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In this episode, we discuss the Page Experience signal coming to desktop, SEMrush sensor at an all time high, May algorithm turbulence, KELM, highlights from Google I/O, and lots more!

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The following topics are covered in the premium version of this episode:

• What we know about the latest May turbulence in Google’s algorithms
• Is the May 22, 2021 update connected to knowledge graph updates?
• Google AI blog announced KELM (a method for reducing bias and improving factual accuracy)
• A highlight reel of Google I/O tidbits
• Google talks LaMDA: their breakthrough conversation technology
• ‘About This Result’ available worldwide for English-language searches later this month
• Google sheds light on their Shopping Graph and expanding their partnership with Shopify
• Does Google count links pointing to noindexed URLs?
• You don’t need all three core web vitals scores to be high in order to get a ranking boost
• Martin Splitt discusses the Page Experience signal
• Creating unrelated content to build links is a “wasted opportunity” says Google
• Google plans to support two types of structured data for video
• Content readability tip
• It can take this long for Google to pick up quality improvements
• Sites with duplicate or near-duplicate content must have plenty of substantial value
• How do URL migrations impact core web vitals?
• Ahrefs has revamped their organic graphs to incorporate seasonality
• Google is testing a way to follow websites in Chrome
• Check out this landing page inspiration
• Learn about the DOM Event system through exploration
• Automatically map site search keywords to pages
• A new keyword tool has launched
• Our tl;dr summary of some awesome recent SEO articles

⎋ SUBSCRIBE NOW

SEMrush’s sensor detect the highest SERP volatility of the month

Many SEOs have tweeted about seeing major SERP turbulence over the past little while.

As you may have read in last week’s episode, we’ve marked May 13 and May 15 as dates of significance in our algorithm update list. We’ve seen quite a few “mini-updates” this year but it looks as if May 22 may be more significant than others in the past. 

According to SEMrush, this user is seeing “constant and massive tremors on Google search results, suggesting a significant algorithm update”. If you haven’t already, it might be time to check your rankings. 

Month highest SERP result fluctuation.@rustybrick @JohnMu @Marie_Haynes @lilyraynyc @bill_slawski @NicholaStott @searchmartin @joehall @ChouinardJC @jessthebp @AlanBleiweiss @clorinda__ @glenngabe pic.twitter.com/fmP7LswQUp

— Shashi (@shashiranjan307) May 22, 2021

In the next section we’ll dig into what we have seen so far in regards to the latest turbulence in the SERPs.

The state of disavowing in 2021

If you haven’t yet had the chance to read through Marie’s article on disavowing, we highly recommend it. There are great case studies of MHC clients who filed a disavow, the changes they saw and our personal recommendations. Disavowing is a hot topic, so if you want to stay up to date with SEO opinion, it’s a worthwhile read. 

The Page Experience signal is coming to desktop

Although Google is currently focusing on Page Experience for mobile devices, the feature is also soon coming to desktop. In the most recent “Session” video, Jeffrey Jose and Naina Raisinghani discuss the importance of Page Experience for users and webmasters.

🥳🎉 Page experience is important on all types of surfaces. While we're starting with mobile in mid-June, page experience ranking is coming to desktop as well!https://t.co/lPCwzijAQ9 pic.twitter.com/AYsParLAp0

— Jeffrey Jose (@jeffjose) May 18, 2021

MUM is not live yet

In last week’s episode, we discussed MUM, yet another advancement Google can use in understanding the complexities of language. We had wondered whether some of the latest algo turbulence we had seen was connected to MUM, but this does not appear to be the case.

Danny Sullivan clarified via the Google Search Liaison account that MUM was not yet live. It sounds like Google will inform us when MUM does indeed go live.

Meet MUM — Multitask Unified Model — new technology Google is exploring internally to better understand language & make it easier to get helpful responses to complex Search needs. MUM isn’t live yet, but you can read about how we're developing it: https://t.co/Pidzk2fTmX pic.twitter.com/z5wFNz1Xa7

— Google SearchLiaison (@searchliaison) May 18, 2021

https://twitter.com/dannysullivan/status/1395390214185566208?s=20

Faking E-A-T likely won’t suffice

One of the common tactics to increase Google’s perception of a site’s E-A-T is to add “reviewed by expert” on niche related content (medical, financial, etc). However, as Lily Ray points out, adding a “reviewed by expert” line to your content without actually reviewing it and/or adding truly expert opinions to it won’t be enough to fool Google. 

Best practices suggest that your content be fully reviewed by an expert and that, whenever possible, webmasters and content creators should provide direct links to profile hubs of authors. Ideally, you want to signal to Google that your content has been reviewed (and updated, if it needed to) by a high authority in the field. 

I agree with Lily. I do think it helps to have medical content reviewed by experts…but faking it likely won't do much.

I believe Google can tell in many cases when information is expert written and aligns with expert consensus vs. written by a layperson. https://t.co/uKQKxZYu29

— Marie Haynes (@Marie_Haynes) May 19, 2021

How to build momentum on blog posts that are new and are underperforming

We shared one of Chima’s threads recently, and she didn’t stop there. Here’s another great thread on how to improve your blog posts. Some of the tips include looking at your content compared to competitors, find your competitive edge and make sure your content stands out, either have the authority to write about certain topics, or source those that do. Such excellent points Chima! 

What should you do if a blog post you’ve published doesn’t rank within two months?

👇

I say two months because that’s how long I like to wait before tracking anything.

— chima mmeje🏳️‍🌈 (@chimammeje) May 20, 2021

Possible bug reported in Google Maps

This is a minor item but for those of you who experienced a ‘location distance’ on your service area business’ (SAB) local listing, this is a suspected bug.

ICYMI: A bug where Google Maps was showing distances to service area businesses? https://t.co/jzHRSTc1Xw pic.twitter.com/xOEE7sEAOR

— Barry Schwartz (@rustybrick) May 21, 2021

Importance of value in site audits (sponsored)

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The comprehensive explanations of SEO issues are written in clear, client-friendly language that can literally be copy/pasted into your website audit.

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If you’d like to give Sitebulb a try for free, you can get a special, extended trial licence with ‘Search News You Can Use’. Just go to: Sitebulb.com/SearchNews

11 Reasons Why Your Organic Traffic Has Dropped – Nikki Halliwell
https://www.nikkihalliwell.com/blog/reasons-why-your-organic-traffic-has-dropped/
May 22, 2021

“Why did our organic rankings drop” and “where did our organic traffic go?”… We hear it all the time. If you find yourself in this boat, Nikki Halliwell created a great troubleshooting list with possible reasons as to why you may have experienced a drop.

Google Ditches AMP Badge In Search; Will It Matter? [Survey] – Lily Ray
https://www.searchenginejournal.com/google-retires-amp-icon-survey/406770/
May 21, 2021

This article is a really great summary of what’s to come in the next couple of months regarding Google’s upcoming Page Experience Update and the announcement that AMP will no longer be required to rank within the Top Stories carousel on mobile devices.

We're hiring!

Would you like to work for Folksy? We're looking for a Head of Ecommerce and Operations to help us super-power makers and grow Folksy.

Find all the details and how to apply here – https://t.co/bECWhydBGb pic.twitter.com/xy3EgtUhXC

— folksy (@folksy) May 14, 2021

We're looking for a new SEO analyst! Someone who is interested in just learning and growing. Come work with meeeeeeeee https://t.co/xBp7jKpxD0

— Amanda Jordan 🐊 (@amandatjordan) May 24, 2021

Hi Canadians 🇨🇦.

This looks like a great job doing really impactful work @casestudybuddy : https://t.co/rbUud1jYbx

Working with @JoelKlettke – from whom I expect you would learn a ton.

— Will Critchlow (@willcritchlow) May 21, 2021

SEJ is hiring a full time content writer – with benefits. Obviously remote 🤗

If you know anyone, please pass it on. If you’re interested in the role, please apply 🙂https://t.co/hR6plkrBzr

— lorenbaker (@lorenbaker) May 25, 2021

SEO, Analyst and Sr. Analyst @ Three Ships (Raleigh, NC)

Looking to jump-start or accelerate your career in SEO? Three Ships are building a world-class team of SEO experts. Help them build amazing companies aimed to enrich people’s lives through great content, unique value proposition, and best-in-class products. They’re looking for individuals willing to figure things out alongside them, thrive in an entrepreneurial environment, and ultimately interested in crushing it in the industries they play in today!

Visit their LinkedIn job posting for more!

Premium members also get the following:

It’s well worth the $18 per month. Want to see a sample premium newsletter episode? View it here.

The following topics are covered in the premium version of this episode:

• What we know about the latest May turbulence in Google’s algorithms
• Is the May 22, 2021 update connected to knowledge graph updates?
• Google AI blog announced KELM (a method for reducing bias and improving factual accuracy)
• A highlight reel of Google I/O tidbits
• Google talks LaMDA: their breakthrough conversation technology
• ‘About This Result’ available worldwide for English-language searches later this month
• Google sheds light on their Shopping Graph and expanding their partnership with Shopify
• Does Google count links pointing to noindexed URLs?
• You don’t need all three core web vitals scores to be high in order to get a ranking boost
• Martin Splitt discusses the Page Experience signal
• Creating unrelated content to build links is a “wasted opportunity” says Google
• Google plans to support two types of structured data for video
• Content readability tip
• It can take this long for Google to pick up quality improvements
• Sites with duplicate or near-duplicate content must have plenty of substantial value
• How do URL migrations impact core web vitals?
• Ahrefs has revamped their organic graphs to incorporate seasonality
• Google is testing a way to follow websites in Chrome
• Check out this landing page inspiration
• Learn about the DOM Event system through exploration
• Automatically map site search keywords to pages
• A new keyword tool has launched
• Our tl;dr summary of some awesome recent SEO articles

⎋ SUBSCRIBE NOW

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https://twitter.com/AndrewDoesSEO/status/1232965103441629184?s=20