Tips Tuesday – Faster Sites Rank Better, Pivot How You Make Money, Hooked on TikTok

Hello Happy Site Owners and Webmasters!

Tips this week include:

• Why I’m officially hooked on TikTok now
• Facebook was down on Monday, and how I found out about it
• Help with finding great video courses to vet
• The ModSecurity issues and alternatives we are looking into
• Updates coming to the Webmaster Training tutorials
• Host control panel differences and how I’ll be dealing with them for new tutorials
• What’s up with the host server setup issues all over the place
• More expansion of the Bad SEO bot block tests and implementation
• What we’re discussing and supporting in our BB Hub Facebook group
• Proof that faster sites do indeed rank better
• Why I’ve lost faith in Google Search Console
• A peek into our future and why it’s time to pivot how you make money

Listen to the Podcast

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Spill the Beans Livestream tonight

Do join us live tonight at 8pm ET / 5pm PT on the BlogAid Facebook Page. We spill the beans on this week’s news, breaking stories for the day too, and special info just for those who watch. And the replay is available here on this Tips Tuesday post later too. But the live party is so much more fun. All this if FB is live.

Replay

Who I Help

All BlogAid posts and tutorials are intended to assist business-minded, hands-on bloggers and webmaster designers who are serious about making money and who want to stay up-to-date with site changes. And our BB Hub is a private member site and Facebook group for my site audit clients that has lots of extra perks and support.

BlogAid Happenings

It’s been a super busy week here of site service work, testing, tutorials, and TikTok watching.

I’m officially hooked on TikTok now

All through September I had been watching whatever it showed me so I could learn about the culture. And eventually I found things I really vibed with and started following some accounts. 

But for the last 2 weeks I have been searching on specific topics both for BlogAid and Heartwood Art to see what’s happening with those topics.

What I’ve come to understand is that there is a very unique culture of sharing and engagement on TikTok and I can see now why it is taking over the world.

I can also see how folks are growing their audiences and how they are very quickly able to monetize their channel.

I can also see why shorts on other platforms are struggling to gain the same kind of traction due to the cultural differences and why I will be making different kinds of videos for each platform.

Most of the messaging can be repurposed, but the style and flavor of the video has to match the platform and the audience.

Facebook down

And if you think TikTok is only good for funny stuff, think again.

Here’s a post on TikTok about Facebook being down on Monday that was released in the moment.

I’ve seen several posts in the last several weeks that address events happening that day.

So, TikTok can have as much breaking news effect as Twitter too, that’s how powerful it has become.

Vetting video courses

Over the coming months I’ll be looking into courses for maximizing each video platform where I have a presence. 

I’m specifically looking into TikTok and Instagram right now. And I heard that Reels is coming to Facebook too, but I have other video plans for it right now and hopefully what I learn about Instagram will translate over to it.

If you know of any course and/or folks I should be following, please leave a comment and let me know.

My goal is to get going myself on these platforms and to get more ideas that I can share with you on how you can make the most of video and get more eyeballs too.

ModSecurity issues and alternatives

I know that some of you have been having massive issues with working on your site due to ModSecurity and I want to take a moment to let you know what I’ve been looking into as a way to resolve that for you.

ModSecurity is a firewall at the host server level that helps protect us from hackers and malware.

It’s OWASP rules are controlled by a company called Imunify360.

Keep in mind that WP has been changing over a big chunk of the core code from PHP to JavaScript (JS). And JS is executable. That makes it the prime candidate for inserting hacks and malware, which in turn makes it the main thing ModSecurity protects against.

But, for the past couple of years those OWASP rules have been regularly tightened to the point that many bloggers can’t even work on their sites without first temporarily turning off ModSecurity at the host.

That’s a huge problem for about 20% of bloggers, especially those using Gutenberg, as it is all JS. So are many of the optin and ad links folks insert into their posts.

I’ve been working closely with my webmasters as well as Dustin Hyle at Iridium Hosting to find out what is being triggered with ModSecurity and how we can best deal with this issue, including ModSecurity alternatives.

When clients contact some hosts about problems like Update Failed or 500 internal server errors, the host simply turns ModSecurity off. Or they check the server logs and whitelist any rules that are getting triggered.

That’s a very serious security issue for your site!!!!!!

It’s also a security issue for the hosting too and puts the whole thing and everyone on it at risk.

This is just one more reason why we are leaving the ghetto of shared hosting at these big box hosts and moving to Iridium Hosting as our new boutique host.

This type of research for alternatives is hard and labor intensive. And it includes keeping tabs on the multiple TRAC tickets opened with WP over this too.

I’m mentioning it today because I want you to know that I’m aware of how disruptive it has become for some of you and that we are doing all we can to figure out a better way.

READ: What is ModSecurity and Should You Turn it Off?

READ: Fix ModSecurity Errors

Webmaster Training tutorial updates

For the next few weeks I’ll be doing tutorial updates for the Webmaster Training membership.

Cloudflare has released several new betas. Some of you noticed that they were having issues last week when those rolled out. I’ll be doing a new full run through of all settings, plus updating other standing info tutorials on what those settings do. And I will be releasing the new bad SEO block info there as well.

Next up is an overhaul of the HTTPS section as how we do it now has completely changed. We simply don’t have breaks all over the place with it anymore, so we can now do it in a way that is far faster and easier.

Then I’ll be revamping the backup section for changes to both UpdraftPlus as well as Amazon S3 storage.

Once those are finished I’ll be getting a VPS account at Iridium Hosting so that I can start making Interworx control panel tutorials, as more of my clients and webmasters and their clients are moving to VPS there and choosing Interworx over cPanel.

FYI, Interworx is not set up properly at NameHero and other hosts, so I would not suggest coming off cPanel there just to save the $10-$15/mo that you are paying extra. You can make the change to Interworx when you move to Iridium Hosting because it is set up right there.

Control Panel differences

Every host has their own flavor of control panel. 

Even hosts with cPanel don’t all have the same tools available, or they have different settings.

And then hosts like Bluehost have cPanel but they styled all of the icons to look different.

And then SiteGround has its own custom control panel.

And then Interworx is a whole other animal altogether.

I have been sticking with making only full tool cPanel tutorials as I just can’t cover every flavor of control panel and keep a tutorial on point.

So, I think one of the first things I need to make is an equivalency tutorial for cPanel and Interworx so that you can at least watch any cPanel tutorial and find that same function on Interworx, or at least know that it does not exist at all on Interworx as something a user can modify, and is only at the host level.

For all of the other cPanel variations, or custom control panels, I think I will keep to my existing policy of not trying to cover all of that. It’s just too much. And my clients are on the two flavors that I will be covering. 

Server setup issues galore

I’m going to be super honest with you here. 

NameHero is turning into the A2 Hosting nightmare all over again.

They got big and then they got stupid.

And I don’t believe they know how to set up a server right anymore.

It’s not just NameHero either, I just get to see that more often.

At this point, I don’t think any other big box host knows how to set up a server right either.

I have yet to see a new account setup so that I don’t have to go in and change things like the PHP extensions and options. The settings are so poorly configured that they are going to run every site into overages. Worse, they are going to kill server performance.

Plus, some hosts have rolled out a CloudLinux way of setting PHP, yet they did not remove the cPanel PHP handler directives in the .htaccess file and have this mixed up mess of settings.

This is just one more reason why we are leaving all big box hosts for a boutique host where the server setup is correct and consistent.

And this is why you will never be able to do your own PHP settings anymore and why I will be removing my public tutorial on how to do it yourself. It can only be done now by a webmaster. For my clients, that will be during their site audit.

And this is another reason why you need to get an annual checkup. Speed and security stuff change all the time, including base settings at the host. 

More Site Audit Checks

One of my BB Hub members who returned for her annual audit checkup commented on how much more complex and deeper the audit checks are now, especially at the hosting level.

Security and performance go hand-in-hand. And both have become a LOT more complex. Plus, as mentioned, hosts are all over the place now in their setups.

So yes, I’ve had to go a lot deeper in the audit checks to ensure everything is set up correctly so that you get max speed and security.

Site Services update

August and September were a bit of a jumble with rearranging my wait list to accommodate folks on vacation and such. And it looks like that’s going to continue through October and then of course into the holidays.

Plus, the schedule got backed up with a whole bunch of new client sites in August and September that were real messes and they took a lot more time to square away.

And then all of my unexpected dental appointments threw me off schedule a bit too.

So, I’ve temporarily quadrupled my client load so that I can pull more BB Hub members coming up on the wait list into the mix for their annual checkup, as those projects are super fast and easy for both of us as y’all are doing a fantastic job of keeping your sites nice and clean and updated. Plus, you’re super on the ball with the project and I really appreciate you getting that “time is of the essence” with all open projects too. We are literally going through the whole project in just days.

That also helps me fill the voids in the schedule caused by needing to defer projects for a couple of weeks for the folks on vacation, but who I want to keep in order on the list as much as possible.

So, if you are a BB Hub member, you may get jumped up in the list sooner than expected.

For everyone on the waitlist, I’m nearly back to being on time for when I guesstimated your project would come up when you first requested it now too.

And this is also why I told you that the timeframe was a best guess and that it could be weeks either side.

For new requests, we are now booking into February, best guess.

BB Hub Happenings

Bad SEO bot block testing and implementation expanded

For the last several months y’all have heard me talking about the extra 15k-30k hits we are getting on our sites from SEO agency bots as well as illegitimate bingbots.

Last month I expanded the tests to 2 of my BB Hub site audit clients who run ads with Mediavine to ensure there would be no issues with that. And all is well.

We saw a 50% drop in bots on one site and a 70% drop on the other. So, I’m calling that a major win.

This month I’m testing with a BB Hub site audit client who has Rewards Style and Amazon links all over the site. And if that works out, then I’ll be calling it good for all of my clients.

BB Hub Facebook group highlights

One of the most powerful perks of being a BB Hub member is access to our private Facebook group where you can ask questions and get extra support.

Here are just a few of the things we’ve been discussing lately:

• A plugin to replace one image with another and why it may or may not be a good idea
• A Yoast SEO plugin error saying the site could not be indexed and what fixed it
• A borked looking edit page and the browser issue that caused it
• The correct way to change a post into a page for more SEO authority
• Suggestions for a good GDPR/Cookie Notification plugin
• Setting proper backup intervals
• Best editor to use for creating post drafts on a Mac
• A weekly recap livestream from me with a deeper scoop on some of the things reported in Tips Tuesday

The discussions in this group blow other blogging FB groups out of the water.

You get comments from other hands-on, DIY site owners who have been through the same site audit education and they know what they’re talking about. Plus, you get input from me too.

And, the real power of the village is reporting issues before you take any actions because if you are seeing it, then 10 others are too, and collectively we can figure out what’s up, or at least let each other know not to worry about something that’s happening. A good example of that was the day Cloudflare rolled out new beta stuff and was acting up a bit.

Everyone in the group got to see that post and knew not to panic. Nor did they waste a lot of time trying to fix something that wasn’t fixable and wasn’t hurting anything.

That’s peace of mind worth having, in my book.

That’s all the happenings around here. Let’s jump into this week’s tips.

SEO Tips

Proof that faster sites rank better

In Yoast’s monthly SEO news report for September, they cited a study from Citrix that proves sites that are faster do indeed rank better.

Here’s the main take away that you need to know about judging the performance of your own site.

The Google PageSpeed Insights tester is shit.

• It uses a Moto phone, which is 4x slower than an iPhone.
• It uses a fast 3G connection, which is 2x slower than home wifi.
• It has Google’s opinion on some metrics, which have absolutely nothing to do with speed.
• It has no way to vary the testing location so you don’t know if the internet hubs in that area are giving a false reading.
• If you test the same link over and over the tester caches it and the results are false.
• The number at the top is NOT A SPEED SCORE.
• Google makes ZERO use of the info in this tester.

This is precisely why I have the paid version of GTMetrix so that I can run your mobile test under the same real-world conditions as your visitors are using to see your site.

And the visitors who are using the Chrome browser are reporting those same metrics back to Google.

And THAT data is what Google uses to determine the User Experience (UX) on your site, not what you’re seeing in GPSI.

So, if you want to see how well or poor your site is doing, then for Pete’s sake, run a test on something like WebPage Test set up for mobile with an iPhone, Chrome, and a cable connection that will give you the info that Google is actually collecting on you and judging your site by.

I generally use WebPage Test set to desktop so I can see all of the requests better. And then I do the real-world mobile test on GTMetrix as I have the paid version and can do that there, and it gives me slightly better mobile info. But, barring getting a paid GTM account, WPT set to mobile is a far better thing to use than GPSI.

If you’re ready for a faster site, sign up for a site audit now.

Google Search Console is Unreliable

Speaking of Google testers, their Search Console is turning into shit too.

The reporting has been so bad and so unreliable for over a year that it’s hardly worth checking anymore.

That’s especially true of the Coverage Report that shows you technical SEO issues such as crawling errors.

And the Page Experience reports have never been accurate. In fact, if you watch them daily for months at a time as I have, you’ll see that they swing wildly even though nothing has changed on your site.

Even the Performance Report has swung wildly too because Google has been intermittently dropping high ranking pages out of search – entirely out of search. And then they suddenly reappear only to mysteriously disappear again.

If you follow Search Engine Roundtable and some of the other SEO gossip blogs, as I call them, you can see the almost daily reports on Google glitches.

At this point, I’m turning to Bing Webmaster Tools to get a far more stable report for any crawl and performance issues on my site. If you’re not on this service yet, I teach you all about it in the DIY SEO course.

How about you?

Have you found GSC to be totally unreliable now?

Time to Pivot

CoVid was not the only major impact to making money online in 2020. The news from Google that they would be dropping 3rd party cookie tracking in Chrome caused me to sit straight up and take notice too.

In fact, it caused me to immediately start pivoting BlogAid’s focus because of the way most of my clients make money with their sites, which is blogging for ad revenue.

Between that and the death of Pinterest as a traffic source, I knew that I had to start finding other ways for you to get traffic and edge your competition.

I told my BB Hub folks about this in 2020, but I didn’t lay into it too hard then as everyone was already so stressed out.

But, in January of 2021 we had a live session where I laid it all out – and told the harsh truth about what’s coming.

At the time, I said they only have about a year and a half to make a big change.

This year you have repeatedly heard me say that you only have a year or so to pivot how you make money on your site. And now we are about to go into 2022. 

Y’all know that I do everything I can to keep you ahead of the curve. And now I’m putting some much stronger language to it.

You are running out of time.

If you blog for ad money, that is already dying.

Even Yoast mentioned it in his September SEO report.

The signs are clear.

Ad revenue needs to be a side gig, not your main money maker.

Alternative ways to make direct income

Ads will always be with us.

But running ads on blogs is not where the big money is going.

Here’s the reality you need to wake up to.

The whole idea of sending folks to your site as the only way to make money is dying too.

Video is taking over 

All social platforms are moving toward video ads and sponsored ads and paying creators on their platforms directly. 

Have a look at the staggering power of video as shown on this infographic from Social Media Today. 

The desire from viewers is clear. They want to see more short videos.

The Return on Investment (ROI) for the video producer is clear.

Products are also the way to go.

Here’s the new mindshift you need to adopt.

Your personality and your content are a product.

Direct pay from platform

I was blown away by how many livestreams there are on TikTok with folks getting paid directly during the show.

In fact, there is a mother/daughter account that I follow and they did their first livestream on Thursday of last week and they were completely blown away by how many folks attended from all over the world and how many sent them gifts during the stream too.

Look at these stats to see just how many eyeballs there are to get.

• TikTok just hit 1 billion active users.
• The most followed guy on TikTok never says a word.

And viewers are sending these folks money directly in the platform.

Forget the paywalls

Do you know about Patreon? It’s member’s only content that you pay extra to get from the person you follow. It’s sort of a poor man’s member site, but with all livestreams.

Forget that. 

TikTok lives are open to the public and you still get paid.

It’s part of the new mindset that is taking over.

Have you heard of NFTs? They are part of the crypto currency movement.

Folks are paying big bucks to get NFT avatars for their social media accounts.

But some of them are all about owning something that everyone else can get a copy of too.

Think of it as owning the Mona Lisa and then selling prints, or even giving them away.

And that is part of the whole next gen movement.

Go back and scan my previous Tips Tuesdays where we take a peek into our online future and you’ll see what I’m talking about with these things.

And see this recent post from Social Media Today with the basics of NFTs and the insane money being spent on them.

Everything online and with products is moving into a shared, free for everyone experience.

And you still get paid!!

But you will need to engage directly with your audience now, even if that is through recorded videos.

And they want to engage directly back with you, like the Duet feature on TikTok.

It’s that shared experience that is driving TikTok through the roof, and why no other platform can compete with them. 

But other platforms are trying, and they are paying money to creators to help them do it.

YouTube is expanding its $100 million Shorts fund. And they are promoting them like crazy.

This is also why you need to take my Video SEO Booster course and see how to protect your existing videos from being used by others in Shorts, and how to make your own so that you are the creator getting paid, not them.

Facebook is bringing over Reels from Instagram – and you better believe that they will be promoting them heavily too.

Past the tipping point

Yes, CoVid coop up has helped propel all of this, as well as many other ways of doing things that were already gaining a little traction, but have now exploded, like home food delivery and Zoom meetings and such.

And the way folks engage with online content creators has changed because of it too.

Everybody wants a more personal engagement than a blog post can ever hope to deliver.

Why do you think I’m doing more livestreams and live chats with my course members now?

This is why.

And I intend to do a lot more of them in 2022, as well as bringing back the public livestreams.

It’s why I’m spending time learning new video apps for my phone and researching TikTok culture.

This is why we’ve done so many e-comm masterminds in the BB Hub, with more of those to come.

It’s also why I’ll be partnering with other course creators to help you get the skills you need to attract an audience where they live. And help you find the best ways to repurpose the content you already have into all of the new ways to monetize it.

It is time to get off the blogging hamster wheel and put your energy into pivoting for next.

I’m taking this same journey with both BlogAid and Heartwood Art. It’s how they are going to survive too.

And I hope you will hear me – that you are running of time to make this pivot.

And I hope you will join me – let’s take this journey together, because we are going to have a whole lot of fun doing it!!!!

Wrap Up

That’s a wrap for this week’s Tips Tuesday.

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Be sure to visit BlogAid.net for more tips and resources and I’ll see you online.