Why traditional keyword research is failing and how to fix it with search intent
After 25 years of working in SEO, I’ve seen firsthand how traditional keyword research methods fail to keep up with Google’s advancements. In my SMX Next presentation, I challenged SEOs to go beyond outdated keyword methodologies and embrace an intent-driven approach. Here are six key insights from that session. 1. Traditional keyword research is failing us Traditional keyword research is no longer enough. We’ve relied on tools that provide data on competition, search volume, and relevance, but they don’t uncover the hidden context behind searches. For years, SEOs have prioritized high-volume, low-competition keywords, assuming this would drive results. While this may have worked for the simpler, lexical-based Google algorithm of the early 2000s, this approach falls short because it ig...
Google bug cause reviews to drop out of local listings
If you noticed that your local business listing on Google is showing fewer reviews, you are not alone. Since Friday, tons of reviews have been disappearing from the local listings within Google Search and Google Maps. More details. On Friday, I reported on the issue on the Search Engine Roundtable, not knowing if it was a bug or a feature. I noticed dozens and dozens of complaint threads popping up in the Google Business Profiles forums from concerned small businesses and local SEOs. Some businesses say they lost only a few reviews, while others say they lost dozens of positive reviews. Some say the count of reviews is not adding up and the reviews themselves are not missing. Likely a bug. Joy Hawkins, a local SEO and Google top contributor, later said this is a bug that Google is working ...
Is Google biased? An SEO veteran’s perspective
One question that we’ve been hearing over and over again since the 2016 election is: Is Google biased? There are no shortages of opinions. Sundar Pichai went before Congress in 2018 and swore under oath, “I’m confident we don’t approach our work with any political bias.” He also sent an internal memo to staff warning them against letting their personal politics affect their work. Elon Musk, on the other hand, posted to X, “Google is controlled by far left activists.” A conservative organization, the Media Research Center, routinely posts articles that show supposed “proof” of Google’s political bias, while left-leaning Vox posted an article mocking conservatives for not understanding how SEO works. If you’re like me, you’re just reading all the back-and-forth and getting tired of it. T...
