Google Shares Ecommerce Best Practices
SEOForLunch issue #248 includes updates from Google on eCommerce best practices, Internet Explorer 11, and URL case sensitivity.
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Hi Lunch Buddies!
Another weekend is officially in the books. Unfortunately for me this also includes another Minnesota Vikings loss. Other than that no complaints and looking forward to starting off this week strong.
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Let’s jump into this week’s #SEOForLunch
-Nick
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Search Engine Updates
Article:
Google To End Internet Explorer 11 Support
What's Important:
Google recently announced that it will end its support for I.E. 11. The search engine plans on displaying a less enhanced search result for current and future I.E. 11 users.
Nick's Take:
My first “big boy” job, 10+ years ago included the task of testing websites developed by the company in IE 11. It was a huge pain to fix then and the use of I.E. 11 has only decreased since. I think this makes a lot of sense for everyone.
Video:
Are URLS case sensitive?
What's Important:
Google’s John Mueller discusses URL case sensitivity and how it impacts search engines. In many instances, Google can determine the canonical version but it’s not efficient and better for the webmaster to determine the canonical version.
Nick's Take:
Most SEOs completing a technical audit will have case-sensitive URLs high up in their auditing “to-do” list. It’s a good practice to be consistent in your URL casing in addition to www/non-www and trailing/non-trailing slashes.
Article:
Best practices for ecommerce in Google Search
What's Important:
Google recently published a new section for ecommerce in its “Advanced SEO” section within Google Search Central. The content covers ecommerce specific search results, product data, structured data, launching shopping sites, and designing URL structure.
Nick's Take:
eCommerce sites can cause quite an issue for search engines if not created and optimized properly. In addition to all of the content Google published, I also highly recommend that you be do your research on faceted navigation.
Top SEO Resources From Last Week
WhiteSpark Local Search Summit Days 1-2-3 Recaps
Written by Jessie Low, White Spark
If you missed the Local Search Summit last week then you are in luck. Jessie recapped each day and you can still watch the videos available on the Whitespark site. day 1 - day 2 - day 3
Best Local Landing Pages: A Blueprint
Written by Carrie Hill, BrightLocal
Wanting to rank for keywords such as “service + geography” keywords? This post from Carrie walks you through all the best practices. Short on time? Go right to the myth-busting section that even the most “advanced” SEOs might learn something.
The crucial role clients play in Digital PR and link building
Written by Dan Bermingham-Shaw, Builtvisible
Each month I meet up with a local SEO agency to help ideate and address issues they are having. In our most recent meeting, we came to the conclusion that one of the biggest factors for SEO success (for them) was the involvement of their clients.
This article by Dan explains exactly how you can build a support system (through your clients) to level up your digital efforts.
The Beautiful Marriage of SEO and Data Science
Article by Adam Audette, Blend360
Are you forcing an SEO narrative down your client’s throats? Imagine in a world of “it-depends” using concrete data to tell your SEO story? Adam walks us through how SEOs can leverage data science to create a much better channel narrative.
How to Use Structured Data to Support E-A-T
Written by Lily Ray, Search Engine Journal
We know Google places value on expertise, authority, and trust or E-A-T. What exactly makes up E-A-T is a bit more complicated. Lily discusses using structured data to help establish entities and which properties you should be using too.
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