Google Pushes Mobile-First Indexing to March 2021

• Recently Google released a statement in which they prolong the deadline of the mobile-first indexing switchover. Initially, they set the deadline for September 2020, but now it has been pushed to March 2021.
• In March this year, right before we got hit by the pandemic, Google announced that they’ll be switching to mobile-first indexing starting from September 2020.
• Google made another announcement saying they realize that it’s not that easy to focus on business in these uncertain times. So they have decided to postpone it to the end of March 2021.
• At the same time, it is noteworthy that most websites have already done their homework and have shifted towards mobile-indexing first. Many webmasters, developers, and SEOs made the necessary adjustments on their websites.
• As a result, more than 70% of all websites within Google’s reach have already moved to mobile-first indexing. That way, the percentage is even bigger these days.

How to check if your website is ready for mobile-indexing first?

• To check that, you need to head to your account at Google’s Search Console. In case your website still not moved over, here are some potential issues that might be holding it back from an automatic migration:

• The mobile version loads very slowly.
• Your main content is identical both on your mobile and desktop version.
• You’ve blocked something you shouldn’t.
• Issues with your mobile robot meta tags
• Double-check video and images for their quality, image and video placement, differences between URLs for mobile and desktop versions, and so on.  

In Conclusion

• Even if your site has issues that prevent it from being switched to mobile-first indexing, there isn’t something to worry about.
• It is no longer necessary to prepare your website by September 2020. You can also ensure that your ranking won’t take a hit because of the mobile-first indexing switch.
• If your website can use some adjustments, don’t wait till the deadline and risk its ranking. 

Index Your Content Immediately With Bing WordPress Plugin

• Bing is launching a WordPress plugin that will get index your content immediately in search results.
• The entire process is done automatically once a site owner installs the plugin.
• After installation, the plugin has to be configured with an API key from Bing Webmaster Portal.
• The Bing WordPress plugin will detect new pages and updates to existing ones.

Installing Bing WordPress Plugin

• Search “Bing URL Submissions” on the plugin install page on WordPress and download it.
• Configure with your Bing Webmaster Tools API key to activate the plugin.
• The API key is available on the API Access page in the settings.

What next?

• URL for new and updated pages will be submitted to Bing Webmaster Tools API.
• The New Pages will be indexed immediately as they are being published.
• Existing pages will be refreshed as they are being updated.
• The plugin offers some features similar to Bing URL submission tool.
• The maximum daily URL is 10,000, but more can be provided with a special request from Bing Webmaster Tools team.

Plugin Features

• Switch the automatic submission setting on and off
• Submit URL to Bing index manually
• View recent submissions
• Retry failed submission
• Download URL submission

Bing for WordPress only

• The plugin is only available for WordPress. Other content management systems will be supported in the future.
• The code for the plugin is open source.
• Developers and CMS can leverage the idea for their sites.

The Importance of Meta Description for SEO in 2020

• A Meta description, sometimes referred to as Meta description attribute, is an HTML element that provides a summary or describes the content of a web page.
• It helps the readers to assess the relevance and recency of your content. As such, it affects click-through rates.
• The recommended length is between 50 to 160 characters. Always keep your Meta description long enough to be sufficiently descriptive.
• Google will place a snippet from the target page that matches the user’s query.
• At times, Google might overrule your Meta description if they think it doesn’t adequately answer the user’s query.

Why does Meta description matter?

• The Meta description tag is critical for SEO ranking. It helps search engine users assess the relevance of your content.
• It communicates the up-to-date resources used in a specific topic. Publishers in competitive and active industries like travel need to regularly deliver information that is recent based on what their audience value.
• Since identical titles dominate most search results, the Meta description communicates what unique value your page will provide.
• It helps your web page stand out, given that most of your competitors are optimizing only for the Google algorithm.
• The 160-character allowance gives you plenty of room and visibility to show users your value proposition.
• Studies show that 40% of Google users cannot distinguish between AdWords ads and organic listings. So many people searching for your business will respond the same way they would a paid ad.
• You can also mention your unique selling point to stand out from other search results. Also, include a call to action to encourage the visitor to do more after reaching your page.
• So make sure each character serves a purpose. It is easy to get carried away with optimizing for Google algorithm.
• Do not forget that the primary goal of the meta description tag is to appeal to searchers. You can intelligently include the keywords your page is targeting.

Conclusion

• A meta description can have a significant impact on your SEO efforts. Note that, search engine ranking is not the central role of the Meta description.
• Meta descriptions are extremely important for click-through rates. Optimizing your Meta description can help you achieve a higher click-through rate.

Beginner’s Guide to Geo-Tagging – What, How and Advantages

• From the perspective of a local business owner, getting a website in front of a local can be a difficult experience. Geo-Tagging enables customers to find your location easily.
• The practice is not new but started to gain popularity after Flickr adopted it.
• It is a useful strategy that a locally-oriented website can adopt to boost SEO efforts and increase website traffic.

What is Geo-Tagging?

• Geo-Tagging is the practice of associating geographic coordinates to a web page. These geo-coordinates include latitude and longitude.
• Geo-Tagging involves embedding this coordinates into a page, image, or any other media by design.
• It informs the search engine bots to make a connection between a media file and the location where it was created.
• A typical example of a Geo-Tagging application is when a website detects your country of origin and displays the appropriate language on the homepage.
• As mobile browsing grows, search engines are factoring in the user’s current location to the results they deliver.
• You can optimize Geo-Tagging to show a particular location.

How does Geo-Tagging Work?

• Mobile users are getting more specific about their queries. Geo-Tagging makes it possible to narrow down search results to the ones that are relevant to the searcher.
• Your visitors will not see this information, but search engine bots can read and analyze geotags are they crawl the internet looking for data.
• There is no standard format for Geo-Tagging among search engines. You can use multiple techniques to enable bots looking for something specific to find the tags they can read.
• The semantic markup will allow the device and search engine to identify the latitude and longitude of your location. This kind of information can help obtain precise results associated with a location based on a search query.
• All kinds of location data can be uncovered using geotags.
• The most common way you can have all images geotagged is by taking them on a GPS-enabled device like a smartphone. That way, a photo can be tied to the location where it was taken.

Advantages of Geo-Tagging

• Studies have shown that websites that include images rank higher in search results. For local businesses, images become even more important for boosting traffic.
• Combined with quality images, Geo-Tagging can help your business to rank higher.
• As a business owner in a small town, you don’t need to worry about finding customers on the other side of the world. Geo-Tagging allows you to find customers who are in your locality.
• To grow your business locally, you can attract local searchers.

Conclusion

• Missing Geo-Tagging in your site can be the reason why your competitors rank higher than you. This means that your customers might never see your business on search results.
• Geo-Tagging is something that all search engines including Bing, Yahoo, and Google use to determine the results to deliver on searches.
• Ignoring the significance of Geo-Tagging can be costly.

How YouTube Search Works: Explained by Google

• Google explained how YouTube search works through a publication resource. 
• They created an entire website- How YouTube Work to explain how the search function works.
• The site offers valuable insights about working of YouTube, which includes how YouTube is committed to making a safe and more secure platform factor into the search results. 

YouTube Searches 

• YouTube is the World’s second-largest search engine. The platform sieves through over 500 hours of content to deliver the most relevant results. 
• There are three primary elements for ranking search results on YouTube; Relevance, Engagement, and Quality. 

Relevance 

• The goal of YouTube search is to connect the user with useful content. 
• YouTube search algorithm looks at several factors to determine the relevance of content. 
• These factors can take many forms, including title, tags, video description, and the content itself. 

Engagement 

• Since YouTube can track content consumption by each user, they have policies around what appears in search results. 
• Engagement is determined using aggregate engagement signals. These signals include watch time for a particular video and query. 
• YouTube also uses engagement signals to determine the relevance of content. 

Quality

• YouTube determines the quality of content using several signals.  
• The algorithm looks at Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness, commonly referred to as EAT. 
• Google emphasis the importance of these signals in search results. 

Other Factors

• Besides relevance, engagement, and quality, YouTube tries to deliver search results based on the actions of the user. 
• That includes the user’s watch and search history.
• Search results may vary from one user to the next. 
• For example, for a user who watches a lot of sports content and searches for cricket, YouTube will recommend sports cricket rather than the creature. 
• When a user clears their search history, YouTube will not consider such signals. 

Building Authoritative Sources 

• The search algorithm prioritizes content from authoritative sources, especially for content categories like politics, science, news, and medical content. 
• Credibility is key to ranking high in these areas. 
• For content such as music and entertainment, YouTube looks to relevance, view count, and upload date. 

YouTube Recommendations

• The recommendation section on YouTube is another way content can be discovered. 
• YouTube considers a lot of signals to determine what to include in the ‘up next section.’
• The user’s behavior and details such as watch and search history, subscriptions, and location play a role. 
• Other key factors include the level of engagement the videos received, feedback from random surveys, and time of day. The user’s input is also taken into account. 
• The ‘not interested’ feature allows YouTube to determine not to recommend that kind of content.

Bottom line

• The YouTube search algorithm overturns conventional SEO wisdom. 
• YouTube rewards content producers for relevant, quality, and engaging content on the platform. 
• The value of Meta tags cannot be understated. Typical SEO efforts are still as relevant on YouTube as they are on Google search. 
• User activity is important in ranking and YouTube recommendations. 

Reasons Why Google Ranks Singular and Plural Keywords Differently:

• Google displays different search results for the singular and plural form of a keyword. Perhaps, this has to do with satisfying the user’s intent.
• Google is constantly tweaking its algorithm to provide the best possible experience to users. The downside to constant updates is changes to the way Google ranks content. Google frequently hosts Hangout meetings to address such controversies.

Why singular and plural keywords rank differently?

• It is difficult for algorithms to provide a user with a precise answer for their queries. According to Google, while the singular and plural form of a word tends to be similar, the plural version is distinct.
• The algorithm recognizes that both keywords are synonyms. However, the degree of similarity depends on the keyword.
• When a user searches for a keyword in its plural form, they are looking for something different from the singular inquiry. Perhaps the user’s intent is to find a list or comparison page with different kinds of the item.
• The reason why results are presented differently vary for each subject, variation, and niche. Google attempts to take into account the intent of the user in search results.

What can you do to improve your ranking?

• One should understand the user’s intent and treat each keyword as a different query.
• If there is need for different results of both versions, then act accordingly.
• Check with other people before attempting to rank for both version as well to see if it makes sense.
• You can add a Call to Action in the page ranked for a particular keyword to redirect the user to a desired landing page.

Conclusion

• Google treats singular and plural versions of a keyword differently.
• The intent of the user is a major factor in ranking both versions. It is important to analyze user behavior and intent for each version then tweak your pages accordingly.
• Evaluate whether changes are necessary, otherwise you may end up losing rankings for both.

How to Make Your SVOD Website Stand Out on Google SERPs

• Subscription Video On Demand websites are growing in popularity for offering consumers the freedom to choose, by providing greater control.
• Ranking higher in Google SERP is an excellent way to capitalize on relevant searches.
• Unfortunately, these attributes present SVOD sites with the problem of retaining customers.
• The primary failure of most providers is content discoverability.
• The consumer enjoys flexibility which allows them to opt-out when they discover content from another SVOD provider. The best way to retain subscribers in such a fluid market is by making your website stand out in Google SERPs.
• You can give consumers the impression that you offer something different from the rest in many ways.

Use dedicated landing pages

• It would be best if you make it easier for consumers to browse content. As an SVOD provider, you need a dedicated landing page for the various types of content you offer.
• The most effective categorization strategies include genres, current affairs/civil rights issues, and interests. For example, Netflix has a landing page for all movie and TV series genres.
• You can have a dedicated landing page for genres such as action, drama, horror, and comedy, among others.
• Netflix also has dedicated landing pages for movies associated with women’s rights, the LGBTQ community, Black Lives Matter, Black History month, and more.
• For interests, Netflix has landing pages for martial art movies, dancing movies, and police movies, among others.
• You can build more categories to boost SEO efforts.

Link building

• Getting mentioned on editorial websites is another effective way to drive traffic. These inbound links will enhance the overall authority of your SVOD site.
• When a user searches for ‘best 2020 movies’, the entire first page ranks editorial websites like cosmopolitan.com and elle.com.
• Editorial websites have quite a loyal following and strong domain authority.
• You can reach out to the authors of these articles and request for a mention of your content/service.

Use the right schema markup

• Use VideoObject, TVSeries, and TVSeason schema to your site. This markup will help search engines understand your content better.
• Your site will be able to rank for attention-grabbing results, which will increase click-through-rate.
• Netflix uses VideoObject, TVSeries, and TVSeason schema in its source code. The advantage is that Netflix ranks higher on intent-specific searches.
• For example, when a user searches for ‘watch Suits Season Two Episode Six’, Netflix will rank high in video rich results.
• This strategy is particularly useful when content is offered by more than one SVOP.

Conclusion

• The primary goal of SEO is to allow your site to rank higher. Optimizing for SEO is the only way a website can boost traffic in a highly competitive industry.
• To make your SVOD site stand out in Google search results, use dedicated landing pages, build links through editorial websites, and use the ideal schema markup.

A Beginner’s Guide to Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMPs) – What, How and Everything In Between

• Mobile internet usage has grown at a steady rate to surpass desktop usage in recent years and Speed played an integral part in the performance of web pages under the AMP framework. As a result, Google introduced the mobile-first framework in 2015.
• The Accelerated Mobile Pages or AMP framework has been controversial since beginning.
• Studies have shown that consumers are likely to abandon a page if it takes more than three seconds to load.
• Google says that AMP can soon become a ranking factor. After analysis, experts uncovered that pages that were optimized for AMP ranked better and faster.
• These pages also achieved high-conversion rates turning mobile page visitors into loyal customers.

What is Accelerated Mobile Pages (AMP)?

• The Accelerated Mobile Pages framework was a collaboration by both Google and Twitter.
• AMP optimized pages were introduced to compete with Facebook’s Instant Articles used for news on the mobile app.
• It was designed to optimize faster mobile pages. The framework takes pages that are already mobile-friendly and enhances them to load faster. To do this, AMP strips down the page to the basics.
• The project’s main aim was to help content publishers improve speed and readability mobile-friendly content.

How does the AMP plugin work?

• The AMP plugin cuts back on the HTML code tag manager aspect and renders them suitable for mobile users. The optimized HTML code allows your web pages to load faster.
• However, AMP will not be rendered if JavaScript is included in your mobile pages. You have to use a streamlined version of CSS.
• Since the publisher is not in control of AMP, they are not permitted to use the JavaScript library unless AMP provides. This is the only downside to AMP.
• For AMP optimized sites to work, they have to be appropriately validated.
• AMP plugin does not allow forms on these pages. Your page has to load custom fonts to improve the experience.
• Remember to declare the height and width of an image to avoid poorly-optimized images. For videos, remember to use AMP-approved extensions.

Advantages of AMP

• AMP will help you achieve fast loading.
• AMP also leads to improve click-through-rate by improving browser visibility for content marketers.
• Since mobile-friendly pages are rewarded in mobile search results, AMP optimized pages rank higher than non-AMP pages.
• AMP allows content publishers to get rid of distractions in their pages through flexible ad support.
• The publishers can also use tag manager analytics with ease on AMP pages for user tracking.

Conclusion

• Accelerated Mobile Pages is still in development.
• Given the advantages outlined above, AMP is something that publishers need to consider carefully.
• AMP is one way to deliver faster load times and a strong user experience.

The Impact of Stock Photography on Search Ranking

• A recent tweet from one of Google’s executives, John Mueller, prompted a new approach from SEO professionals in the use of images for SEO purposes. 
• In a recent exchange of tweets, someone reached out to John Mueller and asked him what he thinks about the usage of stock images and whether they affect ranking. His response was pretty decisive – “It doesn’t matter for web-search directly.”

So, what does that mean?

• For many SEO professionals, it is a confirmation of a long-standing thesis that Google doesn’t see stock images as unoriginal content. Just because someone else used that stock photo, Google won’t penalize your page.
• In any case, if Google penalized everyone for the usage of stock photos, half the internet would never rank. 
• Just go through most high ranked web pages on pretty much any given topic and you will see how reliant they are on stock photos. 

But, what did Mueller mean with that last word – directly?

This is a fair point. Why didn’t he end his tweet by just saying “It doesn’t matter for web-search”?

• Well, we figure he was trying to make another point which explains the indirect part. He wanted to make a point about the potential impact of the image on users.
• The best way to answer this is by asking yourself questions such as does this photo accurately represents the given topic? Another potentially revealing question is if the photo help with the conversion.
• To further simplify this, it is about the photo being relevant and conversion – two factors that can only improve your search ranking. Those are the indirect factors that can influence your ranking. 

In conclusion

• Stock photography is not unoriginal content, at least not in the all-seeing Google. Have fun with the millions of stock photos available to you.
• Just, same as every other resource, use them wisely and mind “the little things” such as conversion and relevance.   

Why Should a Website Be SEO Friendly?

• Every day, two million posts are published on WordPress alone. Therefore, ranking on the first page of Google search results can be a deciding factor for your business success.
• SEO is the process of ranking high on the unpaid section of search results known as Organic listings. It involves optimizing content around a particular keyword to show up as a top result.
• There are three integral players in this process, namely, the publisher (you), the search engine (Google), and the searcher (end-user).
• You need SEO to make Google include your post as the top result when the end-user searches that keyword.
• The reasons why a website should be SEO-friendly are apparent.

Enhance User Experience

• SEO strategies enhance user experience by providing answers to common customer concerns.
• By creating content around such concerns, the publisher turns SEO into a powerful tool to drive traffic and improve the customer experience.
• Improving site speed and focusing on mobile-friendliness, which are powerful SEO strategies, can help enhance the user experience.

Capture Attention of the Search Engine

• Updating old content can help a publisher boost search engine traffic.
• In Google’s algorithm, you are more likely to gain traffic by updating your content with SEO to make it more appealing.
• When the search engine views your content favorably, you will rank higher in search results.

Improve Engagement

• The main goal for digital marketers is to improve customer engagement. SEO-friendly websites are more likely to reach more people through search results.
• These pages are more likely also to generate comments from visitors. It allows them to spend more time on the site and share the content with their friends.

Higher Ranking

• SEO strategies ensure a search engine quickly finds content or a web page.
• Once your site appears at the top of the ranking, the end-user will be able to see more content on your website.
• Ranking higher on search results allows customers to be familiar with your products and services.
• When a website ranks higher on search results, it can convert more people as long as it maintains the top position.

Return-On-Investment

• Spending money on a digital presence can be fruitful.
• The relationship between ROI and SEO efforts can be easily demonstrated and established.
• SEO strategies lower advertising costs and deliver the best ROI.
• SEO gets you into the first page in the search results, where you can generate more traffic.
• It also helps target customers who will engage with your brand now and do not require time for convincing.

Conclusion

• SEO involves mapping the customer journey and identifying concerns at each stage, then creating content focused on answering these concerns.
• It also involves providing related images and videos, supporting text, easy navigation, and mobile-friendliness.
• These strategies can help boost credibility, increase website traffic, and improve brand visibility.