SEO Strategy Archives SEO Strategy

Feb 27 2024

How To Use Reverse Video Search (& Why It’s Useful) via @sejournal, @xandervalencia

If you stumble across a cool video, knowing how to conduct a reverse video search can come in handy.

You might need to find the source of a video to reference in your content and give credit where credit is due. Or, you might want to see what else the content creator has produced.

Video marketing is a huge rising trend, with 67% of marketers reporting that video has become increasingly important to their business.

Therefore, searching for videos is a standard part of the research when thinking of ideas for new content. Knowing where and how you can find great video content is a good skill to have. In combination with using video search engines, a reverse search will help you find just about any video you need.

In this guide, we’ll talk about what a reverse video search is, how it can be useful, and, most importantly, how to do a reverse video search yourself!

What Is A Reverse Video Search?

First, a word about search engines.

Search engines are widely used to find information, products, answers to questions, images, videos, and so much more.

Search engine algorithms interpret a user’s search query (i.e., “keyword”) or phrase to surface the most relevant and helpful content.

A reverse video search essentially involves conducting the same process but in reverse.

Instead of entering a query/keyword to find content, you enter the content (like a video or image) to find its source. This reveals the webpage on which the video originally resides.

How Reverse Video Search Works

The result of a reverse video search relies on a search engine’s ability to interpret the colors and pixels within a video, and then find matching (similar or identical) videos on the web.

When successful, the algorithm is able to find the original source of the video and/or any other instances of the video online.

However, this process is not always 100% accurate. Even if a single pixel in the video has changed, it might not appear in the search results.

Plus, with so many videos uploaded to the internet every day, this process also depends on the search engine’s ability to crawl and index all videos to surface them in the search results.

It is possible to do a reverse video search and not find the original video simply because it has not been indexed yet.

Why Do A Reverse Video Search?

There are a few reasons one might want to use reverse video search. Below are the most common use cases.

Find The Original Source Of A Video

Most often, a reverse video search is used to find the source of a video.

Say you find a funny or valuable video online.

You might want to know who published the video, whether other content (like a blog article) is connected to the video, or whether the owner produces similar content.

By conducting a reverse video search, in this instance, you may be able to find the original source of the content. This makes it easier to credit the original creator and source of the video.

Uncover Copyright Issues

Creators are tasked with scouring the web to make sure their original content hasn’t been ripped off by AI software or other creators.

With this in mind, people might use a reverse video search to see if anyone has copied or reproduced one of their original videos.

Reverse video search can be successful at finding entire videos, as well as clips or smaller parts of a video.

If you’re a video creator, reverse video search can help you find illegitimate uses of your content.

If you suspect copyright infringement, you can then contact the owner and ask for credit or for the video to be taken down.

Find The Full Video From A Single Clip

Perhaps you’ve come across an interesting video clip and want to find the rest of the video. A reverse video search might be able to interpret the video clip and find the full video online.

This can be helpful if the video clip is missing context or information, or if you’d like to embed the entire video in your own content.

Sometimes, video clips circulate online (usually via social media), making it difficult to find the original source.

Find Similar Or Related Content

A reverse video search can also help you discover content that’s related to the original video.

It might surface similar videos or other types of content (like articles, webpages, or blog posts) that featured the video.

Say, for example, you are doing a blog series about recycling best practices. You come across a video talking about the science of paper recycling.

Through a reverse video search, you are able to find blog articles, news stories, and infographics about paper recycling, as they all feature the original video.

Reverse video search can be a great way to find more interesting, related content.

How To Do A Reverse Video Search On Google

There are many ways to conduct a reverse video search. It often requires using the search engine directly or a third-party tool to upload the image.

Google doesn’t offer a reverse search function specific to video, so you will need to take a screenshot of the video and then use the reverse image search function.

Here’s how to do a reverse video search on Google:

Find a distinctive frame in the video (i.e., a section that seems unique from other videos and most likely to surface the same video online).
Pause the video.
Take a screenshot of the frame you wish to capture (Shift-Command-4 on Mac or Ctrl + PrtScn on Windows).
Save the screenshot.
Navigate to Google Images and select the camera icon. Use the search by image option.
Upload the screenshot.
Google Lens will return the search results for your screenshot (if available).

Screenshot of Google Images search engine, January 2024

Screenshot of Google Images results for [domestic short-haired cat], Google, January 2024

How To Do A Reverse Video Search On Bing

Like Google, Bing’s reverse video search function works best with a video screenshot.

Running a reverse video search on Bing is simple:

Take a screenshot of the video clip you want to search for.
Open Bing’s Visual Search page.
Take a photo, browse your existing image files, upload a screenshot, or paste the URL of an image or video in the search box to conduct your search.
Bing will surface results for “related content” that closely matches the image or video.

Screenshot of Microsoft Bing Visual Search engine, Bing, January 2024

Screenshot of Microsoft Bing Visual Search results for a photo of Travis Kelce, Bing, January 2024

Reverse Video Search With Berify

Berify.com is a reverse image and video search tool that matches your search to results from several search engines at once, including Google, Bing, Yandex, and others.

This may provide more complete results than using a single search engine.

Note: This freemium tool allows you to sign up for free, but it will then charge a monthly subscription fee. So, use the free version if you only need a few searches.

Here’s how to use it:

Take a screenshot of the video clip you want to search for.
Visit Berify.com.
Upload the screenshot to the search box that says “Browse” and upload the image here.
Click Search.
Berify will surface any results that match your search.

Reverse Video Search Using Shutterstock

Shutterstock hosts a massive online database of over 1 billion images and videos. It can also be used to conduct a reverse video search.

Here’s how to do a reverse video search with Shutterstock:

Take a screenshot of the video clip you want to search for.
Visit Shutterstock.com.
Navigate to the search box. Click on the “Search by image” button.
You’ll see an upload screen that says, “Search similar images.” You can drag and drop your video screenshot here. Note: You can also specify whether you’re searching for certain vectors or whether illustrations in the video are animated/computer generated.
Click the magnifying glass.
Shutterstock will surface images or videos similar to your search.

Screenshot of “Search similar images” upload screen, Shutterstock, January 2024

Reverse Video Search Using TinEye

TinEye is another “search by image” tool that allows you to find other images and videos that match your search. TinEye uses computer vision, image recognition, and reverse image search technology to surface related content.

Here’s how to do a reverse video search using TinEye:

Take a screenshot of the video clip you want to search for, or search for the video by URL.
Visit TinEye.com.
Find the search box. Click the Upload button to upload your screenshot, or simply drag and drop your image.
Click the magnifying glass.
TinEye will surface any images or videos that are similar to your search.

Reverse Video Search Using Yandex Images

Like Shutterstock, Yandex doesn’t have a specific reverse video search function. However, you can use its “Search by image” feature to find videos that match a screenshot from your chosen video.

Here’s how to do a reverse video search with Yandex Images:

Go to yandex.com/images.
Click on the small camera icon to the right of the search box.
This will open an upload screen that says “Visual search.”
If you already have a screenshot of your video saved, choose “Select file” and upload the screenshot from your computer. You can also paste an image/screenshot from your clipboard, or provide the URL to the image.
Once you’ve uploaded the image or provided the URL, click the “Search” button.
Yandex will then process the image and provide you with search results related to the uploaded image.

Screenshot of Yandex Images reverse video search of a screenshot from SEJ’s “Don’t Call it a Throwback” YouTube video, Yandex, January 2024

Reverse Video Search Made Simple

Whether you’re trying to track down the source of a funny video or find similar content to suit your interests, a reverse video search can be a helpful tool for anyone.

Google, Bing, TinEye, and other tools offer reverse video search features that simplify finding a video’s origins.

Remember, reverse video search can help you find duplicate content, which could help you protect your digital assets.

It can help you find the original publisher of a video so you can give credit where it’s due.

Video is an excellent addition to your marketing campaigns, web content, social media strategy, and more.

Use reverse video search to make finding, sourcing, and attributing videos more accessible than ever.

More resources:

Featured Image: Overearth/Shutterstock

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Feb 26 2024

An SEO Expert’s Playbook To Optimizing Websites For E-E-A-T via @sejournal, @fiverr

This post was sponsored by Fiverr Pro. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.

It’s been over a year since Google added “experience” to its search quality rater E-A-T guidelines, transforming it into E-E-A-T.

However, many websites still struggle to establish a digital presence that follows these rules.

While most assume that optimizing for E-E-A-T is as simple as adding an author bio on their website, that’s not true.

Let’s look at what E-E-A-T entails and what SEO experts say about meeting these requirements.

A Quick Recap Of E-E-A-T & Its Relevance In 2024

Every year, Google releases an algorithm update to improve its algorithm’s capabilities in surfacing good content.

The most recent algorithm update was in December 2022, where Google’s search quality rater guidelines were modified to reflect the following:

Experience (E): Indicates whether the author and website owner have the real-life experience to offer advice or commentary on a topic.
Expertise (E): Indicates if the author has the necessary education, credentials, or market presence to speak on the topic.
Authority (A): Assessment of the author’s and website’s authoritativeness – usually measured through industry-wide recognition, backlink quality, and signals of reputation (awards, citations, recommendations).
Trustworthiness (T): Indicates if you offer a trustworthy website experience to your users. It combines the E-E-A part of the equation with the end-user experience to determine quality.

Image from Fiverr Pro, January 2024

Trustworthiness is considered the horizontal bar that nests the other elements.

Taylor Scher, an SEO consultant, explains that people take the T element too seriously – creating a contradictory effect.

“It’s a tale as old as time in SEO, but you shouldn’t hurt your website’s UX in favor of SEO.

E-E-A-T is based around page experience and displaying trustworthiness anyway, so it’s a mistake to go in with the mindset of improving it and not thinking about how to do all this while providing a better experience to your readers/website visitors.”

Let’s say you’re offering advice on YMYL topics (Your Money or Your Life) like “How to treat cold at home.”

From an on-page SEO standpoint, you might have an author bio and a high domain rating.

However, from a technical SEO and user experience standpoint, the lack of SSH encryption on the website could create a subpar experience. Users might think it’s a duplicate of another medical website.

It’s a combination of these four elements that enable your success. This is why even non-YMYL sites have to up their game to stay relevant in the SERPs.

An SEO Expert’s Playbook To Optimizing Websites For E-E-A-T

Image created by Fiverr Pro, February 2024

7 Strategies For Optimizing Websites For E-E-A-T

Optimizing for E-E-A-T requires a complete audit of technical SEO and other tactics.

Here’s what you need to optimize:

1. Create An Author Bio & Editor Schema For Each Article

A well-written author bio does two things:

Shows personal experience.
Establishes the author’s expertise.

Think about it this way. Would you like to go to a finance website and see if it’s written by the company’s team or a PhD in Corporate Finance?

That said, your authors don’t need a PhD, but rather a modicum of success in the industry.

How To Create An Authoritative Author Bio

Showcase your author’s credibility by adding their:

Years of experience.
Areas of focus.
Education (if applicable).
Professional accomplishments.
Social media/website links.

Add schema markup for editors and reviewers, even in non-YMYL industries like SaaS and renewable energy.

It goes a long way in showing the editorial integrity of your brand.

It also sends trust signals to Google’s quality raters, even though author bylines are not a ranking factor.

Pro Tip: Hire experienced freelance SEO experts to build this in your CMS’s backend.

2. Don’t Forget To State The Obvious

“Wirecutter does an incredible job at stating the obvious: each of their product reviews typically begins with a short paragraph describing the lengths they went to to produce the review,” says Jamie Sutton, Marketing Lead at HeadshotPro.

In Wirecutter’s example, they explain how they tested each one and their differences.

They also cite their sources for each interview and bedding example, adding trust in the product.

Screenshot from Wirecutter, January 2024

Similarly, you can explain your review process, criteria for data selection, or expert invitation.

3. Source Expertise To Improve Your Reputation

Internal expertise is not always easy to come by. That doesn’t mean you can’t look beyond your own company.

This is especially true if you’re a newer brand still working on improving your E-E-A-T.

Collaborate with industry experts and ask them to contribute when possible.

Here’s how you can do that:

Send quote requests via HARO, Help a B2B Writer, Qwoted, etc.
Participate in LinkedIn or Facebook groups.
Invite thought leaders for an interview.
Ask subject matter experts to contribute a guest post.
Source insights from podcasts or webinars (with attribution).

Alternatively, you can pitch your brand and internal experts to get featured.

4. Write High-Quality Content With Attribution

Content lies at the center of it all.

The better the content quality, the better your reputation (with users and search raters).

Even Google has published clear-cut guidelines around this:

“People-first content means content created primarily for people, not to manipulate search engine rankings. We recommend that you focus on creating people-first content to be successful with Google Search rather than search engine-first content made primarily to gain search engine rankings. (Google)”

So, create helpful content that has depth – not breadth.

With artificial intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT raising the bar for the bare minimum, you need to go above and beyond with your content.

Here are a few best practices to keep in mind:

Stick to core topics relevant to your business.
Collaborate with other experts or companies.
Develop topic clusters that indicate your authority.
Avoid surface-level insights that even SGE can provide.
Distribute content on other channels to provide external signals.
Conduct regular content audits to identify gaps & refreshing opportunities.

Google’s algorithm prefers fresh content — published recently.

Screenshot from search for [productivity management], January 2024

Additionally, cite your sources. Google’s algorithm monitors inbound and outbound links. So, cite and link to high-authority websites in your industry.

For instance, Medical News Today cites scientific journals like The Lancet in every piece.

Image from Fiverr Pro, January 2024

5. Build Backlinks From Relevant Websites

It’s 2024, and backlinks are still relevant.

A Backlinko study analyzed 11.8 million search results and found that top-ranking web pages have more backlinks than lower-ranking ones.

But there are two things to remember:

The number of referring domains.
Backlink quality.

The links should come from relevant websites. For instance, ecommerce fashion websites should get links from fashion and clothing publications.

Also, create valuable content that acts as link magnets.

Anurag Surya, SEO specialist at Freshworks, explains that he uses research articles to do this.

“I’d invest in creating industry-research articles that’ll have metrics based on primary research. No other websites would have these numbers, which means anyone searching for them would visit my page and hopefully link to it.”

So, build links, but build them strategically.

Pro Tip: Work with experienced link builders who can identify such opportunities for your brand.

Image from Fiverr Pro, January 2024

6. Focus On Your Online Brand Reputation

Audit your brand’s presence online.

Survey your customers, monitor incoming reviews, and observe public forums. These are common sources for getting feedback and understanding how people view your brand.

You can also use tools like UserTesting or Maze to determine if users actually consider your site trustworthy. Display social proof to appear credible in the eyes of users.

Add social proof not just from users but industry publications too.

Also, respond to good and bad reviews pleasantly. It’ll improve brand perception over time.

Ultimately, the better the brand perception, the better your overall authority.

7. Attract & Use More User-Generated Content (UGC)

User-generated content is an excellent way to increase your website’s E-E-A-T.

Why? Because an unsolicited or unpaid review does the heavy lifting for your brand’s perception.

Examples of UGC include:

Case studies.
Forum posts.
Public comments.
Ratings & reviews.
Videos on social media.
Personal blog posts.

Google’s crawlers can access social sites like Reddit and Quora. Make sure your reputation has a positive feel to it.

It gives you much-needed social proof and tells Google your site is a trusted resource.

Image from Fiverr Pro, January 2024

It’s Your Time To Become Relevant

Optimizing your website for E-E-A-T requires a strategic approach.

The process can be a massive undertaking, but it doesn’t have to be. Consider outsourcing your operations to SEO experts who monitor these changes and adapt to secure their search rankings.

Ultimately, it’s a strategic decision that brings you one step closer to improving your website’s E-E-A-T.

Explore Fiverr Pro

Image Credits

Featured Image: Image by Fiverr Pro. Used with permission.

In-Post Images: Images sourced by Fiverr Pro. Used with Permission

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Feb 21 2024

Top 3 SEO Checklists For On-Page & Technical SEO In 2024 via @sejournal, @WixStudio

This post was sponsored by Wix. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.

In the last 18 months, conversations about SEO have been dominated by artificial intelligence.

New ways of working and new user journeys for search visitors have come to the forefront.

In 2024, we can clearly see that there’s a great mix of “old hat” and “new hat” SEO best practices that you can start implementing right now.

To help you keep up with the current SEO best practices, we’ve created a series of:

Why Use SEO Checklists?

Doing SEO is often a bit like conducting a symphony.

There are lots of SEO activities, big and small, taking place across each website, and each SEO task, whether it be on-page or technical, contributes to the larger success of your website.

Just as a conductor has their sheet music, the best consultants and agencies use SEO checklists, templates, cheat sheets, and other project management documents to make sure everything is on track.

The medium of the SEO checklist has evolved from being as simple as a few items scribbled on the back of an envelope to something as complex as a dynamically generated interface within your CMS, offering AI functionality and integration with your favorite tools.

This versatility means that they can be reworked to suit most requirements.

In the sake of versatility, here are three, high-level types of SEO checklists that can help you elevate your brand’s website.

1. SEO Checklists On Shared Documents

If you’ve been in the industry for a while, you’re probably familiar with using a spreadsheet to keep track of SEO progress.

Now, we’re living in the fast lane, with the ability to leverage shared SEO. Easily transferrable, this can be as complex or simple as required.

Image created by Wix, February 2024

2. Dynamic, Real-Time SEO Checklists

Fast forward to a next-generation SEO checklist: The Dynamic SEO Checklist.

A dynamic SEO checklist responds to updates in content in real-time.

This means that anytime a change is made to your website, you get a series of next steps to execute to make your content rank.

Examples Of Real-Time SEO Checklists

Site-level SEO Assistant is one new example of a real-time checklist.

This type of checklist is built directly into your CMS and includes entry points and integrations that allow users to complete tasks in the list.

From setting indexability to connecting to Google Search Console, you can complete important tasks from within the list itself.

With intelligent recommendations and the ability to skip tasks as necessary, this kind of checklist works in tandem with your website.

Built-in functionality like this can help you save time and get the most out of a CMS.

Top 3 SEO Checklists For On-Page & Technical SEO In 2024

Experience created by Wix, Feburary 2024

3. AI-Powered SEO Checklists

With the assistance of AI, you can get a dynamically generated checklist to help you execute your SEO workload.

Plus, this type of list can also help you carry out within the list itself, simply by using AI inputs.

For instance, the checklist in the Wix SEO Assistant uses a keyword prompt to create AI meta descriptions and title tags for a page.

Once these are generated, you can add and tick them off your list, right in the CMS.

Experience created by Wix, February 2024

Looking at user data, we see that the addition of AI to a checklist can increase usability significantly.

How To Properly Use An SEO Checklist For Success

If you aren’t already using an SEO checklist to manage your workload, we urge you to try any of the above styles of checklist.

Increase Your Agency’s Profitability

If you’re an agency owner or account manager, checklists are particularly efficient because they can be reused and adapted for each client.

This can save time on research and development (R&D) and become part of the corpus of resources you make available to clients and staff.

Checklists for SEO tasks can also assist with more efficient onboarding for new clients and projects, and help you expand your offering and improve client satisfaction.

When managing clients, tools like the Wix Studio Client Kit mean that account managers can upload client checklists, templates, and even video tutorials directly into the dashboard of the CMS.

This means that materials for client success are accessible to everyone working on the site, at all times.

Image created by Wix, February 2024

If you’re managing SEO teams, creating frameworks for SEO account management can help you gain and retain clients for the long term.

Joshua George, founder of Clickslice Agency explains that he developed his SEO project proposal template “after testing 20 different variants of proposals,” but once he “finally found one which converts the best,” he was able to get better results from client pitches.

Similarly, freelance SEO, Nick LeRoy, developed a client retention checklist to manage touch points and habits that build client trust.

Image created by Wix, February 2024

Better efficiency for SEO agencies and freelancers means more opportunities to deliver high-value outcomes and increase profitability – a checklist can be an important part of that process.

Make Knowledge More Accessible Across Your Team

Templates and checklists are also a highly accessible way to hand off to juniors and even clients easily.

As well as being designed to help your team accomplish goals, checklists can also serve as a knowledge base to help your team grow. This approach can help you get drive visibility on the SERP.

Image created by Wix, February 2024

Founder of AS Marketing agency, Adriana Stein, explains that she uses a blog writing template because, “when you use a particular structure, provide helpful information, as well as follow SEO best practices, that gives your content the best possible chance to rank, drive organic traffic, and when scaled out, drive conversions.”With live collaborative documents, teams can adapt lists to changing requirements and ensure that the knowledge base of the team continues to grow, even if account managers change roles.

Improve Quality Assurance

It is often assumed that it is beginner-level SEO specialists who use checklists, but this is not exactly the case.

For more seasoned SEOs, checklists often serve as a means of maintaining the quality of implementation when working with multiple teams and stakeholders. Experienced SEO professionals create checklists to ensure consistency of delivery when handing off day-to-day tasks to other members of their teams.

Ashwin Balakrishnan, Head of Marketing at Optmyzr, explains that for tasks like backlink tracking, he creates templated documents to reduce errors and ensure a consistent level of implementation.

Balakrishnan says that, “transferring knowledge and experience to junior SEOs (especially teammates) goes a lot smoother for everyone when you use checklists and templates. It gives newer SEOs confidence and frameworks to work off, and it allows more seasoned practitioners to review work faster and avoid giving arbitrary feedback.”

This can free up time for senior SEOs to pursue more complex SEO, billable tasks.

So rather than dying a death, the humble SEO checklist has evolved.

What’s Next For SEO Checklists?

Given the wealth of data sets, data feeds, automation, and AI tools available to marketers, the active integration of AI into SEO should only continue. But as well as being able to generate inputs, we are likely to see data-driven, AI-crafted guidance from checklists become more common.

Those who use checklists in the format of Google Sheets and MS Excel will benefit from generative native apps and enhancements in the AI workspace race. Being able to harness scripts, feeds, and add-ons is nothing new, but AI offers new scalability for task completion, offering new opportunities for growth but the value of the SEO checklist is alive and well in 2024.

Download checklists, templates, and toolkits to develop smoother SEO processes and ramp up productivity—on any project.

Wix SEO Resource Center

Image Credits

Featured Image: Image by Wix. Used with permission.

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Feb 7 2024

2024 SEO Outlook: Priorities, Challenges & Growth Strategies via @sejournal, @hethr_campbell

The search industry is always throwing a new curveball your way – and recently, the world of SEO saw many major shifts, from AI to SGE.

So how do you respond to the disruptions caused by technology advancements and algorithm changes?

How can you adapt your strategy to not just keep up with the latest trends, but stay steps ahead?

Join us on February 21 for an exclusive webinar with Conductor, where we’ll explore the seismic shifts, emerging trends, and imminent challenges shaping SEO in 2024.

Shannon Vize, Conductor’s Sr. Content Marketing Manager, and Ryan Maloney, Conductor’s SEO Success Manager will share exclusive survey data from today’s top SEOs and digital marketers to help you navigate search in the era of AI.

3 key takeaways from this webinar:

Top SEO priorities and challenges of 2023 and what’s changed for 2024.
The role of AI in SEO – anticipated disruption of SGE and AI overall, plus SGE-specific SEO priorities.
Winning SEO resourcing strategies and reporting insights to fuel success.

In this live session, you’ll discover:

The State of SEO in 2023: Learn about the most significant transformations in SEO last year and what they mean for your strategy. Take a retrospective dive into the biggest trends that impacted SEO pros in 2023, what worked for them, what didn’t, and the lessons that set the stage for the year ahead.

Shifting Priorities in SEO for 2024: This dynamic digital realm demands adaptability, and what worked yesterday might not be what drives results for your business in 2024. We’ll cover what it takes to stay relevant this year, from content strategies to user experience, and beyond.

SEO Responses to Generative AI Disruptions: Generative AI advancements, like Google’s SGE, have reshaped the search landscape, influencing how content is created, discovered, and ranked. We’ll be uncovering new tactics to help you harness the benefits of generative AI and mitigate potential pitfalls.

The Role of AI in SEO Overall: Explore how SEO professionals are integrating AI into their workflows, leveraging machine learning algorithms for enhanced insights, and redefining the boundaries of what’s achievable in the search landscape.

Are you ready to start charting your course for SEO success this year?

We’re sharing new expert insights to inform your strategy and put you ahead of the curve. Don’t miss out!

Plus, if you stick around for the live Q&A session, you’ll get a chance to ask your most burning SEO questions and get expert answers on the spot.

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments

Jan 18 2024

2024 SEO Success Guide: Tools & Tactics To Refresh Your Strategy & Boost Performance via @sejournal, @ahrefs

This post was sponsored by Ahrefs. The opinions expressed in this article are the sponsor’s own.

With generative AI and constant Google algorithm changes, how can you shift your strategy quickly enough to keep up?

How do you stay on top of the latest SEO trends, while maximizing your site performance?

2023 has forced SEO professionals to begin finding new ways to adapt their approach to SEO success in 2024.

The rise of AI technology is becoming a strong force in shaping search algorithms and user experiences.

Meanwhile, Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) is shaking things up and altering the dynamics of online discovery by influencing how search engines interpret and deliver information.

So, if you’re looking to not simply survive but thrive amidst these seismic changes, a strategic pivot is imperative.

The key to success in today’s world of SEO is standing out and boosting your online presence.

In this guide, we’ll not only uncover strategies to help you increase your search discoverability, but we’ll also introduce the tools you need to implement them effectively.

Some of the most significant improvements you can start making in 2024 include:

Knowing how and when to leverage AI tools.
Mastering technical SEO and website optimization.
Executing and measuring your SEO more efficiently.

Let’s dive into how these key strategy tweaks can completely transform your SEO this year and get you on track for higher SERP rankings and better performance.

How & When To Leverage AI Tools For SEO

Everyone’s talking about how to best harness the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in 2024.

But if there’s one thing you should take away from the AI conversation, it’s this: AI is not a human replacement.

Think of it more so as a formidable ally that exists to amplify the capabilities of human expertise.

Utilizing AI in 2024 is about striking the perfect balance and finding the synergy between human ingenuity and AI advancements.

Rather than relying solely on AI technology, find ways to use it to enhance your results.

For instance, if you’re a content marketer looking to streamline your process, AI could assist by offering insights, recommendations, and data-driven strategies to elevate the quality and relevance of your content.

What To Use AI Tools For In Content Marketing & SEO

With Ahrefs’ free AI-powered writing tools, you can:

Input your rough ideas and get an organized, well-structured outline in minutes.
Improve the quality, clarity, and readability of a sentence or paragraph with an instant content refresh.
Generate optimized meta titles for better search engine visibility.
Craft informative, SEO-friendly meta descriptions for your articles quickly and easily.
Simplify and summarize your content with precision.
Brainstorm variations of ready-to-use, SEO-friendly blog post ideas to drive more traffic to your blog.
Generate descriptive alt text for your images to improve accessibility and SEO without a hassle.
Get inspiration for your next piece of content by generating a variety of creative ideas.
And more!

Not only can AI help you save time while crafting compelling copy, but it can also automate keyword research processes.

If you’re familiar with Ahrefs’ Keywords Explorer tool, you’ll be pleased to know that they recently launched a new AI assistant to generate keyword suggestions effortlessly.

With this new update, you can get AI keyword suggestions directly within the platform, without needing to go back and forth with ChatGPT when doing your keyword research.

Stay ahead of the curve and start leveraging AI to your advantage with Ahrefs.

How To Master Website Optimization & Technical SEO

A well-optimized and technically sound website acts as a sturdy foundation, insulating you from the impact of ruthless core updates that search engines may roll out.

With search algorithms becoming increasingly sophisticated, seamless user experience, fast loading times, and adherence to Core Web Vitals have become critical factors in SEO success.

By mastering technical SEO and keeping your site in top-notch condition, you’re not just offering a seamless user experience but also signaling to search engines that your content is reliable and trustworthy.

This proactive approach helps to ensure your site remains visible and valuable amidst ever-evolving ranking criteria.

With Ahrefs’ Site Audit tool, you can run a thorough SEO audit to uncover your website’s technical and on-page SEO issues, and find out exactly what’s holding your website back.

Plus, the platform recently added some exciting new features to enhance your analysis efforts.

Here are some key updates you should know about:

Core Web Vital (CWV) metrics: Filter your pages by various CWV data points during website recrawls. Visualize CrUX and Lighthouse scores, historical changes, and individual metric performance in the Performance report.
Google Data Studio integration: Build personalized reports by blending data from different sources and visualizing everything in the form of reports and dashboards.
Search by HTML code and page text: Easily search for specific elements extracted during a crawl, such as Google Analytics IDs or “out of stock” labels.
List of issues for a particular URL: Addressing an issue on a specific URL is streamlined with a dedicated tab showcasing all related issues, allowing comprehensive fixes.
Links Report in Site Audit Issues: Navigate issues more effectively with an additional links report tab, facilitating in-depth analysis at the links level. For instance, browse and export links related to 404 pages for a thorough understanding.

Easy Way: Use An SEO Plugin To Help Optimize Your Content

Ahrefs also launched a WordPress SEO plugin to further assist in your optimization efforts.

With this new plugin, you can automate content audits and see how each article performs for a chosen target keyword.

The tool also provides recommendations on how you can improve the article for better results.

Here are a few key capabilities:

You can import “focus keywords” for each article from Yoast, RankMath, and AIOSEO.
Smoother audit progress that shows real-time audit completion percentages.
Export to CSV all metrics for all analyzed articles or only articles with selected performance status.

Ready to get your site in tip-top shape for the year ahead? Check out Ahrefs’ latest offerings today.

How To Execute & Measure Your SEO KPIs More Efficiently

Keeping your website up-to-date with SEO trends is important – but the buck doesn’t stop there.

Staying competitive requires you to keep a vigilant eye on your rival sites as well, dissecting their strategies, and adapting your own accordingly.

Success in SEO isn’t just about visibility; it’s about outperforming your peers.

Reassessing the metrics that matter most and recalibrating your strategy based on real-time insights are the secrets to staying ahead of the curve.

In this evolving landscape, the ability to execute with precision and measure impact accurately will be the key to unlocking sustained SEO success.

You can start by knowing how to spot SERP changes effectively.

For example, with Ahrefs’ historical SERP checker tool, you can go back in time and see what the SERP looked like for any given query in their index.

And if you already use Ahrefs Site Explorer tool, you’ll love the recent updates they’ve made to their overview report.

Not only does it load noticeably faster than the previous version, but you get access to the following new features:

New history chart.
Comparison mode.
Paid traffic data.
Year-over-year mode.
Google algorithm updates.
Calendar report.
Site structure report.

Visit Ahrefs to learn more.

Start Ranking Higher & Maximizing Opportunities With Ahrefs Now

In the rapidly evolving SEO landscape, Ahrefs emerges as a strategic ally, providing the tools you need to not only stay afloat but rise to new heights.

From leveraging AI tools intelligently to mastering technical SEO and executing with precision, we’ve dissected the key strategies that will redefine your SEO in 2024 and beyond.

It’s time to embrace change and elevate your search performance.

Start your journey to sustained SEO success with Ahrefs’ vast array of tools and exciting new features.

With their updated usage-based pricing model, you can access the features you need most. Try it today!

TRY IT NOW

Image Credits

Featured Image: Image by Ahrefs. Used with permission.

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments

Dec 31 2023

Beyond SEO: John Mueller On AI-Generated Images & Stock Photography via @sejournal, @kristileilani

John Mueller, Google Search Advocate, recently shared his “shower” thoughts on the use of AI-generated images on websites versus stock photography.

His discussion opened up an intriguing debate on how users perceive images created with generative AI tools like DALL·E, especially in contexts that are not primarily focused on art or AI.

The post included a disclaimer it is not meant to serve as SEO advice or foreshadowing of an upcoming Google search update.

AI-Generated Images Vs. Stock Photography

Mueller begins by distinguishing between situations where a specific photograph is necessary and those where imagery serves as mere decoration.

He argues that in some circumstances, like a suitcase a website aims to sell, authentic photographs are essential.

While real photos might undergo digital enhancements or editing, the foundation of product photography must be rooted in reality to provide consumers with an accurate representation of a future investment.

On the other hand, Mueller points out that for general content embellishment, there is little difference between using stock photography and AI-generated images.

Both types of imagery can enhance the aesthetic appeal of a website, making the content more engaging and enjoyable for the reader.

This distinction underlines that the decision to use real photos versus AI-generated images largely depends on the specific needs and goals of the website content.

The Value Of Images For User Experience

Mueller also touches upon the relevance of the subject matter of the website.

He suggests that for certain topics, audiences expect real images, while for others, the distinction between real and AI-generated images may be negligible.

This expectation ties into search engine optimization (SEO), as Mueller hypothesizes that users are more inclined to search visually for topics where real images are valued.

Further, Mueller offers practical advice for website owners considering the use of AI-generated images.

He encourages them to reflect on whether they would typically use stock photography in the same context. This approach can help in making an informed decision about the appropriateness of AI-generated images for their website.

Quality Standards Of AI-Generated Images

Mueller also cautions about the ease and temptation of using AI-generated images as a time and cost-saving measure.

He notes that taking a quick photo with a phone could be considered as creating ‘stock photography,’ but this might not meet the professional standards expected on a business website.

He emphasizes that quality and professionalism often require time and experience.

AI Images, AR Models, And Consumer Trust

Throughout the comments, Mueller answered questions about images, AI, and SEO. Here are some of the best responses.

Should you add rel=nofollow for an image credit link?

“Links are fine. No need to use rel=nofollow if they’re normal links.”

AR For 3D Modeling

Mueller expressed a desire for augmented reality (AR) support in online product displays, emphasizing the value of using 3D models.

“Seeing a photo is a good start, trying it out in my own space is so much better.”

He also differentiated between 3D-rendered images based on actual building plans and fully AI-generated images, likening the latter to decorative blog post imagery.

Decorative Images & Real Product Photography

Regarding conceptual illustrations, Mueller noted that decorative images indicated the level of effort put into the content, enhancing user trust.

However, he criticizes the use of AI images for product photos, comparing it to low-quality imported product sites where photoshopped images often lead to unrealistic representations.

“…if you have the product, why not get real photos, and if you don’t have the product, you wouldn’t be able to confirm that the image is ok.”

AI-Generated Images As ‘Low-Effort’ Content

Considering that creative visualizations and real product photos are considered indicators of high-quality content, it’s no surprise that some uses of AI-generated images could be considered the opposite.

Mueller also offered another perspective: if real images represent an original source of content, AI images could represent scraped content.

“If I noticed a recipe site were using AI-generated images, I’d assume all of the content is scraped spam and just go somewhere else.”

AI Content Decreases Consumer Trust

When visitors discover content has been “faked,” it could harm their trust in anything else on the website. Mueller suggested that even an obvious “team” stock photo was less deceptive than one created by AI.

He acknowledged the value of good stock photography over a unique smartphone photo and how the latter did not equal professional-quality content.

But he is also aware that the lines are blurred more now that companies like Getty and Shutterstock have launched AI tools trained on licensed stock photography.

Conclusion

The discussion on Mueller’s LinkedIn post is particularly relevant, highlighting the evolving role of AI tools in content creation and its impact on user experience and SEO.

As marketers continually adapt to new technologies, understanding these nuances is crucial for effective digital marketing strategies. It prompts us to consider the authenticity of our visual content and its alignment with our audience’s expectations.

It’s essential to strike a balance between authenticity, professionalism, and the practical benefits of AI-generated images, keeping in mind the nature of the content and audience expectations.

Featured image: Thongden Studio/Shutterstock

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments

Dec 31 2023

John Mueller On Keyword Domain Names And Branding For SEO via @sejournal, @kristileilani

In a recent discussion on Reddit, a user inquired about the advantages of using keyword domain names for SEO to improve visibility for a specific phrase.

The user shared an example of utilizing a domain like “swimsuits.com” for selling swimsuits, a keyword with over 10,000 monthly searches in their country.

John Mueller, Google’s Search Advocate, offered a response that should help marketers decide on the best approach for SEO.

Are Keywords In Domain Names A Ranking Factor?

The big question: do relevant keywords in a domain name offer additional advantages in Google Search?

Mueller’s response was direct and insightful. He advised against relying on keywords in domain names for long-term SEO strategy.

“A keyword domain name is not going to give you any recognizable SEO advantage on Google.”

keyword domain names google search rankings seo value

Screenshot from r/SEO, December 2023

The introductory if – “If you’re planning on using this [domain] for the long run” – suggests the advice does not apply to all website owners and that there could be short-term value in keyword-based domain names.

Omnichannel Brand Recognition & Versatility

For those with long-term marketing goals, domain names focused on a specific keyword or phrase could become a hindrance.

According to Mueller, such domain names can also be restrictive for targeting other keywords, making it difficult to diversify product or service offerings on the same website.

Mueller’s advice sheds light on the evolving nature of omnichannel marketing marketing. It highlights the importance of building a strong, recognizable brand for search and other platforms to connect with customers.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Mueller’s insights are valuable for marketing and SEO professionals polishing up their strategy for 2024. It encourages a shift in focus from relying on keywords to developing a comprehensive, brand-focused online presence.

This strategy aligns with the current SEO trends, where brand recognition and quality content play a significant role in achieving SEO success.

Featured image: Linaimages/Shutterstock

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Content Strategy SEO Strategy

Dec 25 2023

Why Brands Should Prioritize Bottom Of Funnel Keywords In SEO (Festive Flashback)

Celebrate the Holidays with some of SEJ’s best articles of 2023.

Our Festive Flashback series runs from December 21 – January 5, featuring daily reads on significant events, fundamentals, actionable strategies, and thought leader opinions.

2023 has been quite eventful in the SEO industry and our contributors produced some outstanding articles to keep pace and reflect these changes.

Catch up on the best reads of 2023 to give you plenty to reflect on as you move into 2024.

The concept of search intent and the recommendation that marketers pay close attention to it when targeting organic keywords is well established in SEO.

But while a lot of SEO writing has described search intent (for example, these two excellent articles on SEJ on creating content that satisfies search intent and understanding how people search), most stop short of clearly prescribing how brands should prioritize keywords.

Specifically, most discussions of search intent state the fact that search queries range from informational (people looking to learn about a topic), to comparative (people comparing solutions to their problem), to transactional (people looking to buy).

This is often visualized as a marketing funnel.

But regarding recommendations on how to use search intent to your advantage in SEO, the most common advice is to ensure you have a variety of content to “cover” the full spectrum of search intent; have some informational, some mid-funnel, and some transactional content.

We disagree.

Specifically, we’ve found in working with dozens of brands over many years in creating SEO-focused content that the vast majority of companies should not create an even spread of content across the funnel, but rather prioritize bottom of funnel content and slowly work their way up.

Why?

Because SEO resources are finite and bottom of funnel content (e.g., search queries with “transactional” search intent) generates tremendously more return on investment (ROI) on SEO spend than everything else.

In this article, we’ll explain our reasoning and share data supporting this thesis.

SEO Resources Are Finite: You Can’t Target All Keywords Well

The general recommendation that you should “make sure you have content for all stages of the funnel” (aka all search intents) would be fine if companies had infinite SEO resources – meaning unlimited writers to produce content, unlimited SEO strategists to pick keywords and do SERP analysis, and unlimited budget for link building.

But no brand has this.

Even the idea of AI-assisted writing making producing massive amounts of content easier doesn’t negate this fact.

Sure, AI tools can produce thousands of pieces in a fraction of the time it would take a human, but that doesn’t mean they will all rank or be good enough to impress prospective customers and convert.

If a bunch of sites are all producing similar AI-assisted content to target the same keywords, Google will have to differentiate somehow to decide who to rank – and two safe bets in how it will make this decision are content quality and backlinks.

In terms of content quality, it’s quite likely that the best pieces for a given keyword will be the ones with the most originality and specific personal expertise, traits that Google has clearly stated it prefers and which require human input.

And backlinks have been a known ranking factor forever in SEO. In a world where many sites produce similar AI-produced pieces targeting the same keywords, it’s safe to assume it will be just as, if not more, important.

So regardless of how content is produced, SEO resources for everyone are finite. There are a finite number of employee hours, a finite number of writing budgets (regardless of if writers use AI), and a finite link building budget.

That means you have to prioritize the keywords you will target.

And the most logical way to prioritize is to focus SEO efforts on whatever will generate the most ROI (that is, leads and sales attributable to SEO).

In our experience, that is bottom of funnel, transactional, keywords.

Bottom Of Funnel Keywords Convert Significantly More Than Everything Else

To conclude, as we have, that bottom of funnel content converts significantly more than any other type of content, the first step is to actually measure and track conversions from SEO.

This sounds obvious, but the reality is that most SEO and content teams don’t do this; they just assume the more traffic, the better, and their entire strategy is focused on growing traffic.

You can measure conversion from SEO in different ways via different analytics tools, but in general, the process will require the following steps:

Define a conversion. This is typically a lead form fill or trial start for SaaS or sales-based businesses, or an actual transaction for ecommerce businesses.
Create a goal in your analytics platform to measure this conversion event.
Generate reports of which landing pages on your site resulted in how many conversions. This can be done via different attribution models like first or last click, depending on the analytics platform, but any data here is better than no data.

When you do this, you’ll inevitably find what we have found over 5+ years, dozens of brands, and hundreds of SEO pieces.

Specifically, pages on your site that rank for bottom of funnel keywords convert at multiple single digit percent (1% – 5%), whereas pages that rank for top of funnel, informational keywords typically convert at a fraction of a percent (0.01% – 0.5%).

In other words, the difference in conversion rate between bottom and top of funnel keywords is not 10%, 20%, or even 50% – it’s multiple fold.

This is exemplified in this data across 60+ content pieces for a software client of ours, where the content ranking for bottom of funnel queries converted on average at 25X higher than articles that targeted mid to top of funnel queries.

Image created by author, June 2023

Bottom of funnel posts had a 4.78% conversion rate versus 0.19% for top of funnel posts. Based on 60+ posts for a client.

Even after accounting for top of funnel pieces getting more traffic, the raw conversions from just 20 bottom of funnel pieces were 3 times more than those from 40 top of funnel pieces:

Image created by author, June 2023

20 bottom of funnel posts generated 1348 conversions while 40 top of funnel posts generated 397 conversions.

To emphasize, the 1350 conversions from BOTF content above are from only 22 pieces, whereas the 400 conversions from TOF are from 42 articles.

In addition, we should mention the articles we labeled as “top of funnel” in this study still had some buying intent. We went after them only after exhausting most bottom of funnel keywords and chose the keywords strategically to ensure they still had some chance of a conversion.

In that respect it’s fair even to call them “mid-funnel.” For many companies, the majority of their content and SEO efforts are directed exclusively at top of funnel keywords that will convert to leads or sales at or below the conversion rates above.

That’s a tragic waste of SEO efforts, in our minds.

Why Are Informational, Top Of Funnel Keywords So Low Converting?

The argument for chasing top of funnel keywords is typically that their search volumes are high.

So, the story goes, you can get your brand in front of a large number of people who, at some point in the future, are likely to need a product or service like yours.

But as the data above shows, and our collective experience confirms, it requires so many steps to get to a conversion from top of funnel traffic that the conversion rates are minuscule.

Specifically, the journey from someone Googling a top of funnel informational query to becoming a customer is:

They Google the query.
They click into your results.
They read the article.
Some fraction of these users either return to your site on pure memory or give their email to download a white paper or gated resource.
Some fraction of those users open subsequent drip emails.
Then at some point, some fraction of those users will need your product or service and reach out.

Each of these steps has a small conversion rate, so in combination, the entire journey has an absolutely minuscule conversion rate.

So much so that, as per the data above, a possibly higher search volume of these top of funnel queries compared to transactional queries does not make up for the tiny conversion rates.

There Are More Bottom Of Funnel Keywords Than You Think

So if you buy into this notion that targeting bottom of the funnel keywords is a better use of finite SEO resources than evenly spreading SEO content across the full spectrum of search intent, the next important question to tackle is: “Which keywords in my space are bottom of the funnel are high converting and how many of them are there?”

We’ve noticed that many SEO pros and marketers have a limited view of which keywords are bottom of funnel – that is, have some level of transaction or buying intent.

In our experience, there are three common buckets of bottom of funnel keywords, only the first of which is commonly considered as bottom of funnel.

1. Category Keywords

If we use a hypothetical business that we’re all familiar with, SEO software, the obvious transactional keywords are things like “SEO software” or “best SEO tools.”

Yes, those are very high-converting bottom of the funnel or transactional keywords that any SEO software brand should absolutely target.

In our framework for BOTF SEO, called Pain Point SEO, we call these “category keywords” since they involve the user literally Googling the name of the product or service category.

Most SEO and marketing teams are aware of these keywords and do target them, usually with the homepage or one or two landing pages.

But what we’ve found is that many teams consider this to be the entirety of bottom of funnel or transactional keywords. They target a few category keywords and spend the rest of their time creating blog content to rank for top of funnel search terms.

But there are actually a lot of other high-converting search terms that we notice most brands don’t think about and ignore in favor of producing content to go after extremely low converting top of funnel keywords.

2. Comparison Keywords

Specifically, another extremely high-converting category of keywords is what we call comparison keywords.

These are keywords that show the searcher is comparing multiple options, such as “salesforce vs pipedrive” or “adidas vs nike womens running shoes.”

Many discussions of search intent categorize this as a mid-funnel query because, they say, the searcher may not be ready to make a transaction but is simply doing product research.

But in our measurements of conversion rates of hundreds of pages ranking for comparison keywords, they often convert just as high as the category keywords discussed above.

As a result, in my view, companies that want to maximize ROI from SEO should aggressively target comparison keywords.

They should identify every comparison keyword stemming from their top competitors that has any semblance of search volume and ensure they have a dedicated page on their site to rank for each.

3. Jobs To Be Done Keywords

The final of our three categories of keywords that we have found can generate conversions from SEO are jobs to be done keywords.

This is the largest of these three categories of high-buying-intent keywords, meaning there are usually a lot more jobs to be done keywords than category or comparison.

This category is often ignored or not prioritized by brands as being conversion-generating, though, because these are queries where the user is not overtly looking for or comparing product options but is indicating that they have a problem that your product happens to solve.

In our SEO software example, this would include queries like “how to do competitor keyword research,” “how to know search volume of keywords,” or “how to track which keywords a site ranks for.”

If you have an SEO software product with features that lets people do those things, then, in our experience, ranking for keywords like these will generate conversions.

Typically the conversion rate of these keywords is slightly lower than category or comparison keywords.

However, they are still much better than top of funnel queries like “SEO strategy,” “best SEO tips,” or even “digital marketing strategies,” which are typical top of funnel keywords companies go after but which have very little buying intent.

More resources:

Featured Image: Vitalii Vodolazskyi/Shutterstock

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Dec 4 2023

Unlock Ecommerce Success: How You Can Get Up To 87% More Traffic [+ Report] via @sejournal, @getdotstore

Wondering how to boost your ecommerce SEO to help you rank higher on SERPs?

Do you feel like you’re getting a new competitor every day?

In the era when everyone has an ecommerce storefront, how do you make sure your store has as many advantages as possible?

Gaining traffic and visibility is listed as one of the top issues that online sellers face, especially if you’re just starting your business and the next step is to choose your URL.

So, what are some of the major issues you might face as a new ecommerce company? How can you solve them?

Let’s dive in.

How To Boost Ecommerce Performance & Decrease Customer Acquisition Costs

The game has changed and .com domains aren’t the only way to get customers to take your business seriously.

If the primary goal of your website is to sell, nothing says that better than a .Store domain extension.

It’s the perfect call to action that instantly connects with potential customers and attracts them to your site.

Some of the key advantages of using a .Store domain include:

87% more traffic.
2X visibility.
12% lower cost of conversion.

Increase Your Web Traffic by 87%

An ecommerce website on a .Store domain gets 87% more visitors than its .com counterparts.

Your domain name is basically like the virtual storefront of your business, and choosing the right one can have a significant impact on your success.

Why It Works

When users see a .Store domain, it instantly communicates that they are on an ecommerce platform where they can make purchases.

This clear and direct messaging not only attracts more visitors but also translates into increased sales, which ultimately results in more revenue for your business.

Double Your Site’s Visibility On Search Engines

An ecommerce site sporting a .Store top-level domain (TLD) gets an impressive double the amount of search visibility.

How?

Well, search engines love contextually relevant keywords, and having the word “store” in your domain name can be a powerful keyword tactic for your site’s rankings.

This added relevance doubles your visibility on search engines, ensuring that potential customers looking to make an online purchase can find your store more easily.

Check out the study.

Reduce Your Cost Per Acquisition (CPA) By 12%

Marketing costs can be a major concern, especially for new and growing businesses – and this is yet another way the .Store domain can transform your SEO strategy.

When users come across ads for a product category, they are 12% more likely to make a purchase if the ad directs them to a “store” domain.

Thus, the cost to acquire your user is much lower.

Analyzing .Store Domain Performance: The Full Report

[Get the full report]

The true impact of .Store TLDs on both paid and organic traffic were examined in a groundbreaking study conducted by Contrast Digital.

This extensive report uncovers a wealth of insights that can reshape your understanding of domain performance.

According to the data, there’s a potential long-term benefit of using .Store domains from a SEO standpoint.

We’ll dive into some key facts from the study below, but you can download the full report to dig into the detailed results.

Organic Study

This extensive 12-month experiment examined the performance of two distinct websites.

The key difference between the two websites was the domain extension.

One website was on .com while the other was on a .Store; with the second-level domain being identical (think example.com vs example.store).

Both sites comprised 82 pages categorized into products, categories, blog posts, and information pages, maintaining identical layouts and product descriptions in order to control variables and conduct a fair assessment.

Googlebot’s crawl time, along with impressions, clicks, and click-through rate measured through Google Search Console, provided a detailed comparative analysis.

Significance testing using MATLAB code offered insights into potential differences between the sites’ metrics, forming a comprehensive overview of their organic performance.

Key Performance Trends:

Example.store achieved the first 100 clicks, 20,000 impressions, and 250 clicks in a 30-day window faster than example.com.
Google seemed to prefer the example.store domain over example.com, indicated by faster indexing and crawling.
Example.store had a 49.01% larger keyword footprint than example.com, correlating with larger impressions over 12 months.
In non-blog content, example.store had a 30.27% increase in visibility compared to example.com.
In blog content, example.store had a 67.02% increase compared to example.com.

Overall, the significance tests consistently show that .Store TLDs outperformed equivalent .com TLDs in clicks, impressions, and click-through rate (CTR) over the 12-month experiment.

Want to learn more? Check out the full report for additional insights.

PPC Report

This report delves into the Google paid ads segment of the experiment, evaluating the performance of example.com and example.store over 5 months.

After allowing both websites to naturally perform for three months, paid media was introduced to assess their response to targeted paid traffic, with a primary focus on understanding consumer trust around TLDs.

To ensure fairness in the paid ads environment, settings were adjusted to rotate ads indefinitely, preventing bias toward any particular ad.

Additionally, landing page destinations, ad content, keyword targeting, and max bids were standardized across both accounts, eliminating variables and placing emphasis on individual performance.

Key Performance Trends:

Example.store had a 12.12% higher conversion rate than example.com, 1.48% vs 1.32%.
Example.store managed PPC spend more consistently through daily budgets, possibly contributing to better performance.
Example.store had a statistically significant 15.37% higher CTR compared to example.com, potentially due to the recognizable association of .Store with eCommerce.
Example.store outperformed example.com in conversions (33 vs 24) and had a cheaper customer acquisition cost (£39.59 vs £44.45).
After 5 months, example.store performed the best overall in clicks, CTR, average cost per click, and cost.

Overall, the .Store domain consistently outperformed .com and emerged as the superior performer in the paid experiment.

Navigating The Customer Acquisition Challenge

We know how difficult it can be to capture the attention of your ideal audience, particularly as a new online business without an established track record.

Another key issue you might be facing is profitability.

As essential as marketing may be for your brand, it can certainly be costly to execute effectively.

So what are some ways you can get the most bang for your buck and maximize your return on investment (ROI)?

How can you add value while keeping your customer acquisition costs low?

Though there are various marketing tricks and tactics you can try, sometimes, the answer can be just as simple as picking the right domain name.

Oftentimes, the domain you choose for your business can tell consumers a lot about what you offer and what they can expect.

So if you’re looking to enhance your online retail presence and lower your cost per acquisition (CPA), it might be time to switch things up.

With a .Store domain extension, you can gain a significant performance advantage and get a leg up on your competitors.

Diversify Your Digital Identity: Embracing The Evolution Beyond .Com

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Will customers trust an address that doesn’t end in .com?

How does Google classify a website with a .Store domain and how will it impact your search rankings?

Domain names are not actually a part of your overall search engine rankings – however, that doesn’t mean you can just forget about them.

Your choice of domain name can be an important aspect of your UX and public image, and should usually be the most recognizable aspect of your business.

Till now, the domain extension decision for anyone building an ecommerce site was largely determined by conditioning, perception, and an overall lack of data.

The idea that .com domains are the only viable choice for websites is incredibly common.

However, there’s now an objective, data-backed study available which, for the first time, shows that .Store as a top-level domain (TLD) can actually benefit ecommerce sellers in a major way.

Ecommerce MGMT 0 Comments

Nov 29 2023

Future-Proof SEO: Navigating 2023’s Changes & Anticipating 2024’s Trends via @sejournal, @hethr_campbell

2023 has been quite the roller coaster ride in the world of SEO, from critical ranking signal changes to Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE).

So, if you’re looking to gain a competitive advantage in 2024, now’s the time to reflect on the past year, understand its implications, and gear up for the future.

Join us on December 13, as Pat Reinhart, Conductor’s leading SEO expert, shares game-changing insights to ensure your site maintains peak performance in the upcoming year.

We’ll do a deep dive into the most crucial SEO industry updates, and examine what they mean for the future of SEO.

Here’s a glimpse at what you’ll get when you attend this engaging live session:

A roundup of the top Google algorithm updates of 2023 and how they impacted search rankings. Discover which of Google’s recent algorithm changes made the most waves this year and why. This retrospective analysis is your key to shaping your SEO strategy, moving forward.
A detailed analysis of the evolving search ranking signals and must-know SEO insights for 2024. This webinar will dissect the many ways SEO is currently evolving to help you get ahead of the curve and plan for 2024.
Actionable predictions for featured snippets, voice search, and more in the coming year. Understand how to optimize for these evolving search behaviors and position yourself at the forefront of SEO innovation.
Expert tips on how to prepare your SEO strategy for SERP changes resulting from Google’s SGE. We’ll guide you on what it takes to prepare your SEO strategy for what’s next. From staying agile to embracing AI, learn the tricks to adapting and thriving in this dynamic search landscape.

You’ll leave this webinar with the tools it takes to future-proof your SEO strategy and navigate the twists and turns of search with ease.

And if you’ve got some questions up your sleeve, be ready to fire them off during the interactive Q&A session following the presentation.

This is your opportunity to engage with our experts directly and tailor the insights to your unique challenges.

Don’t miss out!

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