Welcome to Part II of Edition No. 59 of my weekly newsletter, providing practical analysis in the world of digital content strategy.
Friday Five
I. Google’s Double-October Update: Don’t Spam, Write Good Content
II. Revamped Image and Source Verification on Google
III. Apple’s Big Generative AI Plan for Its Devices
IV. ‘X’ Usage Down Double Digits in Elon’s First Year
V. Study: ‘Blogs’ Lead the Way in Google SERP Top 5
VI. Other Important Updates
I. Google’s Double-October Update: Don’t Spam, Write Good Content
Google's October 2023 Core Update rolled out from October 5 to October 19 alongside the October 2023 Spam Update. -Google
Some SEOs were alarmed by losing rankings and featured snippets. -RankMath
🛠 Why does this matter?
This simultaneous update puts a magnifying glass over the importance of staying on top of Google’s latest changes. But how?
Focus on quality, useful content, Google says. (It’s what they always say.)
As you’ll also see below with X, this draws attention to the importance of diversifying traffic sources to mitigate risks should you fall out of favor with a particular platform (or they fall out of favor with you).
Also: “Bloggers -- anyone -- should write about whatever they want. Write as long as they want. Write as short as they want. Write how they want. Just write in a way *they want* not in a way they *think Google wants* because we don't want people doing things for Google. We want people writing for other people because that's what will align them with our ranking system that are designed to reward this type of content.” -Google Search Liaison on X
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II. Revamped Image and Source Verification on Google
Google introduced new tools for verifying images and sources online.
“About this image gives people an easy way to check the credibility and context of images they see online. Here’s what you can discover with this tool:
An image’s history
How other sites use and describe the image
An image’s metadata”
Expansion of the Fact Check Explorer tool, now covering more types of claims.
🛠 Why does this matter? These updates provide content creators and consumers with enhanced tools for verifying the credibility of images and sources online.
It helps battle misinformation and ensures that the content shared or utilized is authentic and reliable, which is crucial in maintaining trust and accuracy.
With two major wars happening and a monumental U.S. election next year, these updates for powerful platforms like Google are welcome upgrades.
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