This last month was a whirlwind of activity in the SEO world. The March 2019 Core Update, aptly named by Google itself (that must have taken some serious creative juices to come up with) had everyone blogging with a vengeance and combing analytics for hours on end. Some websites won and others lost, but one thing is for sure: SEO agencies like ours have plenty of analyses to keep us busy as we head into April. Thanks, Googs!

DIY SEO

Here’s a look at some of the top articles on the update and the riveting SEO world in general.

Our Favorite Update Articles:

Google Update 2019: Winners and Losers of the March 2019 Core Update

By Jan Grundmann, SearchMetrics

Let’s be honest, there is something inherently satisfying about a massive list of winners and losers. It’s human nature to want to scour the data and see if we know any of the sites that bit the dust or happened to win big (what’s going on in Kansas?). Thank you SearchMetrics for supplying us with this guilty pleasure we didn’t know we needed.

Image source: SearchMetrics.com

 

The March 12, 2019 Google Core Algorithm Update – A Softer Side Of Medic, Trust And The Link Graph, Quality Still Matters, And The Importance of the “Kitchen Sink”

By Glenn Gabe, GSQi

Long form, lots of visuals, debunking myths, and a John Mueller video – what’s not to love? The idea that Google is tinkering with trust via the link graph is an interesting one that could indicate a lot more changes that are coming our way. GSQi takes the list of winners and losers a bit further by actually diving into a few specific examples. Seeing the impact of Medic and this update along with the actions they took in between, is pretty insightful.

Image Source: CSQi

Google on the March 2019 core update: This is not the biggest update we’ve released

By Barry Schwartz, SearchEngineLand

With direct quotes from Google representatives, this is a must-see update article. Even though most of the quotes are scripted and vague, there are a few good nuggets included, especially around the updates’ connection to neural matching.

Non-Update Related SEO Articles (is that even a thing?)

Four ways to improve your SEO with podcasts

By Ester Brierley, Innovation Enterprise

The cheeky stat “there are more podcast listeners than Catholics” won me over right away. As the convenience (and much-appreciated screen break) of podcasts becomes even more apparent, the need for SEOs to benefit from it does as well. We are always looking for the next search marketing loophole, and Innovation Enterprise does a great job of piquing our interest while giving us a few simple, but actionable tips.

SEO Content: The Complete Guide for 2019

By Brian Dean, Backlinko

Brian Dean is a favorite when it comes to giving actionable SEO tips. He doesn’t just give a vague explanation of what you could potentially do and then send you on a treasure hunt to figure it out. He actually lays it all out in an easily digestible format with short sentences, clear structure and lots of pictures. Everyone loves pictures.

Image Source: Backlinko

SEO for Beginners: A Step-By-Step Guide to 200% More Traffic

By Noah Kagan, OKDork

While it may not provide the most advanced SEO tactics in the world, this article does help a specific demographic: the SEO newb. It’s easy for us to forget that SEO is another language for anyone who isn’t immersed in the digital marketing world. Try explaining what your do for work to your friends and you’ll quickly see what I mean. OKDork does a nice job of breaking it down into layman’s terms while still giving some solid advice.

Image Source: OKDork

Should You Repost Your Blog Content on Other Websites? A Data-Driven Answer

By Neil Patel, QuickSprout

WHY ARE PEOPLE STILL DOING THIS!? Sorry, I just had to get that out of my system. I have been wracking my brain lately trying to figure out why sites are still posting duplicate content. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to recommend some content to a blog or resource site just to notice they copy and paste articles from other sites with no rel=canonical tag. Panda came out in 2011! Thank you QuickSprout for breaking it down and explaining why this is such a bad move.

Tips for SEO Across the Pond

What Does Article 11 or “The Link Tax” Mean for SEO in the EU

By Daniel Russel, GoFish Digital

Yikes! Is this the future of SEO? The EU just passed “The Link Tax” which could have vast repercussions for the SEO world. It’s still unclear just how severely this will affect us, but one thing is for sure – this is going to get messy.

Now that we’ve all survived the global shake-up that was March 2019, it’s time to put our heads down and get back to it. Hopefully, April will be a little more even-keeled.


Good luck!