One area that might be causing you confusion is filtering out internal traffic. If you're like me, you're already missing how user-friendly Universal Analytics was – especially when it came to filtering out traffic. In U.A., you had full control over how you could filter out traffic. "Internal traffic" refers to the web traffic that originates from you and your employees accessing your website. Your employees' activity can reduce the quality of your data and make it harder for you to understand what real visitors are doing on the website, and how much traffic you have. Even though I.P.-based filters may not be the best way to filter our internal traffic, I would like to start with that method as the easiest path to use – and as a basis to explain how new data filters work. | | | | | Webinar By Search Engine Journal Link building at scale is possible. In this upcoming webinar, you'll learn how to set up, launch, and scale your own link building program from Kevin Rowe, Founder and Head of Strategy at PureLinq.
He'll share this 6-month link building roadmap that can help you build a backlink profile that increases your brand's search visibility. Join us May 17 to learn how to build thousands of links a month with any sized SEO team. | | | | | How did you like today's email? | | 😢 🙁 😐 🙂 🤩 | | | | News, YouTube By Matt G. Southern YouTube experiments with blocking ad blockers amid declining ad revenue, pushing for more Premium subscriptions. | | | News, SEO By Roger Montti Google announced that it is retiring one core web vitals metric and replacing it with a newer one that more accurately represents the user experience. | | | | Webinar By Search Engine Journal Link building at scale is possible. In this upcoming webinar, you'll learn how to set up, launch, and scale your own link building program from Kevin Rowe, Founder and Head of Strategy at PureLinq.
He'll share this 6-month link building roadmap that can help you build a backlink profile that increases your brand's search visibility. Join us May 17 to learn how to build thousands of links a month with any sized SEO team. | | | | Reddit, Social Media Advertising By Sean Johnston Jokingly referred to as the "front page of the internet," Reddit is a social news and discussion platform that has become a major player in the digital marketing landscape with 430 million monthly active users. It is a site where users can share content, engage in discussions, and vote on the quality of content. One of the most important things to understand is that Reddit is divided into thousands of "subreddits," each focused on a specific topic. These subreddits cover almost every topic imaginable – from technology and gaming to cooking and fashion – attracting people from all walks of life. Some advertisers might easily dismiss those requirements as too high of a barrier to entry. And that's ok. However, advertisers looking to engage with a supremely passionate, demographically diverse audience will find them on Reddit. And with a little due diligence, these advertisers can create content that drives not just results, but the respect, appreciation and loyalty of valuable customers. | | | Social Media, Video Advertising By Greg Jarboe Now, to be fair, no one who spoke at YouTube's NewFront event mentioned the word "TikTok." But the emphasis on short-form video, Generation Z, as well as brand awareness and reach passed the duck test: "If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it is probably a duck." Hey, maybe these are the three key topics that traditional advertising agencies and media buyers want to hear about because these are the objectives that the lion's share of their clients are giving them for video campaigns. So, I came to the YouTube NewFront event on May 1 hoping to learn about YouTube's strategic direction. But most of what I heard – with a couple of notable exceptions – was a tactical discussion that left the impression that YouTube is very like TikTok. That made TikTok the elephant in the room. That's why I think the decision to showcase new ways to build awareness with Shorts to reach Gen Z was a strategic mistake. | | | Generative AI, News By Matt G. Southern Google's AI tool Bard expands globally, adds image capabilities, enhanced coding, and plans for widespread app integrations. | | | | | | | | Upcoming Events | | May 17 at 2 pm ET
How We Built 1,000+ Links Per Month With This 6-Month Sprint Topic: SEO | Sponsor: PureLinq | | | | | | May 24 at 2 pm ET
Is Content The King In Modern SEO? Topic: SEO | Sponsor: Crowd Content | | | | | | | Digital Marketing Job of the Day Digital Marketing Specialist Search Engine Journal, 100% Remote | | | | | | |
