News SEO Digest's Latest Updates [July 30,2024]
AI Overviews & SEO: What's Changing in Search This Week
Plus: Discover how Google's updates could impact your rankings and visibility.
Past few days have been a rollercoaster in the world of search, and I've got a feeling we're just getting started. Google's been keeping us on our toes with persistent ranking volatility for two straight weeks now. If you've been feeling the tremors, you're not alone. But here's the kicker – John Mueller's recent comments hint that a core update might be just around the corner. Brace yourselves, folks.
But let's talk about the elephant in the room: AI. Our Newzdash team has been burning the midnight oil, analyzing AI Overview visibility in news searches. The results? Eye-opening, to say the least. We're seeing patterns emerge in how these overviews appear for trending queries, and it's clear that some news categories are more likely to trigger them than others. This isn't just academic – it's reshaping how we approach news SEO in real-time. Add to this Google Discover's new push for AI Overviews, and we're looking at a seismic shift in how users interact with news content. For publishers, this isn't just a challenge – it's an opportunity to innovate and adapt.
In this week's newsletter, we're diving deep into these developments and more. From the latest on Core Web Vitals (including that new INP metric you need to know about) to strategies for enterprise SEO. Plus, we've got some killer tips on internationalization strategies, the future of attribution and click-based strategies and even TikTok optimization.
As always, we've curated the most important news and insights to help you stay ahead of the curve. Let's get into it!
Keep calm and SEO on,
John Shehata
PS: Make sure to scroll down to our News SEO Jobs section, many great opportunities by CNN, Fox News, Business Insider, The Athletic, Dow Jones, Amazon, Disney and more!
John Shehata’s SEO Relics
(Historic SEO Fun Facts)
"Gangnam Style" Goes Viral: A Turning Point in SEO and Digital Marketing
In 2012, South Korean artist Psy released "Gangnam Style," a song and music video that became a global sensation. The catchy tune, quirky dance moves, and humorous visuals captured worldwide attention, making it the first YouTube video to reach 1 billion views, setting a new standard for viral content.
The viral success of "Gangnam Style" demonstrated the power of social media and YouTube in content distribution and audience engagement. Marketers and content creators were encouraged to optimize their SEO strategies for video content, focusing on keywords, engaging thumbnails, description, transcripts, and metadata to enhance discoverability.
The unprecedented views and engagement highlighted the monetization opportunities available through digital platforms. Brands and advertisers recognized the importance of SEO combined with social media marketing, leveraging the reach of viral content for advertising campaigns and brand partnerships. Psy capitalized on this success with sponsorship deals and endorsements, showcasing the commercial potential of viral phenomena.
Overall, "Gangnam Style" underscored the importance of video content in SEO strategies, encouraging investment in video production and optimization. Its global reach highlighted the need for international and multilingual SEO strategies, making it a landmark moment in digital marketing that transformed SEO practices and cultural trends.
Must Read & News-SEO
- Newzdash analyzes Google AI Overviews visibility in news searches: A new study explores the factors influencing the presence of AI Overviews for trending news queries and whether certain news categories consistently trigger them.
https://www.newzdash.com/guide/analysis-ai-overview-visibility-google-search-trending-news
- Google Search ranking volatility continues for two weeks: Google Search has been experiencing consistent ranking volatility daily for the past two weeks, following recent updates on July 23rd, 18th, and 9th.
https://www.seroundtable.com/ongoing-google-search-ranking-volatility-37804.html
- Amazon Prime Data SEO winners and Losers: Check the top ranking sites in Google Search Top Stories
https://www.newzdash.com/campaigns/amazon-prime-day
- Google's core update may be imminent, causing concern among publishers: Google's John Mueller addresses complaints about missing image thumbnails in search results, hinting that a core update is not far off.
https://www.seroundtable.com/google-core-update-isnt-extremely-far-away-37805.html
- Google Discover promotes AI Overviews in search: Google Discover now encourages users to explore AI Overviews directly in Google Search results, offering a new way to learn more about topics.
https://www.seroundtable.com/google-discover-promoting-ai-overviews-37803.html
- Leaked Google documentation hints at a three-tiered index influencing link value: The location where Google stores a link may determine its authority, according to leaked documentation.
https://www.practicalecommerce.com/3-tiered-index-hints-seo-link-value
- Should sites with m-dot URLs switch to canonicalizing to the mobile version now that Google indexes the mobile URL? No, don't change it.
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7223344205383831554/
- Google improves autocomplete predictions after Trump criticism: Google has updated its autocomplete prediction system following concerns raised by Donald Trump.
https://www.seroundtable.com/google-updates-autocomplete-predictions-after-trump-criticism-37817.html
News SEO on Slack - Join 1500+ News SEOs:
Want to stay ahead of the SEO curve? Join our News SEO Slack Community where 1500+ news SEO pros chat, share tips, and troubleshoot together. It's your go-to place for the latest insights, questions, and support. And the best part? It's FREE!
SEO Strategies, Tips & Goodies
- Updated guide to Core Web Vitals for news sites: Learn about each Core Web Vital metric, including INP (Interaction to Next Paint), and why they matter for news SEO. https://www.seoforjournalism.com/p/core-web-vitals-news-seo-inp
- Google's site reputation abuse spam policy favors an algorithmic approach: Google advocates for using algorithms to enforce violations of its site reputation abuse spam policy. https://www.gsqi.com/marketing-blog/google-site-reputation-abuse-spam-policy-algorithmic-approach/
- How Google handles JavaScript throughout the indexing process: Research from MERJ and Vercel demystifies Google's rendering process with empirical evidence. https://vercel.com/blog/how-google-handles-javascript-throughout-the-indexing-process
- Overcoming enterprise SEO challenges and mistakes: Learn about the complexities of enterprise SEO, whether working in-house or as an agency, and how to overcome them. https://ahrefs.com/blog/enterprise-seo-challenges/
- Attribution is dying, clicks are dying, marketing is going back to the 20th century: The way digital marketing has been done for the past 20 years is changing. https://sparktoro.com/blog/attribution-is-dying-clicks-are-dying-marketing-is-going-back-to-the-20th-century/
- Podcast: Google testing a new AI overview link treatment: Listen to this podcast episode discussing Google's latest experiment with AI overview links.https://open.spotify.com/episode/4zXgIIDLjcmHVSXn8ab6eF
- Video: Internationalization & hreflang: Watch this video where experts discuss all things internationalization, hreflang, and managing multilingual websites.https://youtu.be/WcNTOKdh8Ss?si=0gWJ6IvquHgQ8t1n
- SEO writing: 16 tips for creating SEO-optimized content: Learn how to write content that ranks higher in search engines like Google for relevant keywords. https://www.semrush.com/blog/seo-writing/
- TikTok SEO: 5 tips to own TikTok search results: Optimize your content, account, and posts for better visibility and discoverability on TikTok. https://www.wordstream.com/blog/tiktok-seo
- AI bots – who is blocking and why? Explore the strategies of OpenAI, Google, and Apple in data scraping and blocking bots. https://moz.com/blog/block-ai-bots
NewzDash: Introducing Real-Time Search Volume!!
Get a FREE Demo and Site Analysis!
The only tool that provide search volume data for any trending news keyword over the past 24 hours. Other traditional tools provide data for past 12 months which is not useful for news publishers.
Industry News
- Gemini's big upgrade: Faster responses with 1.5 Flash, expanded access, and more: Discover the new features of Gemini, including faster responses and wider access to 1.5 Flash in the unpaid version.
https://blog.google/products/gemini/google-gemini-new-features-july-2024/
- Exclusive: Google lays out behavior code for Gemini chatbot — and its users: Get an inside look at Google's expectations for its Gemini AI assistant, including being "maximally helpful" while avoiding harmful or offensive responses.
https://www.axios.com/2024/07/25/google-gemini-chatbot-behavior-standards
- OpenAI releases ChatGPT’s hyper-realistic voice to some paying users: ChatGPT Plus users gain access to a new hyper-realistic voice feature, starting with a small group and expanding in the fall.
https://techcrunch.com/2024/07/30/openai-releases-chatgpts-super-realistic-voice-feature/
- SearchGPT Prototype: OpenAI is testing SearchGPT, a temporary prototype of new AI search features that provide fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources.
https://openai.com/index/searchgpt-prototype/
- Perplexity is cutting checks to publishers following plagiarism accusations: Time, Der Spiegel, and Fortune are among the first to benefit from Perplexity's new publisher's program.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/30/24208979/perplexity-publishers-program-ad-revenue-sharing-ai-time-fortune-der-spiegel
2024 Paris Olympics SEO Tracker - USA
Paris Olympics is here, and many nations are competing for Gold medals, but do also news publishers covering the event. Check the top news sites, SERP characteristic, videos, etc.
Introducing Our FREE SEO SERP Tracker for News Publishers! New Methodology - Beyond Keywords to Comprehensive Topic Tracking: Forget traditional keyword tracking – our new methodology analyzes the entire topic landscape, monitoring thousands of trending keywords to accurately determine news content authority in this rapidly evolving field.
NESS 2024 IS HERE!! Group Discount Pricing Available
The biggest SEO Global Conference focused on SEO and Audience Growth for News Publishers ... 800 attendees from 50+ countries.
This year marks the fourth edition of our online event that is set to take place on October 29 & 30. We managed to lock down an exceptional speaker roster quite early this year, featuring amazing people from SEO and publishing.
Important Tweets
- John Shehata: Breaking: @newzdash Analyzes Google AI Overviews Visibility in News Searches.
https://x.com/JShehata/status/1817933812879196580
- Lily Ray: Here's a fun one - today I got Forbes, Forbes India, and Forbes Africa all appearing in AIO in the US.
https://x.com/lilyraynyc/status/1818623516612460673
- Gagan Ghotra: (NEW) Google is now testing showing recent social media posts as "Latest posts from ......" carousel in Search Results.
https://x.com/gaganghotra_/status/1817940222673588325
- John Shehata: Amazon Prime Day 2024 Top Ranking Sites.
https://x.com/JShehata/status/1818291103738528141
- Glenn Gabe: Ah, when a site pumps out 1M+ urls using AI and surges like crazy in Google.
https://x.com/glenngabe/status/1818287143522865316
- Ryan Jones: Unpopular opinion: Unless you're one of the top few thousand websites on the internet, LLMs or search engines are never going to pay you for your content.
https://x.com/RyanJones/status/1818298490537099460
- John Shehata: Google's love for Twitter Carousels in trending news searches seems to be cooling off.
https://x.com/JShehata/status/1816825995195974061
- Juan González Villa: Heads up: Perplexity is introducing their Publishers Program.
https://x.com/seostrategaEN/status/1818286977252298887
NewzDash: Introducing Real-Time Search Volume!!
Get a FREE Demo and Site Analysis!
Traditional SEO tools lag with old data, NewzDash delivers real-time search volumes and rankings. Get hourly search volume estimates and rankings updated every 15 minutes with NewzDash - the only tool designed for news SEO. Try a demo today & Get your FREE Site Analysis!
News SEO Jobs
- CNN Underscored is seeking SEO Analyst
https://careers.wbd.com/global/en/job/WAMEGLOBALR000078985EXTERNALENGLOBAL/SEO-Analyst
- Resignal is looking for Senior SEO Strategist
https://resignal.com/job/senior-seo-strategist/
- Technologyadvice is looking for SEO Specialist
https://technologyadvice.com/careers/opportunities/5238617004/
- Ramp is seeking a skilled SEO Editor
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/seo-editor-contract-at-ramp-3832928369/
- SUCCESS Enterprises is currently seeking a freelance SEO Developmental Editor.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeolfqfr476bfOw7ac2Xjvg59XwAnaPyvVOubGSLjp_JgV9aA/viewform
- Fox News Digital is looking for a full-time SEO Production Assistant
https://www.foxcareers.com/Search/JobDetail/R50025911
- The Athletic is hiring a senior editor
https://jobs.lever.co/theathletic/6a2193c0-6101-4c4f-aa0e-e2b721cecc14
- The Athletic is seeking a Live Reporter
https://jobs.lever.co/theathletic/c9400b7e-bf57-41b6-ac9c-dcd620fc3496
- FairPlay Sports Media is looking for SEO Manager
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3977316281/
- Dow Jones is seeking an Audience Development Manager, Partnerships
https://dowjones.jobs/new-york-ny/manager-audience-development-partnerships/1E64333A327F4D41B5EFD1042128A1F4/job/
- Amazon is seeking an SEO Manager
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/seo-manager-about-amazon-at-amazon-3934420210/
- The Walt Disney Company is looking for SEO Manager I - Customer Engagement
https://geebo.com/jobs-online/view/id/1086418606-seo-manager-customer-engagement
- American Public Education, Inc. (APEI) is looking for Senior SEO analyst
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/senior-seo-analyst-at-american-public-education-inc-apei-3939889421/
- Fox News Digital is looking for a full-time SEO Production Assistant
https://foxcareers.com/Search/JobDetail/R50025911/digital-production-assistant-seo-fox-news-media
- Business Insider is hiring an SEO Manager
https://www.builtinnyc.com/job/seo-manager/269404
- North Star InboundSEO Content Manager
https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/3960803763/
- CMI Media Group is looking for SEO Analyst
https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=e7f4bbbeafe3bc4c
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