SEO News & Tips – September 2024

On By DaveIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Actionable Points:

  1. Impact Assessment:
    • Analyze Core Update Impacts: If your site was affected, investigate potential causes such as relevance adjustments, intent shifts, or quality issues.
    • Run Delta Reports: Isolate dropped queries and landing pages using delta reports to identify the reasons for traffic decline.**
  2. Content Strategy:
    • Reassess Content Strategy: Move away from generic content aimed at search engines (SEO-first) and focus on user-first content that aligns with intent and provides real value.
    • Avoid Overloading Pages: Do not overload pages with excessive information. Make them clear and relevant to user intent.
  3. Quality Over Quantity:
    • Holistic Quality Evaluation: Improve overall site quality, including UX, ads, presentation, and sources. It’s not just about content but the experience as a whole.
    • Long-Term Quality Improvements: Use a “kitchen sink” approach—continuous, holistic improvements to demonstrate significant quality enhancement over time.
  4. Utilize User Engagement Data:
    • Measure User Engagement: Focus on engagement metrics like click-through rates (CTR), time on page, and interactions (Navboost signals) to improve rankings.
  5. Consider the Intent Shifts:
    • Study Intent Shifts: Understand changes in user intent. Ensure your content targets the appropriate search intent, whether transactional, informational, or navigational.
    • Use Natural Language Processing (NLP) Tools: Leverage NLP tools to analyze how well your content aligns with searcher intent.*
  6. RankBrain and Vector Search:
    • Optimize for RankBrain: Vector search re-ranks results based on intent. Focus on improving content relevancy through quality rater feedback and actual user interactions.
  7. Monitor Industry-Specific Trends:
    • Industry Trends: Be aware of specific industry shifts (e.g., pet insurance, tech products) and adjust your SEO strategy accordingly. Specialized retailers and informational sites are gaining over commercial giants like Amazon.
  8. Consider Site Authority:
    • Balance Domain and Brand Authority: Tom Capper’s study suggests sites with higher brand authority (BA) performed better than those relying solely on domain authority (DA). Focus on building brand recognition alongside traditional SEO efforts.
  9. Core Update Response:
    • Future-Proofing: Continue producing high-quality, intent-driven content as Google aims to reward helpful content over SEO-first strategies. Sites that improve post-HCU or core updates will continue to see gains.
  10. Action for Content Creators:
  • Engage with the Community: Marie plans to collaborate with SB Pro members to develop a system for scoring intent alignment, potentially enlisting community support to study core update effects.

Marie also encourages community engagement, suggesting that producing authentic, user-focused content will be a key driver of success in the evolving search landscape.

supplements are bad

*1. Use Natural Language Processing (NLP) Tools to Analyze Content Alignment with Searcher Intent

What is NLP?

Natural Language Processing (NLP) is a branch of artificial intelligence that focuses on the interaction between computers and humans through natural language. In the context of SEO and content creation, NLP tools help analyze and understand the nuances of language, enabling better alignment of your content with what users are searching for.

Why Align Content with Searcher Intent?

Searcher intent refers to the primary goal a user has when typing a query into a search engine. Understanding and aligning your content with this intent ensures that your pages meet the needs of your audience, leading to higher engagement, better rankings, and increased conversions.

How to Leverage NLP Tools:

  1. Identify Searcher Intent:
    • Types of Intent:
      • Informational: Users seeking information (e.g., “How to fix a leaky faucet”).
      • Navigational: Users looking to reach a specific website or page (e.g., “Facebook login”).
      • Transactional: Users intending to make a purchase or complete a transaction (e.g., “Buy iPhone 14”).
      • Commercial Investigation: Users researching products or services before making a decision (e.g., “Best DSLR cameras 2024”).
  2. Analyze Your Content:
    • Keyword Analysis:
      • Use NLP tools to analyze the keywords and phrases within your content to determine if they align with the identified searcher intent.
    • Content Structure:
      • Ensure your content is structured in a way that directly addresses the user’s query. For instance, use clear headings, bullet points, and concise paragraphs for better readability and relevance.
    • Semantic Analysis:
      • Assess the context and relationships between words to ensure your content comprehensively covers the topic.
  3. Optimize Content Based on Insights:
    • Content Gap Analysis:
      • Identify areas where your content may be lacking in addressing certain aspects of the searcher intent and enhance those sections.
    • Content Enrichment:
      • Add relevant information, multimedia elements, or interactive features to better satisfy user needs.
    • Language Refinement:
      • Adjust the tone, complexity, and style of your content to match the preferences and expectations of your target audience.

Recommended NLP Tools:

  1. Google Natural Language API:
    • Offers powerful text analysis capabilities, including sentiment analysis, entity recognition, and syntax analysis.
    • Google Cloud Natural Language
  2. IBM Watson Natural Language Understanding:
    • Provides comprehensive text analysis features such as keyword extraction, concept tagging, and emotion analysis.
    • IBM Watson NLU
  3. Ahrefs Content Gap Tool:
    • While not a pure NLP tool, it helps identify content gaps by comparing your site with competitors, which can be complemented with NLP analysis.
    • Ahrefs Content Gap
  4. Surfer SEO:
    • Integrates NLP techniques to optimize content structure and keyword usage based on top-ranking pages.
    • Surfer SEO
  5. Clearscope:
    • Uses NLP to provide keyword suggestions and content optimization recommendations to improve relevancy.
    • Clearscope

Implementation Steps:

  1. Choose the Right NLP Tool:
    • Select a tool that fits your technical expertise and specific needs. For instance, Google Natural Language API is highly customizable but may require more technical setup compared to user-friendly platforms like Surfer SEO.
  2. Conduct a Content Audit:
    • Use the chosen NLP tool to analyze your existing content. Look for metrics like keyword density, semantic relevance, and sentiment alignment with user intent.
  3. Map Content to Search Intent:
    • Categorize your pages based on the primary search intent they fulfill. Ensure each page clearly aligns with its intended user goal.
  4. Optimize and Update Content:
    • Based on the analysis, make necessary adjustments to improve alignment. This could involve rewriting sections, adding new information, or restructuring content for better clarity and relevance.
  5. Monitor and Iterate:
    • After optimization, continuously monitor your content’s performance. Use analytics to assess improvements in rankings, engagement metrics, and conversions, and iterate as needed.

*2. Run Delta Reports: Isolate Dropped Queries and Landing Pages to Identify Reasons for Traffic Decline

What are Delta Reports?

Delta reports in SEO are comparative analyses that track changes in your website’s performance metrics over specific periods. By comparing data before and after a Google core update (or any significant change), you can identify which queries and landing pages experienced fluctuations in traffic.

Why Run Delta Reports?

Running Delta reports helps you pinpoint the exact areas of your website that are affected by algorithm changes. Understanding these changes allows you to take targeted actions to recover lost traffic and optimize your site for future updates.

How to Run Delta Reports:

  1. Gather Data:
    • Time Frames:
      • Pre-Update Period: Data from a period before the core update (e.g., two weeks before).
      • Post-Update Period: Data from a period after the core update has been fully rolled out (e.g., two weeks after).
    • Metrics to Collect:
      • Organic traffic
      • Impressions
      • Click-through rates (CTR)
      • Average position
  2. Use SEO Tools:
    • Google Search Console (GSC):
      • Provides comprehensive data on search performance, including queries and landing pages.
      • Google Search Console
    • Google Analytics:
      • Offers insights into overall traffic patterns and user behavior.
      • Google Analytics
    • Third-Party SEO Tools:
      • Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Moz can provide additional data and more sophisticated reporting features.
      • SEMrush
      • Ahrefs
      • Moz
  3. Generate Comparative Reports:
    • Google Search Console Steps:
      1. Access Performance Report:
        • Navigate to Performance > Search Results.
      2. Set Date Range:
        • Select a date range that covers both pre-update and post-update periods.
      3. Export Data:
        • Export the performance data for both periods to a spreadsheet for easier comparison.
      4. Calculate Delta:
        • Use formulas to calculate the percentage change in impressions, clicks, CTR, and average position for each query and landing page.
  4. Analyze the Data:
    • Identify Drops and Gains:
      • Highlight queries and pages that saw significant drops or gains in traffic.
    • Segment the Data:
      • Break down the data by categories such as content type, topic, or user intent to identify patterns.
    • Look for Correlations:
      • Determine if there are common factors among the affected queries/pages, such as content quality, relevance, or technical issues.
  5. Identify Potential Causes:
    • Relevancy Issues:
      • Content may no longer align with the updated search intent or relevancy criteria.
    • Technical Problems:
      • Issues like slow page speed, mobile usability problems, or broken links can impact rankings.
    • Content Quality:
      • Thin content, outdated information, or lack of depth can lead to declines.
    • Competitor Improvements:
      • Competitors may have enhanced their content, earning higher rankings.
    • User Experience (UX):
      • Poor UX, intrusive ads, or difficult navigation can negatively affect rankings.
  6. Develop an Action Plan:
    • Content Optimization:
      • Revise and enhance content to better match searcher intent and improve quality.
    • Technical SEO Fixes:
      • Address any identified technical issues to improve site performance.
    • Improve UX:
      • Enhance the overall user experience to keep visitors engaged and reduce bounce rates.
    • Monitor Competitors:
      • Analyze top-performing competitors to understand what changes they made that may have contributed to their gains.
    • Continuous Monitoring:
      • Regularly update and monitor Delta reports to track the effectiveness of your optimizations and stay ahead of future updates.

Tools and Techniques for Delta Reporting:

  1. Google Search Console (GSC):
    • Export and Compare:
      • Export performance data before and after the update and use spreadsheet tools to calculate differences.
    • Filtering Options:
      • Use filters to narrow down specific queries or pages for detailed analysis.
  2. Google Analytics:
    • Custom Reports:
      • Create custom reports to compare traffic sources, user behavior, and conversion metrics across different periods.
    • Annotations:
      • Use annotations to mark the date of the core update, helping correlate changes in data with the update rollout.
  3. SEO Platforms:
    • SEMrush’s Position Tracking:
      • Track keyword rankings over time and compare pre- and post-update positions.
    • Ahrefs’ Site Explorer:
      • Analyze backlink profiles and organic search traffic changes.
    • Moz’s Rank Tracker:
      • Monitor keyword performance and identify ranking fluctuations.
  4. Spreadsheet Analysis:
    • Pivot Tables:
      • Use pivot tables to summarize and analyze large datasets effectively.
    • Visualization:
      • Create charts and graphs to visualize traffic trends and identify significant changes.

Best Practices for Delta Reporting:

  • Consistent Time Frames:
    • Ensure the comparison periods are equivalent in length and cover similar days of the week to account for any variability.
  • Account for Seasonality:
    • Be aware of seasonal trends that might affect traffic independently of the core update.
  • Focus on Significant Changes:
    • Prioritize queries and pages with substantial traffic drops or gains to address the most impactful issues first.
  • Iterative Analysis:
    • Continuously refine your analysis by incorporating additional data points or adjusting your reporting criteria as needed.

Putting It All Together: Enhancing Your SEO Strategy

By integrating NLP-based content analysis and Delta reporting, you can create a robust SEO strategy that not only aligns your content with user intent but also allows you to proactively identify and address issues arising from algorithm updates. Here’s a step-by-step approach to combining these strategies:

  1. Initial Content Audit:
    • Use NLP tools to assess the alignment of your existing content with searcher intent.
    • Identify content areas that need enhancement or restructuring.
  2. Post-Update Performance Analysis:
    • After a core update, run Delta reports to identify affected queries and pages.
    • Cross-reference these findings with your NLP analysis to understand if misalignment with search intent contributed to the declines.
  3. Optimization and Implementation:
    • Optimize affected content based on insights from both NLP analysis and Delta reports.
    • Enhance content quality, adjust for better intent alignment, and fix any technical issues identified.
  4. Continuous Monitoring and Improvement:
    • Regularly use NLP tools to keep your content aligned with evolving search intents.
    • Continuously monitor your site’s performance with Delta reports to stay ahead of any negative trends.
  5. Community Engagement and Learning:
    • Engage with SEO communities (like the Search Bar Pro Community mentioned in your summary) to share insights and learn from others’ experiences.
    • Stay updated with the latest SEO trends and algorithm changes to adapt your strategy accordingly.

Additional Resources

  • Google’s Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines:
  • Moz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO:
  • Ahrefs’ SEO Learning Center:
    • Offers tutorials and articles on various SEO topics, including content optimization and performance analysis.
    • Ahrefs Learning Center
  • Surfer SEO’s Guides:
    • Detailed guides on using their tools for content optimization and SEO analysis.
    • Surfer SEO Guides

Implementing these strategies effectively can lead to improved search rankings, better user engagement, and sustained organic growth. By continuously aligning your content with user intent and proactively monitoring your site’s performance, you can navigate algorithm updates with greater confidence and resilience.

If you have any further questions or need assistance with specific tools or techniques, feel free to ask!

Performance Max Campaign Optimization

On By DaveIn google adsLeave a comment

Performance Max (pMax) campaigns, are basically all forms of google advertising – lumped into one campaign.

Pmax does work really well, if you optimise it properly.

It is not keyword focused – it is audience focused.

You give it a CPA or ROAS target or goal, and basically let it run itself.

The downside of pMax, is that it does not give you much data. So it is difficult to really optimise campaigns to get the best out of them.

Pros and Cons of pMax Campaigns

Pros

It works!

It’s going to hit other channels, that most advertisers previously ignored.

Cons

No real insights

Limited control

Cannibalisation – it will take credit from your other campaigns – or show instead of them

Wasted spend – that you can’t identify

Can have wild swings in performance – make sure you have all tracking set up. It can still be hard to identify what goes wrong.

Takes a while to learn what performance best for your campaigns/company

URL extensions – can send users to irrelevant pages.

Does not tend to work well for Lead-Gen.

pMax Impact on Other Campaigns

You can run search campaigns, alongside pMax campaigns. Pmax will tend to get shown over broad match keywords, whilst exact and phrase match keywords/ads – will come down to ad rank (apparently).

PMax takes priority over standard Shopping Ads campaigns.

Display, YouTube and Discovery ad campaigns, will show according to their Ad Rank – i.e. if they have a high Ad Rank, they are more likely to show instead of pMax ads.

pMax Terminology

Asset Groups –

Similar to Ad Groups, Asset Groups contain:

Assets – logos, images, headlines and descriptions for your ads

Listing Groups – Products pulled from your merchant feed. you can segment and split these out into separate groups.

Audience Signals – instead of keywords – in pMax you will use audience signals, to tell Google who to show your ads to. Your audience signal can include your own customer data (remarketing and customer match lists), or any custom segments you have created. 

They are no keywords in performance max.

How to Optimize pMax Campaigns

  • Optimise your product feed – this is the foundation of pMax success!

Ensure product titles are accurate, descriptions stand out, and images are clear and optimised for search. Try lifestyle images where possible – with someone using the product and A/B test against isolated product images.
Don’t rely on standard and default feed setup from Shopify and WordPress plugins – review and optimise.

https://growmyads.notion.site/Google-Ads-Shopping-Feed-Optimization-Cheat-Sheet-b1b6e0b7b25c45c992268c4c540cc6c7

Product Feed Optimisation Variables – Most Important!

  • Price 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
  • Title 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
  • GTIN 🔥🔥🔥
  • Image 🔥🔥
  • Description 🔥
  • Category 🔥

  • As you probably can’t change price too much, Title is a big one to focus on.
  • Make sure to check Merchant Center often and review your Diagnostics tab for any feed or product issues.
  • Make sure you don’t have loads of disapproved products!

Titles

Product title optimization is a powerful lever for boosting impressions and clicks. It’s the most crucial feed attribute under your control. Keyword placement is critical. Front-load your titles with the most important terms, as Google only processes the first 150 characters. Keep in mind that search results may truncate titles after just 30 characters.

GTIN

If you have a GTIN – add it! ask your manufacturer for it, or visit GS1.org
Google has put a huge emphasis on having a GTIN in your product feeds, so if you have it – add it!

Image

A/B test images for your top products. Make them stand out somehow.

Description

Make your descriptions high quality and make sure they have keywords in them

Category

Add the most relevant category, or Google will auto-apply one.

Understanding Customer Search Behavior

When crafting titles, consider:

  • Do customers prioritize brand names in their searches?
  • Are model or part numbers commonly used?
  • How often do searchers use product types or categories?

Analyze your Search Query Reports to identify top-converting keywords for each product. Incorporate these high-performing terms into your titles to maximize relevance and appeal

Gender is often an important keyword element.

Required feed attributes

  • id (Unique identifier for each product)
  • title (Product title)
  • description (Product description)
  • price (Product price)
  • availability (Product availability)
  • link (Product URL)
  • image_link (Product image URL)
  • brand (Product brand)
  • gtin (Global Trade Item Number)

Optional feed attributes

  • product_type (Product type)
  • mpn (Manufacturer Part Number) [Recommended]
  • google_product_category (Google product category) [Recommended]
  • availability (Product availability)
  • color (Product color)
  • size (Product size)
  • weight (Product weight)
  • shipping (Product shipping)
  • condition (Product condition)
  • age_group (Product age group)
  • gender (Product gender)
  • material (Product material)
  • pattern (Product pattern)
  • occasion (Product occasion)
  • scent (Product scent)
  • features (Product features)
  • custom_label (0-4) (Custom attributes) [Recommended]

  • You need to be spending at least $50 a day on pMax – otherwise stick with standard shopping campaigns
  • You need correct conversion tracking – Use the Google Ads Purchase tag, not GA4 tracking. You can set up enhanced conversion on the Google Ads.
  • Feed pMax ONLY purchase data. Don’t give it conversions like Add to Cart – or it will go and get a load of clicks optimised for people who only Add to Cart, but don’t necessarily purchase.
  • Don’t go to granular – less is more, as you’ll get more data
  • You need 50+ conversions per month, for a pMax to work well. If you have 10 campaigns, with 5 conversions each, consider consolidating them to get better data.

When you have lots of data and your pMax campaign is running effficiently and hitting ROAS or CPA goals, then consider segmenting one campaigns, into several smaller campaigns.

For example, you could segemnt by:

  • Best sellers in one campaign, low performers in another
  • Seasonality
  • New products vs old
  • Products getting 0 conversions – put them in their own campaign to try and optimise

Here’s a way to structure your pMax campaigns in the beginning – if you have enough budget to spend $50 per day on each campaign, and to get at least 50 purcahses per campaign –

  • Best Sellers
    (Mid/low products excluded)
  • Mid/Low Performers
    (Best sellers excluded)
  • 0 purchase products – exclude best sellers and mid/low performers.
  • Catch-All Standard Shopping Campaign

If you don’t have a $50 a day budget, then just have 1 pMax best sellers campaign, and have all of your mid/low selling products in the Catch-All shopping campaign.

If you have a massive budget,
you can split out the best sellers, mid/low performers and 0 product categories into brand or categories. For example, you could have:

Football Goals – Best sellers, Mid/low performers/0 purchase products/standard shopping
Football training equipment – Best sellers, mid/low performers/0 purchase products/standard shopping

Maintaining Your Campaigns

Move any top performing products in your mid/low performers into the best sellers, move any poorly performing products into the standard shopping campaign, where you can have more control over them.

Asset Group Structures

Feed only – Google will take all the information from just your data feed. This type of campaigns won’t show on display on video/Youtube. Some people do this and then run separate YouTube and Display campaigns. Or some people do this, because they don’t have any decent images!

All Assets Group – Add in images etc. Asset groups need to be split by brands and/or product categories.

Asset group are a bit like Ad Groups. Keep them specific and have multiple asset groups within a campaign.

  • Dont split test asset groups by audience signals!

How to set up Audience Signals

You would do this inside of your asset group – gind the signals section and Search Themes

Add top search terms to “Search Themes”

Add in customer Lists from your own data:

THe bottom ‘box’ allows you to add demographics and in market audiences. So sleect any that are directly relevant. For example, you could select a market audience for sofas – if you are selling sofas!

How to Set up Feed Only Asset Groups

  • Click the + in the blue circle
  • Click “Create new asset group”
  • Skip everything but make sure your products are set up:

make sure “All products” are selected in the Listing groups section (shown above)

Don’t give the asset group any headline or anything – no images etc.

Name the asset group – “feed only”

Add audience signals (if you want to)

click “save”

  • Sometimes this will give you an error. If this happens
  • Go to an existing asset group – click the 3 vertical dots on the right – duplicate asset group
  • Delete all the headlines – final URLs etc, delete images
  • Leave business name

Setting up a Full PMax Campaign

In campaigns

  • Hit the blue circle with the + icon within it
  • select – Create a campaign without a goal guidance
  • select campaign type –> Performance Max
  • select “purchases” for conversion goals
  • link to merchant centre
  • give URL for landing page
  • Name

Bidding

stick to conversion value – get data and volume first before setting a target

for most cases – untick the Customer acquisition section:

only in specific cases, do people normally turn on customer acquisition.

Locations – choose location you want – you need to go back and edit this again when the campaign is set up – Google won’t let you edit all teh advanced location settings at this point though!

Languages – English

Automatically Created assets – if you want to be conservative, turn this off. If you leave this on, Google will create new assets and send users to different pages on your website that it thinks will enhance conversions.

Brand exclusions

If you want to exclude your brand terms from the campaign. Add a brand exclusion. If you do exclude your brand terms, then make sure you have at least 1 shopping campaign to capture brand search terms.

Asset Generation

AI can generate assets like headlines and images for you – but it will be generic and pretty bad a lot of the time.

Listing Groups – this is your products.

Images – Add Images if you have some – or let Google crawl your website.

Logos – add logos

Business Name – add your business name!

Video – add a video – Google’s auto-generated ones are pretty bad at the moment.

Add sitelink extensions and Call-outs

Add USPs as Callouts

search themes – are similar to keywords, but think of them as more general. Please see video above for more info!

Here’s a better explanation on Grow my Ads’ blog

  • Budget – give the campaign a budget. Less than $50 and you prob won’t have enough data to optimise much.

  • Go back to Campaign Setting – Locations – location options:

Campaign Structure

Arguably, the biggest and most important factor in pMax campaigns. See above about setting up the structure with best-sellers etc

You might want to install Mike Rhoades’ script to track your ad spend at this point – https://mikerhodes.circle.so/c/free-scripts/installing-the-pmax-script

Insights

Look into asset reports, and pause badly performing assets.

Create more, assets that are likely to perform well based on the current data. For example, if your best performing image has a picture of someone using the product – get more images of people using the product.

Final URL expansion

If you want full control – turn this off. However, you can get better results. This lets Google send users to other landing pages on your site, and it can change the ad text.

Remember to exclude URLs you don’t want people sent to.

Negative Keywords pMax

At the time of writing, there is a work around to add negative keywords to pMax campaigns:

  • Add a shared library keyword list with negative keywords
  • contact a Google rep and ask them to add it to your pmax campaign

Performance Max FAQs

What are the pMax image specifications?

Google sets them out here.

How do I optimise a pMax campaign?

Pros and Cons – Pmax versus Search Campaign?

SaleEvent Schema Example [2024]

On By DaveIn seoLeave a comment

Here’s an example for Black Friday:

It’s JSON format

{
  "@context": "http://schema.org",
  "@type": "SaleEvent",
  "name": "Black Friday Mega Sale",
  "startDate": "2024-11-29T00:00:00",
  "endDate": "2024-11-29T23:59:59",
  "eventAttendanceMode": "http://schema.org/OnlineEventAttendanceMode",
  "location": {
    "@type": "VirtualLocation",
    "url": "https://www.yourstore.com/black-friday-sale"
  },
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "url": "https://www.yourstore.com/black-friday-sale",
    "priceCurrency": "USD",
    "price": "199.99",
    "eligibleRegion": {
      "@type": "Place",
      "name": "United States"
    },
    "availability": "http://schema.org/InStock",
    "validFrom": "2024-11-29T00:00:00"
  },
  "organizer": {
    "@type": "Organization",
    "name": "Your Store",
    "url": "https://www.yourstore.com"
  }
}

It’s listed as schema type recongised by Google, and it shows on SERPs

saleevent

Source

Business Audience Schema Example [2024]

On By DaveIn seoLeave a comment 


{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "WebPage",
  "mainEntity": {
    "@type": "BusinessAudience",
    "audienceType": "Consumers",
    "description": "Middle-class residents of the United Kingdom interested in purchasing t-shirts.",
    "geographicArea": {
      "@type": "AdministrativeArea",
      "name": "United Kingdom"
    },
    "hasOfferCatalog": {
      "@type": "OfferCatalog",
      "name": "T-Shirts",
      "itemListElement": [
        {
          "@type": "Offer",
          "itemOffered": {
            "@type": "Product",
            "name": "T-Shirt"
          }
        }
      ]
    },
    "additionalType": "https://schema.org/Commerce",
    "audience": {
      "@type": "Audience",
      "audienceType": "Middle-class",
      "description": "Individuals with average to above-average income levels"
    }
  }
}

Here’s business Audience schema for a B2B business:

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "BusinessAudience",
  "audienceType": "Business",
  "numberOfEmployees": {
    "@type": "QuantitativeValue",
    "minValue": 50,
    "maxValue": 500
  },
  "yearlyRevenue": {
    "@type": "QuantitativeValue",
    "minValue": 1000000,
    "maxValue": 10000000
  },
  "geographicArea": {
    "@type": "AdministrativeArea",
    "name": "United States"
  }
}

Implementing Redirects with Filezilla and MTPutty (On a sonasi server)

On By DaveIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

This is our inhouse protocol, it might differ in normal places…

Open FileZilla – connect to M2 server (magento 2, rather than our magento 1 server)

Click domains folder –

Select relevant domain

Select Rewrites

Right Click – Config folder and click View/Edit – Open in a text editor like Sublime

Add redirects in the following format:

#Note to say who did redirects on what date

rewrite ^/rwl-x-la-new-member-starter-pack.html$ /gym-equipment.html permanent;
rewrite ^/rwl-x-la-ultimate-starter-pack-intermediate.html$ /gym-equipment.html permanent;
rewrite ^/rwl-x-la-new-member-dumbbell-pack.html$ /gym-equipment.html permanent;

- Save the file

This will redirect the URL example.com/rwl-x-la-new-member-starter-pack.html to example.com/gym-equipment.html

and so on…the other 2 below will also redirect to gym-equipment.html

Open MTPUTTY

Connect to relevant server – in my case – server 3

type in “ntest” and check for any error messages

if ok – type in “nreload”

That should be it!

How to Buy a House in Italy for 1 Euro [step by step guide]

On By DaveIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Depopulation, has some potential benefits for property investors!

Buying a house in Italy for 1 euro is a great opportunity, promoted by several towns aiming to revive declining populations and renovate old properties.

Here’s a step-by-step guide tailored for a UK resident:

Step-by-Step Instructions:

Research and Choose a Town: Several Italian towns have offered homes for 1 euro. Each town has different terms and conditions. Here are some notable ones:

  • Sambuca di Sicilia
  • Ollolai, Sardinia
  • Mussomeli, Sicily
  • Bivona, Sicily
  • Laurenzana, Basilicata

    Visit the Official Websites: Each town usually has an official website or a dedicated page for the 1 euro house initiative. Here are some URLs:

      Understand the Conditions: Each town has specific conditions that buyers must meet, such as:

      • Committing to renovate the property within a specified timeframe (usually 3 years).
      • Paying a deposit (often around €5,000), which is refunded after renovations are completed.
      • Using local contractors for the renovation work.

        Contact the Municipality: Send an email or call the municipal office to express your interest and get detailed information.

          Plan a Visit: It’s highly recommended to visit the town and view the properties. Contact the municipality to arrange a visit.

            Prepare Your Documents:

            • Passport
            • Proof of income
            • Proof of funds for renovation

              Sign the Preliminary Agreement: During your visit, if you decide to proceed, you will sign a preliminary purchase agreement (compromesso).

                Open an Italian Bank Account: You will need an Italian bank account to handle transactions and utility payments. Many banks offer services in English.

                  Hire a Local Notary (Notaio): The notary will handle the legal aspects of the purchase, ensuring the property is free from debts and encumbrances.

                    Finalize the Purchase: After the preliminary agreement, you will sign the final deed (atto di vendita) before a notary. This completes the purchase.

                      Commence Renovation: Begin renovation work as per the conditions. Ensure you adhere to local building codes and regulations.

                        1. Enjoy Your New Home: Once renovations are complete, you can enjoy your new Italian home!

                        Useful Resources:

                        This is a general guide, so make sure to get detailed information from the specific municipality you’re interested in. Good luck with your house hunt in Italy!

                        eCommerce Structured Data

                        On By DaveIn seoLeave a comment

                        E-commerce Example for Structured Data Carousels

                        Below are step by step instructions

                        You will need:

                        • A “summary” or “Product Listings Page” with structured data
                        • Structured data on the product pages themselves

                        At the time of writing, this feature is only available in EU countries.

                        Step 1: Choose and Implement a Summary Page

                        Create a summary page that lists multiple products, each linking to a detailed product page.

                        For example, a category page that lists “Top 5 Winter Coats.”

                        Step 2: Add Required Properties to the Summary Page

                        Add the ItemList structured data to your summary page. Here’s an example in JSON-LD format:

                        <html>
  <head>
    <title>Top 5 Winter Coats</title>
    <script type="application/ld+json">
      {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "ItemList",
        "itemListElement": [
          {
            "@type": "ListItem",
            "position": 1,
            "item": {
              "@type": "Product",
              "name": "Puffy Coat Series by Goat Coat",
              "image": [
                "https://example.com/photos/1x1/photo.jpg",
                "https://example.com/photos/4x3/photo.jpg",
                "https://example.com/photos/16x9/photo.jpg"
              ],
              "offers": {
                "@type": "AggregateOffer",
                "lowPrice": 45.00,
                "highPrice": 60.00,
                "priceCurrency": "USD"
              },
              "aggregateRating": {
                "@type": "AggregateRating",
                "ratingValue": 4.9,
                "reviewCount": 50
              },
              "url": "https://www.example.com/puffy-coats"
            }
          },
          {
            "@type": "ListItem",
            "position": 2,
            "item": {
              "@type": "Product",
              "name": "Wool Coat Series by Best Coats Around",
              "image": [
                "https://example.com/photos/1x1/photo.jpg",
                "https://example.com/photos/4x3/photo.jpg",
                "https://example.com/photos/16x9/photo.jpg"
              ],
              "offers": {
                "@type": "AggregateOffer",
                "lowPrice": 189.00,
                "highPrice": 200.00,
                "priceCurrency": "USD"
              },
              "aggregateRating": {
                "@type": "AggregateRating",
                "ratingValue": 4.7,
                "reviewCount": 827
              },
              "url": "https://www.example.com/wool-coats"
            }
          },
          {
            "@type": "ListItem",
            "position": 3,
            "item": {
              "@type": "Product",
              "name": "Antarctic Coat by Cold Coats",
              "image": [
                "https://example.com/photos/1x1/photo.jpg",
                "https://example.com/photos/4x3/photo.jpg",
                "https://example.com/photos/16x9/photo.jpg"
              ],
              "offers": {
                "@type": "Offer",
                "price": 45.00,
                "priceCurrency": "USD"
              },
              "aggregateRating": {
                "@type": "AggregateRating",
                "ratingValue": 4.9,
                "reviewCount": 1290
              },
              "url": "https://www.example.com/antarctic-coat"
            }
          }
        ]
      }
    </script>
  </head>
  <body>
  </body>
</html>

                        Step 3: Validate Your Code

                        1. Rich Results Test: Validate your structured data using the Rich Results Test.
                        2. URL Inspection Tool: Use the URL Inspection tool in Google Search Console to ensure your page is accessible and not blocked by robots.txt or noindex tags.

                        Step 4: Deploy Your Page

                        1. Deploy your summary page and a few detail pages.
                        2. Use the URL Inspection tool to request indexing of your new pages.

                        Step 5: Submit a Sitemap

                        1. Create a sitemap including your summary and detail pages.
                        2. Submit the sitemap through Google Search Console to ensure Google knows about all your pages.

                        Step 6: Follow Guidelines

                        1. Ensure compliance with Search Essentials.
                        2. Adhere to general structured data guidelines and specific requirements for carousel rich results.

                        Example Detail Pages

                        Each product linked from the summary page should have its own detail page with structured data. For example:

                        <html>
  <head>
    <title>Puffy Coat Series by Goat Coat</title>
    <script type="application/ld+json">
      {
        "@context": "https://schema.org",
        "@type": "Product",
        "name": "Puffy Coat Series by Goat Coat",
        "image": [
          "https://example.com/photos/1x1/photo.jpg",
          "https://example.com/photos/4x3/photo.jpg",
          "https://example.com/photos/16x9/photo.jpg"
        ],
        "description": "A stylish and warm puffy coat perfect for winter.",
        "offers": {
          "@type": "Offer",
          "price": 45.00,
          "priceCurrency": "USD",
          "url": "https://www.example.com/puffy-coats"
        },
        "aggregateRating": {
          "@type": "AggregateRating",
          "ratingValue": 4.9,
          "reviewCount": 50
        }
      }
    </script>
  </head>
  <body>
  </body>
</html>

                        That should be it!



                        Deleting White Space from Excel Cells

                        On By DaveIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

                        I had to use the VBA method at the bottom to remove whitespace from a Screaming Frog custom extraction:

                        Method 1: TRIM Function

                        The TRIM function removes all spaces from text except for single spaces between words.

                        1. Suppose your text is in cell A1.
                        2. In another cell, enter the following formula:excelCopy code=TRIM(A1)

                        Method 2: CLEAN and SUBSTITUTE Functions

                        If there are non-breaking spaces (which TRIM doesn’t remove), you can use the SUBSTITUTE function to replace them with regular spaces first.

                        1. In a cell, enter the following formula:excelCopy code=SUBSTITUTE(A1, CHAR(160), " ") This replaces non-breaking spaces with regular spaces.
                        2. Then, apply the TRIM function:excelCopy code=TRIM(SUBSTITUTE(A1, CHAR(160), " "))

                        Method 3: Find and Replace

                        You can also use the Find and Replace feature to remove extra spaces:

                        1. Select the range of cells you want to clean.
                        2. Press Ctrl + H to open the Find and Replace dialog box.
                        3. In the “Find what” box, enter two spaces (press the space bar twice).
                        4. In the “Replace with” box, enter one space.
                        5. Click “Replace All.”
                        6. Repeat the process until no double spaces are found.
                        7. For leading and trailing spaces, you can remove them manually by replacing leading spaces with nothing and trailing spaces similarly.

                        Method 4: VBA Macro

                        For more advanced cleaning, you can use a VBA macro:

                        1. Press Alt + F11 to open the VBA editor.
                        2. Insert a new module by clicking Insert > Module.
                        3. Copy and paste the following code into the module:

                        Sub RemoveSpaces()
    Dim cell As Range
    For Each cell In Selection
        If cell.HasFormula = False Then
            cell.Value = Trim(WorksheetFunction.Clean(cell.Value))
        End If
    Next cell
End Sub

                        1. Close the VBA editor.
                        2. Select the range of cells you want to clean.
                        3. Press Alt + F8, select RemoveSpaces, and click Run.

                        By using these methods, you can efficiently remove unwanted whitespace from your cells in Excel.