Zero search results, SEO copywriters and image rankings: What we read this week (6/12)
12. June 2020Without further ado, here is what the News Dashboard team read this week.
Zero search results? Don’t fret, learn
Some users of your website may forgo browsing the latest headlines in favor of jumping directly to the “search” bar often present near the top. Their assumption is that your site has the content they’re looking for and they’d rather skip right to it.
But what if their search nets zero results?
Joost de Valk, founder of Yoast, wrote a great guide on how zero search results can actually be really insightful, assuming your site tracks the search terms being entered.
For the SEOs who are reluctant copywriters
The first lesson in SEO is: a search engine likes content it thinks users will like. But, for some folks, creating that content is often more difficult than researching keywords or editing page titles to be more competitive.
Distilled.net lists five tools that could assist any SEO in writing. We’ve used Grammarly and Hemingway in the past and found them useful during especially tight deadlines.
One other tool that’s mentioned isn’t copy-based, but it’s useful nonetheless: alsoasked.com. This tool takes keywords and spits out questions users ask related to it. It could be useful in making content trees to serve your audience.
Ask Google Webmasters: Image rankings
The Internet is now more visual than it’s ever been, and so is the news. It’s reasonable to put a lot of effort into optimizing headlines and meta descriptions, after all people enjoy reading the news.
But what about all the great photos coming from photojournalists?
John Mueller, from Google Webmasters, has a few tips in this video.
Below you’ll find a best-practices guide on images from Google.
What the heck is “Cumulative Layout Shift?”
A couple of weeks ago Google announced it is considering new metrics when ranking pages on search. You can read the announcement here. The big takeaway is Google plans on taking a closer look at “the quality of a user’s experience on a web page.”
So, these changes are focused on experience rather than content. Cool.
One metric Google could consider as a ranking factor is Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS). This is a term for when elements on a web page shift while it’s downloading. These shifts are caused by images, buttons, videos and other kids of content, including ads.
Search Engine Journal has a good overview of CLS and why it happens. It’s worth checking out just in case.
Global Digital Excellence Awards shortlists News Dashboard
On Friday, June 12 the Global Digital Excellence Awards revealed its shortlist for award recipients across multiple categories.
The News Dashboard was one of six tools listed for recognition in the Global Search Software Tool category.
Winners will be announced during a live stream on June 23.
The Global Digital Excellence Awards celebrates exceptional digital campaigns and businesses across the globe.
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Read more
How Yahoo News ranks on the Google SERPs, Google News
Changes coming to ‘page experience,’ ONA updates and SEO stat trivia: What we read this week (5/29)
Google core updates, a Google podcast and Search Console tips: What we read this week (5/22)