The Beat | August 26, 2022
Google's new update and spam
Google has been making interesting updates over the last few months, huh? As we know, being at the top of the SERPs is vital for many businesses, and we are here to help you. From bugs in Google Analytics that are showing fake traffic on several websites (and messing up our metrics), to the search giant's updates to prioritize, once and for all, people — which completely ends purely tactical SEO designed to please algorithms. Ready for all that and much more? Let’s go to The Beat!
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If you, like me, have been doing SEO for more than 10 years, you probably have some memories of the “good ole days” when we could outsmart Google in order to rank first. Google was less sophisticated back then, but things are (more than ever) different now. While things are still changing, we are here to help you prepare and adapt your strategies — from SEO, digital accessibility, new generations, and much more.
Vitor Peçanha, co-founder of Rock Content.
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Article
Google launches Helpful Content update to show us that SEO is about people, not bots
By Ashley Rodriguez
Content Strategist
Google sent a message to professionals who still think SEO is about pure tactics: it is going to flag content made just for the benefit of search engines as low-quality. The giant launched Helpful Content Update this week with clear directions to think more about the user than Google itself. Although it sounds beautiful in theory, how is it going to work in practice? We explain all you need to know in this article, so you don’t don't run the risk of losing positions on SERP.
Article
Fake users on Google: website traffic inflated by Czechia and Seychelles spam visitors
By Antonio Tinoco
Digital Marketing Analyst
Have you ever seen an inexplicable increase in traffic on your blog overnight, almost too good to be true? Well, your suspicions may be right, and this traffic is actually spam and fake visits. This is happening to a lot of sites after Google’s last update — and it happened to us on Rock Content’s blog as well. Before it harms your numbers and analysis, we invite you to read a special piece opening our case. How we discovered this error and how to deal with it. It’s all in the full article.
WE WANT TO KNOW
Would you be able to identify if your website traffic contains spam and fake visitors?
Yes, using GA only
Yes, using GA and other platforms
Maybe, I’m not 100% sure
Not really
WE WANT TO KNOW
When we noticed an unexplained traffic spike on our blog, we were cautious. Before we celebrated, we went to investigate — and it took us a lot of analysis to find out the real problem. We shared all of our steps in the full article — so you can learn and understand what to do in case this happens to you.
Article
Customers abandon websites due to a lack of accessibility. Is your business losing money?
By Moema Vianna
Product Marketer
You might not know that, but 15% of the world’s population experience some type of disability (more than half of them abandon websites that are not prepared for them). So, here’s the ugly truth for businesses: if you’re not thinking about it, you’re not just impeding people from having free access to information and services on the internet, but are also losing money. Let’s discuss some practical tips to make your website more accessible — so you can do good for the world and your business.
98%
of digital platforms are not prepared for people with disabilities.
98%
of digital platforms are not prepared for people with disabilities.
According to a study conducted by WebAIM, the vast majority (98%) of websites and tools are designed without considering the different types of disabilities and end up offering a poor and incomplete experience for them. Do you want to be part of the 2% doing right? We explained how in the full article.
Article
To succeed on Twitch, brands need to focus on true experiences and authenticity, a report shows
By Diana Martins
SEO Planner
Twitch, Amazon’s streaming platform, had more than twice the time spent on YouTube Gaming Live and Facebook Gaming combined. The tool launched a study showing the preferences of its users (called “Generation Twitch”) not only on Twitch, but the behavior and expectation of this generation at all touch points with brands. We bring to you some tips to plan your Marketing efforts there. Check it out!
Column
Why every writer needs a dog
By Ryn G
Senior Copywriter at WriterAccess
Today we debut a new column on The Beat — straight from WriterAccess, the content marketplace recently acquired by Rock Content. Matching your Friday, get ready to laugh, reflect, and look at Content Marketing from a fun and light POV. In this first issue, we're going to talk about... dogs. Come read!
Column
Why every writer needs a dog
Today we debut a new column on The Beat — straight from WriterAccess, the content marketplace recently acquired by Rock Content. Matching your Friday, get ready to laugh, reflect, and look at Content Marketing from a fun and light POV. In this first issue, we're going to talk about... dogs. Come read!
Quote of the week
"I love creativity, I love really getting insightful about a consumer, and I love storytelling that makes you feel something."
Read Snap CMO's Kenny Mitchell for Marketing Week
Quote of the week
“While building, engaging, and retaining your own audience is the best strategy, it’s important to remember that content is at the core of great experiences”
Read Snap CMO's Kenny Mitchell for Marketing Week
All done!
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