Tips Tuesday – Technical SEO, Gutenberg Tutorials, Index Now, NFTs Stolen, 700 Content Ideas

Hello Happy Site Owners and Webmasters!

Tips this week include:

• New Gutenberg Ninja tutorials have been posted
• Technical SEO Workshop is live this Thursday
• Why I’m passing on NFT Music for now and what I have planned instead
• Code Name Ida is about to go live
• What’s in the new DIY Site Owners Guide
• Why I’m tickled to see more videos from my peeps
• The habit you want to start to get in on the new Creator Economy
• Yoast speaks about the IndexNow plugin, and whether we’ll use it or not
• Does bold text help your SEO or not – a new test case study
• What Google’s new Topics from Chrome mean to your bottom line
• How to easily generate 700 content ideas
• What’s in the roadmap for WordPress 6.0
• Why recent WP updates are the death of page builders
• Why smart designers build Patterns
• A new Block Theme Generator for designers
• What’s up with NFTs being all the rage
• YouTube considers adding NFTs
• How a multi-million dollar NFT collection was stolen
• Facebook sells of its Diem cryptocurrency program
• The O-mee replacement for Facebook I have my eye on
• What Microsoft buying Activision means for metaverse adoption and your bottom line

Listen to the Podcast

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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.

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

Welcome to the first podcast of February, y’all. How’s your new year going so far?

The changes I started making back in November are really paying off now and I’m more productive and have less stress than in all of 2021. And that feels so good.

Gutenberg Ninja Tutorials Updated

As I mentioned in a recent Tips Tuesday, there really weren’t that many Gutenberg Block updates in WP 5.9. So, I had very few tutorials to update, and most of those were super minor changes.

The really big change was to the Gallery Block and I remade that video. 

The full image block toolbar is available for all images in the Gallery. And there is a new way to change the order of images too.

Unfortunately, you can’t use this new block until you update to WP 5.9, and we’re not ready to do that yet.

I have also not tested what this new refactored block does to previously created galleries, if anything. But I’m listening for the screams as more folks start updating and I’ll let you know, or I’ll test it later myself.

I also decided to postpone making the new section for Full Site Editing tutorials as we are nowhere near ready to change to FSE compliant themes at this point. However, I do want to know how it works, so I’ll be using the TwentyTwentyTwo theme and poking around and making short videos on it. I’ll let members know when those go live.

Technical SEO Workshop – DIY SEO

We had a great Core Web Vitals live workshop last week in the DIY SEO course.

And this Thursday we’ll be diving into Technical SEO.

Folks, this is not a techie thing. It’s something you can and should do yourself.

It’s all about checking to see if Google can crawl your site and if it is having any issues with that.

And THIS, more than anything else, is what sets the DIY SEO course apart from all others.

Keyword research and such is great, and we cover that later in the course too.

But, if you have all kinds of crawl issues on your site, those keywords are not going to do you much good as far as getting ranked.

My peeps get their technical SEO issues fixed and watch their rankings suddenly start soaring now that they are helping Google and not hindering it.

NFT Music Meeting No Show

Remember that meeting I mentioned last week with a new NFT music library house?

Yeah, it didn’t happen. I never got the meeting info after I booked. And I know the booking went through because it sent me a confirmation – just no Zoom or call info.

I emailed the person twice, with no reply.

So, I’m thinking I dodged another music industry sketchy shit bullet.

And if I decide to get into that part of the music biz, I’ll find another way.

Now is not really a good time anyhow, as I have other plans for Web 3 stuff. 

In fact, y’all know I’ve been on the Web 3 train for a while and I’m starting to finally see signs of my destination. 

I’ll tell you more about that in tonight’s livestream.

Site Services Update

I have to tell you, it has been such a sigh of relief to me with pulling back on my site services client load to what I consider a typical normal range.

I’m keeping pace with the tasks I want to complete in the first quarter of 2022 and I have the time I need to run my business.

And culling the wait list to ensure I only have good-fit clients has pulled it back to a reasonable wait time of 4-6 weeks.

So, everyone who is slated for Feb, we are running on time, if not a little bit ahead.

If you’re ready for a site service, new requests will be around March.

BB Hub Happenings

Code Name Ida About to Launch

Woot!!! I’m thrilled to say that our Code Name Ida project is about to go live for BB Hub members.

I’m not just trying to be vague with y’all. And once I can go public with this, you’ll understand why it needed a code name.

After the BB Hub folks have had time to do their tests and give their feedback, we’ll be going live to the public with it.

And I’ll let you know as soon as that happens.

DIY Site Owner Guide

Last week I also got a good start on the new DIY Site Owner Guide for BB Hubbers.

It’s about 12 pages now and Hubbers are looking it over to add comments on what else they would like to see in it.

So far it covers:

• Routine checks
• How to get help
• Security everywhere
• Backups
• How to do updates
• Cloudflare
• Images

More videos

Well, this tickles me to no end.

I follow my clients on Instagram and I’m seeing more videos from y’all!!!

And they’re good too!!!

I think we’ll be doing some new follow parties soon by posting links in our Facebook group.

And one of the ways we support each other is by only following folks where we have an interest so we can keep from hurting our platform analytics.

Followers who never like or engage with us do more harm than good.

The Creator Economy is Coming

And it’s great for all of us to be in the habit of engaging with those we do follow.

The new Creator Economy is based on direct fan support.

It only takes a split second to like or heart a post you see.

And it only takes 2 seconds to comment Thank You.

In fact, that’s how I’m building relationships with my crypto TikTok account.

Those creators put up with so much comment garbage.

I doubt most creators take the time to see who is giving them likes.

But, seeing someone constantly saying thank you makes a very positive impression on them, not to mention how encouraging such a comment can be for them as they grow.

And if you want to be a receiver of loyal fans who help your platform algorithm, then start being that type of fan for the folks you follow too.

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

SEO Tips

Yoast Speaks About IndexNow Plugin

Well, finally! We have word from Yoast on what he thinks of the IndexNow plugin and I’m delighted to say that it matches the concerns I’ve been telling y’all about.

At the 28 minute mark of his January SEO webinar, he says what I said. This thing does not coordinate with your SEO plugin or robots.txt file for the pages you have marked as noindex.

I’m also stunned that major SEO reporting sites like SearchEngineLand or SearchEngineRoundtable did not pick up on these issues with IndexNow and advocated using it.

I’ve also seen other SEO courses advocate using it and it makes me wonder if they test anything or even know what they are talking about.

THIS sort of thing is what separates my DIY SEO course from everything out there. I actually test what I show you how to do.

In the webinar, the panel goes on to question whether we can trust Microsoft Bing to share the info sent to them with all other search engines, because they are the makers of IndexNow.

Yoast then says he wants to see one open index that all of the search engines use so that your URL would only have to be crawled once.

I’m mostly for that, but I want some restrictions on it, and here’s why.

The excessive crawls are the very reason why I am now adding extra firewall rules for my site audit clients to stop crawls from SEO agencies who are chewing up our system resources and then giving our site info to our competitors.

Oh hell no!!

These things are hitting us to the tune of 15k-30k a month and robbing resources we need to reserve for our human visitors.

We have seen a 50-70% reduction in bot hits by implementing these firewall rules.

So, the ability to exclude competitive agencies from gleaning our info is the only caveat I see with a centralized crawl mechanism. I want control over who can easily get my site’s info, and I commented that very thing on Yoast’s webinar.

Bottom Line on IndexNow

We won’t be using the IndexNow plugin nor the equivalent of it in Cloudflare.

Google does not want us to manually ping them for new posts as they have already assigned a crawl budget to our site and they will find it on their own.

Bing does want use to manually ping them, and that is best done via Bing Webmaster tools.

I will be updating my DIY SEO course with a new tutorial in the Bing section for how to do that.

Does Bold Text Help SEO?

John Mueller recently stated that it could.

So the folks at SEMRush did a split test on it.

The results were inconclusive, and here’s why.

There are 2 ways to bold text.

You can read the article for more details on that.

And they will be running more tests, which I’ll keep an eye out for.

But what I can say for sure now is that every site I’ve seen in audits or in my DIY SEO course has far bigger SEO issues than bolding a word here and there can overcome.

You need to get your SEO foundation right so keyword research and all other tweaks can have a chance to work for you.

Monetization Tips

Google is Testing Topics

Google has decided to try a new way of tracking interests as they prepare to join the rest of the browsers on the planet who have already dropped 3rd party cookie tracking.

It’s called Topics.

And all Chrome users will be able to self-select which 3 topics interest them the most.

That data will then be shared with advertisers.

I believe the reason they are testing it now is so they can compare that Topic data with the 3rd party cookie tracking they still have and see how well it aligns to help advertisers target their audience.

This new Topics thing replaces Google’s failed attempts with FLoC.

Everything about FLoC was a bad idea, and Google was about to get the pants sued off of them for using it.

Yet some ad agencies were still going to align with it, which is scary. 

We also have to keep in mind that the Topics thing will only work if Chrome keeps it on the down-low and Chrome users don’t change those topics or turn them off.

I’m also wondering how more folks getting into crypto is going to impact Chrome use, as those folks change over to the Brave and now Opera browsers which have native crypto wallets and FAR superior privacy and security built-in.

Content Tips

Easily Generate Content Ideas

Coming up with new post ideas has never been a problem here at BlogAid simply because there is always news. And for HeartwoodArt, I have chosen to focus on what I’m building and I don’t need to follow trends or such there.

But, if I did write about the same thing all the time, coming up with new things and new angles to talk about those things might be a lot harder.

If you’re suffering from idea burnout, Title-generator.com can help with that.

Just go to the site and input a keyword.

It will spit out up to 700 headlines and titles for you.

It’s a great way to get out of your writing rut and discover a new hook or angle to take on your content too.

Heck, you may find a whole new approach for writing about your main topic.

So, go give it a try and let us know what light bulbs went off for you.

WordPress Tips

Roadmap for WP 6.0

While WP 5.9 did roll in the rest of the base code to support FSE (Full Site Editing), there were several features that did not make it into the release that they wanted.

The core team felt like these things needed more time to season and be tested.

And those things are slated now for WP 6.0.

The focus is still squarely on refining the new FSE blocks and on improving Patterns.

They also want to focus more on Templates, which is an expansion of Patterns.

Instead of having just pre-made pattern blocks, they want to introduce pre-made pages of blocks.

The Death of Page Builders

To me, this will be the final nail in the coffin for page builders like Elementor.

Why in the world would you want a slow thing like that on your site when you can build it all with Gutenberg?

In fact, in my Gutenberg Ninja course, I’ve been showing you how to build your own landing pages for years already.

And soon you’ll be able to bring in a whole landing page template that you can customize too.

Just like the Patterns we already have, these Templates will likely be plain Jane compared to what I show you how to style in the Gutenberg Ninja course. But, they will be a starting point for layout for you to use to get ideas and such too.

Webmaster Designer Tips

Smart Designers Build Patterns

I literally can’t imagine why so many designers are ignoring the business potential of Patterns.

And now with Templates coming on board, they have even more opportunities to sell these things.

If nothing else, they should get super serious about building optin and landing page patterns and templates for the themes they design as an added perk for their clients.

Block Theme Generator

For designers who want to create their own fully block-based themes, Carolina from Team Yoast helped create a Block Theme Generator tool.

It has several settings for what is included in the template so you can customize it too.

This may be a great way for you to play with FSE themes beyond the default WP themes too.

FYI, Yoast is the largest contributor of paid folks who “volunteer” their time to work on the WordPress core and we are most grateful for their contributions.

Web 3.0 Tips

NFTs Are All the Rage

For the last several weeks I’ve been reporting on NFT news here. And I’m doing my best to keep a balance on them with the platforms that are getting into them and the security risks of them.

Folks, do not be lured in or shy away from all of the $$$ signs floating around these things, both good and bad.

There is money to be made, but only if you’re thoroughly educated in all aspects of the space, especially if you’re considering becoming a creator, not just a flipper of them.

YouTube is Considering NFTs

The CEO of YouTube recently released a letter that hints the platform may begin adopting more Web3 technologies, including NFTs.

They read the writing on the wall and realize that the Creator Economy is coming fast and that creators want to verify ownership of their content on a blockchain.

But more than anything, YouTube is worried about the money.

Creators no longer want to just be a backdrop for ads, especially when they don’t qualify for the YouTube Partner Program where they get to share in that ad revenue.

Creators are increasingly moving to platforms that allow direct pay from fans.

YouTube only recently adopted that option, and it is fledgling at best.

We don’t have details on what type of support YT intends to have for NFTs.

But the article from TechCrunch has some good guesses, if you want to check it out.

Multi-million Dollar NFT Collection Stolen

Todd Kramer jumped into the Bored Ape Yacht Club and scooped up several of their NFTs that are now worth millions of dollars. The lowest priced one is around $250k.

But, in late December he was hacked and all of them were stolen.

The NFTs were in his OpenSea account.

When NFT owners want to delist their NFTs as being for sale, they have to pay gas fees.

To avoid those, some NFT owners found a free workaround.

The problem with that was the original listing was not fully deleted, and it had the listing at the original low price.

The hackers found that listing and were able to purchase the NFTs for next to nothing.

Worse, all attempts by OpenSea to fix the issue have made it worse.

Folks, this is why free can be the most expensive way to do anything with regard to tech, including your site, especially with things like migration. All of your site info is still sitting on the old host server, unattended, even after you cancel your account. And if a hacker gets that info, it’s so easy for them to trash your site at your new host.

And this is why you need to get educated in the NFT space before jumping in, especially with regard to everything security related.

FYI, OpenSea admits that 80% of the NFTs listed on their platforms are scams. 

These scammers will send you a free NFT into your Hidden tab. And the moment you try to claim it, they will drain your wallet.

Facebook Will Sell Off Diem

I was glad to hear this news!!

Facebook has decided to abandon its attempt to create its own crypto currency.

They cited that there are too many crypto restrictions in too many areas, and that’s what doomed it.

Personally, I think everything about Meta is doomed unless they turn it into a shopping mall metaverse, much like Walmart is doing.

And I hope this slows down their NFT plans too, as the way they are likely to run it will be in their own best financial interest and not in the interest of the creators, just like things in Facebook and Instagram are now.

O-mee.io May Be Facebook Replacement

I heard one of the CrypTok folks I follow ask what would happen if OpenSea and Instagram had a baby.

It might look very much like O-mee.io.

They want to combine the best of social media with the best of NFT showcase platforms and put the power of all of it into the hands of the creators.

THIS is what Web3 is all about!!!

And as much as crypto folks scream that everything needs to be decentralized, the fact is, we all still need central gathering places to grow our fanbase.

And until everyone has cool metaverse VR glasses, the majority of us are still going to meet and hear about things in Web2 spaces, or maybe even Web2-3 hybrid spaces.

So, I’m definitely keeping my eye on O-mee and other such platforms as they are being built.

Early adopters will get the biggest foothold in these things and likely be the biggest moneymakers because of it.

Microsoft Buys Activision

Holy cow, y’all!!!!

Microsoft ponied up $68.7 billion in cash to buy Activision, which is the gaming industry that brought us legendary franchise games like Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.

Let me put this acquisition in perspective for you.

The entire Total Value Locked (TVL) of all cryptocurrencies is just $61 billion.

So this is a huge gamble by MS that the metaverse really is the next big thing and there really is that much money to be made there.

Of course, they will be bringing all Activision titles to XBox first, where they already have partnerships for the bigger titles.

But most competitor games are already trying to make immersive metaverse versions of their games now. And some new ones being built are strictly metaverse-only games and they are stunning.

This purchase is not without controversy and issues, though.

Bloomberg has more details on Activision’s sexual bias lawsuits and more troubles with the company.

Investopedia has details on the antitrust lawsuits that may be coming from this deal.

The Motely Fool has a blow-up article on the lack of details on how MS plans to make this a metaverse thing, despite the fact that they littered their announcement with that word.

An article in The Ringer poses the same questions about what this deal has to do with the metaverse.

Microsoft considers gaming to be their top moneymaker now and in the future. And they would love to trounce PlayStation with this move.

And I’m wondering if the metaverse part of this has to do with all the money pouring into gaming and metaverse NFTs from brands like Nike and all of the sports figures and teams getting into the space.

Only time will tell.

But the smart folks follow the money and this is why you want to get educated in Web3 as fast as you can.

Web3 is where your future money is going to be made too.

Wrap Up

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

Gimme some love!!

Please leave a review of this podcast on iTunes or wherever you listen to it. And thank you to all who do!

Share this post with all your blogger buddies and blogger groups to support all the free info and help you get on BlogAid – and help your buddies too!!

Subscribe to all BlogAid Posts via email so you never miss anything!

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