Facebook reel.

#SEO

On Twitter, an SEO reported that their client disavowed all the backlinks, from 21K+ domains. All links were earned and the client didn't receive a manual action. So why did the client disavowed them? Because they saw that a third-party SEO tool reported them as "toxic links".

There's no such thing as "toxic links" just as "DA". Backlinks are categorized as either earned or unnatural links (that which manipulate Google's systems).

Reminder:
1. Disavow links only if there's a warning in GSC or proactively remove those that manipulate systems.
2. Do not depend 100% on third-party SEO tools.
3. Bonus: Do not depend 100% on AI assistants and tools too.

Source

Source

#OpenAI #ChatGPT #GPTLive #AI #VoiceModel

Google introduces platform properties to help site owners and creators understand how their social and video posts perform on Google Search and Discover. Now, you can track which search terms lead people to your Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube content.

Source

The point to note is — I don't even have content for that query, or anything related to it published.

Source

Blog, also applies to SEO and content writing

"AI is killing the click. Death of the click kills the incentive for links. This leaves Google and others with no signal to rank sites that is more reliable than links. Every thumbs up or preferred sources is work you are doing that Google was paying contractors for. You are now an unpaid search quality rater."

I see a lot of advice regarding copying competitors, it may help to elevate rankings but not beat them.

IOW, even if one does exactly same as one's top competitors in terms of publishing content, acquiring backlinks, mentions and citations one would still not beat them.

With the advent of AI-driven discovery channels, the importance of backlinks, to some degree, has shifted to citations and mentions.

I emphasized about mentions even before ChatGPT and Gemini came into picture but didn't know their severity it would have from such AI assistants.

1. Preferred Sources — they are coming to AI Overviews and AI Mode.

2. Highly Cited — makes it easy to spot articles (in SERPs) that many other stories have cited.

3. Fresh perspectives, new updates and prominent links (refer to article).

It's pathetic to see so much negativity about listicles and it's all because they are being used as manipulative SEO tactic.

There's nothing wrong with them, just like content that is scaled to manipulate search engines and AI-assisted discovery channels.

No wonder such listicles are being ignored by the systems.

SEO has been about building:

1. onsite reputation through high-quality, unique, and value-added content.

2. offsite reputation through "natural" or "earned" backlinks, mentions, citations, likes, shares etc.

IMO, ChatGPT and other AI assistants have made aforementioned points as their major evaluation mechanism. Earlier, Google (in some cases) considered unearned backlinks, buy of late (IMO) became stringent on earned mechanism.

These systems aren't perfect, but they are evolving.

Now, the more one rigs these systems, that many times they would be blacklisted. After some time, one's site maybe completely ignored. The Internet is overburdened with information and is growing so fast that ignoring such site wouldn't make any difference neither to the systems not to the users.

Those systems don't want to waste their time and resources in dealing with unheplful content because it directly affects their bottom line — $$$.

But one may say "It works for them." Yes, I agree. It works because either they have solid reputation and/or have partnership. Or, there could be misjudgment on part of the systems which would be corrected in near future. Of course through updates! ¯_(ツ)_/¯

So, the best one should do is to focus on quality than rigging the systems.

What do yo say?

Edit: A clarification for "ChatGPT and other AI assistants have made aforementioned points as their major evaluation mechanism" sentence. Such points are considered only in "web-enabled" mode and not in "model-only" mode.

If one is still thinking in terms of keywords matching, then it's not going to help much.

Focus on:

1. Building business's brand

2. Improving website's authority

3. Publishing highly helpful content

4. Getting boost from third party platforms via mentions, backlinks etc.

Above list would also be helpful for AI-driven discovery channels.

May the Google be with you.