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In this episode, we discuss a possible algorithm update February 20th, how Google defines a quality backlink, what to consider if you were hit in December, crafting title tags that work, and more!

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The following topics are covered in the premium version of this episode:

• Algorithm update this week? Feb 20 was possibly a significant date
• Are featured snippets connected to Passage Based Ranking?
• Google has a new Associations page in GSC
• How to craft title tags
• John recommending making your affiliate associations clear
• Google’s monetization series discusses thin content and how to add value to your content
• Can you restrict certain pages or subfolders from being included in Discover?
• How does an upload of your disavow file to Ahrefs update public visibility?
• Quality over quantity for backlinks says John Mueller
• John Mueller defines a quality backlink
• Possible consideration if you’ve been hit by the December 3rd core update
• Broad core updates can impact other areas of Search
• Did you know that not all Web Stories end up in Discover?
• ASOS is migrating Topshop into its main site and it’s not going so well — here’s an interesting case study
• For anyone doubting Apple’s entrance into Search
• How Google has fought fake and fraudulent content on Google Maps
• Moz’s ‘Essential Local SEO Strategy Guide’
• Case study: What happens when Google removes 98% of your reviews?
• A new version of this SERP analyzer has been released
• Our tl;dr summary of some awesome recent SEO articles

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Google’s Panda algorithm was released 10 years ago today!

Happy Panda-versary!

Google launched the Panda algorithm this day 10 years ago!

This update shaped how Google prioritized higher-quality sites in the SERPs, and was a big step in reducing spammy and thin content results. pic.twitter.com/goJEu34K0I

— Marie Haynes Consulting (@mhc_inc) February 24, 2021

Heads up: no podcast episode next week

Next week, Marie is on vacation so we will not be recording a podcast episode. Newsletter will still be published as usual, and once she’s back, we’ll continue with podcast. Be prepared for a lot of Fortnite talk!

Google has made a change to its Performance report related to tracking Web Stories and Discover

Starting on February 16, 2021, any additional Web Stories that were reached from the first Web Story in Discover will also be credited with an impression and click in your Discover Performance Report. This may result in an increase in your impressions and clicks from Google Discover as of February 16th, so it’s good to be aware of this date.

You’re invited to Google’s upcoming Search Central Live event

With the aim at creating new virtual events, the first Search Central Live will be happening tomorrow (Feb 24) as a livestream. The talk will be added to their YouTube channel afterwards for those who couldn’t attend live. There will be three parts to the event: a fireside chat, a live case study, and a live episode of Search Off the Record. 

📅We are excited to present the first Search Central Live event to y'all! It's a free, live online event on February 24th (UTC) and you're all cordially invited!

📘Learn more on our blog at https://t.co/7L3cfBE7nL
📩 Register for free at https://t.co/pDlvb3yPuD

🥳 See you soon!

— Google Search Central (@googlesearchc) February 18, 2021

Tip for finding industry specific journalist emails

This is a clever way to find journalists’ emails based on the topic you’re looking for. Simple do a site:twitter.com search with “journalist” “email” and the subject. Clever! 

Here's a quick and easy way to find email addresses for outreach prospects who list them in their Twitter bios. Using Google… pic.twitter.com/2YY1cbzKDx

— Paddy Moogan (@paddymoogan) February 18, 2021

Useful idea for training your team

Great idea from Lily! Instead of trying to teach her team something all at once, she recorded herself and let them watch the video. This let everyone learn at their own speed, go back and forth and really understand the content. We’ll definitely try this! 

Turns out my teammates have each watched the recording of this video multiple times, pausing and re-watching as they needed to confirm each step in the process.

100x more effective than trying to move schedules around, only for people to not remember how to repeat the steps.

— Lily Ray 😏 (@lilyraynyc) February 19, 2021

SEO learning resources

Aleyda created a website dedicated to those who want to learn SEO. There are guides, resources and even a roadmap to help steer you in the right direction. It breaks down the learning into the major SEO topics, like technical and content optimization, keyword research, and more. Way to go Aleyda! 

If you're learning SEO, and don't know where/how to start/continue, with good and free reliable resources, I've created this #LearningSEO site: https://t.co/TTjcOIXGCq

It features a roadmap + google sheet to copy/paste with an aggregation of free guides and courses 📚🙌🤩 pic.twitter.com/usIpshYCdh

— Aleyda Solis 👩🏻‍💻 (@aleyda) February 21, 2021

Excellent advice for pages with a tool/calculator on it

Once again, John gave some excellent advice for sites that offer a tool or calculator of some sort. Google will not try to use your tool, so the more information you can give to explain it the better!

Great advice for those who have pages with a tool like a calculator on it.

-use clean titles and headings
-include information alongside the tool
-write about it on your blog

From a recent Google Help Hangout:https://t.co/2lFGhHZvhQ pic.twitter.com/UFJQyUqMBQ

— Marie Haynes (@Marie_Haynes) February 23, 2021

How to acquire user submitted photos and reviews on your GMB

A great and easy way to add new photos to your GMB: get users to leave a review and post photos. It’s that simple! Photos are a great way to help new users know that the reviews are genuine, so it can’t hurt to ask. 

MY FAVE @keyserholiday pic.twitter.com/sjjSkeLfUq

— Claire Carlile🕊️ 🌊 🥑 🦥 (@clairecarlile) February 19, 2021

BrightLocal’s new tool — Local Search Grid

For those of you focused more on Local SEO, BrightLocal has debuted a new tool called Local Search Grid. You can see a demo and read more about it here in the Local Search Forum, but essentially it allows you to get a bird’s eye view of what searchers are seeing for a neighbourhood, town, or city, as well as any changes in rankings as they happen. It also allows you to compare the rankings of various keywords, and easily spot spam since you can use this tool to see all the businesses GMB names in one place.

🚨 Students across the country! We are encouraging you to quit uni (for a year) and join us @riseatseven for a year

Uni isn't the same right now and many are campaigning for refunds. So we will refund your first term rent and join us for a gap year https://t.co/O1s5jOPloM pic.twitter.com/QacBQ39OTp

— Carrie Rose (@CarrieRosePR) February 17, 2021

Premium members also get the following:

It’s well worth the $18 per month!

The following topics are covered in the premium version of this episode:

• Algorithm update this week? Feb 20 was possibly a significant date
• Are featured snippets connected to Passage Based Ranking?
• Google has a new Associations page in GSC
• How to craft title tags
• John recommending making your affiliate associations clear
• Google’s monetization series discusses thin content and how to add value to your content
• Can you restrict certain pages or subfolders from being included in Discover?
• How does an upload of your disavow file to Ahrefs update public visibility?
• Quality over quantity for backlinks says John Mueller
• John Mueller defines a quality backlink
• Possible consideration if you’ve been hit by the December 3rd core update
• Broad core updates can impact other areas of Search
• Did you know that not all Web Stories end up in Discover?
• ASOS is migrating Topshop into its main site and it’s not going so well — here’s an interesting case study
• For anyone doubting Apple’s entrance into Search
• How Google has fought fake and fraudulent content on Google Maps
• Moz’s ‘Essential Local SEO Strategy Guide’
• Case study: What happens when Google removes 98% of your reviews?
• A new version of this SERP analyzer has been released
• Our tl;dr summary of some awesome recent SEO articles

⎋ SUBSCRIBE NOW

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Part of the challenge of SEO is staying on top of industry news, trends, and techniques There is so much information out there that it is easy to get bogged down in information overload and trying to disseminate what’s truly important from all that noise can be really time-consuming and challenging.

Marie’s newsletter is a game changer because it manages to cut through the fluff and deliver high-quality information that is not only really important for those that do SEO, but it is presented in a format that is really easy to absorb.

If you are looking for a trusted information related to search that is highly actionable I would strongly recommend Marie’s newsletter.

– Paul Macnamara – Offers SEO Consulting at PaulMacnamara.com