Tripp Hamilton (he/him)

Excellent read if you work in SEO. New research that compares the US vs. EU for Google searches, the rollout impact of AI overviews, zero-click searches & much more. -> 2024 Zero-Click Search Study: US vs. EU by @randfish via @sparktoro sparktoro.com/blog/2024-zero…

Google's search results are looking more like an online store – with a new side panel filter that shows by default. Here's five SEO tips for on-SERP browsing in 2024: 1/ Ensuring valid merchant listings This is a very important new development for eCommerce stores. If your merchant listings aren't valid (can check this in GSC), then you might not be eligible to rank within features such as Popular Product grids or Product Knowledge Panels, which can send a ton of qualified traffic. Tip: using AggregateOffer within Product Structured Data is an aspect that can result in exclusion from these features. So if a high portion of your product URLs aren't eligible, then make sure that Offer is used instead. 2/ Maintain a high Seller Rating This is another big opportunity, and goes well beyond just SEO. I've been a strong advocate of maintaining Seller Ratings for some time now due to the increased use of the rating system in search results. In particular, the Seller Rating makes your free product listings standout within the Shopping tab, along with more recently within organic listings themselves. 3/ Image indexing & multi-image thumbnails If you have a product or category page ranking highly on Google, but images are never showing as the preview, then you've likely got a problem. I've written about this extensively in the past (see my blog), with the ability to have multi-image thumbnails appearing for category pages providing a nice boost to CTR for core pages. 4/ Effective shipping/returns policies Again an aspect that goes well beyond SEO, with both attributes increasingly being used within web page snippets. This can again have an impact on CTR for your pages, with the data being used site-wide in many instances, so make sure your shipping and returns policies are competitive and are reflected on your pages. Tip: ensuring this data appears for your site can be as easy as altering your settings within Merchant Center. Within GSC, you will have warnings appear under the merchant listings report if using this method (instead of Structured Data), but that is completely fine and can be ignored. 5/ Engaging favicon & Site Name representation With favicons now being displayed on all devices for sites, it's important that the image being used is within Google's specifications (otherwise it will show as a blank globe) and is engaging for users. The Site Name is another that is good to keep in check with respect with WebSite Structured Data, as I often come across domains that are misrepresenting their site due to incorrect usage. While the new filter currently only shows by default in the US for the moment, you can bet that Google will continue to invest in this functionality to compete with the likes of Amazon. I hope you found these five SEO tips helpful in making the most of increased activity on Google over this holiday season and throughout 2024. #seo #searchengineoptimization #google

SEO Tip: want to make your eCommerce website stand out more in Google's search results? Make sure to pay attention to the Merchant Listings report in Google Search Console, with two new items in particular having a big influence. The report allows you to monitor whether Google is able to pick up on both your returns policy and shipping details for pages. This data can then be reflected almost site-wide (for both product and category pages) in addition to stock availability, pricing, reviews stars, and more. In my experience, Google can pick up on this data through making it available either in your Structured Data or through your Merchant Center settings. It is however important to note that if your settings are correct in Merchant Center for each, Google Search Console will continue to show each as warnings (if the Structured Data isn’t also reflected). So if your settings are correct, you can ignore the warnings in GSC. When working with clients in the eCommerce space, I regularly find that they are not making use of this new enhancement for their pages. So make sure to check! At the moment, the enhancement is only available in the US, but Google has said that they are looking to expand its coverage in the near future. #seo #searchengineoptimization #google