With Google making the push to HTTPS, there has been little to differentiate HTTP from HTTPS in the search results aside from the URL showing HTTPS in the URL line for each individual result. Chrome is also making a change in an upcoming version to flag insecure pages as such in the browser. But what […]
Google: Do HTTPS Migrations Separate From Other Major Changes
Migrating a website to HTTPS has taken increased importance this year with changes Chrome is making to flag sites as insecure. But migrating to HTTPS is a major change that can cause temporary ranking losses, which can be longer term if the site owner doesn’t follow best practices for making the site HTTPS. Some site […]
Google: Rankings Should Remain Stable With HTTPS Migrations
When Google first began pushing for site owners to do HTTPS migrations, it was confirmed that it would take 3-4 weeks for rankings to stabilize after making the switch. After all, Google needs to reindex new URLs and match them with the old to transfer ranking signals. It seems Google is now handling HTTPS migrations […]
Google: Value (or Not) of Doing Link Audits
At Brighton SEO last week, I asked Gary Illyes from Google about the value of doing link audits. Ever since Google Penguin switched to the real time version which would discount bad links instead of penalizing a website for having them, the value of link audits has definitely diminished. But does Google still see the […]
Google Indexes AMP Version for Mobile First When No Regular Mobile Page
At Brighton SEO, I asked for clarification on an issue that has had mixed responses – whether sites that are using AMP as their only mobile version of a site – would see their desktop or their mobile indexed when Google switches to mobile first indexing. I raised the question with Gary Illyes from Google, […]
Google: Ranking Fluctuations With a Site Redesign
When you launch a new redesign of a site, some site owners are still surprised when they launch a fancy new site design – even when the URLs remain the same – and see their rankings change. At Brighton SEO, as part of a larger conversation about HTTP to HTTPS site migrations, Gary Illyes from […]
Still No Plans for a Google Penguin 5.0 Update
Ever since real time Penguin launched in September 2016, many SEOs have wondered if there would be a Penguin 5.0 from Google. At the time of the real time launch, Google confirmed that there would be no more Penguin updates as we knew it, and that still seems to stand today. At Brighton SEO, I […]
Google Penguin Fine Tuned After Real Time Launch
One of the interesting bits that came out of the Brighton SEO Q&A chat I had with Gary Illyes from Google was regarding Penguin, specifically around changes made after the launch of the new real time Penguin. After real time Penguin launched a year ago, Google has had very little to say about it. But […]
Most Google Algo Changes Not Actionable by SEOs
At Brighton SEO, I had the opportunity to chat with Gary Illyes from Google on all things Google search, and I asked about all the Fred updates, which encompasses many different quality algo changes Google has made this year. Google has said before that when major algo changes happen that are actionable by webmasters – […]
Why Brands Don’t Always Earn Featured Snippets for Their Name in Google
Should a brand name automatically own the featured snippet for any Google search query that includes their brand name? And what about if there isn’t a relevant page on the brand’s site to show in relation to the query, but there is on another website? Should it just go to the best and most relevant […]