Voices of Search // A Search Engine Optimization (SEO) & Content Marketing Podcast with Jordan Koene of Searchmetrics

In a vast sea of content, it’s easy for high-value content to get lost and sink below the waves. Join Ben as he kicks off high value content week with Searchmetrics’ very own Content Lead Marlon Glover to discuss how to identify and elevate your high-potential content with essential strategies and how to seize key opportunities to separate your content from the competition.

There’s no guarantee taking a big risk in SEO will pay off. Blush Digital CEO Jim Christian’s leap of faith from aerospace engineering into the ever-changing sea of SEO is one exceptional story, whose career change led him to found Blush Digital and the burgeoning Advanced Search Summit for SEOs. Ben interviewed Christian to learn more about his exciting career transition from the complex field of aerospace engineering to SEO, his Fast Times at Ridgemont High-like experience working for GoDaddy and more

The separation between organic and paid content used to be much like the separation of Church and State until brands began using paid channels to boost organic search rankings to much success. On this episode of Voices of Search Ben Shapiro spoke with expert Amine Bentahar from Advantix Digital on how brands successfully optimize their organic content using paid channels and what key strategies and data acquisition processes contribute to their success.

Industry heavyweights Amazon and Walmart are already experiencing success after Google’s September 2019 core algorithm update went live less than a month ago, despite the lack of data available. Initial impressions suggest the update is placing a greater focus on user expectations and a need to fulfill EAT and YMYL principles.

Why do many companies with great reputations over-optimize their content, which hinders their users’ experience? Excellent content needs a combination of outstanding content quality combined with a stellar user experience to truly gain the loyalty and dedication of your customers. Join Ben and Jordan Koene as they break down the essentials of content optimization and how to avoid common pitfalls that sabotage many successful brands.

With a little more than a week to determine the impact of the latest Google core update and the Real News update, some early winners are emerging with BuzzFeed as the biggest surprise followed by Spotify while YouTube continues to dominate the entertainment category. Join Tyson Stockton and Ben as they suss out the post-update landscape. 

Ben and Jordan tackle the rapid-fire series of Google algorithm updates that began on September 10th with no-follow attribution changes (and additions), September 12th with original news reporting and the 18th with rich results clarifications. Topics covered include: The addition of two new link attribution types The original reporting or ‘REAL’ news updates

Learn about the audacious site migration that allowed Dan Petrovic and Dejean marketing to escape and correct a severe manual Google penalty while dropping his link profile from 13,000 to 77 links. Topics covered include: - How to carry the delicate balance of redirects and ‘duplicate’ content through simple content and design changes while effectively cloning a website - Which links matter and why

What could lead a well-known Australian SEO agency to delete its entire website and publish a new one? Join Dan Petrovic of Dejan Marketing and learn how a brilliant bit of link building turned into disaster (and how they recovered).  Topics covered include: The brilliance of Google manual penalties and how they can turn an SEO’s world upside down The diminishing importance of link profiles and the importance of great content to drive quality links

In the final episode of Grey Hat Week, we take a look at the how to diagnose, define and adjust to the full range of penalties doled out by Google as they catch up to Grey Hat tactics over time.   Topics covered include: - The impact of Google’s shift from manual penalties to algo updates and the concept of ‘ghost penalties’ - The importance of monitoring site and SEO performance when it comes to penalty triage

When viewed through the right lens, hyper-personalization, user testing and conversion rate optimization are tactics that savvy SEO’s can use to boost performance. Learn how with Joe Sinkwitz from Digital Heretix. Topics covered include: How clever user testing design that can boost SEO results The good, the bad and the ugly of hyper-personalization

We’re joined again by Joe Sinkwitz, principal of Digtial Heretix and CEO and co-founder of Intellifluence. Listen in as Ben and Joe dig into grey hat strategies for key word stuffing and content hacks as well as slipping into the dark side with content stripping and republishing. Topics covered include: - Spinning using Markov chain swaps and the extent to which the practice fluctuates between grey and black hat SEO. - How to ensure that your content has utility and won’t run afoul of Google

Despite rumors to the contrary, purchasing back links remains a popular grey hat tactic for increasing domain authority. In this episode, Ben and Joe dig into the art of purchasing backlinks while remaining in the fuzzy grey zone. Topics covered include: - The popularity of private blog networks (PBNs) for purchasing back links - The signals SEOs can use to understand if they’re deploying an effective link buying strategy - Which back linking strategies are likely to lose effectiveness over time

Episode Overview Join us for the kick-off of grey hat week with Joe Sinkowitz of Digital Heretix as he and Ben explore the landscape of back linking, keyword stuffing and cloaking with a little brand reputation management thrown in for good measure. Topics covered include: Joe singlehandedly forcing the Pay Day Loan update in 2012 How poor site maintenance and grey hat tactics can degrade search performance and brand reputation

Grey Hat SEO is an ill defined practice as much as it is a danger zone for marketers. Join Jordan and Ben to understand the boundaries and risks of operating in the Grey zone.  Topics covered include: - The risk of Grey Hat techniques and the inevitability that they will slide into black - Grey Hat back linking strategies and the importance of intent - Google's ability to measure link intent