580 | News from the EDGE | Week of 3.27.2023

This week's featured guest is the owner of BEAST Analytics, Brie Anderson. Brie began her career at the age of 16, evolving into the analytic solutions expert, educator, and entrepreneur she is today. 

Join us on this full-blown rock concert of an episode as Erin and Brie are roadies rockin’ and rollin’ GA4 into the metaphor of a live concert! Discover how to execute the capabilities of GA4 that are worthy of a standing ovation from your clients. We walk you through the steps of the migration process while highlighting key features to help you find your melody. We’ve been rehearsing for years, folks, and it’s finally time to get GA4 up and running. Down goes UA! As we help you find your Google Analytics 4 rhythm this week on the EDGE!

Key Segments:

[00:03:28] Introducing Brie Anderson

[00:05:19] How Brie Navigated Her Career

[00:12:22] Transitioning Into GA4

[00:17:01] Setting Up GA4

[00:20:42] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics

[00:32:10] EDGE of The Web Sponsor: Wix 

[00:33:34] How to Collect Search Traffic Analytics?

[00:35:26] Final Tips For Setting Up GA4

Thanks to Our Sponsors!

Site Strategics: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/site  

Wix: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/wix

Follow Our Guest

Twitter: https://twitter.com/brie_e_anderson?lang=en

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brieeanderson/

Resources: 

BEAST Analytics

GA4SEO - BEAST Analytics

There’s a lot of movement to cover in the Google realm this week. The carnage continues as a U.S judge grants more class action antitrust lawsuits against Google. Despite the trial, Google continues to make improvements of its own - updating their Local Service Ads with a new verification process to reduce spam. Google is also testing a new feature called Popular Opinions Search Carousel intended to allow users to view opinions and reviews of various products right on the SERP. Finishing up on Google, the crew looks at a new survey that says SEO’s distaste in Google is at an all time high. Tensions have risen, where will Google turn next? Tune in this week to find out, here on the EDGE of the Web!

We’re bringing back the EDGE Newsletter! Join us to catch these headlines and many of the others that didn’t make it to the show but were really interesting! Your News(letter) from the EDGE awaits here!

News from the EDGE:

[00:04:34] LinkedIn Boosts Quality Posts: Your Best Content Could Shine for Months

[00:09:28] Google Tests Tool that Refines Existing Quality Content

[00:14:41] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics 

[00:15:37] A Judge Rules: Google Must Address Some Antitrust Concerns from Advertisers

AI News:

[00:19:17] Elon Musk sues OpenAI over alleged breach of nonprofit agreement

[00:20:51] Some users turn to AI chatbot therapists … but experts warn about the lack of a human connection 

[00:26:33] Elon Musk: AI will run out of electricity and transformers in 2025

AI Tools:

[00:28:29] Transform any picture into a sticker

[00:29:55] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: InLinks

Barry Blast from Search Engine Roundtable:

[00:31:07 ] Report: Google Local Service Ads To Gain New Verification Process

[00:32:46] Google Popular Opinions Search Carousel

[00:35:14] Survey Says Most SEOs Dislike Google Now More Than Before

 

Thanks to our sponsors!

Site Strategics https://edgeofthewebradio.com/site

Inlinks https://edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks

Resources: 

LinkedIn Algorithm Change Could Promote Your Best Posts For Months

Google Testing AI Tool That Finds & Rewrites Quality Content

Google must face some advertisers’ antitrust claims, says U.S. judge

Elon Musk sues OpenAI over alleged breach of nonprofit agreement

Some users turn to AI chatbot therapists … but experts warn about the lack of a human connection 

Elon Musk: AI will run out of electricity and transformers in 2025

Brody Clark: Popular Opinions Search Carousel

Follow Us:

Twitter: @ErinSparks

Twitter: @MordyOberstein

Twitter: @TheMann00

Twitter: @EDGEWebRadio

Ola King is back for his second segment this week to unpack the role of a Search Experience Designer, and how user experience design optimization plays as a lead factor in SEO. Learn tactics for incorporating UX designs into your strategy to bolster overall SEO and digital marketing strength. Finally, understand why empathizing with the user needs to be a prioritized step in your strategy. It’s time to step up your SEO and digital marketing with a holistic approach to optimized user experience this week on the EDGE of the Web! 

[00:03:29] Introducing Ola King

[00:05:23] What Does it Mean to be a Search Experience Designer

[00:10:06] Taking a Holistic Approach to Your Strategy

[00:14:17] Design and Storytelling Techniques 

[00:15:41] Five Elements of User Experience Design

[00:21:22] Embracing New Disciplines to Stay Competitive

[00:23:27] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics

[00:24:13] Collecting Data to Drive User Journey

[00:27:17] Learning to Empathize with the User

[00:32:11] Building a UX Strategy From the Ground Up

[00:34:10] EDGE of The Web Sponsor: Wix 

[00:35:40] Resources for Learning UX Design Optimization

[00:37:49] Closing Thoughts From Ola

Thanks to Our Sponsors!

Site Strategics: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/site  

Wix: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/wix

Follow Our Guest

Twitter: https://twitter.com/justolaking

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olaking

Google Local Services Ads in the Hot Seat

Welcome back to the EDGE! No Mordy this week, but no need to worry because the great Cindy Krum of MobileMoxie steps in. A glitch has infiltrated Google’s Local Services Ads and small business owners are NOT happy. Google feels that the U.S government ‘hate us cause they ain't us’, as penalties pile up in post-trial brief. In AI news, Google strikes an AI content licensing deal with Reddit - who’s rankings have been off the charts… coincidence? Don’t miss the action this week, catch up on all the latest SEO news to help you excel each and every week right here on the EDGE!

We’re bringing back the EDGE Newsletter!  Join us to catch these headlines and many of the others that didn’t make it to the show but were really interesting!  Your News(letter) from the EDGE awaits here!

News from the EDGE:

[00:04:36] Google's latest quest: Investigating a glitch in Local Services Ads

[00:09:08] Google also unveils its new AI Assistant called ‘Help Me Write’ for the Chrome Browser

[00:17:07] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics 

[00:17:50] And here’s a hot take, “DON’T BLAME US IF WE HAVE SUCCESSFUL SEARCH RESULTS!”

AI Blitz:

[00:22:04] Google explains Gemini’s ‘embarrassing’ AI pictures of diverse Nazis

[00:28:02] Tyler Perry halts studio expansion over AI fears

[00:32:20] Reddit signs AI content licensing deal with Google

[00:40:07] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: InLinks

Barry Blast from Search Engine Roundtable:

[00:41:11] Google Most-Read Articles Search Carousel

AI Tools:

[00:43:22] Alpaca: A Photoshop Plugin

Thanks to our sponsors!

Site Strategics https://edgeofthewebradio.com/site    

Inlinks https://edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks

Resources: 

Google investigating Local Services Ads bug

Google Launches “Help Me Write” AI Assistant For Chrome Browser

Google: Don’t punish us for our success in Search

Google explains Gemini’s ‘embarrassing’ AI pictures of diverse Nazis

Massive Volatility Reported - Google Search Ranking Algorithm Update?

Google Most-Read Articles Search Carousel

Greeting Cards GPT

Talently Mock Interview

Alpaca: A Photoshop Plugin

Follow Us:

Twitter: @ErinSparks

Twitter: @CindyKrum

Twitter: @TheMann00

Twitter: @EDGEWebRadio

#StandwithUkraine edgeofthewebradio.com/ukraine

Ola King started his career as a music producer, learning SEO along the way to help promote his songs and score millions of views. In addition to hosting several MozCon events, Ola practiced as a UX Researcher at Moz before transitioning into independent consulting. Search experience optimization is more valuable than ever before. Discover what metrics to be most attentive to when prioritizing UX, and learn why user experience is key to achieving sustainable SEO this week on the EDGE!   

Key Segments:

[00:03:45] Introducing Ola King

[00:05:27] Ola’s Rise into the Industry

[00:17:34] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics

[00:18:20] AI’s Role in Search

[00:21:38] Is SEO Dead? 

[00:26:03] Prioritizing User Experience

[00:32:345] EDGE of The Web Sponsor: Wix 

[00:33:46] What Role Does User Experience Play in Determining Content’s Helpfulness? 

[00:34:46] What Metrics Should you Focus on to Grow Search Experience?

Thanks to Our Sponsors!

Site Strategics: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/site  

Hostinger: https://edgeofthewebradio.com/hostinger

Wix: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/wix

Follow Our Guest

Twitter: https://twitter.com/justolaking

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/olaking

The EDGE team covered a slew of news this week. Articles from Search Engine Land, Search Engine Round Table, and Search Engine Journal covered the landscape of digital marketing news, but we were able to get a couple of nice AI pieces in there. Watch Reddit folks, they just doubled down on their value by inking a $60m deal with an “unknown” AI company. Any guesses? You also want to check out Sora, the text-to-video feature from OpenAI (we will soon be in a world of video inception). Lastly, check your Meta Ads expenses this weekend. They spent your money like a teenager at the mall, and now they are sorry.

We’re bringing back the EDGE Newsletter! Join us to catch these headlines and many of the others that didn’t make it to the show, but were really interesting! Your News(letter) from the EDGE awaits here!

News from the EDGE:

[00:03:33] Google Launches "How Search Works" Series To Demystify SEO

[00:07:35] Meta Apologizes After Ad Error Causes Campaigns to Overspend by 'Thousands'

[00:10:35] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics 

[00:11:31] Reddit Dominates Google Search Discussions/Forums

AI News:

[00:17:57] Reddit Signs Content Licensing Deal with AI Company Ahead of IPO, Bloomberg Reports

[00:21:14] OpenAI Introduces Sora

[00:22:58] OpenAI's ChatGPT Is Testing a Memory Feature

AI Tools:

[00:24:20] FirstPic.ai Unveils New Image Recognition Technology

[00:26:47] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: InLinks

Barry Blast from Search Engine Roundtable:

[00:27:52] Google Introduces New Stories in Top Stories Section

[00:28:42] Google Emphasizes the Importance of Recovery Timing and Helpful Content Update

[00:30:21] Google Refines Search DMA Rich Results Aggregator Units and Refinement Chips

Thanks to our sponsors!

Site Strategics https://edgeofthewebradio.com/site

Inlinks https://edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks

Follow Us:

Twitter: @ErinSparks

Twitter: @MordyOberstein

Twitter: @TheMann00

Twitter: @EDGEWebRadio

Gearing Up for SGE 

Welcome back local SEO specialist and COO at Search Lab Greg Gifford. This week Greg joins host Erin Sparks to uncover the myths about local SEO and frequent challenges haunting business owners. Learn the common mistakes small business owners need to keep an eye on while setting up their Google Business Profile, and to wrap it all up Greg & Erin close with some highly necessary SGE talk. It’s time to master your SEO at a local level this week on the EDGE of the Web!    

Key Segments:

[00:03:13] Introducing Greg Gifford

[00:06:08] Challenges and Myths of Local SEO 

[00:14:25] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics

[00:14:59] Issues with the Google Appeal Process 

[00:19:04] Flaws in Google Business Profile 

[00:33:17] When are we going to see Google SGE? 

[00:45:37] EDGE of The Web Sponsor: Wix

[00:46:47] What Does the Spike in Organic Traffic Loss Tell Us? 

Thanks to Our Sponsors!

Site Strategics: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/site  

Wix: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/wix

Follow Our Guest

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregGifford

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greggifford/

Google has taken a stand on fake reviews with a new reviews spam algorithm, claiming to have removed over 170 million policy-violating reviews in 2023 - a 45% spike from years past. But numbers are hard, right? How much did they actually increase? 

AI is jumping the gun! As silly as it may sound, you might want to check the web for a premature AI-generated obituary of yours because if you find one… you’re not the first!

Please, it’s time to let go of the disavow tool finally. 

Catch up on all the greatest SEO news happening this week, as always, here on the EDGE of the Web!

News from the EDGE:

[00:03:52] New AI Algorithm Takes Down 45% More Fake Reviews In 2023!

[00:09:18] Tracking Paid And Organic Traffic In GA 4 Just Got A Little Easier 

[00:10:06] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics 

[00:11:50] New Bulk Email Regulations from Google and Yahoo

AI Blitz:

[00:16:43] The UK is Outpacing the US for AI Hiring

[00:18:01]  AI-generated Obituaries Litter Google Search

[00:21:09] "AI native" Gen Zers are Comfortable with AI

AI Tools:

[00:24:28] Diet Helper: ChatGPT Prompt for Healthier Living

[00:26:26] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: InLinks

Barry Blast from Search Engine Roundtable:

[00:29:08] Google: You Won't Get Your Rankings Back By Disavowing Toxic Links

[00:31:48] Google: EEAT Isn't A Ranking Factor Nor A Thing That Factors Into Other Factors

Thanks to our sponsors!

Site Strategics https://edgeofthewebradio.com/site    

Inlinks https://edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks

Follow Us:

Twitter: @ErinSparks

Twitter: @MordyOberstein

Twitter: @TheMann00

Twitter: @EDGEWebRadio

Resources: 

• Google says it took down 45% more fake reviews in 2023 thanks to new algorithm
• Google Analytics 4 adds new dimensions for measuring paid and organic traffic
• New rules for bulk email senders from Google, Yahoo: What you need to know
• The UK is outpacing the US for AI hiring
• Websites with seemingly AI-generated obituaries litter Google search, sometimes listing living people as deceased and turning private individuals into clickbait 
• "AI native" Gen Zers are comfortable on the cutting edge
• Diet Helper: Your smart, personalized path to healthier eating.
• Google: You Won't Get Your Rankings Back By Disavowing Toxic Links
• Google: EEAT Isn't A Ranking Factor Nor A Thing That Factors Into Other Factors

#StandwithUkraine edgeofthewebradio.com/ukraine

Greg Gifford travels the globe speaking to SEO audiences throughout the year, thankfully we were able to rein him in for this week's interview series. If you want to learn the ins and outs of local SEO, Greg Gifford is your guy. With over 20 years of experience in online marketing and web design, the COO at Search Lab joins Erin to discuss fundamental strategies in achieving premium local SEO. Understand the keys to cracking Google’s Ranking Factors at a local level, and take the next step in your local SEO strategy this week on the EDGE! 

Key Segments:

[00:03:27] Introducing Greg Gifford

[00:06:04] Greg’s SEO Journey

[00:13:06] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics

[00:15:31] Greg’s BrightonSEO Presentation

[00:24:04] Google Business Profile Optimization Factors

[00:26:11] EDGE of The Web Sponsor: Hostinger

[00:27:33] Varying Verticals to Industries in the Google Algorithm 

[00:33:49] Aligning Business Photos to Google’s Standards

[00:39:12] EDGE of The Web Sponsor: Wix

[00:40:23] Are Certain Ranking Factors More Dynamic Than Others? 

[00:45:25] Biggest Takeaways from Greg’s Study

Thanks to Our Sponsors!

Site Strategics: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/site  

Wix: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/wix

Hostinger: https://edgeofthewebradio.com/hostinger

Follow Our Guest

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GregGifford

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/greggifford/

Hot off the dumping of Bard, Erin, Mordy, and Jacob jump into all the changes happening within Google this week. That’s right… Bard is no more, as Google announces relaunch of chat based AI tool adopting the moniker Gemeni. 

The UK is increasing criticism of third party cookies, putting Google on the spot. Plus, Google is testing out a new form of Generative AI, developed to answer local questions on Maps. 

Come join us on the EDGE for this week’s latest SEO news, and please remember to keep Bard in your thoughts as we honor the Chat bot’s mediocre legacy. 

News from the EDGE:

[00:04:36 ] Bard Out, Gemini In: Changelog Confirms the Upcoming Rebrand Effort from Google

[00:10:14] Do You Have Some Invisible Pages? Google Addresses Indexing Glitch from Last Week

[00:12:03] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: Site Strategics 

[00:12:58 ] Tracking Trouble: Can Google Fix its Cookie Alternative in Time?

AI Blitz:

[00:17:58] EDGE of The Web Sponsor: Hostinger 

[00:19:21] Experts from 30 nations will contribute to global AI safety report

AI Tools:

[00:20:28] Books GPT- Your personal AI guide for discovering and recommending books

[00:21:22] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: InLinks

Barry Blast from Search Engine Roundtable:

[00:23:34] Google Search officially retires cache link

[00:24:52] Google Maps Tests AI Generated Answers For Local Questions With Local Guides

[00:29:32] Google Local Service Ads "Highly Rated" Label

Thanks to our sponsors!

Site Strategics https://edgeofthewebradio.com/site

Hostinger: https://edgeofthewebradio.com/hostinger

Inlinks https://edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks

Follow Us:

Twitter: @ErinSparks

Twitter: @MordyOberstein

Twitter: @TheMann00

Twitter: @EDGEWebRadio