We continue our EDGE Tool Series with Ryan Jones, Marketing at SEOTesting.com. This is a fantastic tool for A/B testing for your SEO efforts.

We discuss Ryan’s nearly decade-long tenure in digital marketing and his journey from apprenticeship to SEO expert. From embedding YouTube videos to boost blog traffic to meticulously controlled SEO experiments, Ryan shares strategies that have seen dramatic successes—and some surprising setbacks.

Ryan underscores the value of using Google Search Console data to annotate changes and validate SEO modifications. Discover the significance of establishing a traffic baseline to effectively measure the impact of your tests and the balance needed between SEO, CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization), and user experience for optimal site performance.

Plus, learn why split testing is the gold standard and how to achieve statistical significance on low-traffic pages.

Don't miss out as we drive home the science behind controlled SEO experiments and the crucial role of post-test analysis

Key Segments:

[00:03:48]  Introduction to Ryan Jones

[00:09:42] How does SEO Testing Differ from Traditional SEO Practices?

[00:10:36]  SEO Testing Has Evolved

[00:11:35]  The Scientific Methodology of SEO Testing

[00:12:39]  Key Elements of a Controlled SEO Experiment

[00:15:06] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics

[00:17:52] Mitigation External Factors in SEO Testing

[00:19:23]  How to Determine Appropriate Duration of a Test

[00:22:09]  Time-based and Split Testing are Key SEO Methods

[00:25:24] EDGE of The Web Sponsor: Wix Studio

[00:30:05]   Inventory of the Site Being Tested: The Fingerprint

[00:35:01]  Offer for our EDGE Listeners

Thanks to Our Sponsors!

Site Strategics: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/site

Wix: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/wixstudio

Follow Our Guest

Twitter: https://x.com/ryanjonesseo

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-g-jones/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIpsmfzYkmDF_zOXtHDyqpQ

Resources

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Mark Williams-Cook continues on the EDGE with the last show of 2024 - discussing his recent findings of a Google bug exploit that shows us a HUGE insight into ranking factors. Learning from the endpoints that send data to micro-services that influence features on Google, Mark was able to discover a way to modify the requests that output JSON data. From that - they saw a slew of “properties  that Google was collecting from their ranking systems and query classifiers as to certain scores they were giving websites.” Yup - that’s bigger than the DOJ Google leaks earlier this year, folks! At the end of the day, it’s a consensus score. Are we in alignment?

Learn about AlsoAsked.com, the software that Mark has been building for the last few years. We’re huge fans of what this tool can be used for:

Mark dissects the importance of understanding SERP dynamics beyond just the "10 blue links." He emphasizes the need to delve deeper into "People Also Ask" panels to gain insights into user intent and search behavior.

AlsoAsked.com not only offers a visual map of intent but also supports both synchronous and asynchronous API requests. This functionality allows programmatic querying of PAA data, essential for responding to real-time changes in user queries and optimizing content planning effectively.

A huge tool - and a huge insight into Google’s consensus data analysis of a site. Great lessons learned from this last show of 2024. Dig in!

[00:03:39] Introduction to Mark Williams-Cook

 [00:05:02] Mark Reported a Google Exploit - a Big One

[00:10:11] Metrics Called “Site Quality” from Google

[00:14:43] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics

[00:18:29] It’s About Consensus Factors

[00:23:38]  AlsoAsked.com: Understanding the Most Important Feature on the SERP

[00:25:00]  The Intent Research Tool

[00:31:04] Screenshare of the Tool: Check out our YouTube video

[00:35:58]  A Slice in Time isn't Enough

[00:36:18] EDGE of The Web Sponsor: Wix Studio

[00:39:11] Using it with Screaming Frog & ChatGPT - an SEO Superpower

[00:42:17] A Recent Challenge from John Mueller & Mark’s Response

[00:46:14] It’s Not About Repeating Answers, It's About NEW Answers

Thanks to Our Sponsors!

Site Strategics: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/site

Wix: http://edgeofthewebradio.com/wixstudio

Follow Our Guest

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/markwilliamscook.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markseo/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@candouragency

Our LAST News show of the year! Thanks to all of our listeners for making this year another successful year for EDGE of the Web! Let us know your thoughts of the show at https://ratethispodcast.com/EDGE

Stories! “As the WordPress Turns” (you gotta check out the YouTube on this one). The Mullenweg Meltdown continues. Musk wants to bring a challenge to GMail, DM style. A huge exploit documented by friend of the show, Mark Williams-Cook. Please check out our second episode of our interview with Mark, as we dive into this insight into additional ranking signals from Google.

Some AI news, AI-powered reporting at Google Ads as well as Gemini 2.0 coming to Search.

A fleet of articles from Barry - always check out Search Engine Roundtable to catch up with his daily postings.

Thanks again to our wonderful audience! We wish you a very, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! We’ll see you on the flip side!

Best,

EDGE of the Web Team

News from the EDGE:

[00:03:16] Elon Musk Is Gearing Up to Challenge Gmail with His Own Email Service

[00:06:50] (As the WordPress Turns) Mullenweg Outraged as WP Engine is Allowed to Regain Access

[00:10:43] EDGE of the Web Title Sponsor: Site Strategics

[00:11:53] Exploit Unveils Google's Content Ranking Secrets

AI News:

[00:15:26] Google Ads Tests AI-Powered Reporting Tool

[00:17:24] Google Gemini 2.0 coming to Search and AI Overviews

AI Tools:

[00:18:48] Google Whisk

[00:20:10] EDGE of the Web Sponsor: InLinks

Barry Blast from Search Engine Roundtable:

[00:21:31] Google Business Profile Emails Asking To Add Social Profiles

[00:23:55] Google To Have More Core Updates, More Often

[00:27:16] Google December 2024 Core Update Landed & It's Big

Thanks to our sponsors!

Site Strategics https://edgeofthewebradio.com/site

Inlinks https://edgeofthewebradio.com/inlinks

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