Tips Tuesday – AI in WordPress, INP Launches, Ranking Factors Workshop
Hello Happy Site Owner!
Tips this week include:
- The benefit of focusing on one site
- Why multiple streams of income are good
- WordPress 6.5 Release Candidates are rolling out
- The Decode conference is all about AI in WP this year
- INP launches in Core Web Vitals today
- The problem with INP
- Why INP is not a ranking factor
- Ranking Factors Workshop Part 2 is this week
- Update on Google’s huge March core update
- Review of AI in the Link Whisper plugin
BlogAid Happenings
I was out for part of last week due to my aunt passing and attending to my cousins.
Fortunately I was just closing up some client projects and elected to hold off on opening new ones.
I got all caught up on work over the weekend.
But, early spring is in full force here and I have a LOT of clearing to get done in the back meadow before the grass gets high.
I’m grateful to have a business that allows me to flex my hours and do what needs to get done when it needs to happen!!!
And it’s good to be out in the sunshine getting some exercise too.
Site Services Update
The wait list for site services is running about 1-2 weeks.
Consults are still on demand.
Client Stories
Focusing on One Site
This week I have 2 projects open for sunsetting sites for existing clients.
Both of them have multiple sites.
And both have elected to focus solely on their main site and let go of the others.
There are several important things to consider when sunsetting a site.
I have a checklist to help you think through those choices. And then we have a quick live session to talk through them and make our final plans.
Closing down a site is quick and inexpensive. And my clients have the peace of mind to know that everything was done correctly and they won’t encounter “gotchas” later.
Multiple Streams of Income are Good
Most successful entrepreneurs have at least 5 streams of income.
But that doesn’t mean they run 5 different businesses.
One of my clients who is sunsetting one of her sites is starting a podcast for her main site.
Instead of more businesses, she’s building a single brand.
And the podcast is going to be one more way to diversify how her audience finds her and consumes her content.
Plus, it will be yet another way to monetize her brand too.
And I believe it will lead to ad revenue as well as brand sponsorship too.
So, one business, but multiple streams of income from it.
WordPress Tips
WordPress 6.5 Release Candidates are Out
The RC1 of WP 6.5 became available last week.
I expect RC2 to roll out today.
I’m already collecting my notes for what will be new in this version and will have a report for you.
And I can tell you that we will not be the first to update it.
Site audit client Hub members will get my special update instructions when I believe it is safe for us to do so.
I used to send out those instructions to all BlogAid News subscribers. And the reason I’ve had to stop doing that is because the WP updates now require a matching PHP version and other updates. I know all of my site audit clients are up to speed with the backend of their sites and I no longer wish to offer support when folks have who knows what host and setup and something breaks.
Get Your Site Up to Par
Get an audit and ensure that your site is fully up to date on all WP, security, and speed best practices so that you don’t have to worry when there’s an update.
De{CODE} 2024 Conference
This year’s virtual developer’s conference, sponsored by WPEngine, is all about AI in WordPress.
It runs March 19-21 and registration is free.
I’m looking forward to getting a peek into the AI future of our sites and I suggest you very seriously consider attending too.
Most of the AI plugins I have reviewed are not things we want to use. (I have another one for you today.)
But I know AI will creep into everything we touch online eventually. I suspect we are only a year or two away from incorporating it into our sites.
Tips Tuesday Plus subscribers will get a report from me on the conference. Subscribe now.
Speed Tips
INP in Core Web Vitals Launches Today
Last year, Google started experimenting with some of the Core Web Vitals metrics.
And now they are ready to launch the revamp.
Google has replaced the FID (First Input Delay) metric with a new INP (Interaction to Next Paint) metric.
The FID metric could be simulated in lab testers, like WebPage Test and GTMetrix. And it was a super indicator of your site’s initial load speed.
That’s important.
Slow initial load speed is where you lose visitors before they can consume your content.
The new INP metric is about loading all through the page as visitor’s scroll.
So, sometimes the initial load was fine, but as someone consumed the content, the User Experience (UX) got worse.
Some sites don’t lazy load images properly, or they have ads interspersed through the content that load slowly.
The INP metric is meant to flag such bad UX.
The Problem with INP
As mentioned, INP cannot be simulated in lab testers, as they only render to the on-load point, which is all of the content within the viewport.
But the real issue with INP is that even the Google PageSpeed Insights (GPSI) tester can’t simulate it either.
However, if your site has enough data collected by Google, they can show you the 75% average of what real-world users are experiencing on your site.
Personally, I think that data is a croc of poo – and a real stinky one too.
GPSI is THE worst tester on the planet.
It uses a Motorola phone simulation, which is 2x slower than an iPhone – you know, the phone that 80% of your target visitors are using.
And it tests on Fast 3G, which is 4x slower than home wifi or LTE that your target visitors are using.
But, you have to keep in mind that Google’s data is global, not just from your target audience.
And they use the lowest common global denominator for device and speed.
Plus, if you make significant speed changes on your site, the data they show in the 28 day average bumps up immediately.
Excuse me!!! That’s not how a 28 day average works, mathematically.
And this is why I consider everything about the GPSI tester a croc of poo.
In Google’s own INP article, they suggest you insert code that will deliver your INP metrics to GA4 – and they warn how it may not work. What they hey, Google?
They also reiterate how GPSI is not necessarily a good measure of INP. Really?
And they say that the report in Google Search Console may not be a reliable indicator either. Geez us, Google!!!
So, if Google’s own tools can’t show INP correctly, how the heck can they rely on the data they are collecting – which should be the same data they are showing us?
In one of their articles, they suggest you hire a RUM agency (Real User Monitoring). That ain’t gonna happen for any non-enterprise site owner that I know.
INP is NOT a Ranking Factor
Also notice how often they reiterate to not get this INP rollout mixed into what you’re seeing from the huge March Core Algorithm update too. (More on that in the SEO Tips section.)
If you’re losing ranking or traffic, it’s not because of INP.
In my DIY SEO course workshops we discuss speed and Core Web Vitals.
They are not a ranking factor. They are a filter.
And initial load time is what matters most.
And you can still see that just fine in all the tests I run during site audits.
SEO Tips
Ranking Factors Workshop Part 2
In last week’s Ranking Factors Workshop Part 1 in the DIY SEO course, we covered what Google and pro SEOs consider the top ranking factors for 2024.
In Part 2 this week, we’ll be covering all of the places that Google looks for SEO on your site and the elements you have control over to ensure that Google knows you create helpful content.
Now is a good time to join the course. All workshops have replays and you’ll be able to get caught up quickly.
Update on Google’s Huge March Core Update
Google’s big core algorithm update started rolling out last week.
This thing is HUGE!
It will affect multiple ranking systems and take all month to complete.
The volatility is already super high and some sites are getting de-ranked or served manual actions already.
The main focus of this update seems to be targeting content spam sites where they are publishing hundreds of AI generated posts a day.
This is akin to the Panda and Penguin updates where Google targeted sites with iffy content that was specifically for ranking, not for being helpful, or for spinner sites that were made specifically for providing backlinks to a main site that the owner was trying to rank.
I’ll keep monitoring the rollout.
I encourage all DIY SEO course members to report in our Facebook group if you are seeing volatility.
And, I encourage everyone to stay calm and not tweak on your content if you’re getting any kind of hit. This thing has a long way to go to finish its changes.
Link Whisper AI Review
See how this plugin automates internal, contextual link suggestions that are powered by AI.
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