How SEO has changed this year and what you should do about it
It’s been a busy year in SEO land.
And Google has been experimenting as always.
And if you’re a normal human, and not glued to Twitter every living minute of the day, you might find it hard to keep up with it all.
So I’ve asked one of our most popular guests to come back on the show and give us the low down on what’s what in SEO in 2022.
The big moves.
The little tweaks.
The things you can ignore and the things you better jump right on.
This is a short, snappy wrap-up of everything you need to know about Search Engine Optimisation before you head into your festive flop period and face a brave new year.
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Scaling up from being an SEO freelance consultant
Okay so perhaps you’re an SEO freelancer.
Working job to job, helping clients on a small scale.
But you have big dreams.
You’d love to run your very own SEO agency.
But the thought of setting it up and managing all the ins and outs leaves you cold.
The risk is huge and let’s be honest, SEO agencies often don’t have the best reputation out there!
So how do you overcome all this and make your agency honest, legitimate and profitable?
Today we’re going to answer all this and more.
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How to Yoastify your shop
If you’re even vaguely into SEO and haven’t heard of Yoast, then I’m guessing you have been living under a rock.
But for those that don’t know, Yoast SEO is a WordPress plugin that helps your site perform better in search engines like Google.
It also gives you the tools to bring your content to the highest standards of SEO and overall readability.
It’s my favourite SEO tool which I use on all my sites and recommend in my course The Recipe for SEO success.
And yes I’ve tried all the other tools, but I find that Yoast works best with other plugins and its SEO copywriting features are just awesome.
But one big fat bummer was always that I couldn’t recommend Yoast to my Shopify students, who now make up nearly 50% of my course takers.
They had to struggle on, using dodgy apps or hand coding.
But all that has changed.
Yoast has just launched a Shopify version of their famous WordPress plugin and today I’m delighted to be chatting to Marieke van de Rakt all about its features, upcoming developments and how to get the best out of the app.
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Have you heard about content clusters?
They’re all about strategic internal linking.
Creating little groups of content around a key topic.
You create a pillar page and link to and from it, offering multiple internal links to keep readers entertained, educated and on your site.
Benefits include more organised content, less overlap and more authority on a given topic and increased content production speed.
Sounds good right?
But where do you start?
And if your existing content is currently the blog equivalent of a hoarders boudoir, how do you organise your content into clusters?
Today we’ll answer these questions and many more.
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Did you know that half of all website traffic worldwide comes from mobile?
I hope when you hear that you’ll understand how important it is to listen to this week’s episode.
Google has been pushing mobile-first indexing for the past few years. It rolled out the first mobile-first index in 2018 but more recently announced mobile-first indexing for the whole web.
So what does this mean for your little website?
Well if your site isn’t fully optimised for mobile searches, it’s about time you got with the program.
In today’s episode, we’re going to share what mobile SEO is, best practices and top tips on how to ensure your site looks tickety boo on any device.
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Recently Google announced its Helpful Content update. And as per usual, the interwebs got their knickers in a twist.
SEO agencies sending emails to copywriters telling them to stop using keywords.
Business brands frantically worrying that they were going to get a penalty after stuffing their sites with useless space-filling guff in their blogs.
But I tend not to freak out about these things.
I like to wait and see.
And today we’ll be chatting through what Google really wants to see when it talks about Helpful Content.
The dos.
The do nots.
And the do not panics.
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Finding the right keywords to rise above the competition
By now you’ve gobbled up a lot of SEO advice.
But is it really all doable?
In my reality SEO episodes, I talk to real humans and get the truth about how they use SEO and digital marketing to improve their businesses.
Today I’ll be talking to a former student of the Recipe For SEO Success Course, and eCommerce extraordinaire, Estelle Oliveri.
We’ll chat about how Estelle got her start in SEO, the digital marketing highs and lows, and the challenges she’s faced along the way.
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Enriching web dev and copy services with SEO
Hearing great SEO advice is one thing but is it actually doable?
In my reality SEO episodes, I talk to real humans and get the truth about how they use SEO and digital marketing to improve their businesses.
Like Rachel Amies, a former student of the Recipe For SEO Success Course, a member of the Digital Masterchefs, and a cat-pun enthusiast.
We’ll talk about how Rachel took her web design and digital marketing to the next level with SEO, and the challenges she’s faced along the way.
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Influencer marketing.
Even the mention of it gives me the heebeejeebees.
Visions of hot 20-somethings lying in a cossie on a rock in Ibiza spring to mind. Your product lying next to them on said rock.
And oh the horror stories.
Small business owners giving away oodles of product, and splashing the cash only to be ghosted.
So how do you choose a trustworthy influencer? And how do you see genuine return on your investment?
Today we’ll talk about the positives and the pitfalls of this relatively new form of advertising, and whether it really has legs for your business.
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Bonjour mon petite SEO beasts.
Today we’re talking about longevity in SEO.
These days everyone is looking for a quick fix, fast engagement, the dopamine hit of an easy like.
But the truth is that solid SEO strategy takes time.
As I like to say, SEO is for life, not just for Christmas.
It can take a long time to get the needle moving, undo previous bad work and build up authority.
But once you get your SEO firing, the results last a very long time.
I have posts I wrote back in 2009 that still deliver consistent traffic to my site.
And my SEO has weathered the storm for 13 years, through a gazillion algorithm updates, with very little movement.
Our friend Rand Fishkin refers to SEO as a heavy flywheel; difficult to get started, but once it’s going, not so much effort is required.
So today I’m chatting with Alizée about how we ensure our SEO strategy is built for the long term and how to resist reacting to every little change.
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Head to episode notes: https://therecipeforseosuccess.com/seo-that-lasts-solid-strategies-that-stand-the-test-of-time-with-alizee-baudez-newbie/
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Hearing great SEO advice is one thing but is it actually doable?
I started the reality SEO episodes to illustrate how the teachings here and in my course, really impact small businesses.
You can hear the truth direct from real SEO beast’s mouths.
Like Norelle Hentschel, a former student of the Recipe For SEO Success Course, a member of the Digital Masterchefs, and an avid herbalist.
We’ll talk about how Norelle was able to give her online naturopathy a healthy dose of SEO, and the challenges she’s faced along the way.
Head to episode notes: https://therecipeforseosuccess.com/reality-seo-norelle-hentschel-turning-search-queries-into-traffic-driving-content/
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Are you content with your content?
I’d say that most of us aren’t.
And yet we know that great content is the key to building a brand, creating trust, and becoming well known for what we do.
But there are so many options.
Should we be creating blog posts, guesting on podcasts, creative videos, dancing on reels, or going live?
How can we be everywhere?
And yes I know we’d all love to go viral, but if you tuned into my episode with Mr. Rand Fishkin, you’ll know that going viral is about as useful as something very unuseful - if it isn’t relevant to what you offer.
So how do we direct online attention to our business in a meaningful way with good, relevant content?
Well, today I’m talking to Shannon Morrison to get all the answers on how to build authority online with smashing content marketing tactics.
Tune in to learn:
Head to episode notes: https://therecipeforseosuccess.com/develop-better-content-by-going-beyond-the-avatar-with-shan-morrison-newbie/
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Check out my new podcast, Clever Copy Chats for some in-depth SEO Copywriting knowledge.
Whenever I’m in a copywriting group I see the same comments.
“SEO ruins conversational copy.”
“SEO ruins conversion copy.”
“You don’t need to use keywords any more. Google will work it out.”
“SEO copy is boring copy.”
(Heavy sigh)
These kinds of comments show a fundamental misunderstanding of what SEO copywriting is and how it works.
And these copywriters who think that Google will magically work out where to rank you no matter what you write on the page, well they’re either naïve or just plain lazy.
If anything great SEO copywriting is even more important now than it’s ever been.
I’m going to get back to basics and give you an overview of the important elements in SEO Copywriting, and a few tips on how to please humans and Google too.
From feedback, I find the Reality Episodes are a crowd favourite.
Yes, it’s great hearing from super-duper SEO and marketing experts, but what about the real humans chipping away at marketing goals, trying to woo Google, slippery up their funnel, and smash their socials?
Is all this advice actually doable?
Well, today I’m chatting with Anthea Digby-Smith, a former student of the Recipe For SEO Success Course, a member of the Digital Masterchefs, and a hairdresser extraordinaire.
We’ll talk about how Anthea was able to give her online haircare business a total SEO makeover, and the challenges she’s faced along the way.
Head to episode notes: https://therecipeforseosuccess.com/reality-seo-anthea-digby-smith-taking-the-time-to-revitalise-my-local-seo/
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You’ve built a beautiful site.
Your mum loves it.
You’ve even paid your developer for a super SEO package.
So everything should be right, right?
But for some reason when you Google yourself nothing’s coming up,
Or maybe just a measly page or two.
And you have no idea why.
Or perhaps you’re pumping out content on your blog and for some reason, it’s still not getting indexed as fast as you would like.
This week we’re talking all about crawling and indexing.
How to check, how to fix and the best tips for making sure your content is as findable as a findable thing.
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Head to episode notes: https://therecipeforseosuccess.com/why-isnt-my-site-indexed-site-crawlability-troubleshooting-with-gaston-riera-newbie/
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I've made a few hundred or so episodes myself, but honestly, most leave me wanting. They're all so dry, so earnest, so teachy.
All mega famous copywriters dispensing blobs of copy knowledge down from their lofty plinths.
Most of the folk interviewed aren't even copywriters anymore, they've moved on to being course creators and moguls.
So I wanted to create a podcast that gets back to the sticky, awkward, gloriousness of being a day today copywriter.
The woes, the ups, the bitty fist annoyance of a client that won't use track changes, the tips on how to write 5,000 words in 20 minutes because you forgot the deadline, and of course, the real bottom warming stories of great clients and amazing writing that keeps us doing the do each day.
So come with me on a journey through colons and interrobangs.
Through client Zooms and last-minute amends, we'll have some laughs and learn a thing or two along the way.
Grab a coffee and join me on Clever Copy Chat.
Okay so you’ve listened to all the episodes of the Recipe for SEO Success podcast, you’ve done my fabulous courses, and put in the hard SEO hours.
The Google beast finally understands who you are and the traffic is pouring in.
But how do you turn casual browsers into sales?
How do you move people from your page to a purchase?
Today we’re talking about how to turn SEO juice into sweet sales nectar.
How to turn cold chips into hot potatoes.
SEO got you this far, what next?
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Head to episode notes: https://therecipeforseosuccess.com/seo-got-you-the-lead-now-what-with-russell-pearson/
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Have you noticed that your buying choices are often not defined by price or even product features but by how you feel about a brand?
We want to buy from brands that we feel have values that are aligned with our own, but to do this, brands need to market intelligently and emotionally.
They need to appeal to our humanness.
So how do we do this?
It might seem relatively straightforward if you’re a one-human band, but what about larger businesses?
How do we show up as real humans in everything we do, how much is too much, and when is caring sharing, oversharing?
Today we’re going to chat about the best ways to show up online as glorious human beans and make genuine connections with your audience.
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Head to episode notes: https://therecipeforseosuccess.com/human-to-human-marketing-with-jenn-donovan-newbie/
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Keywords, we’ve covered them before and we’ll cover them again.
Why? Because no matter how long I swim in the murky waters of SEO, I still see so much misinformation about how keywords are found, researched and eventually used.
Especially on low-grade SEO copywriting courses (shh, naming no names).
These so-called experts are stuck in the keyword past, talking about density and shoehorning them into every paragraph and meta description.
But with Google’s improvements in understanding the context of our content, (the why behind the what), the deeper intelligence around natural language process (hello Bert), and the fundamental improvements in learning how language itself works, these old school ideas won’t help you get found.
So today we’re going to bust some myths, refresh some memories and get back to the basics of keyword research.
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Head to episode notes: https://therecipeforseosuccess.com/keyword-research-myth-busting-and-back-to-basics-with-joh-kohler-newbie/
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In my Reality SEO episodes, I like to focus on real humans grappling with the Google beast, and Digital Marketing.
I get all sorts passing through my slippery funnel of courses and resources: marketing professionals, copywriters, e-commerce owners, web developers, and real business humans.
Today we’re talking to Jude Love, a former student of The Recipe for SEO Success Show, a member of The Digital Masterchefs, and an absolute personal branding beast.
Head to episode notes: https://therecipeforseosuccess.com/reality-seo-jude-love-how-i-went-from-seo-curious-to-seo-confident/
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We all know that robots are taking over the world.
If you’re a fan of Black Mirror it’s pretty clear we’re headed for a Terminator future.
And while I’d like to feel bleak about that, I won’t.
This is a marketing podcast, after all, so let’s talk about when robots work for good.
When AI can save you time and money.
When using automation and bots can actually improve your customer service rather than ruining it.
For yes today we are talking Chatbots.
Now as a copywriter I’ve written a fair few bots for myself, I’ve also set one up to work on my Facebook page, but I haven’t fully embraced the opportunity.
And boy is that opportunity big.
Today we’re talking to Dan Pinne, chatbot guru and member of my Digital Masterchefs Community, about how to use chatbots to revolutionise your business in a non-Arnold Schwarzenegger way.
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Everyone wants to go viral.
(I’m doing air fingers, I know you can’t see them, but believe me.)
Whether it’s for dancing on TikTok to a new catchy tune or for the perfect Twitter snipe, or a beautifully crafted blog post.
We all dream of the traffic tsunami and the potential that has to lead to cold hard sales.
But is it just a happy accident, or an artful strategy?
Today I am giggly with girlish glee to have Rand Fishkin, the co-founder, and CEO of audience research startup SparkToro, on the show.
He’s going to explain how going viral is much more nuanced than you might think.
And that if you put in the work, you can draw in the masses to your brand with well-crafted content that not only gets attention but warms the wiggly bits of your customers too.
Tune in to learn:
Head to episode notes: https://therecipeforseosuccess.com/how-to-go-viral-with-rand-fishkin-newbie/
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Taking measured steps into digital advertising In my Reality SEO series, I interview real-life humans who’ve changed their digital marketing and SEO strategy for good and used simple techniques to transform their business and brand. These episodes include practical, doable advice and tips from people just like you.
Find out why mad-cat marketer, Mitchell Beattie, decided to pivot from the world of wine to help other businesses perfect their marketing strategy, what got him on the path of SEO, what his biggest learnings have been, and his top tips for small businesses.
Head to episode notes: https://therecipeforseosuccess.com/reality-seo-mitchell-beattie-dont-let-your-marketing-drive-you-mad/
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Build up your business by expanding your network I’ll admit when it comes to social media, my least favourite platform is LinkedIn. It’s like the boring guest at the party, hovering near the sausage rolls and talking about how great they are. And over the years I’ve had sporadic attempts to rekindle my LinkedIn love. But it still leaves me with a deep-rooted sense of meh. Today we’re going to change all that. We’re straying from the SEO path to talk all things LinkedIn.
Why it still matters, how to make the most of it for your business, and our special guest Jo Saunders is going to share her number one tip for making LinkedIn a powerful tool in your social media tool kit.
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Head to episode notes: https://therecipeforseosuccess.com/the-art-of-using-linkedin-to-future-proof-your-business-with-jo-saunders-newbie/
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Every year about this time, I dust off my crystal ball and start looking into Google’s nether regions, trying to discern what lies ahead on the murky path of SEO. This is a solo episode, just a little old me, and I’ll be running through my opinion of what’s next, what’s changed, and what remains the same. Will you agree?
Well, that remains to be seen, or heard.
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Head to episode notes: https://therecipeforseosuccess.com/7-seo-predictions-for-2022-with-kate-toon/
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