Welcome to The SEO Mad Scientist, where we dive deep into the ever-evolving world of SEO testing to bring you valuable and actionable insights. Join us as we uncover correlations between our latest experiments, algorithm updates, and industry shifts, providing you with the knowledge you need to stay ahead in the digital landscape.
Curious about what we're currently testing? Interested in how our SEO experiments align with recent algorithm updates? Wondering about the implications for your own strategies? Look no further – we've got you covered.
But that's not all. We don't just talk the talk; we walk the walk. Tune in as we candidly discuss our most recent testing results and the strategies that are making waves in the SERPs, helping you navigate the ever-changing SEO landscape with confidence.
Whether you're a seasoned SEO pro or just starting out, if you want to stay on top of the latest developments in the industry, subscribe to "The SEO Mad Scientist" today!
And hey, if you're an SEO aficionado or agency owner with insights to share, we'd love to have you as a guest on the show. Reach out to us – let's collaborate and elevate the conversation together!
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Welcome to the SEO Mad Scientist podcast, where we dive deep into testing SEO theories so you don't have to!
In this episode, Mike dives into our latest test to uncover "How effective is landing page optimization for your GBP listings?" Discover how we set up our test website, analyze GeoGrid data, and see the impact of on-page optimization on local SEO rankings. Mike also explores the role of AI-generated content, the correlation between brand terms and rankings, and the influence of small business-related keywords.
00:00 Introduction and Lack of Major Updates
01:28 The Importance of Single Variable Tests
03:18 The Impact of On-Page and Listing Optimization
06:03 The Value of Proper Optimization and Branding for Listings
08:21 The Effectiveness of Custom Signals
11:06 The Changing Landscape of SEO
Enhance Local SEO w/ AI Content, On-Page SEO & Competitor Insights: The SEO Mad Scientist Episode 10
Episode 235
Wednesday, June 19, 2024 • Duration 20:35
Highlights From Episode 10 - The SEO Mad Scientist:
The episode explores the impact of AI-generated content on Google Business Profile (GBP) rankings, highlighting a test where AI-created landing page content significantly influenced local SEO performance.
A detailed analysis reveals the role of competitor parity and domain changes in SEO strategies, showing how these factors affect rankings and the importance of content structure and headings.
The findings emphasize actionable insights and tips, including optimizing content beyond competitor metrics, understanding the importance of organic and local SEO alignment, and the impact of on-page updates on search engine visibility.
Press Tests & YouTube Signals for Stronger Local Rankings: The SEO Mad Scientist Episode 1
Episode 226
Wednesday, February 21, 2024 • Duration 36:12
Highlights From 1 Episode - The SEO Mad Scientist:
As Mike and Sophie discussed, the podcast is now SEO Mad Scientist, focusing on data-driven testing for real SEO results.
They highlighted updates to the dashboard and tools, aiming for seamless integration for user convenience.
They stressed the importance of strategic testing, sharing insights from press release and YouTube video ranking tests. Understanding interlinking and anchor text, they emphasized, is crucial for effective SEO.
The SEO world is always changing. Google is constantly making adjustments to make the platform more user-friendly and smarter, while SEO experts try to keep up with the constant changes to their system. As a company and also as individuals, we are always trying to improve our expertise. Our hope is to share our experiences and challenges in this journey.
We keep up with the SEO News, analyze it, and look for ways to position ourselves better with this new information.
This Week's Podcast, Featuring Mike Milas, & Bucky Helms.
Infographics Service launched this week. It includes linkbuilding too. We have a 50% off discount for this.
Larger Google Search Ranking Algorithm Update On April 20th & 21st
Google Search Console Sending Notices For Intrusive Interstitials
6:09 Web 2.0 Ranker Weekly Update
We’ll be announcing some of the speakers next week for this year’s Local Marketing Mastermind. Early bird discounted tickets (15-25% off) are live now till about June. The mastermind will be at St. Petersburg, Florida on September 16th, 17th and 18th.
Infographics Service launched this week. It includes linkbuilding too. We have a 50% off discount for this.
Voice Search and NewsMax has been added to our PR services.
Our FREE link recs we started are going great!
31:50 SEO News For The Past Week
Spring Break Google Search Ranking Algorithm Update - April 18th
Larger Google Search Ranking Algorithm Update On April 20th & 21st
Google Search Console Sending Notices For Intrusive Interstitials
Google Site Kit Now Has Question Hub Data
SERP Changes
Google Search Tests Side Bar Navigation
Google "Found In Related Search" Returns
New Google Featured Snippet: "From The Web" & "Other Sites Say"
Google Tests What People Are Saying Search Results
Google Local Listing "At This Place" Shows Businesses At Venues
Google Says
The SEO Vault Episode 136
Episode 136
Friday, April 15, 2022 • Duration 49:48
The SEO world is always changing. Google is constantly making adjustments to make the platform more user-friendly and smarter, while SEO experts try to keep up with the constant changes to their system. As a company and also as individuals, we are always trying to improve our expertise. Our hope is to share our experiences and challenges in this journey.
We keep up with the SEO News, analyze it, and look for ways to position ourselves better with this new information.
This Week's Podcast, Featuring Mike Milas, Bucky Helms & Sophie Allen.
The egg hunt is live on our website from today till 19th The 1st person to find the Egg each day will win a $50 Amazon git card AND a $50 store credit. Whoever finds the egg on the final day of the sale will win a $100 Amazon gift card AND $100 store credit!
Google’s 3rd version of the product review update fully rolled out
Comparisons Trigger The Google Product Reviews Algorithm
05:55 Web 2.0 Ranker Weekly Update
We are running our Spring SEO Sale up to 19th Save 25% sitewide, with different daily deals.
The egg hunt is live on our website from today till 19th The 1st person to find the Egg each day will win a $50 Amazon git card AND a $50 store credit. Whoever finds the egg on the final day of the sale will win a $100 Amazon gift card AND $100 store credit!
The 2022 early bird (20-25% off) Mastermind tickets are on sale now on https://localmarketingmastermind.live/ or on the main menu on web20ranker.com under LMM tickets. It will be at St. Petersburg, Florida.
Our Infographic service is launching on Tuesday.
Free link recs are live!
Review management as part of the monthly campaign services will be launched soon.
23:09 SEO News For The Week
Google’s 3rd version of the product review update fully rolled out
Google On Writing You Tested A Product With The Product Review Update
Not All Product Comparisons Trigger The Google Product Reviews Algorithm
The SEO Vault Episode 135
Episode 135
Friday, April 8, 2022 • Duration 52:31
The SEO world is always changing. Google is constantly making adjustments to make the platform more user-friendly and smarter, while SEO experts try to keep up with the constant changes to their system. As a company and also as individuals, we are always trying to improve our expertise. Our hope is to share our experiences and challenges in this journey.
We keep up with the SEO News, analyze it, and look for ways to position ourselves better with this new information.
This Week's Podcast, Featuring Chaz Edward, Mike Milas, Bucky Helms & Sophie Allen.
– Weekend deal: 20% cashback on links, and 10% link recs coupon, after the FREE link recommendations launch. Save 30%.
– Immense Google Search Ranking Volatility; The Tail End Of The Product Reviews Update?
– New Recycling Attribute For Google Business Profiles
– Overview of the new GMB Dashboard.
05.49 Web 2.0 Ranker Weekly Update
– We’re adding voice search and NewsMax to our press release syndication.
– We will launch review management at the end of the month, which will be without additional monthly fee.
– Weekend deal: 20% cashback on links, and 10% link recs coupon, after the FREE link recommendations launch. Save 30%.
– Early bird tickets for Local Marketing Mastermind to be at St. Petersburg, Florida, are live now! The event will be on September 16, 17 and 18th. There’re 10 speaker spots. We’ll announce the speakers in 45 days. Day one we’ll discuss SEO tactics.
– Infographics Service is being launched soon.
– SERP Results beta testing will be live next week.
21:23 SEO News For The Past Week
– Immense Google Search Ranking Volatility; The Tail End Of The Product Reviews Update?
The SEO Vault Episode 134
Episode 134
Friday, April 1, 2022 • Duration 52:00
The SEO world is always changing. Google is constantly making adjustments to make the platform more user-friendly and smarter, while SEO experts try to keep up with the constant changes to their system. As a company and also as individuals, we are always trying to improve our expertise. Our hope is to share our experiences and challenges in this journey.
We keep up with the SEO News, analyze it, and look for ways to position ourselves better with this new information.
This Week's Podcast, Featuring Chaz Edward, Mike Milas, Bucky Helms & Sophie Allen.
Weekend deal: Get $40 off all new Monthly GBP SEO Campaigns.
We have a launch date for the review management system without monthly fee.
Google: Keep Old Redirected URLs In Sitemaps Files Temporarily
4:04 Web 2.0 Ranker Weekly Update
Local Marketing Mastermind will be at St. Petersburg, at The Hilton on September 16, 17 and 18th. Early bird tickets will be available from 4th We have a limited number of exclusive level tickets, for the private roundtable.
We have a launch date for the review management system without monthly fee.
The Free Quarterly Webby was yesterday for getting Fast wins. Replay will be available from next week.
Weekend deal: $40 off new Monthly GBP SEO Campaigns.
The first SEO testing quarterly report will be up next week.
13:40 SEO News For the Past Week
For Google Updates, The Product Reviews Update III Is Not That Huge - So Far
Now Seeing Volatility For The Google Product Reviews Update (v. March 2022)
Google Now Using MUM For Detecting Personal Crisis Searches & BERT For Detecting Shocking Content
Google Audio Knowledge Panel To Listen In Your Language
SERP Changes
Google Continues Expandable Tab Search Result Snippets Test
Google Search Local Pack Refine Query & Location Search Box
Google Search Highly Cited Stories & Come Back Later For Evolving Results
The SEO Vault Episode 133
Episode 133
Friday, March 25, 2022 • Duration 53:38
The SEO world is always changing. Google is constantly making adjustments to make the platform more user-friendly and smarter, while SEO experts try to keep up with the constant changes to their system. As a company and also as individuals, we are always trying to improve our expertise. Our hope is to share our experiences and challenges in this journey.
We keep up with the SEO News, analyze it, and look for ways to position ourselves better with this new information.
This Week's Podcast, Featuring Chaz Edward, Mike Milas, Bucky Helms & Sophie Allen.
- LMM Tickets will be live on April 4th. Sign up for early bird discount tickets. There will be virtual tickets after the early bird special.
- Weekend deal: Get $100 credit for additional on-page optimization for all new managed search and managed link building campaigns.
- Google: We Reduced Irrelevant Search Results By 50% & Made 5,000 Changes In 2021
5:04 Web 2.0 Ranker Weekly Update
- Local Marketing Mastermind location confirmed to be at St. Petersburg, Florida. Specific place to be announced in a week or so. Dates: September 16, 17, 18.
- LMM Tickets will be live on April 4th. Sign up for early bird discount tickets. There will be virtual tickets after the early bird special.
- Weekend deal: Get $100 credit for additional on-page optimization for all new managed search and managed link building campaigns.
- Message threads update on SEOReports for all our clients.
- Employee spotlight: John Pim, our linkbuilding manager.
12:26 SEO News For The Past Week
- March 2022 Google Product Reviews Update Rolling Out - Everything We See So Far
- Google Search With Discount Coupon Codes In Shopping Pack
The SEO Vault Episode 132
Episode 132
Friday, March 18, 2022 • Duration 52:43
The SEO world is always changing. Google is constantly making adjustments to make the platform more user-friendly and smarter, while SEO experts try to keep up with the constant changes to their system. As a company and also as individuals, we are always trying to improve our expertise. Our hope is to share our experiences and challenges in this journey.
We keep up with the SEO News, analyze it, and look for ways to position ourselves better with this new information.
This Week's Podcast, Featuring Chaz Edward, Mike Milas, Bucky Helms & Sophie Allen.
Weekend deal at Web20Ranker – Get $20 off press links and $20 off custom signals
Google Search Ranking Update Weirdness on March 11th
Google Page Experience Update Metrics Can Be Split Into Sections Of Your Site
Reviews In Google Local Going Missing Recently
Web 2.0 Ranker Weekly Update
We had the exclusive LMM roundtable yesterday (16th March)
Save The Date (September 16, 17, 18) for the Local Marketing Mastermind 2022 in Florida. We will confirm location in a week’s time. Reserve early bird tickets.
Free Webby on the 30th. Theme is launching new campaigns.
20/21 SEO Testing summary reports are live.
Free Link Recommendations start next week at web20ranker.com
SEO News For The Past Week
Google Search Ranking Update Weirdness on March 11th
Google Page Experience Update Metrics Can Be Split Into Sections Of Your Site
Reviews In Google Local Going Missing Recently
Google Search Console URL Inspection Tool Not Fully Fixed Yet
Google Adds Business Profiles Managers Controls In Web Search
SERP Changes
Refine This Search & Broaden This Search Now Live In Google Search
Google Search Local Business Listing Tests More About Button
Google Says
John Me Google: We Don’t Use User Engagement As A Search Ranking Factor
THE SEO Vault Episode 131
Episode 131
Saturday, March 12, 2022 • Duration 48:52
The SEO world is always changing. Google is constantly making adjustments to make the platform more user-friendly and smarter, while SEO experts try to keep up with the constant changes to their system. As a company and also as individuals, we are always trying to improve our expertise. Our hope is to share our experiences and challenges in this journey.
We keep up with the SEO News, analyze it, and look for ways to position ourselves better with this new information.
This Week's Podcast, Featuring Chaz Edward, Mike Milas, Bucky Helms & Sophie Allen.
Weekend deal at Web20Ranker- You’ll get a free Google News Link with $300 purchase.
New features coming up on Local Viking
SEO Claims Higher Rankings Without Content Hidden In Tabs Again.
Web 2.0 Ranker Weekly Update
We offer free SEO audits for your campaigns.
Weekend deal – Free Google News approved guest post link with $300+ purchase
Save The Date: (September 16, 17, 18) for the Local Marketing Mastermind in Florida. Sign up for the early bird list.
SERP Results beta pushed back to end of March.
New features on Local Viking coming up, like shared local voice, expanded matrix, and the mobile app (Mobile Viking).
Quarterly Testing Report to be released.
SEO News For The Past Week
Can You Gain More Intended Google Search Results With Subdomains?
Connect Your Google Business Profiles To Woo Promo
Google Web Stories Test URL In Footer & Tips
SERP Changes
Google Ads Testing Lighter Parts URLs
Google People Also Ask Displaying Two Or More Times On A Page
Google Says
John Mueller Gives A Hard Lesson To An SEO On Google Ranking & Spam
Google: We Mostly Just Ignore Widget Links And Not Penalize For Them
SEO Discussion
04:42 Heading changes on SEO rankings
06:58 Ranking impact of changing the domain
10:45 Organic rankings impact on local rankings
14:07 Considerations for Competitor Parity
31:15 Importance of Granular Testing
35:37 Conclusion
Google On CSS .Class Selector
SEO Discussion
36:07 Any funnel fluctuations after the latest Google update?
43:05 SEO Mad Scientist update.
Q&A
23:51 Struggling to figure out the best content strategy for clients in the health space (chiro, physio, natural path, etc). What do you do in terms of content strategy for these clients? Is it worth it spending much time here on unique content?
41:00 What is the quickest way for a client to see results while waiting for main results in the campaign?
Join us every week for the latest SEO news and Q&A session with Chaz, founder of Web 2.0 Ranker, with his group of panelists, where we try to answer all your SEO Questions.
Google Search Console Will Show Links From A Redirected Domain To New Domain
SERP Updates
“Highly Cited” Label In Google Search Tops Stories Now Live
Google Search Showing Image Results In Weird Snippet Location
Google Search Product Comparison Gains Compare With More Products
Google Says
Google Now Says Automatically Generated Content Against Guidelines When Intended To Manipulate Search Rankings
Google: No Technical Method To Gain Featured Snippets In Google Search
SEO Discussion
14:00 How to do review and reputation management for your clients.
26:02 Google being against using AI content to manipulate search rankings.
28:01 Google will only trust reviews where you post unique pictures and results of the product and not just on text for ranking.
39:38 SEO Mad Scientist update.
Q&A
17:10 How do you set up your review gate?
33:01 Having difficulties with WordPress when moving from an old site to a new site since the subpages are in HTML. If so, I’ll have to do a 301 redirect. Will that cause me to lose rankings? What type of builder would be best to use? What are your thoughts on link wheels and tier link building with web2.0s to your money page? Would such a strategy get your site penalised by Google as being something similar to a PBN?
Join us every week for the latest SEO news and Q&A session with Chaz, founder of Web 2.0 Ranker, with his group of panelists, where we try to answer all your SEO Questions.
– New Recycling Attribute For Google Business Profiles
– Google Help Doc Adds In-Store Products Helps With Local Visibility
– Google My Business App Going Away
– Google Business Profile Review Tool Now Works For Larger Accounts
SERP Changes
– Google Expands Automotive Search Comparisons?
Google Says
– Google: Thin Content Issues Are Site Specific, Not Always Page Specific
– Word count is not a good metric to determine thin content on a site level.
SEO Discussion
28:25 Overview of the new GMB Dashboard.
32:40 Update on the Google Analytics 4 app.
42:33 John Mueller mentioning that AI generated content being penalized.
46:52 SEO Mad Scientist update.
Q&A
37:51 What services would you recommend for me to offer from your company to a client in-home the home service niche to a tank on local and regional (solar, roofing, HVAC)?
41:39 What are custom signals?
Google Says
Google: It's Best To Have Google Discover New Sites With External Links Over URL Submission
Google: Keep Old Redirected URLs In Sitemaps Files Temporarily
Google: Nofollow Is Not A Dampening Factor
SEO Discussion
18:05 Rollback in the local with partial match or exact match brands.
24:01 SEO Mad Scientist Update
Q&A
36:25 Do you have any info on text markup (inline) content?
38:02 I have a local client with 3 listings: Her name, her training school, and her clinic.
She's closing her massage clinic and just focusing on the training school. The one with her name just shouldn't exist.
All with the same address and phone number. Name & clinic go to the same website, training school goes to the only website she's keeping.
Should we merge all 3? Or "close" 2 and keep 1?
44:41 I think one of my websites is not indexing, slowly being removed from the index because of duplicate content. The city pages are too similar. Are there tools that can show me what I need to remove for duplicate content penalty?
Join us every week for the latest SEO news and Q&A session with Chaz, founder of Web 2.0 Ranker, with his group of panelists, where we try to answer all your SEO Questions.
- Does Redirecting Links That Lead To 404 Pages Gain Google SEO Value?
- Google: We Reduced Irrelevant Search Results By 50% & Made 5,000 Changes In 2021
- John Mueller: Links to 404 pages are not counted because a link needs to have a page that it’s linking from and a page that it’s leading to, to be counted as a link.
SEO Discussion
17:46 Product Review Update
20:46 Do people still optimize for Microsoft Bing?
25:22 SEO Mad Scientist Update
Join us every week for the latest SEO news and Q&A session with Chaz, founder of Web 2.0 Ranker, with his group of panelists, where we try to answer all your SEO Questions.
17:05 Do you guys care much about SERP results for home services companies these days?
23:11 How accurate is local Viking in Canada?
39:57 Has anyone tested or doing reverse driving directions still in your post?
Join us every week for the latest SEO news and Q&A session with Chaz, founder of Web 2.0 Ranker, with his group of panelists, where we try to answer all your SEO Questions.
34:00 SEO Claims Higher Rankings Without Content Hidden In Tabs Again
SEO Q&A
10:43 What are your thoughts on changing old GMB that was a storefront to an SAB? Will we lose the product category?
15:28 Does having keyword-rich questions and answers on your Google My Business listing help with ranking?
21:35 Do products help increase your relevancy?
26:44 Risks of verifying 2 listings at the same address, but utilizing a Suite A/B setup?
40:36 Does not responding to your client reviews in a timely manner actually have an impact?
42:46 Should my product/service descriptions across 4 GMBs be spun or if they are identical, it’s not a big deal?
46:28 How to force clients to sign up for directories that require owner-verification?
Join us every week for the latest SEO news and Q&A session with Chaz, founder of Web 2.0 Ranker, with his group of panelists, where we try to answer all your SEO Questions.
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