Ranking Bugs & Core Update, Optimising for AI Overviews & Meta Content Ranking Guide
SEO TL;DR #37 - 27/08/2024
Core Update
Ranking Bug Squashed
Last week there was a Google ‘ranking bug’ that coincided with but was unrelated to August’s core update. This has been fixed, but you may be experiencing ranking volatility while the core update rolls out.
Read more about what the August core update hopes to achieve and track when it finishes here.
Core Update Update
Websites hit by September’s Helpful Content Update that have continued to improve their user experience and de-optimise their content are continuing to see growth.
Such as the example I showed last time online and this below from Lily Ray on LinkedIn:
AI
AI Overview Optimisation
From the start, SEOs have been testing ways to appear in AIOs with varying degrees of success. Now, some analysis from seoClarity shows that the best way to optimise for AIOs is to rank highly in Google - no gimmicks or hacks!
seoClarity analysed 36,000 keywords and compared the URLs in AIOs to those in the top 10 organic results.
99.5% of the time, one or more of the top 10 web results was included in the AIO’s sources section. This contrasts with the early days of AIOs, where there was very little correlation.
Google also confirmed that AI Overview links/citations are impacted by core updates, which lines up with these findings.
Video SEO
Google Updates Video SEO Guidelines
Google has overhauled its video SEO documentation to improve how video content ranks in search results. The update introduces three key changes:
Clearer video indexing criteria: guidance on making videos more easily indexable.
Updated technical requirements: enhanced technical standards for video content.
New Watch Pages Section: advice on creating dedicated pages for each video to improve search visibility and user experience.
Content Refresh Tips
Google’s updates highlight four key reasons to refresh your content:
Remove outdated info: ensure your content reflects current trends to maintain authority.
Increase Clarity: use concise language to communicate your message clearly.
Add New Insights: keep content fresh by including relevant, updated information.
Simplify for Readability: make content easier to understand by using straightforward language.
These updates highlight the importance of regularly reviewing your site’s content. Whether done annually or monthly, content reviews help keep your site relevant and valuable to users. This proactive approach can also uncover opportunities for new topics or dedicated pages.
Technical SEO
Title Tags Affect Rankings
Google’s John Mueller recently clarified the role of title tags in search rankings, suggesting they aren't as critical as many SEO professionals believe. While title tags are designed to concisely describe a webpage, Mueller noted that changing them might only sometimes impact rankings. His comments challenge the long-held view that title tags are a major ranking factor.
Meta Title & Description TL;DR
Title tags should clearly and concisely describe a page's content, often including the website or business name. Similarly, meta descriptions provide a brief summary of a page, influencing the snippet displayed in search results but not necessarily affecting rankings directly.
When asked if changing title tags or meta descriptions could affect search rankings, Mueller’s response was
Yes, or better, maybe. Changing things like titles or headings on pages can result in changes in Search.
While title tag adjustments might influence rankings, it’s not a guaranteed outcome. In essence, altering titles or headings is just a form of content change, which could or could not affect how a page ranks.
SEOs don’t just rewrite these for fun; we do it because we can track CTR improvements and see organic positions grow. At the very least, focus on creating descriptive, user-friendly titles rather than stuffing them with keywords solely for SEO purposes.
👨🏫 Free Training Slides
Here are the slides we use internally at Venture Stream to train new hires and educate non-technical teams on the benefits of beautifully crafted meta content.
Technical SEO
Google Search Console “Discovered - Currently Not Indexed” explained
In the latest SEO Made Easy video, Martin Splitt explains three reasons pages might fall into the “Discovered - Currently Not Indexed” status.
Quality issues: if Google detects low-quality or thin content, it may choose not to index those pages. These might be empty or low product collections or pages you might not even know existed.
Server performance: a slow server can hinder Googlebot's ability to crawl pages efficiently. If your server is overwhelmed, Google might delay crawling to prevent overloading it.
Need for more time: sometimes, Google needs more time to crawl new pages, especially if there is a large influx of new content.
How to Improve Page Indexing
Improve content quality: rework content to make it more valuable and informative. Focus on creating high-quality, relevant information that users find helpful.
Optimise internal linking: connect the content of these pages with other related pages on your site to enhance their importance and visibility.
Check server health: review crawl stats in Google Search Console to see if your server's performance is causing delays. Consider upgrading your server if it’s frequently overwhelmed.