#TWIMshow - This Week in Marketing Sajid Islam

Episode 208 contains the Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Apr 15-19, 2024.
1. Google Confirms: Fewer Links Needed for Effective SEO Rankings! - At the recent SERP Conference, Google's Gary Illyes reiterated a significant shift in SEO strategy: the diminishing importance of links in ranking web pages. During his presentation on April 19, 2024, Illyes highlighted that Google's algorithm now requires "very few links to rank pages," signaling a continued move away from heavily relying on link quantity for search engine rankings.
This evolution reflects Google's ongoing updates to refine their search algorithms to focus more on content quality and user experience rather than traditional signals like the number of links. Illyes' statement underscores a broader trend where links, although still valuable, are not the central metric they once were in SEO. This shift encourages SEO professionals and business owners to diversify their SEO strategies, focusing more on quality content and holistic site optimization.
For businesses, this means that developing robust, relevant content and ensuring a user-friendly site can be just as crucial as link-building efforts. This change is intended to make search results more useful and relevant to users, aligning more closely with Google's core objective of enhancing the user search experience.

2. Preventing Deindexing After Hosting Transitions! - If you've recently migrated your site and noticed a drop in search visibility, then this is for you.
The issue begins post-migration, where a site might disappear from Google's search results. This sudden disappearance often leads to a panic, but the root causes can typically be diagnosed and resolved through a few strategic steps. John Mueller of Google suggests that the primary check should be whether the new site setup is unintentionally blocking Google's crawlers, which is a common oversight during migrations.
The first step in diagnosing this issue is to utilize Google Search Console. This tool can help identify whether pages are not found (404 errors) or if there's a robots.txt file blocking the crawlers. Such blockages can occur due to settings that discourage search engines from indexing the site, which might be enabled during the migration process without the site owner's knowledge.
Mueller points out that often during a WordPress site migration, settings intended to hide the site from search engines during development are not reverted. To check this, you can navigate to the 'Reading' settings under 'Settings' in the WordPress admin panel. If the 'Discourage search engines from indexing this site' option is ticked, simply unticking this will resolve the issue.
If the problem isn’t related to this setting, it might be due to an SEO or migration plugin that inadvertently set up a robots.txt block. Alternatively, it could be a DNS setting issue or an error on the part of the web hosting service.

3. Google's Stance on The Impact of Owning Multiple Websites - Google's John Mueller clarified concerns surrounding the impact of managing multiple websites on SEO rankings. He emphasized that owning several websites in itself does not directly harm rankings. However, the real issue lies in the distribution of effort and quality. Mueller pointed out that managing multiple sites often dilutes the ability to maintain high-quality content across all platforms. If the sites cover the same topic, it might appear as an attempt to manipulate rankings, which is not an ideal strategy for SEO success.
For business owners, the takeaway is clear: focus on developing one authoritative website rather than spreading resources thin over multiple lesser sites. This approach not only enhances your site's quality and relevance but also aligns better with Google's algorithms, which favor comprehensive and user-focused content.
This perspective is supported by Bill Hartzer of Hartzer Consulting, who notes that while it’s common to think creating additi

Episode 207 contains the Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Apr 08-12, 2024.
1. How Index Selection and Canonicalization Are Impacted During Google's Core Algorithm Updates - In a recent LinkedIn conversation, a significant topic was brought to the forefront by David Minchala, addressing a common misconception in the SEO community regarding the impact of Google's core algorithm updates on indexing services like canonicalization.
Minchala posed a question, suggesting that during core algorithm updates—or possibly any major update—services such as canonicalization might slow down. Canonicalization involves selecting the most representative URL for content that exists in multiple URLs and merging all signals from known duplicate URLs. The underlying concern was whether these crucial indexing services suffer in performance during extensive updates.
Responding to this, Gary Illyes clarified that this assumption was incorrect. He explained that the processes of indexing, like canonicalization and index selection, are entirely independent of core updates. Illyes used a culinary analogy to elucidate his point, comparing core updates to adjusting ingredients in a recipe which can significantly alter the dish's outcome. In contrast, canonicalization and index selection processes are likened to activities in the salt mines or MSG factories—fundamental and separate from the immediate cooking process.
This separation is crucial for SEO practitioners and business owners to understand, as it reassures that the stability and performance of indexing services remain unaffected by the changes introduced in core updates. These updates primarily tweak how Google's algorithms assess and rank web content based on relevance and quality, but they do not directly interfere with the technical processes of how content is indexed or canonical URLs are determined.
In summary, while Google's core updates can significantly impact how websites are ranked, they do not directly influence the fundamental mechanisms of how websites are indexed. This distinction is crucial for effectively navigating SEO and ensuring that efforts are directed towards enhancing content quality and user experience, rather than worrying about the operational aspects of Google's algorithm updates.

2. Google’s John Mueller Demystifies 404 and 410 Codes! - Understanding the intricacies of SEO can be a daunting task, especially when it involves technical aspects like HTTP status codes. John Mueller, Google Search Advocate, clarified common misconceptions regarding the 404 and 410 HTTP status codes during a discussion on the r/SEO Reddit forum. These codes are used to indicate that a page on your website is either temporarily missing or permanently removed. Mueller emphasized that there is a minimal difference between the two from an SEO perspective, stating that both are treated similarly by Google's indexing process. Importantly, having these status codes on your website does not result in penalties from Google, which means they should not be a major concern for site owners.
The discussion began with a website owner who had used AI-generated content for a videogame guide site. When issues arose from the AI content, the owner removed the pages and sought advice on recovery. This led to a broader conversation about whether 404 (not found) or 410 (gone) status codes could affect their site's SEO. Mueller reassured the community that the practical impact of these codes on search engine visibility is negligible.
Mueller's advice serves as a crucial reminder for business owners: focus on creating high-quality, engaging content rather than getting bogged down by the technical nuances of HTTP status codes. By ensuring your site maintains valuable content, you're more likely to see sustained SEO success.

3. Rising Ad Costs Due to Meta Platform Glitches! - Are you monitoring your Facebook advertising costs and performance? If not, you might want to start. A recent re

Episode 206 contains the Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Apr 1-5, 2024.
1. Recovering from Google's March 2024 Core Update - In the aftermath of Google's March 2024 core update, many website owners, particularly small businesses, have felt the impact of significant traffic fluctuations. Google's John Mueller provided some clarity and advice on how to address these changes, especially for those who've experienced a downturn in website performance.
The March 2024 update, one of Google's regular adjustments to its core algorithm, has been especially notable for its complexity and the breadth of its impact. Core updates are comprehensive, affecting various parts of the search algorithm, including how sites are ranked and indexed based on content quality, user experience, and many other factors.
One key piece of advice that emerged from Mueller's discussion is not to rush into making changes while an update is still rolling out. This is because the full effects and intentions of the update might not be immediately clear, and premature adjustments could inadvertently harm your site's performance further. Mueller emphasized, however, that if there are clear areas for improvement on your site, especially those unrelated to the core update's specific focus, it's always a good time to address them.
For businesses that have noticed a decline in rankings or traffic, Mueller's guidance focuses on long-term website health and user satisfaction. He suggests that optimizing your website for users—rather than search engines—is a critical strategy for recovery and future resilience. This approach, often termed "User Experience SEO," prioritizes how content and site design affect the user's interaction and satisfaction.
A specific area highlighted for attention was the use of paid links or aggressive link-building strategies, which can negatively impact your site's ranking. If your site has been engaged in these practices, addressing them can be a step towards recovery.
Mueller also advises diversifying your traffic sources to reduce dependency on search engine rankings. Focusing on building value for users can help attract direct visits and recommendations, aligning with Google's ultimate goal of rewarding sites that best serve their audience's needs.
In summary, the March 2024 core update underscores the importance of maintaining a high-quality, user-focused website. Small business owners looking to recover from or thrive despite these updates should focus on:
Patiently assessing the full impact of the update before making significant changes.Continuously improving site quality and user experience.Addressing specific known issues, such as paid links, that could harm your site's reputation with Google.Building a more robust online presence that isn't solely reliant on search engine traffic.
2. Google's Approach to Canonical Pages - Google's Gary Illyes shed light on the intricate process of how Google selects canonical webpages. Essentially, publishers and SEOs traditionally view canonicalization as a method to earmark the 'original' or the most 'authoritative' version of a webpage for ranking purposes. However, Google's approach to canonicalization diverges significantly, focusing instead on deduplication - a method to identify and consolidate duplicate pages.
Illyes clarifies that Google's primary aim in identifying a canonical page is to choose a version that best represents a set of duplicate pages based on collected signals. This involves a meticulous process where Google first determines if a page is a duplicate and then selects the most suitable version for indexing. This selection is critical as, typically, only canonical pages are displayed in search results.
Google uses a variety of signals to make this decision, ranging from straightforward indicators like site owner annotations (e.g., rel=canonical tags) to more complex ones such as the page's overall significance on the internet. The importance of this pr

Episode 205 contains the Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Mar 25-29, 2024.
1. Google's Guidance On Helpful Content Update - Google's Search Liaison recently addressed concerns about the Helpful Content Update (HCU), providing clear guidance for content creators facing ranking changes. Announced on March 25, 2024, this advice aims to dispel misconceptions and offer recovery strategies. Unlike earlier perceptions of the HCU affecting entire domains, Google now evaluates content on a page-by-page basis, focusing on the helpfulness of each page independently. This means that having some unhelpful content doesn't penalize an entire site, allowing helpful pages to be recognized individually.
The clarification that the HCU is not a single signal but part of Google's complex ranking system highlights the need for creators to focus on producing genuinely helpful content. The emphasis is on the quality and relevance of content, rather than on trying to manipulate rankings through a single algorithmic factor.
For those noticing ranking drops, Google suggests a thoughtful review of the content in question, urging creators to focus on its relevance and usefulness to users. Such decreases in visibility might indicate Google's preference for more pertinent content options, not necessarily a penalty against the site.
Google has also introduced a new FAQ page to help publishers understand how to align their content with HCU principles, especially for content that has lost traffic following the update. By adhering to these guidelines and prioritizing user experience, website owners and SEO experts can better navigate the post-HCU search landscape.
2. Rethinking BackLink Importance in SEO - John Mueller of Google indicated in a Reddit discussion that solely focusing on increasing backlink counts might not be the most effective strategy for marketers anymore. This change is part of Google's consistent effort over the past six months to update its stance on the role of links in SEO, suggesting a more comprehensive change in the valuation of links.
The discussion was initiated by questions regarding the variation in backlink counts reported by different SEO tools, like Ahrefs and Google Search Console. Mueller pointed out that due to the varied methodologies of web crawling and indexing across these tools, discrepancies in link counts are natural. He stressed that concentrating on the sheer number of backlinks might divert marketers from improving their website's quality or relevance.
Mueller further encouraged marketers to focus on other website aspects that could more significantly affect SEO success. He mentioned that search engines are now using more advanced methods, like sitemaps, for content discovery and evaluation, reducing dependency on backlinks for website ranking.
This conversation is in line with recent adjustments in Google's guidelines and statements from Google representatives such as Gary Illyes, indicating a reduced emphasis on backlinks as a ranking factor. The removal of the term "important" from Google's description of links as a ranking signal confirms this trend.
For business owners and digital marketers, this shift highlights the need for a more holistic SEO approach that extends beyond backlink building. Concentrating on content quality, user experience, and technical SEO elements, while keeping abreast of Google's algorithm updates, is crucial for maintaining a competitive edge in the digital arena.

3. Core Web Vitals: A Ranking Factor That Requires Balanced Attention - On March 29, 2024, in episode 71 of Google's "Search Off The Record" podcast shed light on the complex role of Core Web Vitals (CWV) in SEO, making it clear that excelling in CWV scores alone does not ensure higher search visibility. This episode, featuring insights from Google engineers including Rick Viscomi, a web performance lead, and Lizzi Sassman, a senior technical writer, emphasized the importance of focusing on real-world us

Episode 202 contains the Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Mar 4-8, 2024.
1. IndexNow Insights & Top SEO Insights Report - In an announcement at PubCon and then shared on the Bing blog by Fabrice Canel, Principal Product Manager at Microsoft Bing, Bing Webmaster Tools has introduced new insights and reports aimed at enhancing site performance across Bing and general search engines. 
The new IndexNow Insights report, now offers more than just a glimpse into URLs submitted through IndexNow; it provides:
Learn about issues with crawled URLs and the status of your submitted URLs.Receive detailed reports on the number of URLs submitted, crawled, and indexed.Learn about your latest 1000 submitted URLs, including their index status, first indexed date, and whether they were submitted late.Get insights into the source of your URL submissions, whether through Cloudflare, WordPress, manual submission, or other means.With the "Important URLs Missing" tab, find out which newly discovered links are getting clicked but were not recently visible in IndexNow, helping you to better optimize your content and identify any technical issues.Get detailed information on individual errors, including content quality, robots disallowed, not crawled, indexed, and deadlinks. View a list of problematic URLs and steps to fix them.Drill-down for further details on non-indexed URLs, sample URLs, submission times, and mitigation steps to getting URLs indexed.Export indexing trends for further analysis or reporting.With IndexNow reaching 2.5 billion URLs submitted—up from 1.2 billion six months ago—and accounting for 17% of new URLs clicked in web search results, as stated by Canel, the importance of adopting this protocol cannot be overstated. 
2. YouTube's Algorithm Insights for Creators - In a recent conversation on the Creator Insider channel, Renee Richie, a creator liaison, delves into the intricacies of YouTube's algorithm with Todd, who leads the Growth and Discovery team at YouTube. The discussion focuses on clarifying common misconceptions creators have about the algorithm and offers valuable insights into optimizing content for better visibility and engagement.
The algorithm, contrary to popular belief, evaluates videos on an individual basis rather than assessing the overall performance of a channel. This approach ensures that a single off-topic viral video or a poorly received video does not adversely affect the channel's standing with the algorithm. Todd emphasizes the importance of aligning content with audience interests to maintain and enhance video performance.
One of the most enlightening points made during the discussion is the concept that YouTube does not push videos to viewers; instead, it pulls videos based on viewer preferences. This viewer-centric approach means that the algorithm is activated when a user visits YouTube, making recommendations based on the user's history, device, and other contextual factors. Such insights underscore the importance for creators to focus on creating content that resonates with their audience, rather than trying to game the system.
Another key takeaway is the algorithm's persistent support for videos, regardless of their immediate performance. Todd reassures creators that a video's success is not confined to its initial launch period. YouTube continues to recommend videos over time, adapting to shifts in viewer interests and trends. This perspective encourages creators to remain patient and not to disregard videos that do not perform well initially.
The conversation also touches on the dynamics of content strategy, highlighting the necessity for creators to adapt to changing viewer preferences, such as the rising popularity of short-form content. Recognizing and responding to these shifts, and understanding the competitive landscape, can significantly influence a creator's success on the platform.
Creators are advised to analyze their content's performance, especially how it'

Episode 201 contains the Digital Marketing News and Updates from the week of Feb 26 - Mar 1, 2024.
1. ‘How Google Search Crawls Pages’ - In a comprehensive video from, Google engineer Gary Illyes sheds light on how Google's search engine discovers and fetches web pages through a process known as crawling.  
Crawling is the first step in making a webpage searchable. Google uses automated programs, known as crawlers, to find new or updated pages. The cornerstone of this process is URL discovery, where Google identifies new pages by following links from known pages. This method highlights the importance of having a well-structured website with effective internal linking, ensuring that Google can discover and index new content efficiently.
A key tool in enhancing your website's discoverability is the use of sitemaps. These are XML files that list your site's URLs along with additional metadata. While not mandatory, sitemaps are highly recommended as they significantly aid Google and other search engines in finding your content. For business owners, this means working with your website provider or developer to ensure your site automatically generates sitemap files, saving you time and reducing the risk of errors.
Googlebot, Google's main crawler, uses algorithms to decide which sites to crawl, how often, and how many pages to fetch. This process is delicately balanced to avoid overloading your website, with the speed of crawling adjusted based on your site's response times, content quality, and server health. It's crucial for businesses to maintain a responsive and high-quality website to facilitate efficient crawling.
Moreover, Googlebot only indexes publicly accessible URLs, emphasizing the need for businesses to ensure their most important content is not hidden behind login pages. The crawling process concludes with downloading and rendering the pages, allowing Google to see and index dynamic content loaded via JavaScript.
2. Is Google Happy with 301+410 Responses? - In a recent discussion on Reddit, a user expressed concerns about their site's "crawl budget" being impacted by a combination of 301 redirects and 410 error responses. This situation involved redirecting non-secure, outdated URLs to their secure counterparts, only to serve a 410 error indicating the page is permanently removed. The user wondered if this approach was hindering Googlebot's efficiency and contributing to crawl budget issues.
Google's John Mueller provided clarity, stating that using a mix of 301 redirects (which guide users from HTTP to HTTPS versions of a site) followed by 410 errors is acceptable. Mueller emphasized that crawl budget concerns primarily affect very large sites, as detailed in Google's documentation. If a smaller site experiences crawl issues, it likely stems from Google's assessment of the site's value rather than technical problems. This suggests the need for content evaluation to enhance its appeal to Googlebot.
Mueller's insights reveal a critical aspect of SEO; the creation of valuable content. He criticizes common SEO strategies that replicate existing content, which fails to add value or originality. This approach, likened to producing more "Zeros" rather than unique "Ones," implies that merely duplicating what's already available does not improve a site's worth in Google's eyes.
For business owners, this discussion underlines the importance of focusing on original, high-quality content over technical SEO manipulations. While ensuring your site is technically sound is necessary, the real competitive edge lies in offering something unique and valuable to your audience. This not only aids in standing out in search results but also aligns with Google's preference for indexing content that provides new information or perspectives.
In summary, while understanding the technicalities of SEO, such as crawl budgets and redirects, is important, the emphasis should be on content quality. Businesses should strive to create original