News SEO Digest's Latest Updates [Aug 15,2024]: Google's Antitrust Fallout & Major Shift in Traffic Distribution for News Publishers!!

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Plus: Hidden Gems update boosts forums - time to rethink your content strategy?

What a week it's been in the world of search! We're seeing some seismic shifts that could reshape the landscape for publishers and SEOs alike. First off, let's talk about the elephant in the room - Google's antitrust case. The ruling against Google isn't just legal jargon; it's a potential game-changer for the open web. We might be on the cusp of a new era where the playing field gets a bit more level. But don't pop the champagne just yet - we've got to see how this plays out in terms of actual remedies.

On the algo front, it's been a rollercoaster. We've seen significant ranking volatility on August 9th and 10th, and it wasn't related to the much-anticipated Helpful Content Update. This unpredictability is keeping us on our toes, folks. Add to that the fascinating shift in Google's AI Overviews - YouTube and LinkedIn are up, while Reddit's taking a hit. It's clear that the source hierarchy for AI-generated content is evolving, and we need to adapt our strategies accordingly.

But it's not all about Google. The Hidden Gems update has given a boost to forums, opening up new opportunities for community-driven content. And for those of you sweating over "toxic" backlinks - breathe easy. You've got bigger fish to fry. This week's newsletter dives deep into these topics and more, offering practical insights to help you navigate these choppy waters. So buckle up and let's dive in - there's a lot to unpack, and trust me, you won't want to miss a single detail.

As always, we've curated the most important news and insights to help you stay ahead of the curve. Let's get into it!

Keep calm and SEO on,

John Shehata

PS: Make sure to scroll down to our News SEO Jobs section, many great opportunities by CNN, Fox News, Business Insider, The Athletic, Dow Jones, Amazon, Disney and more!

Google Traffic DIstribution Shifts (2023 vs. 2024)

We've just completed a massive analysis of 8.1 billion clicks across hundreds of news publishers, using Google Search Console data. Our @newzdash team at http://gddash.com crunched the numbers, and the results are eye-opening.

Analyzing Google SearchType Traffic share (2023 vs. 2024), Key findings:

DISCOVER dominance: The share of traffic from Google Discover jumped from 41.6% to 55.6% of publishers' total Google traffic - a 14% increase in proportion!
WEB search proportion declines: Traditional web search now accounts for only 36% of publishers' Google traffic, down from 46.5%.
Other search types lose share: Google News, News, Image, and Video search all saw decreases in their proportion of traffic.

Important note: These percentages represent the share of traffic from each search type, not absolute traffic numbers. A larger share doesn't necessarily mean more traffic overall - it indicates a shift in the relative importance of each channel.

What does this mean for your strategy? It's crucial to understand and optimize for Discover, as it's now the largest source of Google traffic for many publishers.

John Shehata’s SEO Relics

(Historic SEO Fun Facts)

The Dress That Broke the Internet: How a Viral Color Debate Reshaped Search Engine Dynamics

The 2015 dress color debate, commonly known as "The Dress," became an unexpected internet sensation that had a significant impact on search engine behavior and social media trends. On February 26, 2015, a photograph of a dress was posted on Tumblr, sparking a global debate about whether the garment appeared to be black and blue or white and gold.

This seemingly simple question quickly went viral, dividing internet users and even celebrities into passionate camps defending their perceived color combination. The phenomenon caused an unprecedented surge in search queries across major search engines. Google reported that at the peak of the debate, there were more than 20 million searches related to the dress color within a matter of hours.

This sudden and intense spike in search traffic for a single topic presented a unique challenge for search engines, which had to rapidly adapt to provide relevant and up-to-date information to millions of curious users. The incident highlighted the need for search algorithms to be more agile in recognizing and responding to rapidly emerging trends and viral content. As a result of "The Dress" debate, search engines began to implement more sophisticated real-time trending algorithms and improved their ability to quickly surface relevant content for viral phenomena.

This event also influenced how search engines present information for polarizing topics, encouraging the display of multiple perspectives and scientific explanations alongside trending content. The dress color debate served as a catalyst for search engines to evolve their systems to better handle sudden viral trends, ultimately leading to more responsive and dynamic search experiences for users in the face of unexpected internet sensations.

Must Read & News-SEO

Google Search Ranking Volatility August 9th and 10th (No HCU Progress). Reports suggest significant fluctuations in Google Search rankings during August 9th and 10th. https://www.seroundtable.com/google-search-ranking-volatility-weekend-37...
Google loses antitrust case, AIO drops and more: News SEO catch up. This article provides a recap of recent events at Google, including the antitrust ruling, tool updates, the drop in AI Overviews, and rumors of a core update, along with their implications for publishers.https://www.seoforjournalism.com/p/news-seo-google-updates-antitrust
Beyond Reddit and Quora: How Google’s Hidden Gems Update Yielded Explosive Growth In Search Visibility For Many Forums Discover how the "Hidden Gems" update impacted search visibility for various forums, offering potential insights for news publishers.https://www.gsqi.com/marketing-blog/beyond-reddit-and-quora-google-hidde...
Monopoly: A Ruling Against Google Could Benefit The Open Web. This piece discusses the potential impact of the recent monopoly ruling against Google on SEO and the open web, exploring possible scenarios and consequences.https://www.searchenginejournal.com/monopoly-ruling-against-google-could...
Doc: Bing Was Faster Than Google In 2017. A Google document from the DOJ trails reveals that Bing Search outpaced Google in speed for mobile queries in 2017.https://www.seroundtable.com/bing-was-faster-than-google-37888.html

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SEO Strategies, Tips & Goodies

You almost never need to worry about spammy or "toxic" links. Learn why you shouldn't stress about spammy links and how Google handles them.https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7227621313870282752/
Video: Crawling smarter, not harder. John Mueller, Lizzi Sassman, and Gary Illyes discuss misconceptions around crawl frequency and site quality, the challenges of crawling the web today, and how search engines can crawl more efficiently.https://youtu.be/UTAo-mfM75o?si=1dM3Z37tVRJuh6zJ
Site Migrations for Publishers: Best Practices and Pitfalls. This guide provides insights into best practices and common mistakes to avoid during site migrations for publishers.https://www.seoforgooglenews.com/p/site-migrations-for-publishers
13 Steps To Boost Your Site’s Crawlability And Indexability. Improve your website's search rankings and visibility by following these practical steps to enhance crawling and indexability.https://www.searchenginejournal.com/13-steps-to-boost-your-sites-crawlab...
Podcast: Harmonizing Algorithms and Audiences in SEO. Lily Ray explores the difficulties of staying updated with Google's algorithm changes and the importance of automating reporting and data warehousing.https://www.ninjacat.io/blog/wgm-podcast-harmonizing-algorithms-and-audi...
Google’s AI Overviews: YouTube & LinkedIn Up, Reddit Down. A new study reveals Google's AI search overviews favor YouTube and LinkedIn, shorten content, and primarily link to top organic results.https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-ai-overviews-ditch-reddit-em...

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Industry News

DOJ May Break Up Google: Separating Android & Chrome; Maybe Ads. This article examines potential scenarios for breaking up Google, including separating Android and Chrome and potentially forcing the sale of Google Ads.https://www.seroundtable.com/doj-considers-breaking-up-google-37900.html
What Google rivals want after the DOJ’s antitrust trial win. The judge ruled that Google violated US antimonopoly law, and rivals are emphasizing the importance of imposing effective remedies.https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/11/24216760/google-trial-monopoly-remedi...
Google Gemini Research: Web Search & Adds Link Citations. Google demoed Gemini Research, showcasing its AI's ability to curate web information and create detailed research documents.https://www.seroundtable.com/google-gemini-research-web-links-37899.html
OpenAI Launches Structured Outputs for JSON in Its API, Reduces GPT-4o Prices. OpenAI has introduced Structured Outputs and reduced GPT-4o costs, impacting OpenAI customers.https://www.spiceworks.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/news/openai-laun...
Google's Gemini To Gain 'Deep Research' Feature. Google is set to enhance Gemini with "Deep Research," pulling information from multiple webpages.https://www.searchenginejournal.com/googles-gemini-to-gain-deep-research...
Grok-2 Beta Release. Grok-2, a cutting-edge language model with advanced reasoning capabilities, has been released in beta for Grok users on the X platform. https://x.ai/blog/grok-2
YouTube Tests Merging Shorts and Long-Form Video Into a Single Feed. YouTube is experimenting with combining Shorts and long-form videos into a single feed to promote broader video discovery.https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/youtube-merging-shorts-long-form-v...

2024 Paris Olympics SEO Tracker - USA

Paris Olympics is here, and many nations are competing for Gold medals, but do also news publishers covering the event. Check the top news sites, SERP characteristic, videos, etc.

Check it Out!

Introducing Our FREE SEO SERP Tracker for News Publishers! New Methodology - Beyond Keywords to Comprehensive Topic Tracking: Forget traditional keyword tracking – our new methodology analyzes the entire topic landscape, monitoring thousands of trending keywords to accurately determine news content authority in this rapidly evolving field.

NESS 2024 IS HERE!! Group Discount Pricing Available

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This year marks the fourth edition of our online event that is set to take place on October 29 & 30. We managed to lock down an exceptional speaker roster quite early this year, featuring amazing people from SEO and publishing.

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Important Tweets

John Shehata: Major Shift in Google Search Traffic Distribution! Analyzing Google SearchType Traffic share (2023 vs. 2024) https://x.com/JShehata/status/1821953011238801658
Glenn Gabe: Google volatility has been crazy recently, with screenshots showcasing the fluctuations.https://x.com/glenngabe/status/1823334700850577775
Gagan Ghotra: Google Discover is testing a new 'Updates on topics that you follow' button.https://x.com/gaganghotra_/status/1823664964353319313
Aleyda Solis: Highlights a common mistake in organic search traffic forecasting.https://x.com/aleyda/status/1823702735369158675
Gagan Ghotra: Points out issues with Google Search results display.https://x.com/gaganghotra_/status/1823174487111868816
Marie Haynes: Shares important insights for those in the search industry.https://x.com/Marie_Haynes/status/1823429619741286516
Glenn Gabe: Shares the first 'GSC recommendation' encountered.https://x.com/glenngabe/status/1823374435199393948
Lily Ray: Provides tips on getting cited in AI Overviews.https://x.com/lilyraynyc/status/1823018771600101743
Google: Introduces Gemini Live, offering a more natural interaction with Gemini.https://x.com/Google/status/1823409511471690064
Gagan Ghotra: Google is displaying an AI-generated image in Steve Jobs' Knowledge Panel https://x.com/gaganghotra_/status/1822887718789267592
Chris Long: Observes that SearchGPT provides significantly more links to websites than AI Overviews.https://x.com/gofishchris/status/1823333755819291052
Video: Podcast - Google & The DOJ, X, GDPR, Data Privacy, and Search GPThttps://youtu.be/DDhd2pxIVKo?si=rcGHBFbWph6Dtirn

NewzDash: Introducing Real-Time Search Volume!!

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Traditional SEO tools lag with old data, NewzDash delivers real-time search volumes and rankings. Get hourly search volume estimates and rankings updated every 15 minutes with NewzDash - the only tool designed for news SEO. Try a demo today & Get your FREE Site Analysis!

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