Marketing amidst AI + Booking.com's huge slice of pie

Pro Snippet "Google testing new features, WordPress drama, structured data (for) news, and two new studies sharing a wealth of data about how customers interact with local SEO — here's everything you can't afford to miss from the last two weeks in SEO." - Tom Capper, Senior Search Scientist, Moz What We're Reading:   Navigating Content Marketing Amidst the Rise of AI — Whiteboard Friday Ross Simmonds challenges you to diversify your content and content marketing to prepare for his vision of tomorrow's LLM-fueled search landscape — watch this bumper length Whiteboard Friday. The WordPress vs. WP Engine Drama, Explained WordPress, by some estimates, powers 40% of the web. It's an open-source, not-for-profit platform, but tangled with a number of hugely influential businesses — and now they seem intent on airing their grievances in public. Structured Data for News Publishers Barry is back with another news-leaning comprehensive rundown. This is probably worth a look regardless of whether you share his vertical focus. Google is Testing Verified Checkmarks in Search Should this even be necessary? Why would Google show a counterfeit brand site in the first place? Is Google going to end up looking like a social feed? Just some of the many questions posed by this recent test. How I Found Internal Linking Opportunities With Vector Embeddings Internal links remain one of the most underrated tools in an SEO's arsenal, and Everett is returning to the Moz blog after a cheeky 7-year hiatus with this comprehensive how-to. Google AI Overview Ads Launch on Mobile in U.S. Ads were cited by many (including the editor of this newsletter) as one of the main hurdles for Google in rolling out AI search features. How would they monetize a feature that might remove the need for a click? Would advertisers mind the uncertain context of their ads? We're about to find out. Google Expands Structured Data Support for Product Certifications Niche but useful to those affected — Google is updating its preferred structured data for emissions classes (A, B, C, etc.). In particular, EnergyConsumptionDetails is out by next Spring. Search Marketing Implications for European Hotel Suppliers David has recruited a panel of European searchers to see how they interact with hotel SERPs. The result is brutal, but perhaps unsurprising — unless you work for Booking.com. Delivering Local SEO as Part of a Wider SEO Strategy In this chapter from BrightLocal's agency growth handbook, Rachel Ellen wants to persuade you that your SEO strategy should always include local. New Study Finds That Review Requests Should Be Treated Like Customer Service Miriam is teasing out the insights from a recent report by GatherUp, in particular the importance of whether and how you ask customers to review your business.       Products  |   Learn  |   Community  |   Blog  |   About . Moz, 720 Robson St, 400  Vancouver, BC V6Z 1A1 Canada You received this email because you are subscribed to The Moz Top 10 newsletter from Moz. Update your email preferences.  Unsubscribe from all future emails.

Holistic SEO + Google Business Abuse

Pro Snippet "A couple of this week's articles allude to the increasing breadth of good SEO, and of good SEOs as they advance in their careers. Meanwhile Google apparently isn't abusing its monopoly in every way imaginable (yet?), and Google Business continues to fight a messy battle with spammers." - Tom Capper, Senior Search Scientist, Moz What We're Reading:   How To Secure an SEO Leadership Role [According to an Ex-SEO Turned Headhunter] Leadership requires a skillset and awareness that goes beyond being a good manager or individual contributor. Congdon has some hard earned lessons to get you started. Favoritism: Has Google Dialed Up The Brand Factor Even More? Yes, probably - a slight throwback to last week's accidental theme with this excellent write-up from Kevin Indig on the long-running story of brand & SEO. Pairing SEO Efforts With Other Channels To Create Holistic Marketing Strategies Very relatedly, Dayna Lucio takes a look at positive interactions between SEO and other channels, to get the best out of both. Your Phone Isn't Secretly Listening to You for Ad Targeting Big tech companies engage in a lot of questionable practices, but this probably isn't one of them - it just feels like it, sometimes. Simpler Data Privacy for Advertisers With Confidential Matching It's not mentioned explicitly here, but one piece of jargon you may be hearing more of is "clean room". This is the idea of matching and utilising confidential, first party data without fewer privacy scruples. Do You Lose Rankings If a Backlink Is Removed? Exploring the Concept of Link Echoes It's an old concept, but it checks out. There's lots of plausible explanations for why a temporary link-driven SEO boost might stick around. Joy Hawkins thinks they hold up now as well as ever. Google Scores Rare Legal Win As 1.49bn Euro Fine Scrapped I would never want to be described as scoring a rare legal win, but I suspect Google won't be complaining about this 1.5bn euro dodged bullet. New Policies & Shady Review Schemes: Is Google Helping or Hurting? Google is finally fighting fake reviews, but it may still be a losing battle. This in-depth write-up from Sam Knight explores the details. Google Suspending Many Google Business Profiles ...and their may be some collateral damage. Many businesses, apparently especially in the Garage Door and Dumpster industries of all things, are seeing mass suspensions. 6 Google Business Profile Questions Asked and Answered Six of the most frequently asked and critical questions about Google Business, asked and answered in this highly useful article.       Products  |   Learn  |   Community  |   Blog  |   About . Moz, 720 Robson St, 400  Vancouver, BC V6Z 1A1 Canada You received this email because you are subscribed to The Moz Top 10 newsletter from Moz. Update your email preferences.  Unsubscribe from all future emails.