SEO 101 Podcast Summary: Episode 488 - Google's November Update, Search Console Recommendations, Rebranding Tips, and SEO Strategies

Hosted by Ross Dunn and Scott Vanack from WMR.FM, Episode 488 of "SEO 101" dives deep into the latest developments in SEO, offering valuable insights and actionable strategies for both beginners and seasoned marketers.

1. Introduction

Ross Dunn, CEO of Step Forth Web Marketing, welcomes listeners to Episode 488 of SEO 101 alongside his co-host, Senior SEO Specialist Scott Vanack. The episode promises a comprehensive exploration of recent SEO updates, practical recommendations, and essential tips for website rebranding.

2. WordPress Plugin Popularity and Insights (00:10 - 03:51)

Scott Vanack introduces findings from a Search Engine Journal report by Roger Monti, which analyzed 140,000 WordPress sites to determine the most used plugins.

• Yoast SEO tops the list with a 58% adoption rate. Scott remarks, “We use it for, I think every single WordPress client… almost, yeah, 58%.” (00:33)

• Redirection follows with 26.85% usage. Ross adds, “We use it all the time for speeding up our sites.” (01:46) Despite past issues with the Redirection plugin causing site crashes, Scott notes, “I haven't seen any issues from it in a long time now.” (01:50)

• Other notable plugins include WP Rocket (18%), Rank Math (11.62%), Imagify (5%), and All in One SEO (5%). Scott shares a cautionary tale about a client who activated All in One SEO alongside Yoast, leading to site ranking crashes due to conflicting settings. “If you're a client and you want to screw up, that's cool, but the new price is a bottle of whiskey to apologize.” (02:47)

• Schema.org Structured Data sees just under 2% adoption, highlighting the diverse methods users employ to add markup.

Ross concludes this segment by noting the data source's limitations, emphasizing it reflects Kinsta's hosting clientele: “If you are finding yourself affected as usual, hold tight until it's over…” (04:24)

3. Google’s November Core Update (04:24 - 06:07)

The hosts discuss the ongoing rollout of Google's November Core Update, first introduced in Episode 486. Both note significant volatility in search rankings, with many users experiencing fluctuations.

• Scott advises patience: “If you are finding yourself affected as usual, hold tight until it's over because whatever you've lost could easily come back before they're done.” (04:55)

• Ross reflects on the frequency of updates, suggesting Google may transition to more continuous, less noticeable changes: “It feels like the time is coming where we just won't even have core updates.” (04:55)

• They speculate on future developments, including potential impacts from AI innovations like SearchGPT: “That's when SearchGPT really takes off next year.” (06:13)

4. Google Search Console Recommendations (06:07 - 07:55)

Ross introduces Google's new feature in Search Console that provides optimization opportunities and suggested actions for organic search improvement. Announced on November 26, these recommendations are intended to guide website enhancements.

• Scott humorously notes the vagueness of update frequencies: “I love that regular basis. Like is it daily, weekly, annually, who knows? It's a mystery.” (06:52)

• Upon reviewing client data, Scott found minimal actionable recommendations: “I only saw two… one like I saw multiples of these two. One was it said a query recently got fewer impressions than usual.” (07:08)

Ross and Scott ponder whether the feature is fully rolled out or if their clients are in strong SEO standing: “Maybe it's not a hundred percent rolled out because those are the only two types I could find.” (07:55)

5. Google’s Hotel Search Test in the EU (08:05 - 10:25)

Scott details Google's experimental changes to hotel search queries in Germany, Belgium, and Estonia as a response to the EU's Digital Markets Act.

• Google is testing the removal of hotel-specific searches, limiting results to basic "10 blue links" for non-branded queries: “Google is testing bare bones hotel search queries being removed in three European countries.” (08:05)

• Gary Ells of Search Engine Journal clarifies it's a temporary test with no immediate actions required: “They expect it to go back to normal.” (09:24)

• Ross adds context, emphasizing that this change targets generic hotel searches rather than specific branded ones: “In the Future… it's not impacting a search for a specific hotel.” (09:24)

• The hosts express mixed feelings about the reduction in search result richness, acknowledging Google's compliance with regulatory pressures: “I can't imagine how much they dislike having to share any of this information… but they wouldn't be making the money they are.” (05:25)

6. Top Google Search Terms and User Behavior (12:18 - 17:15)

Scott presents findings from a SparkToro study revealing that the top 148 search terms account for approximately 37.5 billion of Google's 250 billion monthly searches.

• Top 10 Search Terms:

  1. YouTube
  2. Gmail
  3. Amazon
  4. Facebook Chat
  5. GPT
  6. Google Translate
  7. WhatsApp
  8. Web
  9. Google Maps
  10. Pornhub

• Scott observes, “People would just know by now. But I guess not. It comes down to it. If there's one thing you can rely on, humanity. It's laziness.” (13:26 - 13:34)

• Ross concurs, highlighting the convenience factor, especially on mobile devices: “Sometimes you gotta click the little button to go to a different screen on your keypad.” (13:50)

• Search Intent Breakdown:

  • Informational: 51%
  • Navigational: 33%
  • Commercial: 14.5%
  • Transactional: 0.69%

Ross clarifies search intent categories, ensuring listeners understand the distinctions: “Navigational would be how to get to a certain place, I assume.” (15:02)

7. Advice from John Mueller on Ranking After Rebranding (17:14 - 20:23)

Ross shares a query addressed by John Mueller, Google's Webmaster Trends Analyst, regarding a client's struggle to rank for their newly rebranded domain, theweddingcompany.com, after changing from betterhalf.ai.

• John Mueller's Insight: “This is a competitive space and the name is quite generic. Just because you call your company something doesn't mean it'll show up on top in search like that.” (17:37 - 17:51)

• Scott emphasizes the complexity of rebranding in competitive niches: “It used to be so easy… Those days are over. It takes a lot of time after rebranding.” (18:20)

• Ross reinforces the challenges, comparing it to the outdated Exact Match Domain strategy and highlighting the importance of maintaining SEO efforts post-rebrand: “It's not that simple anymore.” (19:40)

8. Essential Rebranding Tips for SEO Success (20:23 - 32:12)

Drawing from their experiences, Ross and Scott provide a detailed guide for executing a successful website rebrand without sacrificing SEO rankings.

Key Tips Include:

1. Initial Assessments and Backups:

   • Crawl Current Site: Use tools like Screaming Frog to export all site data, ensuring you have a comprehensive record of titles, descriptions, and URLs. (20:34)
   • Export Ranking Data: Utilize Semrush to understand which pages are performing well and need to be preserved. (20:34)
   • Full Site Backup: Ensure a complete backup is in place before making any changes. Ross warns, “Make sure your backups work. Yeah, it's who thinks to do that? Nobody.” (25:37)

2. Content Preservation:

   • Maintain High-Performing Pages: Avoid removing content that drives significant traffic. Ross shares, “If you've got pages on your site that are doing awesome, try to make sure you get that content on the new site.” (21:00)

3. Managing Internal and External Links:

   • Update Internal Links: Ensure all internal links point to the new domain. Scott suggests using database find-and-replace methods for efficiency. (22:36)
   • Redirect Old URLs: Implement 301 redirects from the old domain to the new one to preserve link equity and user experience.

4. Verification and Tools:

   • Google Change of Address Tool: After setting up redirects, use this tool to inform Google of the domain change, ensuring a smoother transition. (28:24)

5. Analytics and Search Console:

   • Transfer Tracking Codes: Ensure Google Analytics and Search Console are correctly set up on the new domain. Ross advises, “Make sure you have access from the very start.” (30:21)
   • Ownership Control: Ross emphasizes the importance of owning these accounts to prevent access issues during transitions. (31:34)

6. Testing and Launch:

   • Test Backups: Regularly test your backups to ensure they can be restored successfully. (25:18)
   • Remove Site Blocks: Verify that no accidental blocks (like robots.txt restrictions) are in place post-launch to prevent ranking drops. (29:24)

Real-World Examples:

• Client Case Studies: Both hosts recount scenarios where improper rebranding led to significant traffic loss, reinforcing the necessity of meticulous planning and execution. Scott mentions, “We lost a ton of authority and traffic… we could do with their site.” (23:22)

• Success Stories: Conversely, they highlight successful rebrands where careful preservation of URLs and content led to improved rankings, illustrating best practices in action.

9. Conclusion

Ross and Scott wrap up the episode by reiterating the critical nature of careful planning in SEO strategies, especially during significant changes like rebranding. They encourage listeners to engage with their community through their Facebook group and to stay tuned for upcoming episodes.

Ross signs off with, “Learn from our mistakes. Yes. Sorry to cut you in, but go ahead.” (24:54)

Scott adds, “Thank you for listening, everybody.” (33:20)

Final Thoughts: Episode 488 of SEO 101 offers a rich blend of current SEO news, practical advice, and real-world experiences. From understanding the dominance of specific WordPress plugins to navigating the complexities of Google's algorithm updates and executing a successful website rebrand, Ross and Scott provide listeners with invaluable knowledge to enhance their SEO endeavors.

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