Google PageRank: The Ghost in Google’s Machine (That Still Haunts Your SEO)

Remember those heady days of the early 2000s? When SEOs like us at Macronimous would obsessively refresh our browsers, eagerly watching the green bar of the PageRank toolbar inch higher? Ah, good times!

For those of you who weren’t around to witness this phenomenon (or have blocked it from your memory), PageRank was Google’s original secret sauce. It was the algorithm that judged a website’s importance based on the quantity and quality of links pointing to it. Think of it like a popularity contest where votes were cast in the form of backlinks.

But then, in 2016, Google did the unthinkable: they pulled the plug on the public PageRank toolbar. Suddenly, SEOs were left in the dark, unable to see the numerical representation of their link-building efforts.

So, is PageRank dead?

Not quite. Like a ghost in the machine, it continues to influence Google’s rankings, albeit behind the scenes. While we can no longer see the score, the fundamental principles of PageRank still hold true:

• Links are still votes of confidence: The more high-quality websites link to you, the more Google trusts your site.
• Not all links are created equal: A link from a reputable, authoritative website in your niche carries far more weight than a link from a spammy directory.
• Relevance matters: Links from pages with related content are more valuable than those from unrelated sites.

How is this mysterious PageRank calculated?

While the exact formula is a closely guarded secret (think Coca-Cola’s recipe), the basic idea is that a link from a high-PageRank page is more valuable than a link from a low-PageRank page. This is similar to how a recommendation from a celebrity holds more weight than one from a stranger. Google also considers factors like the relevance of the linking page and the anchor text used in the link.

Imagine the internet as a network of roads, and websites as destinations. PageRank considers the number and quality of “roads” (links) leading to a website. The more high-quality links pointing to a page, the higher its PageRank, and the more important Google considers it.

Why should you care about a metric you can’t see?

Because understanding the principles of PageRank can help you build a stronger backlink profile, which in turn boosts your overall SEO performance. Here’s how:

• Focus on quality content: Create valuable, informative content that naturally attracts links from other websites.
• Build relationships: Connect with other website owners and bloggers in your industry. Guest blogging, participating in online communities, and promoting your content can lead to valuable backlinks.
• Monitor your backlink profile: Use tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to analyze your backlinks and identify any potentially harmful links.

The PageRank legacy lives on

While the green bar may be gone, the spirit of PageRank lives on. By focusing on earning high-quality backlinks, you can improve your website’s authority and visibility in Google’s search results.

And for those of us who still remember the thrill of watching that PageRank bar climb, let’s raise a glass to the algorithm that shaped the early days of SEO. Cheers to PageRank, the ghost in Google’s machine!

The post Is Google PageRank Dead? How This Google Ghost Still Impacts Your SEO first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

Google processes over 8.5 billion searches per day in 2023. That means 99,000 searches every single second and 594,000 every single minute. Not everyone gets what they want in the search results. Because, search phrases needed to be more specific to get what you want. Google knows the language limitations, not everyone is good at typing a “search query” that will being them meaning search. Here comes the power of AI, which finds the search intent first, before processing the results.

In the ever-evolving landscape of search technology, Google is constantly exploring new ways to enhance user experiences. One of their latest innovations is Search Generative Experience(SGE), an experimental feature that harnesses the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to provide contextual answers to complex queries. In this blog post, we’ll delve into the world of SGE, its capabilities, and how it can revolutionize the way we search for information.

What is Search Generative Experience (SGE)?

SGE is an experimental feature developed by Google that employs AI algorithms to generate contextual answers to intricate questions. While SGE is currently available exclusively in the United States, Google has plans to expand its reach to other countries in the future, bringing its benefits to a global audience.

Enhancing the Search Experience:

SGE utilizes AI in three main ways, transforming the search process into a more efficient and informative journey:

AI snapshot:

Search Generative Experience (SGE) generates a unique summary, known as an “AI snapshot,” for longer queries. These snapshots appear above the search results and provide a concise overview of the topic. Users can then choose to explore further by asking follow-up questions or clicking on the snapshot to access the full search results page. For example, if you search for “How to make a sourdough loaf,” SGE might generate an AI snapshot that includes the following information:

• The ingredients you will need
• The steps involved in making the loaf
• Tips for troubleshooting common problems

You can then choose to follow up with additional questions, such as “What is the difference between sourdough and yeast bread?” or “How long does it take to make a sourdough loaf?” You can also click on the snapshot to access the full search results page, which will include links to recipes, articles, and videos on the topic.

AI snapshots are a helpful way to get a quick overview of a topic before you dive into the full search results. They can also be a valuable resource for troubleshooting problems or finding additional information.

Conversational Mode:

Search Generative Experience (SGE) has a conversational mode that is designed to handle multi-faceted queries that require more than a single answer. By retaining the context of the original search, SGE can respond to follow-up questions in a natural, conversation-like manner. This feature is particularly useful when seeking information on processes or topics that involve a series of steps or details. For example, if you search for “How to make a sourdough loaf?,” SGE can answer follow-up questions such as:

• What is the difference between sourdough and yeast bread?
• How long does it take to make a sourdough loaf?
• What are some common problems when making sourdough bread?

SGE can also provide links to recipes, articles, and videos on the topic. This makes it a valuable resource for troubleshooting problems or finding additional information.

Conversational mode is a powerful tool that can help you get the information you need more quickly and easily. If you are looking for information on a complex topic, SGE’s conversational mode is a great place to start.

Vertical experiences:

Search Generative Experience (SGE) provides a curated list of preferred features and in-depth product details in commercial searches, called Vertical experiences. This functionality helps users find the best products that align with their specific requirements. Whether you’re searching for the “best laptop for college students” or exploring other consumer goods, SGE streamlines the decision-making process by presenting valuable insights concisely. For example, if you search for “best laptop for college students,” SGE might provide a list of laptops that are lightweight, have long battery life, and are affordable. It might also provide in-depth information about each laptop, such as its processor, RAM, storage, and display. This information can help you make an informed decision about which laptop is right for you. Vertical experiences are a valuable tool for anyone who is looking for a new product. They can help you save time and money by making it easier to find the best products for your needs.

Here are some of the benefits of using vertical experiences:

• Save time: Vertical experiences can help you save time by providing you with a curated list of products that meet your specific requirements.
• Save money: Vertical experiences can help you save money by providing you with information about the best deals on products.
• Make better decisions: Vertical experiences can help you make better decisions by providing you with in-depth information about products.

If you are looking for a new product, I encourage you to use vertical experiences. They can be a valuable tool for helping you find the best products for your needs.

Here is a set of Examples of SGE in Action:

To illustrate how SGE can be used, let’s consider a few examples.

Question: What are the top-rated restaurants in New York City?

Answer: Here are some top-rated restaurants in New York City:

• Le Bernardin
• Eleven Madison Park
• Peter Luger Steak House
• Per Se
• Momofuku Ko

Question: Among the top-rated restaurants, which ones offer vegetarian-friendly options?

Answer: If you’re looking for vegetarian-friendly options among the top-rated restaurants in New York City, consider these:

• Le Bernardin offers a dedicated vegetarian tasting menu.
• Eleven Madison Park provides vegetarian tasting menu options upon request.
• Per Se offers vegetarian tasting menus showcasing seasonal ingredients.

Question: Can you recommend a specific dish from Eleven Madison Park’s vegetarian tasting menu?

Answer: Yes, one of the standout dishes from Eleven Madison Park’s vegetarian tasting menu is the “Carrot Wellington,” which features roasted carrots wrapped in pastry with mushroom duxelles and a flavorful vegetable jus.

By presenting a sequence of related questions and answers, these examples demonstrate how SGE can provide a coherent and contextual search experience, connecting users with relevant information while maintaining the thread of the conversation.

Search Generative Experience (SGE – watch video.) represents an exciting leap forward in the world of search technology. By leveraging Google’s AI algorithms, SGE empowers users with contextual answers, AI snapshots, conversational interactions, and enhanced vertical experiences.

As Google continues to refine and expand SGE, thesearch process is poised to become more efficient, informative, and connected. Whether you’re exploring popular tourist attractions, seeking top-rated restaurants, or delving into specific topics, SGE provides a seamless and comprehensive search experience. By signing up for the waitlist on the Google Search Labs website, you can stay informed about the latest updates and be among the first to experience the power of SGE. Embrace the future of search and unlock a world of knowledge at your fingertips.

The post Search Generative Experience (SGE): Enhancing Your Search Journey with AI with Google first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

On March 15, 2023, Google announced a major algorithm update, known as the Google Core Update. This update is aimed at improving the quality and relevance of results for Google search users. The update is expected to have an impact on search rankings, and website owners and SEO professionals should pay close attention to any changes in their website’s search engine rankings.

What is a Google Core Update?

Google started its core update algorithm on January 13, 2020, and continuing to roll out fine-tuned add-ons. Like Google helpful content update, core update also targets helping websites with high-quality content.

A core update is and major update in Google’s algorithm that affects how the search engine ranks websites. These updates are released periodically, usually several times a year, and can have a notable changes in search engine rankings. Core updates can result in some websites will see an up shift in rankings, while others may experience a downfall.

What to Expect from the March 2023 Core Update

Google has not released specific details on what changes are included in the March 2023 Core Update. However, based on previous updates, we can make some educated guesses about what to expect. Here are some areas that may be impacted by the update:

Content Quality:

Google has always placed a high priority on content quality, and the March 2023 Core Update is likely to emphasize this even more. Websites that provide high-quality, relevant, and useful content are likely to see an increase in rankings, while those that have low-quality or irrelevant content may see a decrease. This means that website owners should focus on creating content that answers the user’s queries in-depth and provides a better experience. Google suggests the best content that you can produce.

User Experience:

User experience (UX) is another area that Google has been focusing on in recent updates. Websites that provide a good user experience, such as fast loading times, easy navigation, and mobile optimization, are likely to see an increase in rankings. On the other hand, websites with poor UX may see a decrease. Therefore, website owners should make sure their website is optimized for mobile devices, provides a smooth browsing experience, and has a clear navigational structure. Make sure your site is well review by an UX expert. (We can help you with a free assessment).

E-A-T:

E-A-T means Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. This family of three are important factors in Google’s search algorithm. Websites that demonstrate E-A-T in their content are likely to have an increase in rankings. If you do not consider this tree, your site may see a decrease in ranking. Therefore, if you are a website owner, you should ensure that the content is written by experts or with expert input, and the website’s authoritativeness and trustworthiness are established through transparent information about the business. One of the best practices to have E-A-T content is asking your expert team members to draft content for you. Or at least an outline based on their expertise.

Backlinks:

Backlinks are still an important ranking factor, but the quality and relevance of the backlinks are more important than ever. Websites with high-quality, relevant backlinks are always can see an increase in rankings. Find any  low-quality or irrelevant backlinks may see a decrease. Therefore, website owners should focus on acquiring high-quality backlinks from relevant sources. Ask your SEO team members to stop any nasty backlink practices. They certainly know what such practices, which Google hate, are!

Spammy techniques:

Google is always working to reduce spam in search results, and the March 2023 Google Core Update is likely to continue this trend. Websites that use spammy tactics, such as keyword stuffing, cloaking, or link schemes, are likely to see a decrease in rankings. Website owners should ensure that their website follows Google’s guidelines and does not use any spammy tactics.

Let us see some steps to be taken, If your website is affected by the Google core update:

1. Don’t get shell shocked: Core updates can be stressful. But it’s important to stay calm and not overreact. Wait a few days or even weeks to see how your website’s rankings stabilize before making any drastic changes. Sometimes sites get back without taking any action.
2. Assess the Impact: Keep watching Google Analytics regularly. Check your website’s traffic and ranking positions before and after the update. Identify which pages have been affected and how much. Also use tools like SEMrush, or Ahrefs to analyze your website’s data.
3. Analyze Your Content: Google core update is about quality content. So, valuate the quality of your content, and ensure that it’s unique, informative, and valuable to your target audience. Make sure that your content is optimized for the right keywords, and avoid any keyword stuffing or over-optimization.
4. Audit User Experience: Check your website’s user experience and identify areas that need improvement. Ensure that your website is fast, easy to navigate, and mobile-friendly. Make sure that your website is secure and has a clear structure. Use Google’s
5. Improve Your Backlink Profile: Major Google Algorithms check for backlink quality. Google core update is also one such.  Check the quality and relevance of your backlinks, and ensure that they come from authoritative and relevant websites. Avoid any paid back link schemes or spammy tactics, and focus on building high-quality backlinks through guest blogging with focused content, outreach, and social media. Use some back-link audit tools. We use Link-assistant. You can also check with SEMRush and see toxic links to be addressed.
6. Enhance Your E-A-T: Review your website’s Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Ensure that it’s established through transparent information about your business. Include author bios, your customer testimonials, and case studies to showcase your expertise and build trust with your site visitors. Tip: Using real names with their social media profile links will add authority.
7. Stay Up-to-date: Keep up with Google’s latest algorithm updates, and make sure that your website complies with the latest guidelines. Stay informed about the latest trends and best practices in SEO and content marketing.

Remember, recovering from a Google core update can take time and effort. According to Google, Broad core updates tend to happen every few months. So, content that was impacted in Search might not recover until the next broad core update is released, even you have made improvements in the site.

But by following these steps, you can ensure that your website is well-positioned for success in the long run.

The post Ranking better after Google Core Update 2023 first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

Google Helpful Content update Algorithm

What SEOs Need To Know About Google’s Helpful Content Update

Google is always working to make its search results better for the user. To do that, it tweaks its algorithms hundreds of times every year. One such update which rolled out this year is the Google helpful content update. The main aim of the update is to provide people-first content so that the user gains more relevant and helpful information.

What is Google’s Helpful Content Update?

Google’s helpful content update focuses on people-centric content, meaning the content is created by the people and for the people and not for just search engines or rankings. It uses the first-hand expertise of the creator coupled with the best Google SEO practices to deliver valuable content to the intended audience.

Google algorithm changes aren’t a new thing. Back in 2011 with their Panda update, the search giant aimed to rank lower the “thin websites” or “low-quality sites.” Or the E-A-T principles that focus on high-quality content which Google added to their Search Quality Guidelines.

Recently Google’s public liaison of search, Danny Sullivan said “We’ll keep refining how it works. Directionally, the guidance we’ve given is what SEOs and creators should be considering.”

The helpful content update started to roll out on August 25 this year. As of December, Google has updated its helpful content system. Now the update will impact content globally written in all languages and not just English language.

Importance of Google’s Helpful Content Update

The update primarily focuses on the relevance of the content, the expertise of the creator, and visitor satisfaction. The end goal is to produce better quality content for the visitors.

The objective behind the update is to provide people with content that is helpful and informative. Rather than creating unoriginal, low-quality content with the motive of ranking well in search engines. Google keeps making algorithm changes to improve search quality as well as the user experience.

Google plans to use machine learning algorithms to detect AI-generated content, which will be considered spam. Content made just for clicks and ad monetization will start losing organic visibility. The unhelpful content will even be removed to help the rankings of high-value content.

Things to Know About Google Helpful Content Update

Doing things the right way should help in improving the SERP rankings. Make sure you are following all the guidelines. Let’s look at what website owners, content marketers, and SEO professionals should know about the helpful content update.

1. Stick To The Main Topic

Google is asking the creators to stick to their areas of expertise. If you are creating content in a niche where you have no expertise, chances are the content produced will be of low quality. Thus, it won’t provide any value to the readers. Google wants the user to come to your website and find useful information. Create a site with a primary purpose or focus, and don’t stray too far from the main topic.

2. Show First-Hand Experience

With the helpful content update, Google wants high-quality content for visitors. And one of the best ways to do that is by writing about topics where you have first-hand experience. When you are writing about topics of your expertise, you will be able to give the readers in-depth answers to their queries. So, try to make the writing clear and give personal insights about the topic.

3. Provide Sufficient Answers to the Audience’s Questions

One primary reason for a user to visit your website would be to solve their queries. When a piece of content is successful in doing so, that is when it will be considered helpful.

Put yourself in the audience’s shoes and imagine things from their perspective. Think of the questions or problems that might have led them to your website. This will help you gain insight into the problems and help you find the right answers. This will lead to creating content with all the necessary information that the reader will be looking for.

To do so, you can discuss the pain points and problems of the visitors with your team. And learn what the visitors are trying to solve with Google Search.

4. Provide a Good Overall User Experience (UX)

Google has always emphasized that websites should provide a good user experience. This was seen in

Create websites where the UX is designed in a user-friendly manner. It is an important factor in search engine rankings. This also impacts the potential leads and sales. To do so, you can include the following elements in your writing:

• Provide visual elements like images and videos wherever required
• Start addressing the issue straight from the start instead of beating around the bush to increase the word count
• Make the content easy to read by adding bullet points and numbered lists
• Add a table of content at the beginning for easy navigation

5. Measure and Optimize

If particular pages on your website are getting consistent engagement, then this can be considered “helpful” content. What you should do next is dig deeper into the site analytics. Take a look at the landing pages, the keywords and key phrase searches, or if any specific content themes are keeping the user engaged.

Find out what is already working for you and improve on that.

Final Word

Google, in its announcement, has stated that it will continually take actions to detect unhelpful content and remove it. With the helpful content update, their primary focus is to provide people-first content.

Learn about the Google algorithm updates regularly and bring the desired changes to keep your content relevant and fresh. If you like to our help, our expert SEO can help you. Feel free to reach us.

The post Google Helpful Content Update – What SEOs Need To Know About it? first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

7 poor habits of on-page SEO setup

We live in the digital age, and almost every business understands the importance of SEO. SEO can be the reason behind the success or failure of a business online. If our website does not show up in the top ten Google search results, our website is as good as invisible.
We can do a million things to get higher Google rankings. However, we must make sure to get the basics right first. Following SEO best practices can help us lay the groundwork for our site to increase its visibility during Google searches.

Everyone talks about implementing SEO best practices, and how important they are. What about SEO practices we must avoid? Poor SEO practices can cause people to bounce away from a page, bringing the site’s ranking down.

Here are seven poor SEO practices that we should try and avoid:

1. HTTP pages that have HTTP images

One of the top priorities of Google is protecting the privacy of its users. In 2014, the tech giant had announced that it would be using HTTPS as a ranking signal. Did you know that HTTPS websites have a higher advantage of ranking over HTTP websites?

Since the boost is real-time and per-URL, a website that is created entirely over HTTPS will result in an SEO boost for the whole website. If our website only has HTTP pages with HTTP images, it is bound to hurt the website’s SEO.

2. Poorly written Schema data

Schema data is a type of code that makes it easier for search engines to understand the information on your website. Google finds it easier to understand structured schema data as compared to semi-structured or unstructured data that many people use.

What does schema data do? It communicates to search engines what the data on the website means. Without proper schema data, search engines may be able to tell what the data on the website is, but they have to work far harder to determine why it is there. Structured schema data helps search engines analyze the content more easily. When we make it easier for search engines to crawl our websites, we get a distinct SEO advantage.

3. H1 to H6 tags not in order

HTML header tags, H1 to H6, make it easier for both search engines and people to understand what a website page is about. What do header tags do? Header tags are mostly used for summarizing text. They give search engines as well as readers a gist of the content by conveying the main message.

Besides offering an opportunity for keyword placement, header tags also offer two benefits- clarity and hierarchy to the content. Each header tag has its own level of priority, with H1 being the most important and H6 the least. By using the header tags in the right order we can boost our website’s SERP ranking to a great deal.

4. Improper canonical URLs or no canonical URLs

A canonical URL is the one that we want Google and other search engines to index and to rank. It helps prevent problems caused by identical or duplicate content appearing on many URLs.

There are many identical or duplicate content available on the internet. When search engines crawl through these, there is a high probability that they may miss our unique content. Large-scale duplication can also adversely affect the ranking of our website.

Without a canonical URL or with an improper canonical URL, search engines may pick the wrong URL as the original, even if the content ranks.

5. No H1 tags

H1 tags are probably the most important of all header tags. Contrary to popular belief, the main header of the page need not always be H1. The H1 tag could be any heading that provides an overarching summary of the content on the page.

H1 tags improve user experience, which in turn can improve our website’s ranking in search results. The presence of desired information and adding relevant keywords to the H1 tag can improve the website’s SEO. Not having an H1 tag is a missed optimization opportunity.

6. Poor LSI setup

LSI means – Latent Semantic Index. LSI keywords are words and phrases that a search engine sees as semantically-related to a certain topic. It helps the Search Engine to show the results which is what the user is intended to search.

In the early days, search engines like Google would determine the topic of a certain page based on the keywords used on that page. However, search engines have become much smarter these days, and they aim to figure out a page’s overall topic. They depend largely on LSI to understand the content on the page at a deeper level.

The right LSI setup can help Google, and other search engines, better understand the content on our website, thus boosting the website’s ranking in the SERPs.

7. Missing call to actions

This is not a direct SEO mistake. But an important marketing mistake. A call to action is a way to encourage a user to take some desired action. CTAs are an effective way of avoiding confusion among your audience and directing them exactly where we want them to go.

Placing a clear call to action throughout the website can help visitors better understand what action to take next. Not having CTAs on the website may cause visitors to leave without learning more about the business or without leaving any follow-up information.

If we want to transform our website traffic into new leads for our business, we just can’t afford to miss out on CTAs.

More Read:

https://neilpatel.com/blog/structured-data/

https://seranking.com/blog/header-tags/

https://www.searchenginejournal.com/h1-tag-seo-how-important/387306/

https://backlinko.com/hub/seo/lsi

The post 7 poor habits of on-page SEO setup first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

The global average broadband internet speed is now over 11Mbps. That means web pages load fast. So, Google should not worry about slow loading webpages. But, Google is not giving up its page speed measurements. In fact, page speed is one of the key factors in SEO.

The reason is, though the Internet Is Faster, however, Websites aren’t. And, Today’s websites aren’t that much faster than they were 10 years ago as we may think. This is what the continuous surveys from Httparchive.org show. Here is a blog from Nielsen Norman group’s article, that explains it.

As a web designer, your SEO team members are counting on you to build a site that not only looks great but also meets all of Google’s Web Vitals requirements.

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Want to learn more about Web Vitals and why it’s so important? We’ve gathered together the facts on Google’s new Web Vitals, how it can affect your design, and what to do about it.

Keep reading for more tips on Google Web Vitals for your site. Your SEO team will thank you!

What is Google Web Vitals?

Google’s Chromium Blog has recently introduced Web Vitals. This is a new program that is meant to provide tips on meeting essential metrics for a healthy site.

Google is constantly figuring out new ways to improve the user experience online via desktop and mobile devices. This is why they have created Web Vitals which is an initiative to share how to build a website that will deliver the best user experience possible. 

It’s important to note that Google may use Web Vitals standards as a further SEO ranking metric. That means your website could be penalized if it doesn’t meet all of Google’s Web Vitals expectations.

Good News! You Can Help

How do you make sure your website will meet the Web Vitals’ qualifications? Let’s start with the basic metrics that Google has created.

LCP (Largest Contentful Paint)

According to Google, this metric determines the load speed of the largest content element on your page. For example, a large image or video that takes additional time to load.

This also includes an element with a background image loaded via the “url(.).” function as opposed to a CSS gradient.

Google ranks a load speed of 2.5 seconds or faster as “Good” and 4.0 seconds or slower as poor. 

FID (First Input Delay)

The FID metric determines the responsiveness of your website. This determines the experience of the website for users interacting with each page. Simply put, how long does it take a page on your site to load after a user clicks on it?

Pages with a 100ms FID or faster are ranked as “Good” whereas anything higher than 300ms will be rated “Poor.” 

Google has determined using data that tracks user experience, that a “Poor” ranking for FID means your site is not reacting quickly enough to a user’s clicks.

CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift)

When you load pages in a website and the layout shifts around, it can make it difficult to use and lead to negative user experience.

The CLS metric measures your site’s visual stability then ranks it from 0.0-0.1 for “Good” and 0.25 or more as “Poor.” A zero score means no shifting is taking place and 1 represents Google’s standards of too much shifting.

If any of the above metrics lie somewhere in-between, they are considered “Needs Improvement.”

How Can You Rate Your Site?

As a graphic designer, the layout you use, imagery, graphics, and navigation, all have an effect on its Web Vitals. You may be wondering how your current website’s design ranks on Google’s scale.

It’s easy to track your website’s Web Vitals by using tools such as Google’s Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, Lighthouse, ChromeDevTools, Chrome UX Report and the Web Vitals Extension.

Utilize the Tools

The Core Web Vitals report allows you to see how your pages are performing and fix poor user experiences. This report uses the Chrome User Experience Report metrics which uses real user experience metrics across the public web. 

You are able to view the results of the Chrome UX Report via the PageSpeed Insights and Public Google Big Query project.

The Web Vitals extension will give you a quick and easy way to see how your site ranks for the three key metrics (LCP, FID, and CLS) described above. Simply download the extension onto Google Chrome and you can view live results.

Data Doesn’t Lie

Even if you feel that your website will meet these standards, it’s important that you check to be sure. Google provides these multiple ways to easily figure out exactly how your pages rank.

Google is the leading search engine online. The majority of your website’s leads are most likely finding your company through Google. Meeting Google’s standards is the only way to continue to show up high on search results.

How Can You Improve Your Site?

Once you figure out what pages are being ranked poorly, you may be wondering where to start? Google recommends starting with the lowest-ranked pages and begins by fixing these pages first.

There are many ways to improve your site’s performance including using AMP. This tool is recommended by Google to increase the speed and performance of your site. It will prevent things like ads from blocking the execution of the main page.

For some issues, you may need to work with your web developer along with your SEO team in order to fix it. A good general practice is to reduce your page sizes. Less than 500KB is recommended for a page and all its resources.

You can use the PageSpeed Insights tool to get suggestions for how to make slow pages faster. Google has listed the Tools to measure Core Web Vitals, such as Lighthouse, PageSpeed Insights, Chrome DevTools, Search Console, web.dev’s measure tool, the Web Vitals Chrome extension, and  Chrome UX Report API for developers.

Sometimes fixing one page will also improve other pages on your website. It may seem like a big project to tackle but the speed of your site will directly affect your user’s experience. So it’s a necessary part of the web design process.

As you make changes to your pages, use the validation tool in Core Web Vitals to be sure that the error has been completely fixed. 

Ready, Set, Google!

Your work as a web designer is extremely important to upholding Google Web Vitals’ standards. As your website continues to grow, it’s important to be aware of its performance and user experience.

Your SEO team can’t build a stellar site without your help. That’s why understanding Google Web Vitals is imperative to the success of your site. We know the technical side of Google can get complex so we hope this guide will help you to get started!

Need help improving your website design or responsiveness? Check out our services to hire professionals!

Update: In a more recent blog, Google announced that it is bringing page experience to Google search too. According to Google, the page experience signals in ranking will roll out in May 2021. The new page experience signals combine Core Web Vitals with our existing search signals including mobile-friendliness, safe-browsing, HTTPS-security, and intrusive interstitial guidelines. We at Macronimous have covered mobile-friendliness, safe browsing, and HTTPS-security in the past. We will cover intrusive interstitial guidelines soon in this blog.

The post What Should Web Designers Learn About the New Google Web Vitals? first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

It was in the headlines last week. Trust you’ve read the news (https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-may-be-forced-to-reveal-its-search-algorithm-to-an-seo/359536/) of Google’s predicament! Either way, it looks like Google is being cornered in a legal battle against Foundem, the UK based price comparison website. Well, let us leave it to the courts to decide on an appropriate and just judgment.

Having said that, let us briefly see what it means or rather what these look like for the SEO industry at large.

Form the article we can gather that the possible scenario could be that the Court asks Google to give access to the algorithm to all SEOs, keeping in line with the below argument of Google.

“The integrity of Google’s ranking processes relies upon all webmasters or website owners having the same degree of access to information about Google’s ranking… This will no longer be the case if the information of this kind is made available to some individuals offering commercial services to assist companies to improve their search ranking.”

At the outset, Google’s algorithm available to all appears to be an exciting thing! But, the interpretation of the algorithm may not be quite as simple as we think. This is like owning a Gold mine, but not having the tools to get the gold in a sale-able condition!! We may do some progress, by getting help from algorithm experts. To begin with, it may help us to know what are the ‘factors’ involved. But, how far can we make it to an advantage for our websites?

Hence, though it is good to know the factors, the key would lie in knowing how much weight is given for each factor. This is something that we will be able to find out by the test-running algorithm against a few websites and keeping on altering each SEO factor in the websites and comparing the result against the others.

Given, the vast majority of the SEO’s capabilities, it is almost an impossible task for a regular SEO individual or a company to figure this out and arrive at some solid conclusions. However, big-time and serious companies like MOZ, Ahrefs, etc. and of course, the other search engines like Bing, Yandex, etc, with its heavy availability of resources may be able to get it done.

The bigger question, however, is “After having put such efforts, will these companies be willing to put this information about the findings out as free?”

Anyone’s wild guess would be that these companies would rather monetize their information. It would do a typical marketing strategy of throwing a dog bone and saying it as free and then charge for the remaining. Before all these rolls out, we can also see how their high-paying clients end up taking the spots in the first positions of the search ranking. This can make the market to be uneven and put a huge number of SEOs at a disadvantage, even though the information is available.

Will we get the Latest & Best from Google? 2006 algorithm vs 2020 algorithm. 

Let us not be very thrilled! Even if the ruling is that Google has to release the algorithm to all the SEOs, are we going to know things as it is now? Our take is, it need not be. Based on the period of the case, Google may be forced to give the algorithm, yes, but as it was in 2006!! For analysis of the algorithm, given the context of the case, Google may need to only reveal how the algorithm performed in 2006. This doesn’t help much, does it?

Now, Google stands vulnerable at this point, if they have not done any major changes from 2006. But we all know that this need not be the case. For example, Panda came later than that, and since then, so many improvements came after 2006. Hence, instead of Google being vulnerable, etc, it would be that we may end up having a rather silly and immature algorithm (compared to the current one that is running) in our hands.

An Outdated Algorithm – What can we make out?

What are we then going to do with such an outdated or useless algorithm? Again, companies like MOZ and others have to push the algorithm against multiple factors and simulation and do a herculean task of building on top of it to figure out what Google is doing now. But, with huge resources and backup, companies like them and Yahoo, Yandex, etc., may be able to figure out something, this would make them have something better than others.

Conclusion: 

Leaving all the speculations apart, at this stage, we would rather have the algorithm remain as an unknown. This would keep the SEOs healthy guessing and continue the trial & error and the reverse engineering experiments to be kept On. Given the sheer numbers and capabilities of the SEO companies, this would be far more a viable choice rather than the information about the algorithm being known for only a few companies and creating an uneven advantage over the vast number of others. This can, however, work as an advantage for all of them involved if some open-source efforts can be organized and built. 

Hence, unless a concept of open-source can be convincing enough for any of these big-time companies, the results may not be very pleasant for the vast majority of the SEOs. The competition can become a very one-sided one!

Rankings dethroned by a Google Algorithm update? Or need a FREE SEO Audit?

We at Macronimous can help you with our expert SEO team support.

Feel free to inquire us today for a no-obligation SEO Consulting. Contact now

The post Google case in the UK, SEO Algorithms and what it means to an SEO Company first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

With much care you have setup your website. You are happy that it is working well and the design is spot on.  But is that all to it?

Now comes in a top SEO agency like us and says that there is a need to improve the User Experience. Also, they talk how SEO can be improved by factoring in Chrome User Experience Reports! 

Are they correct? What is the basis of such a statement? 

Let us find:

What is Chrome User Experience Report?

As per definition, this should give you a way to find out how your website’s visitors experience, when using chrome. This is provided by Google and that too based out of the real-world data. 

The Metrics Used

Various Metrics that are used to measure are as follows:

• First Paint
• First Contentful Paint
• DOMContentLoaded
• Dimensions
• Data Format

What do these metrics mean?

In a short manner, this gives you an insight of the “loading performance”.

Below are examples of 3 Key Metrics that are used, as shown by Google, as examples

To understand the real metrics and to read in an in-depth manner click here.

Why Chrome User Experience Report?

This report helps you to understand how your website performs against the scores of websites in your industry segment. This basically gives you an idea of how good or bad you stand. 

To take advantage of this, in simple terms, faster the website, the better it is.

Using Chrome User Experience Report for SEO 

The more the time it takes to load your first web page of your website, the more the chances of people abandoning that session. This is a poor factor for Google as far as the ranking for a certain keyword is concerned. 

Such information, if gleaned out, helps with SEO.

The reason is, Google wants to show only those websites which quickly load to be shown in the first page of the search results. This, for Google, is important because it helps improve the User Experience in the Google Website.

Hence, the quicker the page loads, the lesser the drop-outs.

Hence, the CrUX reports gives an insight on the past performance against the current ones. This help us identify if, or not, there are issues. Fix them and see Google loving your webpage!

Do you not want to grab a position on the first page? Then keep the load time improvement as the top priority!

The post Improve SEO using Chrome User Experience Reports – CrUX first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

Internet marketers would be aware of the importance of generating maximum visibility for their business. However, they aren’t well-versed with the right strategies to be used at the right time to accomplish this objective. Both conversion rate optimization and SEO work wonders for a site, however, when linked together these two strategies can work in tandem with your enterprise objectives.

If you are looking forward to optimizing your enterprise goals and increase digital representation, the perfect combination of CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) and SEO will be imperative. It’s crucial to captivate potential consumers and always keep them updated with your offerings. With SEO strategies and CRO tips going hand in hand, you are sure to climb up the SERPs quite fast.

The ‘bond’ that lasts long

SEO and CRO have to work together in order to deliver the expected outcomes in improving the visibility of the business among your potential customers. Here are some ways in which it can be done to boost your business’ search rankings:

• Focusing on individual products
• Using keywords strategically
• Having compelling, relevant, and crystal clear headlines
• Creating simple conversion processes
• Testing

Tools to look for

Combining SEO efforts and targeted CRO strategies would be a tough game without support from the right set of tools. Here’s a sneak peek into the world of exclusive, innovative, and sought-after SEO tools:

1. Optimizely

When it boils down to achieving professional-grade AB Testing, nothing can get better than Optimizely. Let’s take a look at the benefits of this particular tool:

• Easy to sync as the tool supports a wide provider-base
• Availability of Multivariate Testing
• Testing of diverse variations
• Easy to edit with basic HTML and CSS knowledge
• Presence of advanced testing features

In spite of these features and highlights, Optimizely isn’t quite within the reach of general users. Most of its attractive features are available in the enterprise plan which makes it a bit inaccessible too.

2. Crazy Egg

Understanding people’s interaction is of paramount significance for a site owner. You must have an idea of how people react and interact with the attractive elements in your page. The four standout features include Confetti, Scroll Maps, Heat Maps, and Overlay Tools. Crazy Egg Users have come up with the following benefits:

• Neat and clean overlay features
• Confetti enables click-viewing and also aids in the identification of search terms, referral sources, and location.
• Built-in segmentation for new features
• Visualization of paths taken by potential visitors in the sales funnel

Crazy Egg doesn’t allow API integration with 3^rdparty software which might pose a restriction for users. Those looking for standalone AB testing tools might not find the best support from this tool.

3. HotJar

HotJar can prove to be the right resource for CRO optimization if you can tap into the right areas. Here’s how to go about the process with HotJar:

• Setting up Heat map for pages with high bounce rates and traffic
• Identifying drivers with huge traffic
• Send ‘Hotjar user survey’ via mail
• It needs a ‘live chat’ module for better user efficacy

Signing off

You will never wish to offer a negative experience to your visitors. Without the perfect amalgamation of CRO and SEO, it won’t be possible to keep users hooked on to your site. These tools will accelerate marketing thus helping you achieve the highest search rankings.

The post CRO Tools That Can Go Hand In Hand With Your SEO first appeared on Macronimous Blog.

How HSTS can reduce load speed by avoiding http to https redirection, instead, accessing the site directly from https? This blog explains it and the SEO advantages with Google.

If you are serious about your site SEO or working as an SEO for your client’s website, this article has something for a serious consideration. You know the site security is something Google taking as a serious thing, which has become indirect, if not direct SEO consideration that every SEO professionals should consider. If you like to know how HSTS (will be explained shortly) can help your website SEO, this blog is for you.

Today, webmasters are facing a deluge of attacks from all fronts – unauthorized hacks, credit card info theft, and continued attempts to break into its security barriers. It is no wonder that they are looking for measures that counter these threats effectively. HTTPS implementation is one such measure that seeks to protect the website owners from unwarranted attacks.

The problem with an unprotected layer of security

In the traditional setup, HTTP uses third-party servers or routers to relay the requests between the source and the destination networks. This means that these in-the-middle servers have complete access from both ends. So if John wants to log on to HDFC Bank, John’s PC and HDFC Bank servers do not communicate directly; instead, they communicate via the in-between servers.

Now the data being transmitted via the HTTP protocol is unencrypted plain text, hence these in-between servers can be prone to hacks to divert the transmission illegally. The outcome? The end user, John, may be redirected to a phishing site where he will enter the login details and this will be captured by the hackers to gain unauthorized entry or siphon off money.

How does HSTS come into the picture?

The HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS) policy makes sure that all responses have to compulsorily be transmitted through HTTPS connections instead of the regular unencrypted HTTP. This way, the complete channel is encrypted prior to any data being sent. As a result, hackers find it impossible to read or update the data in transit.

It is important to note that simply updating the SSL certifications to HTTPS won’t close all the vulnerabilities. You still need to take steps to ensure that only secure connections are made online with/by the site. This is where HSTS comes into the picture. By using this header, the site authorizes the browser to make only secure connections.

How does it work?

The first step is to add an HSTS response header in an HTTPS reply

Strict-Transport-Security: max-age=expireTime [; includeSubdomains]

The ‘expireTime’ (in seconds) is the amount of time the connection needs to remain open using the HTTPS connection. So once the request is sent, the browser will remember the secure connection for the number of seconds mentioned in ‘expireTime’

Now when the browser connects with the website server it sends out the HSTS header; After it receives the HSTS header and deems the connection to be secure, the browsers send a HTTPS request.

It is important to note that if your browser sees the HSTS header for the first time, it will first see the HSTS header and then do the redirect from HTTP to HTTPS. To overcome the potential delay because of this first-time mandatory redirection, popular browsers like Mozilla and Chrome have created a list of HSTS preloaded sites. This list will inform the browser that ‘yes, the site has HSTS header enabled, so go straight to the next step of HTTPS connection.

How does HSTS improve security?

As mentioned before, just HTTPS implementation will not make the site 100% hack-proof.  So if the server initially calls the HTTP version, the hackers can divert the unencrypted request and prevent access to the HTTPS protocol.

With HSTS, the site is forced to load just the HTTPS version and not the HTTP version. As a result, the browser will load the secure version of the site on priority and thus leave no room at all for hackers to intercept the transmission in between.

How does HSTS improve SEO?

Google has placed a lot of emphasis on page load speed. With a massive proliferation of mobile, Google too has updated its algorithm to say the ‘mobile-first’ philosophy. It is clear that a lot of purchases and decision making is happening via mobile web, but sites that take more than 3 seconds to load aren’t a part of this proposition. Hence HSTS becomes vital. With this policy, the browser will straight away request for an HTTPS site and not first requesting an HTTP site and then for an HTTPS site.  The difference between the two set of actions is just milliseconds, but frankly, that’s all it takes to elevate user experience online and generate business.

Now, I trust, your mind can connect the dots!

To sign off

It is proven that HSTS provides a better shield for data transmission over an SSL certification encryption. Get total protection from the Man in the Middle (MITM) attacks by securing your site with the HSTS policy.

More reads:

https://searchengineland.com/why-websites-should-be-using-hsts-to-improve-security-and-seo-304380

https://www.rapidsslonline.com/blog/what-is-hsts-why-should-i-use-it/

Do you require help in implementing HSTS on your website? Or a FREE SEO Audit?

We at Macronimous can help you with our expert SEO team support.

Feel free to inquire us today for a no-obligation SEO Consulting.

contact now

The post How to Implement HSTS to Improve SEO and Site Security? first appeared on Macronimous Blog.