January 2023 Newsletter
In This Issue:
2022 – A Year in Review at Top Of The List
2022 was an exciting year at Top Of The List, from new clients to new services. See what we accomplished for our business and our clients as we look forward to 2023!
Google Finishes Helpful Content and Link Spam Updates
Google has completed its roll-out of the latest algorithm update, focusing on two things: providing helpful content in search results, and reducing link spam. The helpful content update “tackle[s] content that seems to have been primarily created for ranking well in search engines,” making sure that “unoriginal, low-quality content doesn’t rank highly in Search.”
This update began on December 5 and was completed on January 12. The link spam update is the first to label Google’s AI system for identifying spam links as “SpamBrain.” This update was part of Google’s continuous efforts to stop giving credit to links that are unnatural. It began on December 14 and was also completed on January 12.
Websites may or may not show changes in search engine results, depending on whether they – or competitors – used unnatural link strategies or low-quality content that improved their ranking.
For more information read Search Engine Roundtables’ article.
Tip of the Month
Take advantage of Questions and Answers on Google Business Profile (GBP). GBP is packed with features to provide information about your business. One often overlooked option is the Questions and Answers section, which allows customers to ask questions about a business and the owner to provide answers.
By default, the Q&A section appears as a collapsed area with little information: See all questions, with the number of questions, and an “Ask a question” button. Because it’s so small this area is easily missed, but there is a way to draw attention to it.
In the question details, users are able to like a question, which bumps it to the top of the list. Questions that have 3 or more likes show up on a business’ profile in the Question and Answer section.
For example, the following question for a local venue has six likes. Because there are over 3 likes, the question appears on the venue’s profile in the search results.
If you find there are questions that customers commonly ask about your business, it may be worth recruiting a few friends to submit and like them on your GBP. People searching for information will be able to find it more easily and may be more likely to click on your website.
Questions also help Google understand what services a business provides and may give them a bump in placement. If you have any questions about marketing using your business’ Google Business Profile, contact Top Of The List!
Just For Laughs
A policeman was testing three dumb brothers who were training to become detectives. To test their skills in recognizing a suspect, he shows the first guy a picture for 5 seconds and then hides it.
“This is your suspect. How would you recognize him?”
The first guy answers, “That’s easy. We’ll catch him fast because he only has one eye!”
The policeman says, “Well… uh… that’s because the picture I showed is his side profile.”
Slightly flustered by this ridiculous response, he flashes the picture for 5 seconds at the second guy and asks him, “This is your suspect. How would you recognize him?”
The second guy smiles and says, “Ha! He’d be too easy to catch because he only has one ear!”
The policeman angrily responds, “What’s the matter with you two? Of course only one eye and one ear are showing because it’s a picture of his side profile! Is that the best answer you can come up with?”
Extremely frustrated at this point, he shows the picture to the third guy and in a very testy voice asks, “This is your suspect. How would you recognize him?” He quickly adds, “Think hard before giving me a stupid answer.”
The guy looks at the picture intently for a moment and says, “The suspect wears contact lenses.”
The policeman is surprised and speechless because he really doesn’t know if the suspect wears contacts or not. “Well, that’s an interesting answer. Wait here for a few minutes while I check his file and I’ll get back to you on that.”
He leaves the room and goes to his office, checks the suspect’s file on his computer, and comes back with a beaming smile on his face. “Wow! I can’t believe it. It’s TRUE! The suspect does in fact wear contact lenses. Good work! How were you able to make such an astute observation?”
“That’s easy,” the guy replied. “He can’t wear regular glasses because he only has one eye and one ear.”
Our best for your success!
