AI Overview Change Up, Managing Large Disavow Files & Ranking Boost Confirmed for Local Domains
SEO TL;DR #32 - 22/07/2024
General SEO
Core Update Imminent
Danny Sullivan from Google has hinted at a new core update in the coming weeks, although the exact date is unknown.
Sullivan explained that the timing isn't fixed, and sometimes delays happen even when everything seems ready. He mentioned Google's ongoing efforts to reward quality content and shared insights from interviews with industry professionals to improve SEO practices.
"I do hope we can improve in some of these cases where creators with their hearts in the right places, and who are doing the real content effort behind that, are rewarded as we should be doing."
AI Trends
Decline in Reddit and Quora Citations in AI Overviews
As broken down in Search Engine Journal, a recent report from BrightEdge reveals a significant decrease in the appearance of Reddit and Quora citations in AI Overviews (AIO). Reddit citations have dropped by about 85%, and Quora citations have plummeted by around 99%.
Previously, Reddit appeared in about 4% of AIOs but now features less than 0.05%. Similarly, Quora citations have decreased from nearly 3% to almost 0%.
Moreover, BrightEdge noted that the overall frequency of AIOs has decreased from 11% to 7% of queries, continuing a downward trend from previous months.
This downgrade could be due to the number of fails AIOs were subject to, such as telling people to add glue to pizza (the source of which was an 11-year-old Reddit post by someone with the username f*cksmith - EEAT anyone?).
This decline in forums being features gives web publishers the chance to appear more often if Google deems that content more reputable.
Technical SEO
Don’t Worry About Large Disavow Lists
John Mueller reassured SEOs that having a massive disavow file (with tens of thousands of URLs) won’t harm your website rankings.
Similarly, if you remove a large disavow file, this won’t have an impact.
However, in the same thread, Glenn Gabe linked to a case study he published last year which showed the opposite.
It followed a site which had lost a massive chunk of organic traffic following a domain name change. After removing their 15,000-strong disavow file, they went on to recover.
I’ve covered this in the past when John went on record to say the tool may be retiring soon and how you should ignore tools which claim ‘toxic backlinks’ are hurting rankings.
Unless you’ve had a manual action or have knowingly bought links in the past, if you’re still putting effort into bolstering your disavow file, you’re wasting your time.
“Just continue to improve your site the best you can and avoid over-analyzing links.” - Glenn Gabe
International SEO
Google Confirms Ranking Boost For Country Code Domains
As reported in Search Engine Journal, Gary Illyes from Google explained that ccTLDs tend to perform better in local searches because Google promotes content relevant to the user's location. For instance, a .kr domain generally ranks higher for users in Korea compared to a .com domain.
What Are ccTLDs?
Country Code Top Level Domains are domains specific to countries, such as .de (Germany), .in (India), and .kr (Korea). They target users in specific countries, not languages.
gTLDs (Generic top-level domains), like .com or .net, are not country-specific. However, some ccTLDs, like .io (originally British Indian Ocean Territory), are treated as gTLDs due to their broad use.
While .com domains can still rank well, ccTLDs offer a slight advantage for local searches. Using a ccTLD is a best practice for businesses aiming to improve their local search rankings.
Local SEO
11 Known Google Business Profile Fields That Impact Your Rank
Here’s a good read by Miriam Ellis on Moz, which covers 11 factors that help your Google Business Profile rank (formerly Google My Business).
Most of us know the obvious, like your business title, address and reviews, but nuances around hours, categories, and products can give you an edge.
Ecommerce SEO
Merchant Centre Next Coming to All Merchant Accounts
In a post on X, Google Merchant Center Next is coming to all merchant accounts this month with a refreshed user interface, reinvented complex features and new experiences.
What is Merchant Center Next?
Merchant Center Next is a fresher user interface for Merchant Center, simplifying the platform for businesses to manage how their products show up on Google. Merchant Center Next is easier to use, lets you control how your products appear across Google, and gives you insights about your business, products, and market.
Will using Merchant Center Next help me get more traffic?
Merchant Center Next makes it easier to manage your products, fix product data errors, and set up automated ad campaigns, all of which can ultimately drive traffic to your website.
Read the full Merchant Centre Next FAQs and the new generative AI tools.