Tips Tuesday – Links SEO, Google Poor Rankings, 3rd Party Cookies Ending
Hello Happy Site Owner!
Tips this week include:
- Why to do a new theme consults before you start a redesign
- Why to do a new business idea consult to avoid expensive pitfalls
- Security update to WordPress
- Why to ensure your PHP level at the host is right
- Links SEO workshop this week
- The Verge called Google out on their poor rankings
- The end of 3rd-party cookies is near
- How everything online runs on ad dollars
- What will really happen with the 3rd-party cookies crumble that affects everyone
BlogAid Happenings
This past week I’ve been getting back into the groove of tutorial making.
Now that the first phase of beta testing of the new Looker Studio metrics is done, it’s time to start Phase 2.
I’ve chosen a course name and I’m making the tutorials for it and we’ll be beta testing those.
I’ll reveal more on it soon.
And, it’s time for me to make the new Squoosh tutorial as we’ll be changing over to AVIF images very soon too. More on that in the WordPress update section.
Running Spell Checks
Have you noticed a bunch of spelling errors and such in Tips Tuesday over the last few months? I have, but only after I publish it.
I’ve changed how I initially create the post and the thing I’m now using doesn’t auto check as I go, which I was in the habit of relying on.
But, the new thing has a tool for those checks and I’m trying to get in the habit of running it before I publish.
New Theme Consult Updates
Since last week, more clients have taken me up on the offer to get a consultation prior to doing a new theme redesign.
I’m so glad to hear it because what they are learning has truly opened their eyes about why different layouts are used to meet different goals.
And now they are seeing sites in a whole new way.
That consult also radically simplified their plans and now they are ready to enter the design process with a solid list of what they want in their new theme, minus all the stuff they thought they wanted but now see what a detriment those things will be.
What they have now is cohesive.
New Business Ideas and Setup Consult
This year I’m delighted to be doing a LOT more consultations for site owners who are ready to make a major pivot in their business and/or start offering their own products and services.
And let me tell you, all I hear in their new ideas is cha-ching!!!! They are going to make some serious money with what they have in mind.
In an hour or less, I help them think through the logistics and avoid major pitfalls.
I love seeing that lightbulb turn on and hear their excitement when they see the details of the whole plan from just that one session.
They have the confidence to know that they can do this the best way and miss all those rookie mistakes too.
And now they have a checklist to walk themselves through getting it done as well.
My job is to help you make money and I love doing these sessions to help you get there with your ideas.
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WordPress Tips
WP 6.4.4 and 6.5.2 Updates Rolled Out
Last week, there was a security and bug fix update for both 6.4.4 and 6.5.2.
There was an issue with the 6.5.1 package, so they skipped it.
And for all of us who have not updated to 6.5 yet, we got the security fixes in 6.4.4.
This should have been an auto update for you.
This week I’ll be doing my final testing on 6.5.2 and it’s likely that we’ll be updating to it soon.
I’ll be sending update instructions to my site audit Hub clients as well as my Webmaster Training members.
And I’ll be releasing that new Squoosh tutorial, which will also cover more instructions on image sizes and such too, because we’ll want to start doing our images the new way as soon as we do the WP 6.5 update.
Ensure Your PHP Level is Correct
One of the reasons that I’m only sending upgrade instructions to my site audit Hub clients as well as my Webmaster Training members is because I know they have everything about their sites up to date and don’t have a bunch of junk plugins and themes to worry about.
The last 3 versions of WordPress have required folks to be on at least PHP 8.1 or have potential issues.
With the release of WP 6.5, they are dropping support for any version below 7.4. And that’s insane to me as 7.4 is no longer supported as far as code and security updates.
Also keep in mind that PHP 8.2 and 8.3 are still considered beta as far as compatibility with WordPress. Yet I see some hosts only offer it and not 8.1, which is the version that is currently considered stable.
A few weeks ago, one of my webmasters sent a screenshot of a site owner on SiteGround’s auto maintenance program that said they were on the latest version, and it was 7.4.
So, don’t count on your “managed” host getting it right.
Plus, even if they do offer the other PHP versions, it’s not likely they have the Extensions and Options set correctly. In fact, I have not seen any host other than Iridium set those things as they should be to truly optimize the hosting for WordPress.
It matters where you host.
SEO Tips
Links SEO Workshop
Did you know there are a TON of SEO opportunities with how you do links on your site?
And it goes beyond just the links in your content.
Your navigation matters like crazy too.
Whether you open links in a new tab or not plays into it as well.
In the DIY SEO course this week, we have a workshop devoted to just links.
Image Workshop Series Soon
And next week, we’ll be starting our Image SEO workshop series. There are so many SEO opportunities with images that we have to break it up into 3 workshops – no kidding!!
And we’ll have the new AVIF image support by then, along with the new Squoosh tutorial too.
So that’s a very happy coincidence.
The Verge Shows Just How Poor Google Search Really Is
Nilay Patel, editor-in-chief of the Verge wrote a farce review piece for the best printer in 2024.
The point was to show just how bad Google search results really are these days.
Below the buy buttons, Nilay filled the post with crappy AI generated content.
Sure enough, the post ranked in the top 2 within a day or so.
And then Google’s own John Mueller responded saying “People seem to really enjoy it.”
I don’t even know what to make of all this. It’s like Google thinks this is some kind of game and that they don’t have to acknowledge just how crappy search has gotten, or that legit sites can’t rank because this type of crap article is at the top now – and all because The Verge has a high DA. They don’t know squat about the best printers, they’ve never used any of them.
Monetization Tips
The End of 3rd-Party Cookies is Near
The end of 3rd-party cookie tracking as we know it is coming to an end.
The last big holdout to drop them is the Chrome browser, which has a 60% market share of browser use. (Note that is down from 80% just 2 years ago.)
And 2 years ago, both Safari and Firefox got super serious about privacy for its users and both have significantly curtailed 3rd party cookie tracking already.
Every Online Thing Runs on Ad Dollars
So, what is that doing to advertisers? And why should you care?
The whole online world runs on advertising dollars – that’s why you should care!!!!
Every single thing you use online, including platforms and apps, and even streaming services, are paid for with advertising dollars somewhere along the line.
In fact, the only reason you even know about any of the things you use every day is because of advertising somewhere.
And the only reason anyone knows about your site is due to something that is sponsored by advertising, like Google, or any of the social media platforms you use to market your content.
So, even if you don’t buy ads, or even run ads on your site, advertising still matters to everything you do online and to how you get traffic to your site.
What Will Really Happen When 3rd-Party Cookies Crumble
Folks who don’t run ads on their sites, or folks who use an ad agency think they really don’t have to be all that informed or really care about what’s happening with the journey to the end of 3rd-party cookies, and what will become of the value of 1st-party cookie tracking.
NOW is the time for everyone who runs a site to get informed about what’s going on because it will impact how you market/promote your content as well.
And I’m here to help you get in the know, including specifics on what to check and consider, and how much money this could cost you.
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