SEO 101 Episode 491 - Spam Impact, Continuous Scroll Return, and Blogging Benefits

Release Date: January 27, 2025
Host: Scott Van Achte (solo episode)
Podcast: SEO 101 by WMR.FM

Introduction

In this episode of SEO 101, host Scott Van Achte steps in solo to deliver a comprehensive discussion on recent developments in the SEO landscape. Despite the absence of co-host Ross Dunn, Scott ensures a rich and insightful session, touching upon pivotal updates from Google, the resurgence of continuous scroll in search results, shifts in Google's market share, and the enduring benefits of maintaining a blog for SEO purposes.

Google Updates: Core and Spam Updates

Scott begins by addressing the latest Google Core Updates that occurred in November and December 2024. These updates are significant as they can impact website rankings and traffic.

“Google just back-to-back core updates. Not sure I've seen two core updates that close together before, but they did it anyways right before Christmas. It's just the best time of the year to be screwing with things, isn't it?” (01:45)

Additionally, immediately following the December core update, Google rolled out a Spam Update from December 19th to 26th. Scott emphasizes that while spam updates can be beneficial for sites adhering to Google's guidelines, they can adversely affect those that engage in spammy practices.

“If you're breaking the rules, well, maybe you kind of deserve it.” (03:10)

Scott advises website owners to monitor their traffic and rankings post-update to determine if any changes are due to these updates or natural seasonal fluctuations.

Continuous Scroll Return

A notable change discussed is the return of continuous scroll in Google’s search results for image and video queries. Initially removed in June 2024, continuous scroll reappeared in specific search categories, affecting how users interact with search results.

“If you have continuous scroll, you may be more likely to get clicked on as opposed to being on the top of page two.” (07:15)

This can influence click-through rates, especially for websites positioned around the middle of search result pages, making it easier for such listings to be discovered without navigating to subsequent pages.

Google Market Share Decline

Scott highlights a significant shift in Google's dominance within the search engine market. According to StatCounter, Google's global market share dipped below 90% for the first time since 2015, registering at 89.73% by the end of December 2024. In the United States, Google's market share fell to 87.39%.

“Google's market share dipped to below 90% for the first time since 2015.” (10:05)

This decline suggests increasing competition from other search platforms, possibly influenced by the rising popularity of AI-driven search tools like ChatGPT.

Blogging Benefits and Strategies

A substantial portion of the episode is dedicated to the importance of blogging for SEO, especially for new websites. Scott outlines several reasons why maintaining a blog can be advantageous:

1. Authority Building:

   • Establishes a human voice on the website.
   • Enhances credibility through authored content.

   “Having an individual talking about products, talking about your business... some of that authority from that person translates into your site.” (12:20)

2. Social Media Integration:

   • Facilitates content sharing on social media platforms.

3. Link Building:

   • High-quality blog posts can attract backlinks, boosting SEO.

4. Long-Tail Keyword Rankings:

   • Blogs can target specific, less competitive keywords, driving niche traffic.

   “If you put out the time and effort to build quality, you can get a lot of rankings in return for that.” (14:50)

5. Content Freshness:

   • Regular updates signal to search engines that the website is active.

What to Blog About:

• Business Stories: Share relevant company news and updates.
• Current Events: Discuss industry-related happenings.
• Comparisons: Compare products or services with competitors.
• Lists and Tips: Create valuable resources like "Top 10 Tips for..."
• FAQs: Address common questions, potentially even integrating them into blog posts.

When Not to Blog:

• If unable to maintain a consistent posting schedule.
• When lacking the resources to produce high-quality, original content.
• If content does not offer unique value or insights.

Scott emphasizes the necessity of consistency and quality in blogging to reap SEO benefits effectively.

“At the end of the day it comes down to rankings. If you blog, you can get rankings.” (16:30)

Country Code Top Level Domains Insights

Post-break, Scott delves into insights from John Mueller at Google regarding the use of country codes in URLs. He clarifies that merely adding country codes to URLs does not enhance regional rankings.

“Adding country codes to your URLs won't result in any change at all.” (19:10)

Instead, Mueller recommends the use of country code top-level domains (ccTLDs) (e.g., .ca for Canada, .fr for France) to target specific regions effectively. Additionally, implementing hreflang tags is crucial to signal to search engines the intended audience of each regional site, thereby preventing duplicate content issues and enhancing localized SEO performance.

AI Overviews and Manual Actions

Scott brings attention to an intriguing issue where pages affected by manual actions still appear in AI overviews long after being demoted in organic search results.

“Pages hit by manual actions are still appearing in AI overviews weeks and even months after being demoted in organic search.” (21:45)

This discrepancy suggests a lag in data synchronization between manual actions and AI-generated content overviews, potentially impacting how affected sites are perceived and managed.

Listener Question: Weather Widgets on Local Service Pages

Addressing a listener's query from Ricky Young on Facebook, Scott evaluates the effectiveness of using weather widgets on local service pages, specifically for a car repair business.

“If the weather is relevant... Maybe you have a tourism-based website... But for a car repair company, I think the relevance is very low to none.” (24:30)

Scott concludes that while incorporating weather widgets can maintain a local focus, their direct impact on SEO is minimal unless the content is inherently related to weather-dependent services. For businesses outside such niches, the inclusion of weather widgets offers negligible SEO benefits and may not justify the implementation effort.

Conclusion

Scott wraps up the episode by reiterating the importance of staying updated with SEO trends and making informed decisions based on current best practices. He encourages listeners to maintain quality and consistency in their SEO strategies, whether through blogging, proper domain structuring, or adapting to search engine updates.

For additional resources and detailed show notes, listeners are invited to subscribe to the Show Notes Newsletter at seo101radio.com.

Note: Advertisements and promotional segments were excluded from this summary to focus solely on the episode's educational content.