Google's response to ChatGPT is coming in a few weeks! Poss update Jan 26, More on the featured snippet ban...Episode 272 -Light version

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Things are moving quickly! Google is hosting an event next week to share with us how they will be implementing their response to ChatGPT in search. I say, “their response”, but really Google has been leading the field of AI for years now.

Bing put ChatGPT into search today. While some think this may just be a fad, I strongly believe that we are at the start of a brand new era.

However, not all agree with me.

Google’s introduction of AI chat has the potential to radically change how people search.

In this episode

There is so much happening. In this episode we discuss:

  • Google’s response to ChatGPT is coming in a few weeks.
  • Bing implemented ChatGPT into search today.
  • Google is prompting people to auto-migrate to GA4
  • Many are seeing big drops in traffic starting Jan 26

In the paid version you’re going to want to grab a hot drink and sit and read this one.

  • Brief insight into a poss Jan 26 algorithm update
  • What can SEO’s learn from the Yandex source code leak?
  • A very cool case study (including everything the site owner did) sent to me. This site recovered from the October spam update in dramatic fashion after following the advice in my spam recovery book. This book is free for paid newsletter subscribers.

October spam update recovery story

  • I looked at more sites affected by the supposed “featured snippet ban” and found what seems to me to be an obvious pattern.
  • AI News:
    • Google Apprentice Bard
    • An article I found about how Google Sparrow works to reduce the risk of producing unsafe or inappropriate answers in AI chat
    • The founder of Gmail says ChatGPT could destroy Google in 2 years. I give my thoughts on why he is saying that with detailed examples.
    • My thoughts on how AI chat will dramatically change search including answering the question of what will happen when AI doesn’t have websites to draw on for information.
    • The best tips I could find this week on prompting and getting good use out of ChatGPT

There’s also loads of SEO tips and info on new Author Cards in SERPS.

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Same email, plus also I email you as soon as I hear of a Google update happening. And you get a LOT more of my teachings and musings.

Google’s response to ChatGPT is coming in a few weeks!

Some interesting points from this article:

  • “In the coming weeks and months, we’ll make these language models available, starting with LaMDA, so that people can engage directly with them,” CEO Sundar Pichai said.”
  • Google focused on responsible AI. They are aware of the problems with bias and wrong answers LLM technology can produce.
  • Google will produce AI tools for developers.

This is the line that struck me the most:

“A healthy disregard for the impossible has been core to our company culture from the very beginning.”

The article also discusses economic concerns for Google:

  • Operating expenses were up $22.5 billion (10%) last year.
  • TikTok has drawn audience from YouTube.
  • ChatGPT has shown there are new ways to search online.
  • Google faces a lawsuit via the Justice Department over its dominance in online advertising. (Legal fees are part of the reason for their increased expenses.)
  • Google cut 15% of its workforce last month.
  • Employees have been asked to help with a “simplicity sprint” to crowdsource ideas for streamlining Google’s processes.

Is Google adding more AI powered search features a big deal? Many of the SEOs I know and respect feel that it is not. I vehemently disagree. I have shared more on my thoughts on how search is likely to change in the AI News section of newsletter.

From Sundar Pichai: “In the coming weeks and months, we’ll make these language models available, starting with LaMDA, so that people can engage directly with them. This will help us continue to get feedback, test and safely improve them. These models are particularly amazing for composing, constructing and summarizing. They will become even more useful for people as they provide up-to-date, more factual information.”

ChatGPT is in Bing starting today

Bing also introduced the ChatGPT technology into Microsoft Teams Premium already as well.

https://twitter.com/gsiemens/status/1621093292401360896?s=20&t=IXOx7gHLYZMGUE-5jXBjrA

 

Google is prompting people to auto-migrate to GA4

I also received an email inviting me to move things over. The thing is though I already have a GA4 profile set up. Dana DiTomaso who set this up for me says it may not be a good idea to accept Google’s offer of auto-migration:

 

Many sites are seeing big declines since December, and also starting January 6, 2023

In this poll, while most people voted that they did not have a traffic loss starting January 6, 64 of the 385 people who voted said they had a catastrophic loss of Google organic traffic.

 

An update on the Newsletter community Zoom calls

I thoroughly enjoyed this week’s call. A small group of us pored over analytics, rankings and content to analyze a couple of sites that were impacted by recent updates. We looked at several cases where it was really obvious that the page that Google had elevated over theirs did a much better job at quickly getting the searcher to the answer they came to find.

I am going to continue doing these calls, every 2-3 weeks. I’ll put a notification in newsletter the week before each one we do. These are open to all members of my paid newsletter community.

Helpful for local businesses

Oops. Google accidentally removed some legitimate reviews

Is review recency a ranking factor?

Joy had a case where she encouraged a business to incentivize employees to ask for more reviews. Following this and also a Google update, they had big improvements.

Tips for managing your Google Business Profile

Company AI chat bots in the SERPs

Potentially related to this?

Videos not getting approved?

A good reason to get keywords in your Google posts

SEO Jobs

Looking for a new SEO job? SEOjobs.com is a job board curated by real SEOs for SEOs. Take a look at five of the hottest SEO job listing this week (below) and sign up for the weekly job listing email only available at SEOjobs.com.

Marie's News

Traffic Drop Assessment tool

Got further along this week! It’s recognizing updates properly. Now I need to write the advice that goes along with the detected update hit.

Book and course

Google’s news today has made me rethink my book. Several chapters are already written…and will be outdated as soon as Google puts AI chat into search. It changes the game. I have decided to focus mostly on my course…although I’ve realized that it’s not really going to be just one course. As I’ve been developing my tool, I’ve been creating workbooks that people can buy to help them work through their site and improve quality. I hope to have the first of these out alongside my tool.

Podcast

Oh how much I want to be talking about search right now. Google’s announcement today has given me renewed energy to stay focused on what matters so that I can get my tool done and get back to podcasting and talking about the changes happening in search.

Consulting

I’m not taking on client work right now.

If you need SEO consulting, here are a few options:

  • Sign up for my waiting list when I start doing site reviews again.
  • Contact me for a recommendation to a professional. (Please know I’m only in email 1-2 times per week now so there may be a bit of a delay in my response.)
  • Add your site to the list for me to use as I test my tool. You’ll be amongst the first to get a link to test it once it’s ready.

Join the free version

You’ll get an email from me once a week with a link to this newsletter.

Stay up to date on the latest on SEO & AI News

I'll send you an email each week once I've published newsletter.

Everything I've found interesting this week. Unsubscribe any time. Powered by Kit

Become a paid member

Same email, plus also I email you as soon as I hear of a Google update happening. And you get a LOT more of my teachings and musings.

What a wild time this is. I had to rewrite several stories this week because things moved so quickly. We are in for an interesting ride!

Marie

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