A while back a reader replied to one of these newsletters to thank me for writing it, 'I love the TechSEO recap you send out.' As I read this, I realised that 'TechSEO Recap' is a much better name for this newsletter than the crappy one I came up with (it used to be called 'Sitebulb Monthly', which is about as generic and meaningless as it gets). All the best artists steal, right? So anyway, this is the debut edition of TechSEO Recap!
I've not sent a email for a minute, because we've been completely focused on getting Sitebulb v3.0 out the door.
I must make amends...
Recent Tech SEO Stuff We Love
How Google Search Ranking Works – Darwinism in Search
via @jasonmbarnard
I don't much like talk about 'ranking factors', particularly how it can feed into (poor) decision making. But it is a given that certain factors do affect rankings, and this post from Jason Barnard is a fascinating exploration into how Google considers different ranking factors working in combination to determine their rankings. It'll give you a much clearer understanding of how it all works, and crucially won't encourage you to say things like 'page speed is a ranking factor, so you must focus on that'.
Automated Intent Classification Using Deep Learning
via @hamletbatista
Please be warned: if you're not ready for it, this post will blow your head off. This is a comprehensive guide on building your own machine learning model to automate intent classification. Whilst it is pretty technical, committed readers should be able to follow along at home. Once you've done, that, you can follow up with Part 2 here!
Strap in.
Notes from the Gary Illes Q & A @ Bay Area Search Meetup
via @Kevin_Indig
We've featured plenty of stuff from Kevin Indig and AJ Kohn (the Q-er in the Q & A) in this newsletter in the past. This post is a write-up from Kevin of an interview AJ Kohn carried out, and it's fair to say they are two of my favourite SEOs (oh and Gary Illyes was there too). While there weren't any major revelations to come out of this Q & A, I think reading this stuff helps give you a much more well-rounded view about how things work.
Search in 2020: Technologies That Will Change SEO (Slideshare)
via @TomAnthonySEO
I normally can't be bothered with this sort of thing, because normally there's way too much futuristic bullshit that has no grounding in reality. Tom's presentation is not like that at all, and in fact highlights a range of important issues that pretty much WILL have an impact in 2020, a welcome change.
Other Stuff You Should Check Out
- Testing redirects before and after a website migration
When you're doing a website migration, sorting out your redirects should be near the top of your 'getting your shit together' list. Here's how to do it properly.
- An SEOs guide to taxonomies
Yes, I get it, taxonomy sounds kinda boring. And it is a bit. But it's super important for site architecture, so deal with it.
- Does disavowing links work in 2019? Here are some case studies
Do crappy link still hurt you these days? Should you still disavow? Marie Haynes investigates...
- Google claims its quantum computer can do the impossible in 200 seconds
I mean, if this doesn't get you going, you're probably in the wrong industry. Maybe retrain as a postman or something? I guess we'd better get Sitebulb v4.0 optimized for quantum...
