#How to Use SEO for Website in 2024

[createncodewebtechnologies]

How to Use SEO for Website in 2024

Overview of How to Use SEO for Website in 2024 :

By 2024, search engines will have improved their ability to decipher user intent. SEO tactics should prioritize satisfying user intent by producing thorough, helpful, and relevant content, in addition to ranking for targeted keywords.

Additionally, Google ranks websites based in large part on the entire user experience (UX). Higher ranks are influenced by a clean, user-friendly layout, quick loading speeds, and a responsive, mobile-friendly design.

Make sure your website adapts to different screen widths by using responsive web design. Give mobile page speed top priority to cut down on slow-loading mobile networks.

Make sure that all of the images, videos, and material are readable and displaying correctly on mobile devices. Stay away from invasive interstitials that might ruin the mobile user experience, such pop-ups.

For small and medium-sized businesses, particularly those with physical locations, local search engine optimization (local SEO) remains crucial. 2024 will see local search optimization continue to be a crucial tactic for companies aiming to attract clients in the area. This entails enhancing your Google Business Profile, making sure that your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) data is accurate, and promoting client testimonials.

Make use of responsive web design to make sure your website adapts to different screen sizes.

In order to shorten loading times on slower mobile networks, give priority to mobile page speed.

Make that every piece of information, including pictures and videos, can be accessed and shown correctly on mobile devices.

Steer clear of invasive interstitials, such pop-ups, as they can ruin the mobile user experience.

Particularly for small and medium-sized enterprises with physical presence, local SEO is still crucial. Local search engine optimization will still be a crucial tactic for companies aiming to attract local clients in 2024. Enhancing your Google Business Profile, making sure your NAP (Name, Address, Phone) is accurate, and promoting client testimonials are all part of this.

The technique of building websites so that search engines like Google can simply explore, comprehend, and index them is known as SEO friendly web design in Indore. Search engines are more likely to rank your website higher in search results when they can explore it easily. The objective is to optimize the website for search engines while maintaining its usability, functionality, and aesthetic appeal.

Your website can benefit from SEO-friendly web design:

Boost your search engine rankings to make it more convenient for people to find you. Reduce dependency on paid advertising by increasing organic traffic. Improve the user experience to increase conversions and engagement. Boost local and mobile SEO, as these are crucial for connecting with Indore's local clientele.

Given the increasing number of mobile users overtaking desktop users, your website needs to have a flexible web design that works on all screen sizes and devices.

Your website has a better chance of ranking higher on Google and other search engines if SEO best practices are used throughout the design stage.

Increased visibility from higher ranks brings more natural visitors to your website without the need for expensive advertising.

Having an SEO-friendly website design is essential for Indore businesses, not simply a choice. Improved organic traffic, higher search engine rankings, and an enhanced user experience are all made possible by a well-optimized website.

A structure and layout that facilitate easy crawling, indexing, and comprehension of the site's content by search engines are referred to as search engine friendly website design. Numerous technological elements are involved in this, such as content optimization, URL structure, and site architecture. Making ensuring that users and search engines alike can easily traverse the website is the aim.

Not only does a well-structured navigation structure facilitate rapid information retrieval for users, but it also helps search engines comprehend the hierarchy of the website.

Short, informative URLs with pertinent keywords are optimized for search engines. In addition to aiding in search engine optimization, a clear URL structure enhances user experience by making it simpler for visitors to comprehend the purpose of a page before clicking on it.

It's critical to continuously check performance data for understanding how well a website is performing in terms of SEO and user engagement.

Businesses can position themselves favorably in an increasingly competitive digital landscape by focusing on responsive design, quick loading times, clear navigation structures, optimized URLs, high-quality content with keyword integration, technical SEO considerations like XML sitemaps and robots.txt files, user experience enhancements through captivating visuals, and accessibility features.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Even if you think AI search could be good, it won’t be good

TONIGHT (May 15), I'm in NORTH HOLLYWOOD for a screening of STEPHANIE KELTON'S FINDING THE MONEY; FRIDAY (May 17), I'm at the INTERNET ARCHIVE in SAN FRANCISCO to keynote the 10th anniversary of the AUTHORS ALLIANCE.

The big news in search this week is that Google is continuing its transition to "AI search" – instead of typing in search terms and getting links to websites, you'll ask Google a question and an AI will compose an answer based on things it finds on the web:

https://blog.google/products/search/generative-ai-google-search-may-2024/

Google bills this as "let Google do the googling for you." Rather than searching the web yourself, you'll delegate this task to Google. Hidden in this pitch is a tacit admission that Google is no longer a convenient or reliable way to retrieve information, drowning as it is in AI-generated spam, poorly labeled ads, and SEO garbage:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/03/keyword-swarming/#site-reputation-abuse

Googling used to be easy: type in a query, get back a screen of highly relevant results. Today, clicking the top links will take you to sites that paid for placement at the top of the screen (rather than the sites that best match your query). Clicking further down will get you scams, AI slop, or bulk-produced SEO nonsense.

AI-powered search promises to fix this, not by making Google search results better, but by having a bot sort through the search results and discard the nonsense that Google will continue to serve up, and summarize the high quality results.

Now, there are plenty of obvious objections to this plan. For starters, why wouldn't Google just make its search results better? Rather than building a LLM for the sole purpose of sorting through the garbage Google is either paid or tricked into serving up, why not just stop serving up garbage? We know that's possible, because other search engines serve really good results by paying for access to Google's back-end and then filtering the results:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/04/teach-me-how-to-shruggie/#kagi

Another obvious objection: why would anyone write the web if the only purpose for doing so is to feed a bot that will summarize what you've written without sending anyone to your webpage? Whether you're a commercial publisher hoping to make money from advertising or subscriptions, or – like me – an open access publisher hoping to change people's minds, why would you invite Google to summarize your work without ever showing it to internet users? Nevermind how unfair that is, think about how implausible it is: if this is the way Google will work in the future, why wouldn't every publisher just block Google's crawler?

A third obvious objection: AI is bad. Not morally bad (though maybe morally bad, too!), but technically bad. It "hallucinates" nonsense answers, including dangerous nonsense. It's a supremely confident liar that can get you killed:

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/sep/01/mushroom-pickers-urged-to-avoid-foraging-books-on-amazon-that-appear-to-be-written-by-ai

The promises of AI are grossly oversold, including the promises Google makes, like its claim that its AI had discovered millions of useful new materials. In reality, the number of useful new materials Deepmind had discovered was zero:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/23/maximal-plausibility/#reverse-centaurs

This is true of all of AI's most impressive demos. Often, "AI" turns out to be low-waged human workers in a distant call-center pretending to be robots:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/31/neural-interface-beta-tester/#tailfins

Sometimes, the AI robot dancing on stage turns out to literally be just a person in a robot suit pretending to be a robot:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/29/pay-no-attention/#to-the-little-man-behind-the-curtain

The AI video demos that represent "an existential threat to Hollywood filmmaking" turn out to be so cumbersome as to be practically useless (and vastly inferior to existing production techniques):

https://www.wheresyoured.at/expectations-versus-reality/

But let's take Google at its word. Let's stipulate that:

a) It can't fix search, only add a slop-filtering AI layer on top of it; and

b) The rest of the world will continue to let Google index its pages even if they derive no benefit from doing so; and

c) Google will shortly fix its AI, and all the lies about AI capabilities will be revealed to be premature truths that are finally realized.

AI search is still a bad idea. Because beyond all the obvious reasons that AI search is a terrible idea, there's a subtle – and incurable – defect in this plan: AI search – even excellent AI search – makes it far too easy for Google to cheat us, and Google can't stop cheating us.

Remember: enshittification isn't the result of worse people running tech companies today than in the years when tech services were good and useful. Rather, enshittification is rooted in the collapse of constraints that used to prevent those same people from making their services worse in service to increasing their profit margins:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/26/glitchbread/#electronic-shelf-tags

These companies always had the capacity to siphon value away from business customers (like publishers) and end-users (like searchers). That comes with the territory: digital businesses can alter their "business logic" from instant to instant, and for each user, allowing them to change payouts, prices and ranking. I call this "twiddling": turning the knobs on the system's back-end to make sure the house always wins:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/19/twiddler/

What changed wasn't the character of the leaders of these businesses, nor their capacity to cheat us. What changed was the consequences for cheating. When the tech companies merged to monopoly, they ceased to fear losing your business to a competitor.

Google's 90% search market share was attained by bribing everyone who operates a service or platform where you might encounter a search box to connect that box to Google. Spending tens of billions of dollars every year to make sure no one ever encounters a non-Google search is a cheaper way to retain your business than making sure Google is the very best search engine:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/21/im-feeling-unlucky/#not-up-to-the-task

Competition was once a threat to Google; for years, its mantra was "competition is a click away." Today, competition is all but nonexistent.

Then the surveillance business consolidated into a small number of firms. Two companies dominate the commercial surveillance industry: Google and Meta, and they collude to rig the market:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jedi_Blue

That consolidation inevitably leads to regulatory capture: shorn of competitive pressure, the companies that dominate the sector can converge on a single message to policymakers and use their monopoly profits to turn that message into policy:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/06/05/regulatory-capture/

This is why Google doesn't have to worry about privacy laws. They've successfully prevented the passage of a US federal consumer privacy law. The last time the US passed a federal consumer privacy law was in 1988. It's a law that bans video store clerks from telling the newspapers which VHS cassettes you rented:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_Privacy_Protection_Act

In Europe, Google's vast profits lets it fly an Irish flag of convenience, thus taking advantage of Ireland's tolerance for tax evasion and violations of European privacy law:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/05/15/finnegans-snooze/#dirty-old-town

Google doesn't fear competition, it doesn't fear regulation, and it also doesn't fear rival technologies. Google and its fellow Big Tech cartel members have expanded IP law to allow it to prevent third parties from reverse-engineer, hacking, or scraping its services. Google doesn't have to worry about ad-blocking, tracker blocking, or scrapers that filter out Google's lucrative, low-quality results:

https://locusmag.com/2020/09/cory-doctorow-ip/

Google doesn't fear competition, it doesn't fear regulation, it doesn't fear rival technology and it doesn't fear its workers. Google's workforce once enjoyed enormous sway over the company's direction, thanks to their scarcity and market power. But Google has outgrown its dependence on its workers, and lays them off in vast numbers, even as it increases its profits and pisses away tens of billions on stock buybacks:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/11/25/moral-injury/#enshittification

Google is fearless. It doesn't fear losing your business, or being punished by regulators, or being mired in guerrilla warfare with rival engineers. It certainly doesn't fear its workers.

Making search worse is good for Google. Reducing search quality increases the number of queries, and thus ads, that each user must make to find their answers:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/24/naming-names/#prabhakar-raghavan

If Google can make things worse for searchers without losing their business, it can make more money for itself. Without the discipline of markets, regulators, tech or workers, it has no impediment to transferring value from searchers and publishers to itself.

Which brings me back to AI search. When Google substitutes its own summaries for links to pages, it creates innumerable opportunities to charge publishers for preferential placement in those summaries.

This is true of any algorithmic feed: while such feeds are important – even vital – for making sense of huge amounts of information, they can also be used to play a high-speed shell-game that makes suckers out of the rest of us:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/11/for-you/#the-algorithm-tm

When you trust someone to summarize the truth for you, you become terribly vulnerable to their self-serving lies. In an ideal world, these intermediaries would be "fiduciaries," with a solemn (and legally binding) duty to put your interests ahead of their own:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/07/treacherous-computing/#rewilding-the-internet

But Google is clear that its first duty is to its shareholders: not to publishers, not to searchers, not to "partners" or employees.

AI search makes cheating so easy, and Google cheats so much. Indeed, the defects in AI give Google a readymade excuse for any apparent self-dealing: "we didn't tell you a lie because someone paid us to (for example, to recommend a product, or a hotel room, or a political point of view). Sure, they did pay us, but that was just an AI 'hallucination.'"

The existence of well-known AI hallucinations creates a zone of plausible deniability for even more enshittification of Google search. As Madeleine Clare Elish writes, AI serves as a "moral crumple zone":

https://estsjournal.org/index.php/ests/article/view/260

That's why, even if you're willing to believe that Google could make a great AI-based search, we can nevertheless be certain that they won't.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/05/15/they-trust-me-dumb-fucks/#ai-search

Image: Cryteria (modified) https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HAL9000.svg

CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en

--

djhughman https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Modular_synthesizer_-_%22Control_Voltage%22_electronic_music_shop_in_Portland_OR_-_School_Photos_PCC_%282015-05-23_12.43.01_by_djhughman%29.jpg

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

[rollerska8er]

Buying things in 1974: go to a shop that sells the thing you want. Buy the thing

Buying things in 2024: the shops that sell you that thing you want have all closed down due to lack of business. Go online. Look for the thing you want. Read reviews written in broken grammar about how it's really really good. Google the company name. Read through a bunch of SEO-optimised AI-written slop. Go back to shopping website. Place order. Pay delivery fee you wouldn't have to pay if the shop still existed. The item arrives. it falls apart after two uses. Fuck you

[rae2velaris]

2024 Was a Great Year for Elriels

The end of the year is approaching, and unfortunately, there's no announcement yet, but Elriels definitely have plenty to be grateful for this year.

On the contrary... (Quick rant...I'm allowed one a year)

The other side has enjoyed complaining and discrediting articles and large companies commenting on Elriel...

Why?

I suppose it's because their side of the fandom has nothing new to talk about with their ships?

All they have are:

Commissioned art pieces paid for by themselves (great for the artists and Elriels do commissioned pieces to so... touche)

Screen Rant articles. This website is a way for free lance writers to make some money. Honestly, if you want to dive into them, go ahead, but these article centralize on the writers' opinions and click bait/SEO. And no, I'm not going to hunt down these writers' information to discredit. People are allowed to have their opinions and make money however way they want. Just at least take a moment to look at the titles for Screen Rant articles vs. TIME, TODAY, and E! News. You'll see a difference going forward in this post.

Additonal unnecsssary "official" weeks/ "spontaneous" days for ships and characters due to the belief that Elriel fans ruin everything

Anyways, let's dive into this year's pro Elriel content ❤️

January 30th, 2024

TIME- Time magazine is a widely cited resource and maintains high standards of journalism. In this particular article, only Elain and Azriel are mentioned as a possibility for the next ACOTAR book.

January 30th, 2024

TODAY Show- A sit-down interview with SJM. (This particular part of the interview I condensed together on Canva because of the limited pictures we can include on Tumblr) Below, Sarah talks about fate, the idea of exploring rejecting mates, and free will. (Lucien and Elain?) She also discusses her characters ending up with someone who offers growth and joy. (Azriel and Elain?) SJM can't tell us in black and white that she's doing this, but COME ON people. There's a reason she discusses it.

Oh, and the TODAY show decided to like/comment on Elriel comments ONLY.

Side Note: If interested, take a look at this tumblr post for a lovely, thorough breakdown. ( @courtofblooming )

April 19th, 2024

Guilty As Sin Instagram Story from SJM- Sarah loves her little crumbs, and this song honestly encapulates Elriel. We unfortunately don't get confirmation from SJM, but I'll include some of the lyrics for you to judge.

This cage was once just fine

Am I allowed to cry?

I dream of cracking locks

Throwing my life to the wolves

Or the ocean rocks

Crashing into him tonight

He's a paradox

I'm seeing visions, am I bad?

Or mad? Or wise?

What if he's written 'mine' on my upper thigh

Only in my mind?

One slip and falling back into the hedge maze

Oh what a way to die

I keep recalling things we never did

Messy top lip kiss

How I long for our trysts

Without ever touching his skin

How can I be guilty as sin?

What makes it even better? Audible and Spotify commented ONLY on Elriel posts in relation to this song. You won't find these particular companies commenting on any other ships of the fandom.

Side Note: The other side of the fandom tries to discredit these influential companies by stating the person behind the account doesn't represent the whole company or just enjoy saying the companies comments aren't credible. Multi-million dollar companies are NOT going to waste their time and reputation on fanon created ships. These companies are business smart and only invest in what's profitable. There's a reason they make millions...ELRIEL is profitable due to canon evidence. Simple as that.

December 2nd, 2024

Bloomsbury and SJMaas Updates announce that the audiobooks are now available on Spotify- Bloomsbury, SJM Updates, and Spotify are in close collaboration with each other. Makes those Spotify Elriel comments even more satisfying. ❤️

December 9th, 2024

SJM 2024 Author of the Year Spotify Video- Although we got little news for the coming spring about audible books, us as a fandom had a lovely time dissecting the video. Yet again, Spotify only commented on Elriel comments.

Side Note: Take a look at these tumblr posts for an inciteful look into the significance of tea cups/Elain ( @offtorivendell ) and an excellent interpretation of the Spotify video. ( @wingedblooms )

December 13th, 2024

E News!- I know this particular article has ruffled some feathers, but it's entertaining none the less! Gotta love the nod to Azriel's wingspan. IYKYK (And yes, it's credible... it's owned by NBC Universal... the same company that owns TODAY and 33% stakes of Hulu through Comcast (Comcast owns NBC Universal, and the stakes are through NBC Universal). I only add Hulu due to the ACOTAR TV series being developed through Hulu.)

December 17th, 2024

Goodreads- This is just a little star on top of the tree, but it's great to know that ACOFAS made it into the top 10 most read overall books this year. (Interesting how ACOSF didn't make it...) Notably, ACOFAS is the bridge for future spin-offs. (Also interesting how a particular character isn't seen in ACOFAS...)

(ACOFAS pictures taken from @psychologynerd post linked below)

In Conclusion...

As an Elriel, I've truly appreciated the continuous confirmations for Azriel and Elain for the future ACOTAR 5 book in small, simple ways. Even better knowing that Spotify and Audible have outwardly commented on ONLY Elriel posts.

As the year 2024 ends, I'll treasure these little nuggets of positivity until the announcement day! I have a feeling 2025 will hold some excellent news for the fandom. Until then, have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year!

P.S.

If you know of anymore pro Elriel content from this year, by all means, write a comment. 🥰

[probablyasocialecologist]

This week, a 2,500-page leak, first reported by Search Engine Optimization (SEO) veteran Rand Fishkin, gave the world an insight into the 26-year-old mystery of Google Search. “I think the biggest takeaway is that what Google’s public representatives say and what Google search engine does are two different things,” Fishkin said in an emailed statement to Gizmodo.

[...]

King notes that one ranking feature “homepagePagerankNs” suggests the notoriety of a website’s homepage could prop up everything it publishes. Fishkin writes the leak references a system called NavBoost—first referenced by Google’s VP of Search, Pandu Nayak, in his Department of Justice testimony—which purportedly measures clicks to boost rankings on Google Search. Many in the SEO industry are taking these documents as confirmation of what the industry has long suspected: A website deemed popular by Google may receive a higher Search ranking for a query even though a lesser-known site may have better information.

[...]

In a video from 2016, a Google Search representative declared, “We don’t have a website authority score.” In an interview from 2015, another Googler said, “Using clicks directly in ranking would be a mistake.” It’s hard to make sense of these comments now in light of the leaked documents and Google’s response. “This response is a perfect example of why people don’t like or trust Google,” Fishkin said. “It’s a non-statement that doesn’t address the leak, provides no value, and might well have been written by an AI trained on the past decade’s most soulless corporate messaging.” In the era of AI answers, Ruby notes that the way Google ranks web pages is more important than ever. Instead of a series of links to various perspectives, you might just get one straight answer thanks to Google’s new AI Overviews. However, we’ve seen 10-year-old Reddit posts get strange amounts of authority, telling some users to put glue in their pizza. How Google chooses authority is increasingly important, since the top result may be the only one with a voice now.

30 May 2024

[hackeocafe]

How to use ChatGPT in 2024 full tutorial

Begin your journey to being a ChatGPT Pro with our 12-hour ChatGPT Masterclass. This video covers everything from basics to advanced, starting with the fundamentals of ChatGPT, Generative AI, and Large Language Models (LLMs). You'll learn how to navigate ChatGPT's interface, delve into Prompt Engineering, and master effective prompting strategies. We introduce different ChatGPT versions (3.5, 4, 4o), their differences, and usage. You'll build programs, handle exceptions, test codes, and create Python apps and websites using ChatGPT 4o. Additionally, you'll analyze data with Python and Excel, simplify tasks in Excel and PowerPoint, create diverse content, and use ChatGPT for SEO, digital marketing, and finance. Finally, learn to create custom GPTs tailored to your needs

[cindylouwho-2]

RECENT SEO & MARKETING NEWS FOR ECOMMERCE, March 2024

Welcome to my roundup of SEO and marketing news and useful resources for ecommerce businesses, March edition. There is a lot going on with Google, and some really strong marketing pieces this time around, so let's get right to it.

SEO: GOOGLE & OTHER SEARCH ENGINES 

Google launched both a core algorithm update and spam updates on March 5, with the spam update ending on the 20th. Core updates now include the Helpful Content algorithm. In early observations, Etsy and Reddit both picked up visibility in the UK. 

The Helpful Content algorithm updates late last year destroyed a lot of sites’ Google traffic. Avoid the things they had in common.  You can read the full study here. 

Ecommerce sites were some of the biggest losers in Google visibility in 2023, with Amazon, Walmart, eBay, Etsy, Target and Best Buy in the top 10 of sites whose Google appearances slipped. 

New to Google SEO? They’ve revamped their SEO starter guide for people like you. And if you are more advanced and want to learn how to optimize your website product pages, this is a good overview. 

This lengthy article on backlinks for ecommerce websites covers pretty much all the angles, including the really difficult ones. 

Reminder that if you want to rank on Google for a search term, you need to look at what is already ranking, and make decisions based on that content. [video and transcript] This works for most search engines, not just Google. 

Yes, Google crawls “high quality” content more often. I used to refer to this as Google thinking the page is “interesting”, so I guess I will need to change my wording...

While Google sends the most traffic to websites, people spend a lot more of their online time elsewhere. Market where people are, not just where your stats say they came from. 

Sadly, Google has stopped providing caches of website pages in its search results. While you can still see the caches of some pages by using the Google search Cache:[page link] as in cache:https://cindylouwho-2.tumblr.com that will eventually stop working as well. Bing still provides caches, but unfortunately both it and the Wayback Machine do not crawl often enough to give really recent results most of the time. 

Missed Google news in February? Here’s your update. And just in case you are really behind, here is January. 

Not Google

Unsure if your website has enough good backlinks? Bing Webmaster Tools will now tell you if you don’t. 

Yandex - the top search engine in Russia - was sold by its Dutch ownership group to a consortium in Russia. 

SOCIAL MEDIA - All Aspects, By Site

General

A US study of social media use found that the most popular site was YouTube, with 83% of adults using it. Two-thirds of American adults use Facebook, while TikTok is up to ⅓ of the US population. 

Because they do change periodically, here are the latest image and video sizes recommended for the top social media platforms. [infographic]

Bluesky is now open to everyone - it was previously invite-only. 

Facebook (includes relevant general news from Meta)

Meta has introduced several changes to its Ad options, applying to Facebook and Instagram. 

Meta had a great 4th quarter in 2023, with revenue, users, and earnings per share up. “Fast-growing upstarts Temu and Shein, which originated in China, have been pouring money into ads on Facebook and Instagram. Li said on Thursday that revenue from China-based advertisers accounted for 10% of sales for the year and 5 percentage points of growth.”

Instagram

An updated post on Instagram's algorithm and how it works. 

Instagram is still beta testing longer Reels for some users. 

If your account is a brand account, you can now run ads on Instagram with coupon codes right in them. (Some Facebook users can already do this.)

LinkedIn

Among other recent changes on LinkedIn, the algorithm is now looking to boost important content longer than just the first day or two after publication. 

Pinterest

Pinterest has its own stats package, called Pinterest Analytics, but only for “Business” accounts. They show how many people clicked on the outgoing links, how many people saw your pin on their screen, and much more. Here’s everything you need to know. 

Reddit

Reddit successfully launched on the stock market this past week, but questions remain about how this will change the site. 

Google is paying Reddit to scrape its content through the API instead of from the web. 

Snapchat

Snap was a little later than most tech companies doing layoffs recently, waiting until February 5 to let 10% off staff go. 

Threads

Threads is so new that the algorithm is bound to change a lot in the next year, but for right now, here is how it works. 

TikTok

There is an overwhelming amount of info out there on the US attempt to either ban TikTok or force its sale, and much of it is incomplete, so I will let you Google to your heart’s content if you want to learn more. If you are relying on TikTok to drive sales, this would be a good time to make sure you diversify your promotional strategy. 

You can now track trending terms on TikTok through the Creator Search Insights section. “Creator Search Insights will highlight frequently searched topics, which creators can organize by category (for example, tourism, sports, science) or tailor to their content type with the “For You” option. Additionally, creators can filter for “content gap” topics, which are highly searched but have relatively few videos on TikTok covering them.“

TikTok may be testing a photo app, which would obviously compete with Instagram. 

Twitter

What? Twitter may have lied about its Super Bowl ad performance? I’m so not shocked. 

Tumblr

Tumblr will be selling data access to AI companies. 

YouTube

This is a pretty decent article on YouTube SEO. 

(CONTENT) MARKETING (includes blogging, emails, and strategies) 

Small and micro-businesses need an email list. An email list is:  

portable (unlike most social media followers or marketplace buyers) 

is available to almost everyone, as we all need at least one email address if we are online

less susceptible to the whims of algorithms (unlike SEO, marketplaces, social etc.)  

I keep seeing people argue that no one opens emails, but the chart in the article above is proof that is still wrong. (My blog email list averages close to a 70% open rate, depending on the topic and the time I send it. My jewellery email list - which I hardly ever send to - still has an over 30% open rate. My click rates are well above the industry averages, usually 30 to 40% of all recipients for the blog list. These are much better numbers than social, and astronomically better than my clickthrough rate on Google and other search engines.)

Gmail and Yahoo both changed how they handle bulk emails such as newsletters in February. Here’s what you need to know on the basics, including authenticating yourself so your email gets through. 

Find out how to get people to read all the way to the end of your content. 

Get ready for April marketing with 5 topical ideas. National Handmade Day is April 6. 

We should all think twice before deciding to use AI to create content. “Circa 2024, generative AI does not produce new ideas or even develop its own conclusions. Rather, it regurgitates information that it has indexed.” Not convinced? Here’s another article. “AI-generated content represents the literal “average of everything online.”

ONLINE ADVERTISING (EXCEPT INDIVIDUAL SOCIAL MEDIA AND ECOMMERCE SITES) 

Google Ads can now be tracked in Google Analytics 4. 

Both Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising were up in the 4th quarter of 2023. 

STATS, DATA, TRACKING 

Google Analytics 4 tracks organic traffic differently than the previous version. Here’s how to figure it out. 

BUSINESS & CONSUMER TRENDS, STATS & REPORTS; SOCIOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGY, CUSTOMER SERVICE 

I’ve probably posted this specific article before, but it is worth another read: how to communicate with customers.  For example, “Mirroring your customer’s tone lets them know you’re on their side. If a customer is formal, for example, hold back on the LOLs. If they’re more casual, relax your tone.”

According to a US study, Generation Z is skewing the traditional marketing funnel. “Per Archrival’s data, 77 per cent of Gen Zs and 79 per cent of millennials in the US are actively seeking style inspiration at least monthly, with almost half of those looking for style inspiration on social media. When asked where they learn about new brands, products and experiences, video reigns supreme: YouTube is the most popular platform with Gen Zs, followed by TikTok, then Instagram.”

Trend alert: bag charms are back. 

IMAGES, VIDEO, GRAPHIC DESIGN, & FREE ONLINE TOOLS

Almost all of these 12 video tools are free, and some can be used on your phone. 

MISCELLANEOUS

This is an older piece, but it checks out: IKEA Hacks for Craft Show Displays. A few of these could be done with non-IKEA items. 

Want to stay up-to-date on a nearly daily basis? Follow me on Bluesky or on LinkedIn, or become a member of my Patreon.

[grasshoppersindia]

How a Creative Advertising Agency in Delhi Can Boost Your Brand in 2024

In today’s fast-paced digital world, brands fight for attention every second. At Grasshoppers India Pvt. Ltd., we’ve helped brands grow by using creative strategies that cut through the noise.

As one of the most dynamic advertising agencies in Delhi, we know what it takes to build a brand that stands out.

Let’s explore why working with a creative agency is the smartest move you can make in 2024.

Why Choose an Advertising Agency in Delhi Today?

Delhi isn’t just India’s capital — it’s a creative powerhouse. With competition rising and digital platforms multiplying, the role of an advertising agency has become more important than ever.

A top agency doesn’t just place ads. We build brand journeys. By using a mix of digital, print, PR, and influencer marketing, we create campaigns that connect and convert. This is the core of an integrated marketing campaign.

What’s an Integrated Marketing Campaign?

An integrated marketing campaign brings all your communication channels together. From social media and blogs to events and print ads — everything works as one.

At Grasshoppers, we design campaigns that stay consistent across platforms and keep your brand message clear, wherever your audience sees it.

Why Is an Integrated Communication Approach Essential?

Your audience is everywhere — Instagram, Google, email, and beyond. An integrated approach ensures your brand speaks the same language on every channel.

Here’s how it works:

A Facebook ad sends users to your blog

The blog links to your service page

A follow-up email keeps the conversation going

It’s seamless, smart, and keeps your brand top-of-mind.

Can a Creative Agency Really Make a Difference?

Definitely. Strong design, compelling storytelling, and strategy are key to standing out.

At Grasshoppers, we blend creative thinking with data-driven strategies. We’re among the few advertising agencies in Delhi offering full-service integrated marketing under one roof. From branding to social media to PR, we deliver campaigns that drive results.

Curious About the First Advertising Agency in India?

India’s advertising history is rich. But today’s market demands more than legacy. It needs speed, creativity, and strategy. That’s where we come in — combining tradition with innovation to help your brand succeed.

What Services Should a Top Delhi Agency Offer?

Here’s what we bring to the table:

Brand strategy

SEO, social media & digital ads

PR and influencer outreach

Website design

Film, video & creative production

Activation & experience-led campaigns

All of this follows an integrated communication approach to keep your messaging sharp and consistent.

How Do Integrated Marketing Channels Improve Results?

Think of your marketing as a team. If everyone plays together, you win.

Integrated channels-

Build better engagement

Increase brand recall

Boost your return on investment

Maintain visual and verbal consistency

Why Choose Grasshoppers?

Grasshoppers India Pvt. Ltd. goes beyond traditional marketing. We think creatively, plan strategically, and adapt quickly.

As a top-tier advertising agency in New Delhi, we know what works — whether you're launching a product, growing a brand, or scaling awareness.

We don’t just deliver ads — we create meaningful connections that convert.

Looking to grow your brand with creative, integrated campaigns?

Let’s build something impactful together. Grasshoppers is here to help you stop the scroll, spark engagement, and leave a lasting impression.

Reach out today to partner with one of the most experienced advertising agencies in Delhi.

[severesoulninja]

The Complete Manual for SEO in 2025: Methods to Rule Search Results

Digital marketing

Because Google's algorithms are becoming more intelligent and user behavior is changing, search engine optimization, or SEO, is always changing. To stay ahead of the curve in 2025, you will need to combine technical know-how, excellent content, and strategic link-building. If you are a blogger, digital marketer, or business owner, learning SEO can help you increase conversions and drive organic traffic.

In order to help you dominate search engine rankings in 2024, we will examine the most recent SEO tactics in this guide.

1. Recognizing SEO in 2025

Enhancing your website's visibility on search engines such as Google and Bing is known as SEO. A higher ranking for pertinent keywords, organic traffic, and improved user experience are the objectives.

Relevance, authority, and high-quality content are given top priority by search engines. Google's algorithms have become increasingly complex in comprehending search intent and rewarding websites that offer genuine value as a result of developments in AI and machine learning.

2. Keyword Analysis: The Basis for SEO

The foundation of SEO is still keyword research. But in 2025, search intent will be more important than ever. Take into account the following rather than just high-volume keywords:

Long-tail keywords are longer, more focused terms with higher conversion rates and less competition.

Semantic keywords: Include synonyms and variations of your primary keyword because Google's algorithms can comprehend related terms.

Keywords that are based on questions: A lot of users enter terms like "how to," "best way to," or "why does." By responding to these questions, you can increase how likely you are to be featured in snippets.

The Top Resources for Researching Keywords:

For both PPC and organic search insights, Google Keyword Planner is a free and helpful tool.

Ahrefs: Offers competitor analysis, search volume, and keyword difficulty.

SEMrush: Provides backlink analysis, site audits, and keyword research.

Finding frequently asked questions about your subject is made easier with AnswerThePublic.

3. Optimizing Your Content with On-Page SEO

Improving search rankings by optimizing individual pages is known as on-page SEO. Here's how to make your content better:

a. Meta descriptions and title tags

Your title tag should contain your target keyword, be compelling, and be no more than 60 characters. Likewise, your 160-character meta description should enticingly summarize your content and entice readers to click.

b. Header tags, such as H1, H2, and H3.

Use the main title in H1.

Utilize H2s and H3s for subheadings to enhance structure and readability.

Naturalize the use of primary and secondary keywords.

c. Optimizing URLs

A clean, descriptive URL helps both search engines and users. Example: Bad URL: www.example.com/p=12345 Visit www.example.com/seo-strategies-2025 for a good URL.

d. Linking Inside

Link equity is distributed, navigation is improved, and user engagement is prolonged when you link to other pertinent pages on your website.

e. Optimization of Images

To speed up page loads, reduce the size of images.

To help search engines understand images, use alt text to describe them.

4. Improving Website Performance with Technical SEO

Making a site's backend better for search engines to crawl and index is the main goal of technical SEO.

A. Optimization for Mobile

As mobile-first indexing is the standard, make sure your website is responsive. Google's Mobile-Friendly Test can be used to test your mobile performance.

b. Page Speed and Essential Web Elements

Google takes into account Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, and CLS) and page speed when determining rankings. Boost speed by:

making use of a content delivery network (CDN).

making videos and pictures better.

turning on browser caching and minifying JavaScript and CSS.

c. Make Your Website Secure with HTTPS

Safe websites are given priority by Google. Convert your website to HTTPS if it still uses HTTP for better search engine rankings and user confidence.

Robots.txt and XML Sitemap

Make sure that all of the key pages are indexed by submitting an updated XML sitemap to Google Search Console. A robots.txt file can also be used to prevent the crawling of unnecessary pages.

5. Developing Authority and Trust through Off-Page SEO

a. Creating Links

One important ranking factor is still backlinks. Quantity is not as important as quality. Pay attention to:

guest posting on trustworthy websites.

Links are created by having high-quality content.

"Broken link building" is the process of identifying and fixing broken links.

Consider using HARO (Help A Reporter Out) to get backlinks from news websites.

b. Social Media Brand Mentions

Despite social signals not being direct ranking factors, a strong social media presence can boost credibility and drive traffic.

c. Local SEO and Internet critiques

If your business operates locally, encourage customers to leave positive reviews on Google My Business and Yelp. The local SEO rankings of your business are also raised when local citations contain your company's name, address, and phone number.

7. The Growth of Voice and Zero-Click Searches

It is imperative to optimize for voice search given the popularity of smart assistants like Alexa and Siri.

Make use of FAQs and keywords in natural language.

Because many voice searches are location-based, make sure your website is optimized for local search engines.

There is also an increase in zero-click searches, in which Google provides an answer right in the SERP. In order to appear in featured snippets:

Give succinct, well-organized responses.

For clarity, use lists and bullet points.

8. The Synergy of Content Marketing and SEO

Content marketing and SEO are closely related. For 2025 success, concentrate on

1,500+ words of long-form content that offers comprehensive answers.

Integration of multimedia (podcasts, infographics, and videos).

User interaction promotes sharing, comments, and conversations.

9. Tracking and Enhancing SEO Results

Use resources such as:

Google Analytics: Monitors conversions, traffic, and bounce rates.

Data on indexing and keyword performance is provided by Google Search Console.

Analysis of competitors and backlinks is provided by Ahrefs and SEMrush.

Important data to monitor:

an increase in organic traffic.

ranking of keywords.

CTR stands for click-through rates.

bounce rates and dwell time.

Conclusion: Make Your SEO Strategy Future-Proof

The process of SEO is continuous and necessitates continuous modification. Creating valuable content, staying up to date with algorithm changes, and focusing on technical optimizations are all ways to maintain high search rankings in 2025.

Ready to make your website more successful? Put these tactics into practice right now, and see how your organic traffic increases! 

[digitalmarketing091]

10 Essential Digital Marketing Tips to Boost Your Business in 2024

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses of all sizes must stay up-to-date with the latest marketing strategies. The internet has changed the way consumers interact with brands, and as we approach 2024, mastering digital marketing will be more critical than ever. To help you stay competitive and drive meaningful results, here are 10 essential digital marketing tips that will elevate your business in the coming year.

1. Optimise for Voice Search

With the growing popularity of voice-activated devices like Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri, voice search has become a key component of how people find information online. In fact, it's expected that over 50% of all searches will be voice-driven. Unlike traditional text-based searches, voice searches tend to be more conversational and long-tail. 

To optimise your website for voice search, start by incorporating natural language into your SEO strategy. This means using question-based keywords that reflect how people speak, such as “Where can I find the best digital marketing tips?” Additionally, focus on featured snippets and providing concise, relevant answers, as these are often used by voice assistants to respond to queries.

2. Leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Your Campaigns

Artificial Intelligence is transforming the way businesses approach digital marketing. From chatbots to data analytics, AI enables companies to better understand customer behavior, predict trends, and create highly personalized marketing experiences. AI-driven tools can automate tasks like email segmentation, content recommendations, and customer service interactions, allowing businesses to save time while improving engagement.

For example, AI-powered chatbots can enhance customer experiences by providing instant responses to common inquiries, even outside of business hours.  AI can also help businesses optimise their ad campaigns by analysing large amounts of data and suggesting improvements based on performance.

3. Prioritise Video Marketing

Video content is now an indispensable part of any digital marketing strategy. By 2024, it’s estimated that video will account for 82% of all online traffic. This makes video marketing one of the most effective ways to capture your audience’s attention. Whether it’s through YouTube, Instagram Stories, TikTok, or live streaming, video allows you to engage customers in ways that text or images simply can’t.

To maximise the impact of your video content, focus on creating short, engaging videos that are informative and entertaining. Live video is also becoming more popular, with platforms like Instagram and Facebook offering live streaming capabilities that allow you to interact with your audience in real-time. Demonstrating your products or services, hosting Q&A sessions, or sharing behind-the-scenes content can help build a more personal connection with your audience.

4. Collaborate with Social Media Influencers

Influencer marketing is no longer just a trend—it’s a powerful tool for businesses to increase brand awareness and drive conversions. By partnering with influencers who have a loyal following, you can leverage their credibility and reach new audiences. In 2024, micro-influencers (influencers with smaller, highly engaged audiences) are expected to play a more significant role, as they often have more authentic interactions with their followers compared to larger influencers.

When selecting influencers to collaborate with, ensure they align with your brand��s values and target demographic. Authenticity is key—today’s consumers can easily spot a partnership that feels forced or inauthentic. Focus on building long-term relationships with influencers rather than one-off promotions for more meaningful engagement.

5. Enhance User Experience (UX) on Your Website

User experience is central to the success of any digital marketing strategy. A poorly designed website can drive away potential customers and negatively impact your search engine rankings. Google places a strong emphasis on Core Web Vitals, which measure aspects like page load speed, interactivity, and visual stability.

As we move into 2024, it’s essential to ensure that your website is optimised for both speed and mobile friendliness. More than 50% of web traffic now comes from mobile devices, so if your site isn’t mobile-friendly, you could be losing a significant portion of your audience. Focus on providing a seamless, intuitive experience with easy navigation and fast load times to keep visitors engaged.

 6. Master SEO: Focus on High-Quality Content

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a long-standing digital marketing technique that continues to evolve. As Google’s algorithms become more sophisticated, the emphasis has shifted from keyword stuffing to creating high-quality, informative content. In 2024, businesses should focus on producing valuable, long-form content that addresses the needs and pain points of their audience.

To improve your SEO, conduct thorough keyword research and create content that provides in-depth answers to commonly asked questions in your industry. Use internal linking to guide visitors to other relevant pages on your website and ensure that your content is updated regularly to remain fresh and relevant.

7. Invest in Paid Advertising

While organic reach is still valuable, the rise of paid advertising offers a more direct way to target specific audiences. Platforms like Google Ads, Facebook, and Instagram allow businesses to use highly targeted advertising to reach potential customers based on demographics, interests, and online behaviour. 

In 2024, consider experimenting with a mix of search ads, social media ads, and display ads to diversify your strategy. Retargeting campaigns, which focus on users who have already visited your site, are particularly effective at converting potential customers who didn’t purchase their first visit.

8. Use Email Marketing to Nurture Leads

Email marketing remains one of the most effective ways to nurture leads and maintain customer relationships. In 2024, personalisation will be key to running successful email campaigns. Use behavioural data to send personalised emails based on your audience’s past interactions with your brand. Whether it's a product recommendation, an abandoned cart reminder, or a birthday discount, personalising your emails can significantly improve open and conversion rates.

Additionally, focus on building your email list organically and create   engaging, mobile-friendly templates that grab attention. Incorporate   dynamic content that adapts to the recipient’s preferences to make your emails more relevant and engaging.

 9. Incorporate User-Generated Content (UGC)  

User-generated content (UGC) is a powerful form of social proof that can influence purchase decisions. Customers are more likely to trust the opinions of their peers than traditional advertising. Encourage your customers to share their experiences with your products or services on social media, and showcase UGC on your website and marketing channels.

UGC can take the form of reviews, testimonials, photos, and videos   from customers. By featuring authentic content from real users, you can build trust with potential customers and foster a sense of community around your brand.

10. Utilise Data Analytics to Drive Decisions  

Data analytics is the foundation of a successful digital marketing strategy. By tracking the performance of your campaigns, you can make   data-driven decisions that improve your ROI. Tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and marketing automation platforms can provide valuable information on how your audience interacts with your content, website, and ads.

In 2024, focus on real-time analytics to track user behaviour and adjust your marketing strategies on the fly. Use data to identify trends, test new ideas, and continuously refine your approach to maximise results.

    Conclusion   

Digital marketing is an ever-changing field, and staying ahead of the trends is essential for business growth. By incorporating these 10 essential digital marketing tips, you’ll be well-prepared to navigate the challenges of 2024 and beyond. From optimising for voice search and embracing AI to mastering video marketing and enhancing your SEO efforts, each of these strategies will help you boost your business and stay ahead of the competition. Start implementing these tips today and watch your business soar to new heights in the digital world!

[saintmeghanmarkle]

Proposed fact checking website/blog by u/Larushka

Proposed fact checking website/blog Several sinners, me included, really want to see these two reap their rewards for all their lies. It was suggested that maybe a website/blog with actual facts compared to what they said, where they’ve changed facts, where statements are made out of context, etc. Seeing as there is currently no main stream journalist willing to actually challenge them, I was thinking that we could create a space where all of their lies and deception are listed.This would need to be professional and fact based with PRIMARY source links. It should be in chronological order. It could be based on the timeline I just posted separately, and that would give us a good framework to begin.https://ift.tt/WMYTlmA also think it should include any time they’ve put out misleading press, stolen valor, puff pieces etc. - anything where they’ve manipulated the truth. Also all the quotes Meghan has incorporated into her speeches but failed to attribute to the original source.Sadly, ill health prevents me from taking this on myself, but I would be more than willing to contribute some time and effort, and I’m pretty sure there must be loads of others here who’d be willing to help, just waiting for those two to get their just desserts.It would need to be chronological (I just posted a timeline), proof-read, fact checked, edited and scanned with a legal eye. It must look professional.If we can create something like this, I’m pretty confident that we could attract the attention of the real royal reporters like Richard Eden and Rebecca English. At this point I’m also sure Dan Wootton, Sharon Osbourne and even Piers Morgan would be on board. And most certainly the Australian press and Megyn Kelly.I’ve followed the Royal family all my life - much more intensely since Meghan came on the scene. I’ve spent an inordinate amount of time trying to come to grips with how this horrible person is seemingly untouchable by the mainstream press. I used to think, like many of us, that Harry was a nice guy. To me, one of the best things that Meghan’s presence has done, is show us who Harry really is.There is nothing more I’d like at this point to revel in some well deserved schadenfreude.https://ift.tt/SJMTriA since we know for sure that sugars, YouTubers, et al read this sub, and Meghan’s propensity to clap back about online truths, and subsequently manipulate the SEO, it would be interesting to watch this evolve in real time.So what do you think fellow sinners? Is there anyone out there with the time and wherewithal to spearhead this? Thoughts? post link: https://ift.tt/c6PmNTR author: Larushka submitted: March 10, 2024 at 09:27PM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit disclaimer: all views + opinions expressed by the author of this post, as well as any comments and reblogs, are solely the author's own; they do not necessarily reflect the views of the administrator of this Tumblr blog. For entertainment only.

[createncodewebtechnologies]

How to Use SEO for Website in 2024

Overview of How to Use SEO for Website in 2024 :

Prior to getting into particular tactics, it's critical to comprehend why SEO is still vital in 2024. Given that over 80% of online interactions begin with a search engine, companies who do not invest in SEO run the risk of losing out to prospective clients.

Through SEO, you may increase user authority and trust, draw in targeted visitors, and make your website more user-friendly. Furthermore, SEO provides a long-term, affordable alternative for sustaining presence as the costs associated with digital marketing continue to climb.

In 2024, content will still be king, but the emphasis will be on producing relevant, educational, and high-quality material that speaks to user intent. Your site will rank higher the more valuable your material is. In 2024, SEO will involve more than just packing keywords; it will also involve responding to customer inquiries, resolving issues, and offering long-form content that demonstrates your authority.

To draw in local clients, local firms must optimize their websites for search engines.

Google My Business: Make sure your Google My Business listing is claimed and optimized to increase local visibility.

Regional Keywords: Include neighborhood or city names as local keywords in your content. Client Testimonials: Urge pleased clients to write favourable evaluations since they have an impact on local search results.

Businesses may use the in-depth knowledge and cutting-edge tactics of a best SEO marketing company in Indore to raise their search engine ranks, draw in more clients, and eventually accomplish their marketing objectives. Investing in SEO services will continue to be essential to any successful online strategy as the digital world changes.

Tailored SEO Strategies: CreateNCode primary goal is to develop SEO strategies that are specifically tailored to meet the demands of every client.

Team with Experience: The business employs more than 70 talented individuals with a wealth of digital marketing expertise.

Open Reporting: To ensure accountability and transparency, clients receive thorough information and frequent updates on their SEO success.

Services Provided:

Both on and off the page SEO

Optimization and content marketing

Marketing on social media

PPC oversight

Creation and design of websites

The business focuses on optimizing headings, content organization, and meta tags among other on-page components. They make sure that every page has high-quality content that adds value for users and is optimized for pertinent keywords. The user experience and search engine rankings are both improved by this improvement.

SEO Indore places a high value on candid communication and teamwork, and takes pride in its client-centric methodology. They collaborate closely with clients to fully grasp their objectives and obstacles, making sure that the SEO tactics implemented align with their overall business objectives.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Google reneged on the monopolistic bargain

I'm on tour with my new novel The Bezzle! Catch me TONIGHT in SALT LAKE CITY (Feb 21, Weller Book Works) and TOMORROW in SAN DIEGO (Feb 22, Mysterious Galaxy). After that, it's LA, Seattle, Portland, Phoenix and more!

A funny thing happened on the way to the enshittocene: Google – which astonished the world when it reinvented search, blowing Altavista and Yahoo out of the water with a search tool that seemed magic – suddenly turned into a pile of shit.

Google's search results are terrible. The top of the page is dominated by spam, scams, and ads. A surprising number of those ads are scams. Sometimes, these are high-stakes scams played out by well-resourced adversaries who stand to make a fortune by tricking Google:

https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/phone-numbers-airlines-listed-google-directed-scammers-rcna94766

But often these scams are perpetrated by petty grifters who are making a couple bucks at this. These aren't hyper-resourced, sophisticated attackers. They're the SEO equivalent of script kiddies, and they're running circles around Google:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/24/passive-income/#swiss-cheese-security

Google search is empirically worsening. The SEO industry spends every hour that god sends trying to figure out how to sleaze their way to the top of the search results, and even if Google defeats 99% of these attempts, the 1% that squeak through end up dominating the results page for any consequential query:

https://downloads.webis.de/publications/papers/bevendorff_2024a.pdf

Google insists that this isn't true, and if it is true, it's not their fault because the bad guys out there are so numerous, dedicated and inventive that Google can't help but be overwhelmed by them:

https://searchengineland.com/is-google-search-getting-worse-389658

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Google has long maintained that its scale is the only thing that keeps us safe from the scammers and spammers who would otherwise overwhelm any lesser-resourced defender. That's why it was so imperative that they pursue such aggressive growth, buying up hundreds of companies and integrating their products with search so that every mobile device, every ad, every video, every website, had one of Google's tendrils in it.

This is the argument that Google's defenders have put forward in their messaging on the long-overdue antitrust case against Google, where we learned that Google is spending $26b/year to make sure you never try another search engine:

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-10-27/google-paid-26-3-billion-to-be-default-search-engine-in-2021

Google, we were told, had achieved such intense scale that the normal laws of commercial and technological physics no longer applied. Take security: it's an iron law that "there is no security in obscurity." A system that is only secure when its adversaries don't understand how it works is not a secure system. As Bruce Schneier says, "anyone can design a security system that they themselves can't break. That doesn't mean it works – just that it works for people stupider than them."

And yet, Google operates one of the world's most consequential security system – The Algorithm (TM) – in total secrecy. We're not allowed to know how Google's ranking system works, what its criteria are, or even when it changes: "If we told you that, the spammers would win."

Well, they kept it a secret, and the spammers won anyway.

A viral post by Housefresh – who review air purifiers – describes how Google's algorithmic failures, which send the worst sites to the top of the heap, have made it impossible for high-quality review sites to compete:

https://housefresh.com/david-vs-digital-goliaths/

You've doubtless encountered these bad review sites. Search for "Best ______ 2024" and the results are a series of near-identical lists, strewn with Amazon affiliate links. Google has endlessly tinkered with its guidelines and algorithmic weights for review sites, and none of it has made a difference. For example, when Google instituted a policy that reviewers should "discuss the benefits and drawbacks of something, based on your own original research," sites that had previously regurgitated the same lists of the same top ten Amazon bestsellers "peppered their pages with references to a ‘rigorous testing process,’ their ‘lab team,’ subject matter experts ‘they collaborated with,’ and complicated methodologies that seem impressive at a cursory look."

But these grandiose claims – like the 67 air purifiers supposedly tested in Better Homes and Gardens's Des Moines lab – result in zero in-depth reviews and no published data. Moreover, these claims to rigorous testing materialized within a few days of Google changing its search ranking and said that high rankings would be reserved for sites that did testing.

Most damning of all is how the Better Homes and Gardens top air purifiers perform in comparison to the – extensively documented – tests performed by Housefresh: "plagued by high-priced and underperforming units, Amazon bestsellers with dubious origins (that also underperform), and even subpar devices from companies that market their products with phrases like ‘the Tesla of air purifiers.’"

One of the top ranked items on BH&G comes from Molekule, a company that filed for bankruptcy after being sued for false advertising. The model BH&G chose was ranked "the worst air purifier tested" by Wirecutter and "not living up to the hype" by Consumer Reports. Either BH&G's rigorous testing process is a fiction that they infused their site with in response to a Google policy change, or BH&G absolutely sucks at rigorous testing.

BH&G's competitors commit the same sins – literally, the exact same sins. Real Simple's reviews list the same photographer and the photos seem to have been taken in the same place. They also list the same person as their "expert." Real Simple has the same corporate parent as BH&G: Dotdash Meredith. As Housefresh shows, there's a lot of Dotdash Meredith review photos that seem to have been taken in the same place, by the same person.

But the competitors of these magazines are no better. Buzzfeed lists 22 air purifiers, including that crapgadget from Molekule. Their "methodology" is to include screenshots of Amazon reviews.

A lot of the top ranked sites for air purifiers are once-great magazines that have been bought and enshittified by private equity giants, like Popular Science, which began as a magazine in 1872 and became a shambling zombie in 2023, after its PE owners North Equity LLC decided its googlejuice was worth more than its integrity and turned it into a metastatic chumbox of shitty affiliate-link SEO-bait. As Housefresh points out, the marketing team that runs PopSci makes a lot of hay out of the 150 years of trust that went into the magazine, but the actual reviews are thin anaecdotes, unbacked by even the pretense of empiricism (oh, and they loooove Molekule).

Some of the biggest, most powerful, most trusted publications in the world have a side-hustle in quietly producing SEO-friendly "10 Best ___________ of 2024" lists: Rolling Stone, Forbes, US News and Report, CNN, New York Magazine, CNN, CNET, Tom's Guide, and more.

Google literally has one job: to detect this kind of thing and crush it. The deal we made with Google was, "You monopolize search and use your monopoly rents to ensure that we never, ever try another search engine. In return, you will somehow distinguish between low-effort, useless nonsense and good information. You promised us that if you got to be the unelected, permanent overlord of all information access, you would 'organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful.'"

They broke the deal.

Companies like CNET used to do real, rigorous product reviews. As Housefresh points out, CNET once bought an entire smart home and used it to test products. Then Red Ventures bought CNET and bet that they could sell the house, switch to vibes-based reviewing, and that Google wouldn't even notice. They were right.

https://www.cnet.com/home/smart-home/welcome-to-the-cnet-smart-home/

Google downranks sites that spend money and time on reviews like Housefresh and GearLab, and crams botshittened content mills like BH&G into our eyeballs instead.

In 1558, Thomas Gresham coined (ahem) Gresham's Law: "Bad money drives out good." When counterfeit money circulates in the economy, anyone who gets a dodgy coin spends it as quickly as they can, because the longer you hold it, the greater the likelihood that someone will detect the fraud and the coin will become worthless. Run this system long enough and all the money in circulation is funny money.

An internet run by Google has its own Gresham's Law: bad sites drive out good. It's not just that BH&G can "test" products at a fraction of the cost of Housefresh – through the simple expedient of doing inadequate tests or no tests at all – so they can put a lot more content up that Housefresh. But that alone wouldn't let them drive Housefresh off the front page of Google's search results. For that, BH&G has to mobilize some of their savings from the no test/bad test lab to do real rigorous science: science in defeating Google's security-through-obscurity system, which lets them command the front page despite publishing worse-than-useless nonsense.

Google has lost the spam wars. In response to the plague of botshit clogging Google search results, the company has invested in…making more botshit:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/02/16/tweedledumber/#easily-spooked

Last year, Google did a $70b stock buyback. They also laid off 12,000 staffers (whose salaries could have been funded for 27 years by that stock buyback). They just laid off thousands more employees.

That wasn't the deal. The deal was that Google would get a monopoly, and they would spend their monopoly rents to be so good that you could just click "I'm feeling lucky" and be teleported to the very best response to your query. A company that can't figure out the difference between a scam like Better Homes and Gardens and a rigorous review site like Housefresh should be pouring every spare dime it brings in into fixing this problem. Not buying default search status on every platform so that we never try another search engine: they should be fixing their shit.

When Google admits that it's losing the war to these kack-handed spam-farmers, that's frustrating. When they light $26b/year on fire making sure you don't ever get to try anything else, that's very frustrating. When they vaporize seventy billion dollars on financial engineering and shoot one in ten engineers, that's outrageous.

Google's scale has transcended the laws of business physics: they can sell an ever-degrading product and command an ever-greater share of our economy, even as their incompetence dooms any decent, honest venture to obscurity while providing fertile ground – and endless temptation – for scammers.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/21/im-feeling-unlucky/#not-up-to-the-task

[prezeblogupdates]

The Importance of SEO for Loc

In today?s competitive marketplace, local businesses struggle to stand out and attract customers. With the heightened use on internet queries, SEO techniques has become a vital tool for businesses to improve visibility, connect with clients, and drive revenue. This article will explore why SEO is important for local businesses and how it can revolutionize their digital presence. Defining Local SEO Local SEO is a specialized subset of SEO that is aimed at boosting the visibility of businesses in geographic-specific searches. When potential customers search for products or services near them, local SEO ensures your business shows up at the first page of the listings. Local SEO includes updating your Google My Business profile, focusing on location-specific keywords, and creating local citations to build credibility. This strategy is important for businesses that depend on foot traffic, such as restaurants, boutiques, and service providers. Benefits of SEO for Local Businesses Increases Visibility Local SEO allows businesses to climb in search rankings. Data suggests that the initial results of Google receive upwards of 90% of clicks. By optimizing local keywords, businesses can gain visibility, making it simpler for customers to locate them. Draws in Specific Audiences Local SEO targets users who are specifically looking your services in your area. For example, a potential buyer searching for "best pizza near me" is more likely to visit a local pizzeria than someone scrolling through unrelated content. This priority on user intent leads to better prospects. Establishes Authority A solid online presence indicates reliability and reliability. Updating your Google My Business profile with precise data, glowing testimonials, and updated photos can build confidence among prospective clients. Boosts Profitability Unlike offline promotions, SEO offers ongoing advantages at a minimal investment. Once implemented, your business can benefit from steady leads without ongoing expenses for ads. Steps to Apply Local SEO Update Your Online Listings Ensure your business information is correct. Add professional visuals, address customer testimonials, and include your operating times. A well-optimized profile significantly improves your chances of appearing in the top listings. Use Geographic Keywords Research and include keywords relevant to your area and offerings. For example, "plumber in Brisbane" or "best coffee shop in Scottsdale" can attract specific users to your ideal audience. Utilize Customer Testimonials Motivate satisfied customers to write testimonials on websites like Google, Yelp, or Facebook. Good ratings enhance your credibility and play a role in SEO rankings. Develop Geo-Targeted Articles Content, landing pages, and write-ups customized to your local audience can add to your presence. For example, writing about "top events in [city]" can engage nearby audiences. Conclusion SEO is an essential strategy for local businesses?it?s crucial. By prioritizing local SEO strategies, businesses can enhance discoverability, engage their audience, and ultimately increase revenue. Whether you run a boutique, a caf?, or a service-based business, focusing on local SEO secures your business stays ahead in the modern market. Start optimizing today to enjoy the benefits in the near future! https://theimportanceofseoforlocalbusinesses.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-importance-of-seo-for-local.html Professional SEO Brisbane team

[kirtivishwakarmadigital]

Digital marketing

1. Introduction

Define digital marketing.

Briefly explain its importance in today’s tech-driven world.

Use a hook: statistics like "Over 60% of the global population is online!"

2. What is Digital Marketing?

Overview of the concept.

Difference between traditional marketing and digital marketing.

Explain its components (SEO, SEM, Social Media, Content Marketing, etc.).

3. Importance of Digital Marketing

Its role in connecting brands with audiences globally.

Benefits like cost-effectiveness, real-time analytics, and wider reach.

4. Key Components of Digital Marketing

SEO (Search Engine Optimization): The art of ranking higher on search engines.

Content Marketing: Blogs, videos, infographics, etc.

Social Media Marketing: Using platforms like Instagram and Facebook.

Email Marketing: Building personal connections.

Pay-Per-Click Advertising (PPC): Paid strategies for immediate visibility.

5. How Digital Marketing Helps Businesses

Building brand awareness.

Increasing website traffic.

Boosting sales and revenue.

Reaching targeted audiences.

6. Challenges in Digital Marketing

Competition and market saturation.

Keeping up with trends and algorithms.

Creating engaging and authentic content.

7. Future Trends in Digital Marketing (2024 and Beyond)

Growth of AI tools (e.g., chatbots, analytics tools).

Personalization and user experience.

The rise of video content and short-form reels.

Focus on voice search and local SEO.

8. Tips for Beginners

Start with a strong social media presence.

Learn SEO basics and use tools like Google Analytics.

Create quality, user-focused content consistently.

Experiment with small ad campaigns.

9. Conclusion

Summarize why digital marketing is a game-changer.

Call-to-action: “Start your digital marketing journey today with ‘Kirtivishwakarma Digital’!”

[topicsquest]

Social Sharing and Profile Backlinks List 2024

How High DA and PA Websites Boost SEO

In the world of digital marketing, building a strong online presence is key to success. One proven way to improve your visibility and search engine ranking is through social sharing and creating profile backlinks on high Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) websites. These links not only increase brand awareness but also drive organic traffic while strengthening your SEO strategy.

Here’s how Topics Quest is leveraging this approach. Check out our profiles on these high-authority platforms:

LinkedIn

Instagram

Pinterest

Wakelet

Fuzia

Mastodon

YouTube

Mighty Networks

SpeakerDeck

TED

Behance

Issuu

Wefunder

Indiegogo

Linktree

Blurb

Goodreads

Why High DA and PA Websites Matter

Websites with high DA and PA are trusted by search engines, making backlinks from these platforms highly valuable. Such links pass authority to your site, helping to improve your rankings and diversify your backlink profile. This diversity reduces the risk of search engine penalties and strengthens your overall SEO efforts.

Benefits of Social Sharing and Profile Backlinks

Increased Traffic: Sharing content across these platforms can drive more visitors to your website.

Improved SEO: Backlinks from high-authority websites signal trust and relevance to search engines.

Enhanced Credibility: Having a presence on reputable platforms builds trust with your audience.

Wider Audience Reach: These platforms allow you to connect with different audience groups.

Stronger Brand Awareness: Regular engagement ensures your brand remains visible and memorable.

How to Start Building Backlinks

Create Profiles on High-Authority Platforms: Set up profiles on trusted sites like LinkedIn and Behance.

Optimize Your Content: Include a professional bio, a link to your website, and share valuable updates.

Engage with Users: Interact with your audience by sharing useful content and responding to their comments.

Track Results: Use analytics tools to monitor the performance of your backlinks and traffic.

Conclusion

Social sharing and profile backlinks are powerful tools for increasing online visibility and building trust. By following Topics Quest example and creating profiles on high DA, PA websites, you can drive traffic, improve SEO, and establish your brand as a leader in your field. Start today, and watch your digital presence grow!