Alan Johnston

SEO updates you ✨NEED✨ to know [21st July]: ✅ The June 2025 Core Update completed its rollout on 17 July 2025. This appears to have been a relatively quiet core update compared to some of the more volatile recent changes. 🕵️ ​OpenAI launches ChatGPT agent. This is one of the first major demonstrations of the "agentic web" future that many experts are predicting. ChatGPT was able to browse, compare and order a roast dinner from a single prompt. 🔘 ​Google adds an AI Mode button to their homepage. This is important as it shows Google is taking steps towards integrating AI Mode more directly into their main search function, rather than a separate, optional tab. 📑 ​Google Discover adds AI summaries. Discover has been a way for some publishers to continue receiving clicks despite the seeming omnipresence of AI Overviews on the main Google SERPs. Those days may be ending soon... 🔍 ​AI Mode adds new Deep Search and agentic search features. These functions, powered by Gemini 2.5 Pro, had been previously announced by Google and are now available for Pro & Ultra subscribers. via Barry Schwartz 🤑 ​OpenAI plans to take a cut of revenue made from sales via ChatGPT. This type of monetisation strategy may mean that ChatGPT won't have to rely on paid search as its primary revenue source, like Google currently does. via Erik Wikander 🪱 ​Hacked sites and expired domains are still cited by ChatGPT. While traditional SEO results can be exploited, the problem seems to be far worse with AI Search Results, showing increasing levels of spam every week. via James Brockbank 🗺️ ​Google updates its local ranking documentation. I just want to save you some time here: Despite a significant number of changes to the page, there are no significant changes to local search ranking factors and best practices. 📊 ​GSC introduces a comparison feature for 24-hour view. Following on from the addition of the 24-hour view, users can now compare the last 24 hours to the previous 24 hours in the GSC performance report. 💌 If you like these kinds of no-fluff tl;dr updates, then great news! We curate and send them out weekly for free on our newsletter: Core Updates. Not only that, but you get 5 SEO tips and a deep dive podcast too, this week Jack Chambers-Ward talks to Salvatore J. Manzi about communication strategies for digital marketing. Links to everything in my first comment because there isn't enough room here. Click "Recent" and scroll if LinkedIn is making it hard to find! ⤵️

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Internal links are CRUCIAL for good SEO yet there's a lot more emphasis on external links. In reality, internal links are just as important and this is one area that I regularly see gaps on when auditing websites. 1. A pages ability to rank can be significantly impacted by internal link counts 2. A pages ability to rank will be supported by the inflow of PageRank - pagerank is a mathmatical calculation that has evolved - but the long and short of it is - more links = better downflow of equity to a page 3. There are other factors to consider including site-wide links (nav) vs paginated links vs in-body links (within content). Naturally pages consistently linked i.e. nav or footer are going to channel most of the down-flow of link equity 4. Link equity distribution via PageRank diminishes over pagination series - this is why a lot of blog / article content tends to suffer as it gets pushed further down a pagination series where no other internal links exist 5. PageRank has evolved significantly over the years - obviously as spammers/SEOs have worked to shape search results, equally Google has always been playing cat and mouse & subsequently link factors / spam factors have shifted & more complexity added in 6. Links with a LOWER CLICK probability are less likely to pass on PageRank - historically PageRank was less complex, but as Algo's have evolved, machine learning etc. positional factors & click probability are factored in - i.e. footer links may have a diminshed ability to pass PageRank 7. Whilst link anchors remain important - it's not DIRECTLY about SEO, link anchors help to shape "sub click" behaviour. Google will see URL A links to URL B with an anchor, but, the relevance between anchor and target page content also tie in with "click probability" - this is why for a long time descriptive and title / header based anchors have been effective when used properly Here's what you SHOULD be doing: 1. You should create an INTERNAL ANCHOR MAP along with internal link counts so you can see what internal anchors look like across different pages i.e. priority pages, eCom pages, service pages. Here's how you do it: https://lnkd.in/eZqFas6t Watch the video and use this google sheet to do it: https://lnkd.in/eiFF-dqQ 2. You should GO BACK and retro-fit internal links between pages where pages that HAVE contributed have 5 or less internal links (unique internal links). 3. Using variations of lead search console queries on internal anchors mixed with title based anchors works well. 4. Ensuring links CONTRAST within a page to make them stand out increases the chances of a click (and click probability) - make sure links are strategically placed where they are likely to IMPROVE the users experience (engagement, conversion etc) #seo #seotips #digitalmarketing

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Here’s how to improve your website’s SEO (without spending money or hiring experts) Most websites have hidden SEO issues: → Broken links → Slow pages → Low keyword rankings → No visibility in AI-driven search You can quickly fix these issues ↳ if you know where to look. But most site owners don’t know where to begin. That’s where Ahrefs Webmaster Tools comes in. It’s a free toolkit for website analytics, audits, and SEO insights. Use it to fix key issues fast, boost rankings, and grow search traffic. Here’s a simple 5-step process to improve your website’s SEO: 1. Add Ahrefs Web Analytics → Install a simple JS snippet or import via GTM → Starts tracking instantly, with no cookies or delays → Filters traffic from ChatGPT, Perplexity, and other AI bots 2. Run a Site Audit → Scan up to 5,000 pages → Catch over 170 technical SEO issues → Get a website health score instantly 3. Explore Your Organic Keywords → See exactly what you rank for → Spot easy wins based on position and difficulty → Prioritize keywords with traffic potential in the SERPs 4. Find Backlink Opportunities → Analyze your backlinks profile → Spot high-authority links → Reverse engineer top-performing ads 5. Monitor AI + Real-Time Traffic → See how users (and AI bots) find your content → Track top pages and live traffic trends → Stay ahead of the AI-driven search shift SEO doesn’t need to be expensive or overwhelming. You just need the right tool and a clear starting point. 📌 Try Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (it’s free): https://bit.ly/3IMJFhj 🔄 Repost to help others with SEO P.S. This post is in partnership with Ahrefs, #partnership #sponsorship #SEO #MarketingTools #OrganicGrowth #SearchTraffic #AhrefsPartner #SponsoredByAhrefs

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This Week in SEO has been… revealing. Some new behaviour, a few experiments, and clear signals from both Google and OpenAI. On today’s agenda: ➔ ChatGPT may rely on Google when Bing has no results ➔ Google says normal SEO gets you into AI Overviews ➔ OpenAI is actively crawling llms.txt files ➔ Google confirms it doesn’t use llms.txt at all Swipe through to catch up. ___ Found this useful? Pls like and share ♻ #seo #seotips #seoexpert

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Missed SEO Opportunity: Fork-Mounted Buckets | Titan Attachments 🚨 I was reviewing this collection page 👉 https://lnkd.in/gj5Ht6Va Here’s what the data shows: 🔹 DR 55 → solid authority already in place 🔹 32 organic keywords → but plenty of room to expand to 60+ 🔹 176 monthly visitors → far below what’s possible 🔹 Traffic value $155 → under-leveraged given the site’s authority So why isn’t this page performing like it should? 👉 Only a heading, no supporting content 👉 No FAQs → missing buyer-intent, long-tail queries 👉 No structured context for Google 👉 Weak internal linking from related categories 💡 Here’s what could change everything: 1️⃣ Add a 200–300 word intro about what fork-mounted buckets are, their use cases, and why Titan’s models stand out. 2️⃣ Build an FAQ section to capture “what is,” “compatibility,” and “capacity” searches. 3️⃣ Strengthen internal linking from related high-authority categories. 4️⃣ Optimize for the 30+ long-tail terms they’re already ranking for → and expand it to 60+. 📈 With just these updates, this page could: ✔ Double its keyword footprint ✔ Cross 500+ monthly organic visitors ✔ Turn into a revenue-generating asset instead of a placeholder 👉 The authority is already there (DR 55). What’s missing is a clear SEO strategy. If you wants to turn underperforming category pages into growth engines, that’s exactly what I help clients do. DM me if you want to explore how.

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The SEO world wasn’t built for your freedom. It was built for your obedience. It’s designed to keep you chasing algorithms, updates, and “best practices.” That’s why so many smart marketers find themselves: → Ranking, but not converting → Creating, but not differentiating → Publishing, but not building authority I see this every week. People who did everything “right” only to realise they’re still stuck in the same SEO hamster wheel. Follow every guideline? – You get traffic, not revenue. Copy what’s trending? – You blend in, not stand out. Play it safe? – You’re indexed, but invisible. This isn’t failure. It’s the quiet trap of conventional SEO success. But here’s the opportunity: - You don’t have to wait for Google to validate you. - You don’t need to copy the same old tactics. - You can implement the 7 moves that are actually working in 2025. Obedience builds rankings. Innovation builds authority. The bold SEO play you’ve been considering? It’s not reckless — it’s necessary. That’s why I created my free PDF: “Steal My 7 Moves to Apply What’s Really Working in SEO 2025.” It’s your blueprint to stop playing the system and start winning on your own terms.

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Page speed is the most overrated ranking factor in SEO. Agencies obsess over Core Web Vitals while businesses lose customers to competitors with slower sites but better content. Google cares about speed. Users care about value. A lightning-fast page that doesn't answer their question is worthless. A slower page that solves their problem completely wins every time. The page speed obsession creates a dangerous trade-off. Businesses strip away helpful features to hit speed benchmarks. They remove valuable content to reduce load times. They sacrifice user experience for technical scores. Meanwhile, competitors with "technically inferior" sites are capturing more customers because they focus on what actually matters. Comprehensive information. Clear next steps. Trustworthy design. Page speed matters, but only after you nail the fundamentals. A fast, useless page ranks lower than a slightly slower, incredibly helpful page. Google's algorithm is sophisticated enough to recognize the difference. Optimize for speed after you optimize for value. Because users will wait an extra second for content that actually helps them.

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SEO is changing fast, and if you’re not adapting, you’re invisible. AI now gives answers directly, not via links. Getting cited by AI can boost trust and visibility by 2–3x. Here’s how to do it in 3 steps: → Focus on high-intent questions. → Break content into FAQs and structured data. → Grow co-mentions with content syndication and digital PR. (Brand name + business terms) x mention frequency. This is the AI formula. The game is shifting. Are you ready to be cited as the source? Or will you stay behind?

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AI is the best SEO assistant you’ll ever have… and the worst search strategist you could hire. Here’s how to know when to lean on AI — and when to call in an expert: ✅ When AI is helpful for SEO + Visibility: Brainstorming blog topics that match real customer questions Drafting FAQs to capture conversational queries Spot-checking how your brand shows up in AI tools Summarizing competitor positioning 🚫 When you still need an SEO/AI visibility expert: Choosing which keywords actually convert (not just rank) Building technical foundations (site speed, schema, crawlability) Creating an AI visibility strategy so you’re cited in AI answers Managing site migrations, multi-location, or complex visibility Measuring ROI from both Google and AI-driven search The takeaway: AI accelerates the what, but experts define the why and how. If you’ve been experimenting with AI tools but still feel invisible online, that’s the gap an expert fills.

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Lots of things happened this week: SEO: ✨ AI Mode to be the default? 📊 Chrome data is confirmed to be used for ranking. 📄 Webpage signals are more important than links for ranking. 🕷️ User popularity determines a site's crawl frequency by Google. 👍 Quality rater scores are used to fine-tune rankings. 🤖 Every website is given a calculated spam score. 🗑️ The August 2025 spam update is still rolling out. 🏛️ Google will not be forced to sell its Chrome browser. 🤝 Google must share some user data with its competitors. 🇪🇺 The EU fines Google $3.5 billion for advertising practices. AI: 📢 Ads are coming to AI Mode widely before Q4. 🔬 AI Mode is now better at answering STEM questions. 📞 AI can call businesses to check prices for you. 🛍️ AI Mode is testing product comparisons in search results. ⏩ Users see new "reasoning" or "fast" AI modes. 📁 ChatGPT Projects are now available for all free users. 🖼️ A guide was released for image editing in Google's Nano Banana. 🎤 You can now upload audio files directly to Gemini. 📄 Grok can now analyze and explain PDF documents. 📹 Veo3 turns still photos into videos in Google Photos. 🌐 Circle to Search now translates text while you scroll. 🌿 ChatGPT now allows branching conversations to explore different ideas. 🗣️ NotebookLM can now debate your notes. 👔 OpenAI offers a guide for leading teams with AI. 🌍 Google Translate now offers powerful real-time translation features. 🛒 Walmart is introducing four new AI "super agents." 🏦 The Bank of Queensland is automating 200 jobs with AI. 💻 xAI has released Grok Code Fast 1 for agentic coding. 🗣️ OpenAI has a new real-time speech-to-speech model. 🍎 Apple is developing its own AI-powered web search tool. 🧠 Neuralink failed to trademark "Telepathy" and "Telekinesis". 🎓 OpenAI is launching a new jobs platform with AI certifications. ⚖️ Otter AI is being sued for recording meetings without consent. 🧑‍💼 Companies are creating the new position of Chief AI Officer. ❤️ OpenAI has added new safeguards for users in mental distress. 💳 Stripe created the Tempo blockchain, which could be key for the agent web. 📲 Google has released a new model for on-device embeddings. 🖥️ AI assistants will fundamentally change how we use computers. 🌌 Google is using AI to help understand gravitational waves. 🧠 Neuralink has successfully completed two more surgeries in Canada. 🇨🇳 China aims to lead in brain-computer interfaces within 5 years. 🤖 Figure robots are learning how to load a dishwasher.

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