Hey hey!
January lasted approximately seven years, and now February’s here with 28 days and somehow twice as much to do. Awesome.
NP HQ feels this week:
In non-wanky SEO news, Ascend is going brilliantly. Some of the members have already pitched their first SEO retainer clients (we’re only in month 1!), and they’ve all outdone my expectations me by showing up on every call, doing the work, and genuinely understanding what they were missing before. I feel like a genuinely proud parent.
In quick SEO news, if your Google rankings have been bouncing around lately, you’re not imagining it. January was pretty wild for volatility and Google, as usual, has said absolutely nothing useful about it. John Mueller was asked directly and basically said “no comment.” Cheers, John mate, much appreciated…
I wrote about what SERP volatility is and when to worry about it a while ago – worth a read if your rankings have been jumpy and you’re not sure whether to panic. (No, probably.)
Meanwhile, Yahoo launched Scout – a new AI-powered search engine – and it’s looking quite interesting. Unlike most AI search tools that hoard traffic and barely link to websites, Scout seems much more open-web friendly. It links out properly to websites rather than keeping everything in its own little walled garden. Google and the other AI search owners should be taking notes.
Personally, I’m looking forward to Lycos, AltaVista and Infoseek rising from the ashes and competing with the big boys again. #IYKYK #OldSchoolSEO
Is your website using the wrong words for what you do?
Your services might be brilliant. But if you’re calling them “innovative business growth solutions” instead of what people really type into Google, you’re invisible. I see this constantly with B2B businesses – entire websites built on terminology their customers would never search for. Find out how to work out if what you’re saying is confusing Google and losing you potential clients.
New podcast episode – When SEOs add GEO to their headlines
Remember when your mum used to say “I’m not mad, I’m just disappointed”? This is the podcast equivalent of that but (probably) swearier. It’s 12 minutes long. Stick it on double speed and it’ll be done while you make a cup of coffee. If you can’t be arsed to listen, the blog post is underneath.
Your website headings might be confusing Google
H3s chosen because someone liked the font size. H1s that say something clever but explain nothing. Logo as the H1. I see it in almost every audit. If Google’s struggling to understand your pages, your heading structure is probably part of the problem.
That’s it for this week.
Always non-wanky,
Nx
P.S. Like the idea of Ascend but you’re not a copywriter? Reply to this email – I’m thinking of launching it for other industries later in the year. Web designers and VAs have already asked, but I’ll consider anyone I can put in a group with 4-8 other people in the same industry. Have a look at what Ascend involves
