Rank Ranger Blog

A plague of Google bugs has reached biblical proportions, the mobile SERP now contains favicons, & ads have hit the Discovery Feed! It's been a peculiar month in what has been a peculiar year thus far on the Google SERP. We're talking a barrage of announcements, a few bugs, and a whole heap of changes to the SERP that throw tradition out of the window!

Plus, even though we're covering May... let's touch on the June 2019 Core Update as well!

Big time guest this week as we welcome Stoney deGeyter who shares his wisdom on the right language for the right UX:

• Creating language to deal with Google’s multiple intent targeting 
• The right language for the right UX for both traditional AND voice search
• The role of UX within Google’s algorithm

Plus, we breakdown the mobile’s SERP’s new design… Are organic result favicons really a win for sites?

How do we relate to search?

It's really a simple question: What preconceived and latent notions do we hold in regards to search? Of course, how we answer this question will also determine how we view the searcher and what we conceive they are doing when they search for something on Google. Now you can see why this little, perhaps out of place question, has far-reaching consequences.

And away we go.

The great SEO experimenter and innovator Dan Petrovic hits the airwaves with us to explore the deep dark depths of Google’s algorithm:

• Is there something new brewing within Google’s algorithm?
• Are Google’s confirmed updates a red herring that distract us from even bigger algorithmic changes?
• What’s the best way to approach a Google update?

Plus, we look at rank stability trends over the past few years to see if maybe there is something deeper to Google’s recent "quiet” period!

Rank tracking is one of the most basic elements of SEO performance monitoring and reporting. Yet, as much as we've talked about how the world of SEO has evolved into what it is today, we still think of rank tracking as well... rank tracking. However, if SEO has moved past a linear look at "the keyword" then why do we still undertake a monolithic approach to rank tracking?

That's why I'm going to show how the situation on the Google SERP has changed and why it means a new approach to rank tracking is needed!

We have an amazing show for you! Content all-star Kameron Jenkins comes on to talk about the ever-versatile full stack content writer.

• The advantages of having a content generalist over a content specialist
• How to find balance when writing any and all forms of content
• How content marketers can compensate for a lack of topical knowledge

Plus, we analyze the implications of the announcements made at Google I/O 2019 and Google Marketing Live!

The conception of a pay to play Google My Business (GMB) recently hit DEFCON 1. While many in the industry have considered the notion of Google asking small businesses to open up their wallets to be inevitable for some time now, recent developments have blown the conversation wide open. As an uncovered Google survey clearly implies, monetization of Google's local business listings could very well be on its way!

Take a look back at how a heck of a lot of Google's updates to local features over the past year (or so) all point towards GMB monetization!

We speak to link building maven Garrett French all about local link campaigns:

• How to target a local site for link outreach
• Making even the blandest local business a linkable proposition
• Making sure your local link campaigns are diverse and location appropriate

Plus, we take a look at the development of Google’s Topic Layer in the Knowledge Panel

Another month has come and gone and in some respects, the Google SERP is not what it once was. As April becomes a distant memory, the SERP is now a far more visual place with multiple search features showing display level increases. AMP also eked its way back into the news throughout April with a motley collection of announcements & updates. Of course, there were various spikes in rank fluctuations and a myriad of changes to a plethora of SERP features!

Ready to jump into the thick of it all?!

In this episode we talk to Jeannie Hill, the founder of Hill Web Creations all about intent & how it shapes the consumer's search journey:

• The role of intent in the consumer's path towards conversion
• Addressing consumer bias as part of the intent equation
• The advantage of targeting intent gaps

Plus, we discuss the possibility of Google heavily monetizing Google My Business.

I'm on the hunt for user intent insights in 2019. I've resolved to make this year about going deep into intent and how Google handles it. Instead of getting into the finer points of user intent and Google's proficiency in meeting it on multiple levels, I'm going to showcase where it doesn't work. Meaning, while I generally think Google's increased ability to parse user intent and pick it apart is a fantastic step forward, it does not work universally. As Google offers users results that would satisfy any number of intents the search engine is going to increasingly be faced with the issue of not meeting any of them adequately. Allow me to demonstrate.

Joining us is Zack Bedingfield of CallRail who shares his wisdom on all things automation inside of Google Ads:

• What should you automate in your Google Ads campaigns? What shouldn’t you?
• What automation works best for what Where is the future of Google Ads automation heading!

Plus, we talk about the long term impact of Featured Snippets on your site’s traffic.