Ryan Siddle

This site is an extremely interesting case. Brand in the finance sector. Destroyed by the HCU update 2023. Backlinks from digital PR (and paid links), albeit some of the digital PR ones are totally off-topic, and some look like paid DPR placements. The site increased its content by 1000 pages in a year, so I suggest that it might have used AI content to scale. The site is well-designed, with lots of E-E-A-T elements. My gut says this site was hit by multiple factors: a bit of waffly content, some link devaluation, and AI content. It looks like they've deleted over 1000 pages a matter of weeks after being hit, so perhaps they took a chance. An interesting case, might reach out to the owners of this one.

91

24 Comments

I'm often asked if a .com domain is preferable to a .uk domain. Well, here's something to consider. Google's Gary Illyes recently confirmed that country code domain names (like .uk) actually get a ranking boost in local search results. Here's what you need to know: 👉🏼 Local Preference: Google promotes content local to the user. So, a .uk domain may have an edge for UK-based searches. 👉🏼 Slight Advantage: While .com domains can still perform well, country-specific domains have a "little more benefit" according to Illyes. 👉🏼 Language Matters More: The language of your site matching the user's query language likely has more impact than the domain itself. 👉🏼 User Trust: Country-specific domains can inspire more trust from local users, potentially increasing click-through rates. 👉🏼 Global vs Local: Consider your target audience. If you're focusing on a specific country, a local domain could be beneficial. For a global audience, .com might still be your best bet. Remember, there's no one-size-fits-all answer. Your domain choice should align with your overall SEO strategy and business goals. At KickstartSEO, we help clients navigate these decisions to maximise their search visibility. What's been your experience with different domain extensions? I'm Michael Nagles. I talk about SEO, golf, and British weather. If you'd like to know more about KickstartSEO Limited's DIY and Done for you SEO support - including domain strategy - let's have a chat. #SEO | #DomainStrategy | #LocalSEO

8

3 Comments

Can ChatGPT do SEO for me? It depends…   Whilst ChatGPT is very good for very specific questions or augmenting existing knowledge, it isn’t useful enough yet for insightful analysis or providing nuanced advice—it misses vital context. 

9

This so much... Always telling clients that technical SEO is so important, we cannot guarantee it will have a huge impact (because we can't guarantee anything especially in silo) but 9 times out of 10 it does make a significant difference to rankings, impressions, and traffic.

3

Page Speed Performance 2024 Flagship Video: https://lnkd.in/eUhhxgAY BUT you should see this too (if you're using Elementor): https://lnkd.in/g7dQ3PX9 And also BE CAREFUL about retro-fixing: https://lnkd.in/epYCKBew

2

Why understanding how to optimise for Amazon has changed forever - it's no longer Amazon SEO ❌ it's.... AIO (AI Optimisation)... 🤖 I have been analysing the COSMO system that drives AI on Amazon and I'd like to share a 5 point plan for AIO: ✅ 1—The boring is still important. It's not about A+ Premium or your video; it's about context, so metadata is key. Ensuring the boring stuff is complete and the product attributes are set up will allow AI to find relevant products faster. ✅ 2 - Context in images is key - Cosmo allows Rufus to analyse images based on context so having relevant lifestyle images that tell a story are perhaps more vital than 'infographics' - Test. ✅ 3 - Intent-based search is key to understanding 'buying missions' and the varied ways a consumer will find, love and buy a product. Brainstorm and analyse data to really understand buyers' behaviour ✅ 4 - Use AI to analyse reviews and surface barriers to buying or new use cases for a product that you were perhaps unaware of, optimise for these and test or address any negatives in the content. ✅ 5 - Clear hero images that are legable on mobile and can be easily interpreted will not only be great for the consumer journey but will allow AI to understand your products faster. What do you think about Amazon AIO? #Amazon #SEO #AIO #SEO #ecommerce #Amazonseller

2

Did you know Apogée Web does SEO, but also offers high-level copywriting? I ran a jazz blog for over a decade and I've been published in Time Out and Cult Montreal. Let's talk! #seo #contentmarketing #digitalmarketing

5

1 Comment

Vertical Scrolling Carousel with One bit of Code. It couldn't be simpler across WordPress Websites regardless of builder. https://lnkd.in/eXckTR-9 #WordPress #VerticalCarousel

12

2 Comments

SEO TIPS Wednesday! 1. Google does not obey all tags/directives 2. Noindex is not enough to stop Google from indexing something 3. If using sub domains - block via robots.txt AND via a credentials pop up - also ensure there is no auto generated root domain sitemap referring to sub domains - ensure no internal links 4. HREFLANG and canonicals are not EXPLICITLY obeyed - Google can choose to ignore them - do not rely on them wholly 5. You SHOULDN'T have a website that relies on canonical child paths - minimise canonical child URLS as much as possible 6. You shouldn't have ANY internal 301s, 302s, 308s that are sustained, you can change a URL and redirect the path but, internally all links should be updated so that it's not present on the crawl but Google is redirected when requesting legacy path 7. Noindex, follow works best on pagination series 8. Suppress utilisation of dynamic URLS as far as possible by using robots.txt to disallow parameters whilst setting static routes to content (nuances apply here) * if possible 9. Ensure protocol consistency (consistent internal linking for www/non www & https & trailing/non trailing slash) config dependent 10. Ensure server level enforcement of trailing/non trailing slash URLS 11. Use anchor texts internally CONSISTENTLY and avoid scenarios where multiple pages share the same anchor text pool where they all have sufficient internal links 12. Cull pages that are no longer topically relevant or in demand applying 410 to content permanently removed or 301 anything with other source traffic & / or external links 13. Keep titles clean & to the point, avoid repetition of brand, Google rewrites titles in many cases to better align to search query 14. Core web vitals aren't massively important, a website that loads relatively quickly with no layout shift is good enough - rank value in manic optimisation is likely minimal, don't fret too much over LCP/INP - as long as initial page load is quick (sub 3 seconds) 15. Information priority IS a thing - when creating content organise content by priority first (look at questions people ask / PPA / AlsoAsked data) if you prioritise content around what people care about you will likely improve engagement and retention 16. Ensure google can render output - use search console > live URL inspection and view the output, copy the HTML from the output and paste into devtools to see the full page render 17. Internal linking is crucial - export search console data and pair up with a crawl where internal links are counted - identify higher impression/click opportunity pages with lower internal link counts and increase 18. Work on building BRAND as opposed to just link building - focus on increasing BSV (brand search vol) whilst earning more FRESH links at a sustained rate 19. Build long-tail traffic & pay attention to user behaviour (click interactions) build a positive UX 20. Most CRAWL items have a low SEO value throughput #seo #seotips

216

30 Comments

🥂🎉🎉 SEO Black Friday Discount 🥂🎉🎉 50 Hour SEO Training Webinar Bundle - £40 down from £99 https://lnkd.in/eyhDTa7A SEO Stack Half Price Plans for 12 months - £25 onwards https://www.seo-stack.io/ £40 gets you access to 50+ hours of SEO video content teaching processes I use to rank for things like SEO audits, SEO consultant. (Reduced from £99 with a coupon - BECOMEARANKKING - use at checkout). 👉 Upskill on Google search console 👉 Understand the fundamentals of query counting 👉 Blending crawl data with search console data 👉 Understanding core updates (slippage vs devaluation) 👉 Content webinars covering strategy, NLP, intent analysis, content prioritisation, dead content, cannibalisation and more 👉 Link building - auditing links, types of links, buying vs earning, link spam and spam updates and more 👉 SEO side hustles - how to start your own SEO side hustles I've also added new videos including 👉 SEO fundamentals from indexing to website functionality 👉 How to address page indexing/non indexed pages and more. Good SEO starts with understanding PROCESS + METHODOLOGY and this is what I teach across a series of SEO webinars. I share hands on knowledge and demonstrations across these webinars teaching various aspects of SEO including processes that have helped me to rank for HIGHLY competitive things. If you want to develop/bolster your SEO expertise/skills and approaches to SEO processes, data analysis + more you should check them out. over 4000 + Downloads as of today Hundreds of 5* reviews Check them out (you can also watch some previews for free to give you a feel for the content) https://lnkd.in/eyhDTa7A #seo #learnseo #seocourse #seotraining #digitalmarketing

33

10 Comments

☠ SEO Horror Story #4 ☠ Nothing like waking up to find 1,000+ pages of the dev site being released into Google's index. Nick Swan and SEOTesting could this be one of your next features, please? Mechanism to monitor when a dev site that used to have noindex, nofollow on all pages got changed into index, follow? I guess you can discover the issue even now through SEOTesting through the automated emails you guys send when a page that wasn't getting impressions starts doing so, but I guess the damage is done if we get to that point. #endthenightmareforusplease #seo #searchengineoptimization #searchengineoptimisation

12

14 Comments

🎯 Mission: SEO alignment...your team’s SEO success hangs in the balance so how best can you help them rise to the challenge? 👥 Operation: Get Your SEO Agents in Sync 👥 In the world of large organisations, managing a highly effective team of agents with different skills, missions, and covert operations can make SEO optimisation feel like a top secret assignment. 🕵️‍♂️🎯 But if you want to dominate the digital landscape—visibility, traffic, and revenue in your sights—you’ll need precision, teamwork, and focus. 🔥🎯 Here’s how to get your agents aligned and working strategically so it's mission success! Step 1: Clear Communication and Role Definition 🗣️ Before anyone jumps out of helicopters or hacks into the enemy’s mainframe, every agent needs their assignment. 🪂 From your Digital Marketing Operative to your Copywriting Specialist, each must know the objective and exactly how their mission contributes to the greater goal. 🎯 Regular briefings in HQ (otherwise known as meetings) will ensure the mission stays on track.🕵️‍♂️ Step 2: Strategic Prioritisation 🔍 When faced with a web of content, you can’t optimise every page in one go—time is ticking. ⏳ Prioritise your high importance targets: the homepage, category pages, and product pages. 🏠 📄 🛒 These are your mission critical assets, driving traffic and revenue like a well-oiled Aston Martin. 🏎️ Let the team know that while blog pages are useful for visibility, they’re not the main event when conversions are on the line. 💰 Step 3: Efficient Resource Management 💼 Even MI6 has a budget. 💸 Ensure your team’s resources are used wisely—delegate specialised tasks like keyword research to your most talented agents, and assign metadata updates to your finest wordsmiths. ✍️ 🧠 If you’re working with a smaller team, focus on the high stakes operations first: optimising your high converting pages and closing those keyword gaps before the enemy (your competition) catches on. 🔝 Step 4: Continuous Learning and Adaptation 📚 SEO is a game of high stakes, the rules changing faster than Bond can order a martini.🍸 Ensure your SEO agents stay sharp by engaging in regular training, knowledge sharing briefings and staying ahead of the latest trends in SEO technology. 🧑‍🏫🗂️ The algorithm is always evolving—make sure your strategy does too. 🔄 By aligning your team on a shared strategy, you’ll not only survive in the world of SEO... you’ll thrive. 🕶️💥 Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to optimise, prioritise, and stay one step ahead of the competition. 🎯 Ready to deploy your SEO task force for success? 🚀 💬 Cracking the code already? Whats the secret sauce for your team of 'agents'? Let me know in the comments. 🕶️ #SEO #TeamStrategy #DigitalStrategy Image Credit: @Anton_lammert via Unsplash

5

2 Comments

I've faced over 50 rejections in July for my SEO services: ✅5 no’s from clients who didn’t see the value of SEO ✅15 no’s from companies looking for other services ✅10 no’s from clients who couldn't afford our services ✅20 no’s from proposals that went unanswered So what changed? ❌ Those rejections pushed me to sharpen my skills and expand my knowledge in SEO. 🚀 Being overlooked made me refine my strategies and understand what truly drives results. Each "no" fueled my determination to innovate and adapt my approach, leading to better client outcomes. Rejection isn’t a dead end; it’s a stepping stone to becoming a better SEO expert and more resilient professional. . . . . #rejection #results #seoexpert #seoguy #seoconsultant

41

8 Comments

SEO plays a massive part in any brand's growth strategy. If not already, it will soon be turbo-charged with the advent of LMAO. LMAO, Language Model & AI Optimisation, is the inevitable optimisation of online results for training language models. It's not a matter of IF but WHEN and HOW. The content you feed today to the internet might be tomorrow's truth on an AI-powered search response or assistant. Unless some decent checks and guards are put in place to guarantee this doesn't happen, which we are very far behind, we will surely need to start considering the consequences and impact of LMAO. #llm #ai #seo #fakenews #skynet #lmao

7

3 Comments

Introducing my 10 point SEO checklist, get it here 👇 https://lnkd.in/euZDH2mC

11

1 Comment

Why and How I Filter SEO Noise (and why you should too). Firstly, if you've never ran your own business, invested your own money and had to make payroll. You should bookmark this post. But I'll explain how I filter through SEO content to ensure I only get the gold. Here goes. Filter 1. Did the needle get moved? And by the needle moving, I'm talking about ranking on page 1 for a clients money keywords. This is one of the reasons SEO gets a bad reputation. So much of today's SEO advice is seeking dev perfection. Not rankings. So, in content I'm always looking for a line in a post that links back to evidence this leads to revenue somehow. Filter 2. Opportunity cost. The reason paid search gets more money is that it doesn't need any of the noise of SEO. No talk about canonicals, cannibalisation, schema, page speed, internal links etc. It's a money in and money out thing. If your SEO budget is £60k a year, the clients think "what else could I spend that on". So, when I read anything about SEO, I'm always thinking "what did it cost, what impact on revenue or money word rankings did it make?" If there is nothing in the content about that, I take it as noise and ignore it. Filter 3. Too good to be true. If I read anything that says "steal my" and provides a template or strategy of any kind that then says "made xyz amount of money" I know 2 things. 1. That the poster is full of BS. 2. That it never happened. If someone can actually make a business millions with their knowledge, do you really think they are giving it away for free? Of course not. So, once I see anything like that, I'll never take anything they say seriously. 90% of the time it's designed to grow a following, build a list to then sell you a course. Ok, so why does all this matter, especially if you've never ran a business? Because clients care about revenue and avoiding waste. And you absolutely should too. Except if you've never had your own business, loads of 'get rich or get results quick' content can be seductive. But that's the game... 'look at how amazing I am, follow me, because I'm amazing'. Ok, so what happens when you filter all this mentally, you can focus on finding the stuff that is good and can help you to grow and improve. And there's some amazing content out there. It does just take some digging to find it. As I'm getting ready to relaunch my own content process (after a long break) I'll be sharing the best content that I'm reading. Until then, try and filter out the dross.

74

24 Comments

We used to publish 5 articles a month for SEO clients, because it fitted neatly into our 'monthly package'. But then we flipped it... We decided to front-load resource and publish 10-50 articles month 1 (depending on budget). By month 6 it made us look like geniuses. There's no benefit to drip feeding content (besides budget constraints). It's better to start the ranking countdown timer ASAP. It's the difference between achieving results month 6 or month 18.

37

12 Comments