Category: Search Engine Optimization

Have you noticed any changes in your site’s search rankings since the March Google Algorithm Update? SEO experts detected significant tremors in mid-March, indicating another large-scale algorithm update by Google. The search giant confirmed the update’s completion on March 28, leaving website owners and SEO professionals to assess its impact on their online visibility.

As with any significant core algorithm update, the details – and the effects – haven’t been immediately evident.  Generally, experts have indicated that this was a broad update, targeting all types of content rather than focusing on one particular area.  Additionally, it’s believed that this update wasn’t necessarily a penalty but instead a promotion or reward for great web pages.

So, we dove into data from our Keyword Tracking Tool to answer the question: how did Carrot sites fare?

First, a little about the data…

Carrot’s Keyword Tracking tool has enabled thousands of our customers to track tens of thousands of keywords, resulting in a vast reservoir of SEO data that is one of the most comprehensive in the real estate industry.  We can aggregate this data and paint a picture of what happened on our network before, during, and after these large-scale Google algorithm updates.  This data lets us keep our finger on the pulse regarding what it takes to win with SEO in the real estate industry. 

That said, this data represents precisely that – aggregate changes.  It’s important to monitor your own sites to see how algorithm updates impact the pages and search phrases you care about most.  

Overall, a positive update for Carrot sites.  Less volatility.  More upside.

We wanted to look specifically at how Top 10 Rankings fared during and after this update finished rolling out.  Of all URL/keyword combinations tracked through our Keyword Tracking Tool, a little over 40% sit in the Top 10 of Google Search Results. That’s a lot of first-page real estate being claimed by Carrot members!

And overall, there were more Top 10 Rankings following this update than there were prior to it. In other words, following Google’s algorithm update, even more of that first-page real estate is being claimed by Carrot sites.

After finding that there was a net positive in terms of sites and keywords now sitting in the Top 10, we want to paint a picture of how much volatility occurred.  Were there many rankings turnovers, or are the same sites and keywords ranking in the Top 10 now as before?

Overall, this core algorithm update brought much less volatility and more upside than August’s Helpful Content Update.

To determine this, we put each URL/keyword combination into one of three groups:

• The “Maintained” Group – was in the Top 10 before the update and is still in the Top 10 following the update.
• The “Lost” group – these were in the Top 10 before the update but are no longer sitting in the Top 10 following the update.
• The “Gained” group – these moved into the Top 10 following the update.

A few things immediately stand out.  First, there was much less turnover and volatility during this update.  Nearly 63% of the keywords we looked at fell in the “maintained” group, compared with only 53% during the August Helpful Content Update.

When only looking at those in the Top 10 Rankings before the update, 78% of those keywords were still in the Top 10 following the update!

Next, significantly fewer keywords dropped out of the Top 10 following this update compared to August.  And more keywords jumped into the Top 10 following this update as well.  All that to say, there was a lot more good than bad – which is always a win following a large-scale update.

The overall impact is a net positive for Carrot sites – with more sites, URLs, and keywords in the Top 10 following the March Core Algorithm Update.

What ranking positions were most impacted?

Generally, we saw consolidation at the top of the search results page – meaning that more URLs and keywords improved their rankings within the Top 10 than those whose Top 10 rankings got knocked.

For positions 1 through 8, more keywords were ranking in that position following the update than before it.  We see this especially play out in the Top 3 rankings results.  The number of first-position keywords tracked through our Rank Tracker Tool grew to 1800+!

This wasn’t only true because more keywords jumped into the Top 10, either!  The group of keywords already in the Top 10 before the update showed fairly significant positive growth toward the top of the search results page as well.

Overall, there was no rhyme or reason to which rankings positions were impacted.  The spread of keywords that dropped out of the Top 10 was pretty evenly spread in terms of the position they sat prior to the update.

Similarly, the keywords that “jumped” into the Top 10 following the update were spread across the board.  Instead of only barely cracking the Top 10, some skyrocketed to the top one to three slots.

Were any specific phrases impacted more than others?

The short answer is … not really.  

We took all of the search phrases and keywords that we analyzed, stripped out location-specific information, and performed some topic modeling to get an idea of what general “types” of search phrases were either lost or gained during this update.  There wasn’t a huge difference, but that may tell us even more about the details of this update!

Note: the phrases in the “theme” column in each of the following graphics aren’t the search phrases themselves.  They’re just general topics representing many of the tracked keywords themselves.

Topic models for lost keywords – as to be expected, we see a lot relating to primary Motivated Seller phrases.

And similarly, the topic models for “gained” keywords.  Overall, we see much of the same.

In theory, we shouldn’t expect a ton of difference in “lost” and “gained” keywords or search phrases during a Core Algorithm Update.  That’s because these core updates aren’t focused on keywords themselves. Instead, they’re more broad-based and focus on website-based factors like E-E-A-T scores, high-quality backlinks using methods like HARO, and good, relevant content all-around.

How should you respond to this update on your own site?

There are a lot of unknowns when it comes to a Google Core Algorithm update.  Google certainly doesn’t reveal their “secret sauce.”  But because we know that they are generally focused on website-based factors like E-E-A-T scores, it is always a good idea to take a look at these things if the March Update negatively impacted your site.

1. Content Quality – Ensure your content is unique, valuable, and informative to users.  Make sure it is up-to-date and in-depth.  Also, make sure it’s still relevant to what the end user may be searching for.  When it comes to SEO, you can never lose by taking another look at the quality of your content.
   
2. Write with E-E-A-T in mind – E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.  Especially in the real estate space, showcasing credibility and expertise is increasingly important to capture top-ranking spots.  Build out your “About Us” page.  Highlight some testimonials from past clients.  Tell readers about how you are uniquely – and authoritatively – positioned to help them.  This matters just like relevant content!

3. Check your backlink health – Any spammy or low-quality links in your backlink profile?  These could harm your site’s reputation and knock you down the search results page.  Disavow any spammy or low-quality links and make a plan to acquire some high-quality ones.

We’ll call this round a win for Carrot.

In the never-ending battle to secure the top spots on the Google search results page, we call the March Algorithm Update an overall win for Carrot websites and customers.

More customers, more domains, and more keywords are ranking in the Top 10 after the update than prior to it.  And even better, more keywords are in the #1 spot at the top of the page!

Be on the lookout for more reports like this as we put our first-class Ranking Tool – and the reservoir of data it creates – to use to keep you informed about what’s happening across the SEO landscape.

Welcome to Carrot’s very first Tactical Guide! This new form of content will take you deep into the tactical SEO work supporting our overall real estate website’s SEO strategy. 

In this guide, you’ll learn how to ensure your blog posts aren’t hurting your rankings by “cannibalizing” your core conversion pages – making your website compete against itself while competing against your competitors.

What is Keyword Cannibalization?

Keyword cannibalization is a common problem that can significantly impact any website’s search engine optimization (SEO) efforts. It occurs when multiple pages on a website compete for the same keyword or set of keywords, which can confuse search engines and users alike.

As a result, a website’s search engine rankings may suffer, leading to decreased traffic and lower conversion rates. In this post, we’ll take an in-depth look at what keyword cannibalization is, the different types of it, and, most importantly, how to identify and fix it on your website to improve your SEO efforts.

Before you read this post, I highly recommend watching this video on keyword cannibalization. The video will provide valuable insights into identifying, resolving, and preventing keyword cannibalization issues. By watching the video, you will better understand this topic and be better equipped to avoid such problems.

Why is Keyword Cannibalization Bad?

Keyword cannibalization can negatively impact your website in many ways, including:

• Diluting your website’s authority: When multiple pages target the same keyword, search engines must decide which page to rank for that keyword. This can lead to a dilution of your website’s authority and a decrease in rankings.
• Creating confusion for users: When multiple pages on a website target the same keyword, users can become confused as to which page to visit for the information they’re seeking.
• Wasting resources: When a website has multiple pages targeting the same keyword, it wastes the opportunity for your posts to rank for additional keywords.

How Do You Know If You’re Affected by Keyword Cannibalization?

One important note: Keyword Cannibalization is not something you need to worry about if your website is newly published. These signs are common and even expected for newer sites! This is only an issue if your site is over 1 year old and you’ve been following along with our SEO best practices but not yet seeing results.

There are a few signs that your website may be affected by keyword cannibalization, including:

1. Fluctuating or Declining Rankings: If multiple URLs on your website target the same keywords, search engines may have difficulty determining which page is most relevant, resulting in fluctuating or declining rankings.
2. Lower Click-Through Rates: If multiple URLs on your website compete for the same keywords, users may be confused about which page to click on, resulting in lower click-through rates.
3. Duplicate Content: If your website has multiple URLs with similar or identical content, search engines may flag this as duplicate content, resulting in your post not being indexed.

If you notice any of these signs, it’s a good idea to keep reading and quickly implement the steps in this guide.

How to Detect Keyword Cannibalization (KWC) on Your Website

Before we jump into the tactical steps of fixing keyword cannibalization, let’s do a quick check to see if this is a problem for you in the first place: 

Open up a browser window and type in site:yourdomain.com + “target keyword”

This will bring up only pages on your website that are related to the target keyword. Be careful here, as Google will serve up any page or post vaguely related to the keyword you typed in. Just because you see many pages/posts here doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a real keyword cannibalization issue. 

If you see ANY pages or posts on the search engine results page that aren’t what you intended, you can move on to the next steps.

Now that you know that you’re being affected by keyword cannibalization, how do you detect which pages and relevant keywords are to blame? 

There are a few premium tools that you can use to quickly identify if you’re being affected by keyword cannibalization – namely SEMrush & Ahrefs. While these tools make the discovery process quick & easy, they don’t make fixing keyword cannibalization problems any easier. So for the sake of this guide, we will use a free tool: Google Search Console. 

If you don’t have Google Search Console installed on your website, you can follow our guide or reach one of our Support Heroes at support@carrot.com for guidance.

How to Find Multiple Pages Ranking for the Same Keyword

Once logged in, navigate to the “Search Results” tab on the left-hand side. Then click “New” at the top of the screen and select “Query…”:

Type in one of your focus keywords that fluctuates rankings and click “Apply.” Make sure to check the box that says “Average Position.” Then, select the tab that says “Pages.”

Once you scroll down, you should see all of the pages on your website competing for the keyword you entered.

The next step is to determine which page should get the focus keyword, based on a few factors, in priority order:

• Search Intent
• Page Type – Core Conversion Pages, Location Pages, Situation Pages, and Blog Posts
• Average Position
• Clicks

There is a lot to consider here, but we will make this process as simple as we can! These keywords typically rank on these pages because they match the search intent, but sometimes Google gets it wrong. 

If you have a blog post competing for the same keyword as your Situation Page, then the post needs to change or be deleted.

In case you’re unfamiliar with our Situation Pages, they are:

1. Selling a House in Probate
2. Selling a House With Code Violations
3. Selling a Fire Damaged House
4. Selling Inherited Property
5. How to Sell a House by Without a Realtor
6. How to Sell Rental Property
7. Can I Sell My House If It’s in Foreclosure
8. Selling a House During Divorce
9. How to Sell a Hoarder House
10. Can You Sell a Condemned House
11. How to Sell Rental Property with Tenants
12. Taxes On Selling A House

Generally speaking, you should prioritize Search Intent and Page Type above all else.

After looking at your Google Search Console report, you might be confused about how these pages cannibalize each other. So let’s talk about the different types of keyword cannibalization. 

Understanding the Types of Keyword Cannibalization

SEO strategies and SEO tips are technically different topics. Well, it depends. Sometimes keyword variations like “strategies” vs. “tips” will serve different search intents, but other times they will do the same search intent. This is where understanding the different types of keyword cannibalization is crucial.

 Several different types of KWC can occur, including:

Exact Match Keywords

Exact match keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on a website are targeting the same exact keyword. For example, if a website has two pages targeting the keyword “best SEO practices,” this can lead to confusion for search engines and users alike.

Partial Match Keywords

Partial match keyword cannibalization happens when multiple website pages target a partial match of the same keyword or similar keywords. For example, if a website has two pages targeting “SEO tips” and “SEO strategies,” both pages target the same topic and can cannibalize each other.

Synonym Keywords

Synonym keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on a website target different synonyms of the same keyword. For example, if a website has two pages targeting “search engine optimization” and “SEO,” both pages target the same topic but use different synonyms, which can cannibalize each other.

Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on a website target long-tail variations of the same keyword. For example, if a website has two pages targeting “best SEO practices for small businesses” and “SEO tips for small businesses,” both pages are targeting the same topic but using different long-tail keyword variations, which can cannibalize each other.

Intent-Based Keywords

Intent-based keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on a website target the same intent or purpose, even if the keyword itself is different. For example, if a website has two pages targeting “SEO for beginners” and “SEO 101,” both pages target the same intent, which can cannibalize each other.

Sometimes these types of SEO keyword cannibalization can overlap, but it is important to eliminate the issue. 

How to Fix Keyword Cannibalization

Depending on the situation, there are several ways to fix keyword cannibalization issues. So let’s cover those situations and their solutions.

Situation #1: You have 2 or more pages ranking for the keyword, but you need to keep both pages. 

This is probably the most challenging situation to fix, but likely also the most important. The best solution for this situation is to create a link from the incorrect page to the correct page, using the exact keyword as the anchor text. 

For this example, we have carrot.com/blog/carrot-website-examples/, and we need to create a link to carrot.com/demo. 

1. Find or add text that matches your keyword in your post’s body copy. In this example, it’s “Carrot website.”
2. Highlight that text and click the “Link” button. It looks like a chain link. 
3. Paste the page URL that is supposed to rank for your target keyword. In this example, it’s carrot.com/demo.
4. Press ‘Enter’ and then press the ‘Update’ button in the top right corner of the screen. 

Creating a link that uses the exact match keyword as the anchor text sends Google a signal that you want it to rank the other page instead of this one. 

The difficulty is that this doesn’t always work, especially if only one page cannibalizes the keyword. This tactic is the most effective when multiple pages send the link signal to Google. 

Situation #2: You have 2 or more pages ranking for the keyword and don’t need to keep both pages. 

This situation has two possible solutions:

• Change the target keyword & content on one page to target a different search intent.
• Combine the content of both pages & redirect the wrong page’s URL to the right page.

Change the Keyword & Content

If you want to change the keyword & content, you first need to find a new keyword related to the original target but serving a different search intent. The best way to do that is to use ChatGPT. 

Let’s say, for example, that you have two blog posts targeting the keyword “sell my house in foreclosure.” One of those posts needs to change, but it should still be about the general topic of avoiding foreclosure. 

1. Go to ChatGPT
2. Type in “Give me 5 keywords that are related to __________, but serve different search intents.”
3. Pick one that you can quickly write about and use it to modify your existing blog post. 

For this example, “foreclosure prevention strategies” or “short sale process” would be perfect for changing the keyword and content!

Once the changes are made, publish the post and monitor both URLs in Google Search Console.

Combine the Content & Redirect

If you want to combine the content of both pages and create a redirect, you need to decide which URL you will keep first. 

Generally speaking, you should keep the URL with the most impressions and clicks. However, for this solution, you also need to check for backlinks.

Fortunately, the Ahrefs Webmaster Tools is free to sign up for and use! You can see all of the backlinks pointing to your site and whether or not a specific page has backlinks.  

To see if your URL has any backlinks, follow these steps:

1. Navigate to the Site Explorer Tab.
2. Type in your URL and press the orange button.
3. Navigate to the tab on the left-hand side that says “Backlinks.”

Repeat those steps for both URLs and decide which URL you want to move forward with vs. which URL will be redirected. 

Copy and paste the content from the URL you want to redirect to the URL you want to keep until you have salvaged as much info as you want. 

Next, we need to create a 301 redirect. 

1. Copy the URL of the blog post that you want to keep.
2. Navigate to the blog post section of the Content tab inside your Carrot App.
3. Find the blog post that you want to redirect. 
4. Hover over the post title and select “Quick Edit”
5. Paste the URL of the post you want to keep in the “301 Redirect URL” field. 

That’s it! The URL of the post you want to get rid of will redirect to the URL you want to keep. 

Situation #3: You have 2 or more pages ranking for the keyword, but one of those pages doesn’t need to rank at all. 

This situation might initially sound confusing, but let’s say you have an old blog post competing with one of your situation pages. The blog post doesn’t necessarily have to rank, but your situation does. 

The solution is to create something called a canonical tag. A canonical tag is an HTML element that tells search engines which version of a web page is preferred – in case of duplicate or similar content.

To create a canonical tag, you follow very similar steps to creating a 301 redirect:

1. Copy the URL of the blog post that you want to rank
2. Navigate to the blog post section of the Content tab, inside your Carrot App
3. Find the blog post that you DON’T want to rank
4. Hover over the post title and select “Quick Edit.”
5. Paste the URL of the blog post that you want to rank in the “Canonical URL” field

These are the 3 most common keyword cannibalization situations and their solutions. Next, we need to be able to confirm that the changes are working!

Confirm the Keyword Cannibalization Problems are Fixed

The time it takes for keyword cannibalization fixes to take effect can vary depending on several factors, including the issue’s complexity, the number of affected pages, the size of your website, and how quickly search engines crawl and index your site. Generally, you can expect to see some initial impact within a few weeks to a few months after implementing the changes.

To confirm that your keyword cannibalization fixes have taken effect, follow these steps:

Remember that SEO improvements might not yield immediate results. It can take a few weeks or even months for search engines to recognize and react to your changes fully. Be patient and continue monitoring the data to confirm the effectiveness of your fixes.

Preventing Keyword Cannibalization in the Future

As the saying goes: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. The same thing applies to KWC! To prevent keyword cannibalization from happening in the future, follow these best practices:

Keyword Mapping 

Create a spreadsheet as a keyword map and assign specific keywords to each page, ensuring each page targets a unique primary keyword.

Content Planning and Organization

Plan your content around the keyword map, focusing on creating comprehensive, high-quality content that answers user queries. Organize your content in a hierarchical structure, with categories and subcategories that make logical sense.

Avoid Over-Optimization

Focus on creating content for users, not just for search engines. Avoid overusing keywords or creating content solely to target keywords. Instead, concentrate on providing helpful information that addresses the needs of your audience.

Regular Content Audits

Regularly check the performance metrics of your content (landing pages & blog posts) for any potential keyword cannibalization issues. Look for pages that target the same or similar keywords, and make necessary adjustments to avoid cannibalization.

Consolidate or Repurpose Content

If you find pages with overlapping or similar content, consider consolidating them into a single comprehensive piece or repurposing the content to target different keywords or user intents.

Monitor Internal Linking

Ensure your internal linking structure is logical and consistent, directing users and search engines to your site’s most important and relevant pages. Avoid excessive or irrelevant internal linking that could dilute the focus of your pages.

Monitor Performance

Regularly review your site’s performance using tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console. Track keyword rankings, organic traffic, and user engagement metrics to identify potential issues or improvement areas.

Stay up-to-date with SEO best practices: Continuously educate yourself about SEO best practices and algorithm updates. This will help you avoid potential issues and maintain a well-optimized website.

By following these best practices, you can minimize the risk of keyword cannibalization and ensure that your website maintains a strong search engine presence.

Conclusion

As a real estate investor, staying up-to-date with everything you need to succeed in your business is daunting, especially SEO best practices.

Fortunately, Carrot members get hand-curated strategies from the experts on our team! This will help you avoid potential issues and maintain a high-performing website.

We’re at your service. No need to feel overwhelmed and struggle with SEO. This post has you covered with all the groundwork, so you can be on your way to doing what you do best — closing deals.

If you have any questions…

And as always, if you feel Carrot may be a fit for your real estate website and want better results online, we’d love to have you in the Carrot community, and be sure to learn more about SEO. 

Check out our plans and hit us up with questions anytime!

We’re all familiar with search engines and how they help us find information quickly and easily. But, with the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI), could search engines be replaced altogether? Let’s take a look at how ChatGPT for real estate is changing the way people find information online.

What is ChatGPT for Real Estate and How Does it Work?

ChatGPT stands for Conversation Graph Technology, an open-source natural language processing (NLP) model that enables users to create conversations with computers. It uses deep learning and predictive text to generate responses to a user’s questions or statements.

By leveraging the latest advances in AI, ChatGPT is capable of understanding and responding to complex conversations in real-time. Unlike other NLP models, ChatGPT does not require pre-trained data sets and can be trained on any domain-specific data set. This makes it ideal for applications such as customer service, virtual assistant development, and conversational marketing campaigns.

Additionally, its accuracy, scalability, and low latency make it suitable for enterprise applications. With its cutting-edge technology, ChatGPT has the potential to revolutionize how people interact with computers by making conversations more natural and engaging than ever before.

Those 3 paragraphs were written entirely by asking an AI “What is ChatGPT?” – Pretty neat, right?

AI is Changing the Way We Find Information Online

Artificial Intelligence is transforming how we interact with technology, and it’s having a major impact on search engines. In fact, AI-powered chatbots are already beginning to replace traditional search engine queries.

As technology advances, the role of the AI chatbot in providing personalized and instantaneous responses to user inquiries continues to grow, revolutionizing the way people seek and obtain information online.

For example, when you ask Siri or Alexa for something specific—like “What’s the weather like for today?”—they will provide you with an answer without having to type in any keywords or phrases. This is because AI-powered chatbots can understand natural language processing (NLP). This means that they can interpret human speech and respond accordingly. Moreover, with the emerging rise of Large language models (LLMs) it’s becoming easier to deal with content and leverage data for further advancements.

Can ChatGPT or Other AI Change How We Make Content?

Yes, it absolutely can. There are already hundreds of websites out there that are written entirely by AI language models! Theoretically, you could use AI to create 100% of your content – but is that a good idea? Are there any SEO implications for doing something like that?

Deciding whether or not to use AI to create content for your business is a tricky question that requires careful consideration.

On the one hand, using AI-generated content could save time and money. On the other hand, Google may flag such content as spammy, which could hurt your business’s SEO rankings and brand impression (more context on this later in the article).

When considering whether or not to use AI-generated content for your business, it’s important to remember that Google’s algorithms are constantly changing and improving. As such, certain tactics used to generate content with AI may become less effective over time or even completely outdated.

While AI can automate many tasks associated with content development—such as finding relevant topics and keywords—it cannot replace human feedback, creativity, and insight when it comes to crafting unique pieces of content that are engaging and helpful to readers.

Furthermore, any automated content created by AI should always be checked for accuracy and clarity by a human editor before publishing. Although AI may generate accurate results based on complex data, understanding how those results apply to real-world applications requires expertise and human feedback to interpret the results properly.

Although, in case of bulk content, you can even use a specialized online proofreading tool (Wordvice AI is a good one to use).

This ensures that any automated content published on behalf of your business is free from errors, complies with regulations (if applicable), and meets all standards for quality control in terms of grammar, style, formatting, etc.

In short – yes, you may consider using ChatGPT for Real Estate to create content for your business IF you’re confident that you understand its limitations and capabilities. When appropriately used—combining human creativity with machine automation—AI-generated content can provide great benefits in terms of efficiency and cost saving without sacrificing quality or accuracy.

Just make sure to monitor how Google flags such material, so you don’t fall behind with its algorithm changes!

How will ChatGPT impact SEO in the future?

While it might seem like ChatGPT and other AI learning models are poised to kill search engines like Google and Bing, it will be a long time before search engines are replaced. Chatbots aren’t new, but they aren’t out of beta either. Most AI models are several iterations away from being able to compete with search engine powerhouses.

There are several reasons for this:

1. AI and Chatbots are inherently biased. The answers are based on human-made data currently available online. That means racism, bias and misinformation can bleed into a chatbot’s learning model, giving unsavory answers and unsafe content.
   It’s why Microsoft had to hastily take its AI chatbot offline in 2016, shortly after it was introduced. Facebook also introduced a chatbot, but after reviewing user feedback they quickly took it down after giving racist answers.
   
2. ChatGPT can confidently present the wrong answers. These answers are generated using language models found online, but that creates problematic model outputs – mainly in the form of incorrect answers. ChatGPT must collect user feedback at a large scale before it can reliably provide the correct answer.
   
3. It’s cost prohibitive. The processing required to deliver an acceptable tuned answer by scrubbing immensely large pools of data is expensive. One estimate has OpenAI spending $3 million per month, with ChatGPT still in beta, requiring people to make an account.
   
4. High traffic means frequent server downtime. While writing this article, we tested ChatGPT once an hour for 3 hours. Unfortunately, the servers were at capacity each time we checked. Could you imagine a world where Google servers were at capacity?
   

Is Google Moving Against AI & ChatGPT?

Absolutely. We have already seen some action from Google to combat the inevitable flood of AI content on the internet. The Helpful Content Update, the Spam Link Update, and the Product Reviews update all had a heavy impact on AI-generated content (among other things).

However, Google has also invested heavily into its own AI, LaMDA, which went viral last year for being “sentient.” Their controversial handling of testing LaMDA shows us how cautious and powerful Google considers AI to be.

For the moment, Google continues to rely heavily on Google Search, which makes money through ads and e-commerce sales and accounted for nearly 80% of its revenue last quarter.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has been in meetings to “define Google’s AI strategy” and has “upended the work of numerous groups inside the company to respond to the threat that ChatGPT poses.”

Will AI be Integrated into Search Engines or Replace them?

Microsoft recently announced this week that they are incorporating ChatGPT into the Bing search engine in hopes of winning users from Google.

Microsoft has already invested over $1 billion into OpenAI. It has hopes that becoming a bigger player in online search could help offset its problems elsewhere (like its slowing growth in cloud computing).

Bing’s ChatGPT integration could launch as soon as late March, according to a report by The Information.

The Benefits of AI-Powered Search Engines

Using an AI-powered search engine has numerous benefits over traditional search engines. For one thing, since AI-powered chatbots can interpret natural language, users don’t have to worry about typing in exact keywords or phrases in order to get relevant results. Instead, they can ask their question in plain English and get an answer immediately.

Traditional search engines rely on algorithms to understand the content of websites, while AI-enabled search engines can better comprehend and interpret human language. As a result, they can provide more accurate results than traditional methods that tend to be limited by keyword matching.

AI-enabled search engines can also understand various types of queries, from single words to complex sentences, making them more versatile and reliable when interpreting what users are looking for.

AI can learn from user behavior and preferences. This means that AI-enabled search engines can improve their relevance rankings based on past searches and personalization options.

Additionally, machine learning allows them to identify patterns in data and make predictions accordingly, which makes them suitable for more complicated tasks such as providing detailed answers to queries or suggesting new topics or related content. This is something that can’t be done with conventional search engine algorithms very easily. This is one of Google’s primary concerns.

Since machine learning algorithms power chatbots, they can provide faster answers than traditional search engines- especially for simple queries. Sometimes people want the answer to a question without needing to scrub through 10 results and a slew of ads.

Are there any risks associated with using ChatGPT for Real Estate SEO purposes?

Yes, there are some potential risks associated with using ChatGPT for real estate SEO purposes. Although the technology is AI-based and can generate content easily, it may not always provide the level of accuracy or relevancy required for SEO purposes. This can lead to a decrease in quality when creating content that is both optimized and engaging.

Due to its automated nature, ChatGPT will also struggle to keep up with changes in search engine algorithms or topics related to SEO that require special attention.

Moreover, it is important to note that since the generated content will likely be similar across multiple websites, it can lead to duplicate content issues which could negatively impact the rankings of all involved sites.

This could result in penalties from search engines or even blacklisting if not appropriately addressed. Additionally, ChatGPT has no capability of understanding how humans use language differently based on cultural context and, as such, might not be suitable for certain markets where this kind of sensitivity is required.

Finally, many experts have warned about over-relying on automated solutions, like ChatGPT for real estate, as they might create content that looks good but lacks meaningful relevance or fails to engage readers in a meaningful way effectively.

Should I Use AI Content Generation for My Real Estate Investor Website?

You should be very cautious with this. Google has already shown off its ability to detect AI-generated content, and the consequence is having your blog post removed from the Google Index.

However, there are a lot of powerful applications where using AI can benefit your company. Generally speaking, you want to use AI to outline our content or give us a starting point from which we can edit.

AI can do 80% of the work, but to fly under the radar and avoid Google penalties, you still need to edit/refine the last 20%. Some examples of tasks that AI can do safely:

• Blog post outlines
• Title variations
• Meta descriptions
• Conclusion paragraphs
• Ad copy
• Intro paragraphs
• Product descriptions

Please keep in mind that the more unique, helpful, and original content that you can create – the better off you will be.

The Human Touch: Why AI-Generated Content Needs Human Editing to Shine

At this point, it seems unlikely that traditional search engines will be completely replaced by AI anytime soon; however, it’s clear that AI will continue to have an increasingly important role in finding information online.

ChatGPT for real estate can save time and improve efficiency by quickly generating ideas and keywords for your blog, but it lacks the creativity, nuance, and personal touch that only humans can provide.

As real estate investors continue to leverage technology for success in their businesses, understanding how AI works and how it impacts search engine usage will be key to staying competitive in today’s market!

If you want to stay ahead of the curve in all things SEO, be sure to bookmark our Real Estate SEO page to get access to all of our in-depth SEO articles and guides!

Google started to roll out the new helpful content update this week.

With this recent update, you might wonder how this might impact you as a Carrot member & if your site’s rankings will be affected. Since the update was just released, it’s still too early to know entirely.

How Googe Defines “Helpful Content”

According to Google, helpful content “aims to better reward content where visitors feel they’ve had a satisfying experience, while content that doesn’t meet a visitor’s expectations won’t perform as well.”

In short, the update…

• Is created for a specific audience.
• Features expertise.
• Is trustworthy and credible.
• Meets the want(s) or need(s) of the searcher.

This update will push down sites full of AI-generated content focused on SEO results and NOT providing helpful, valuable content for humans.

This could mean several things; bad, generic sites with repetitive content and unhelpful answers will be penalized. Conversely, websites with expert, people-first content may be showcased higher in the search results.

How to Protect Your Website from the Impact of Helpful Content Update?

Have no fear. In this video, Carrot CEO Trevor Mauch, takes you through the exact strategy you can execute to maintain rankings or climb higher in Google rankings with unique content that’s easier to execute, what the helpful content update is, and how to continue bringing in high-quality leads.

There may be no impact, negative or positive, on your website. We want to make sure that you’re aware of that.

If you’re either a Content Pro or Advanced Marketer member, one of the biggest things you can do is to go inside your Carrot system and add your main keywords to your Keyword Rank Tracker if you don’t already have them in there.

Add the keywords you want to rank for to see up or down ranking trends. You need to make sure that you know where your current rankings are and understand what’s happening, so you can make moves if your Google rankings start to dip from this algorithm update.

We’re also closely monitoring how this impacts Carrot members’ rankings. Carrot has provided industry-leading tools and strategies for years. We have helped thousands of real estate investors, agents, and hybrids dominate Google search results and generate motivated leads and listings.

With the constantly changing landscape of online marketing, we’re committed to iterating, improving, and continuing to provide the data-driven, expert-tested vision, strategy, and tactics to help you build a business of freedom and impact.

Tell us if you found this video helpful, and drop us a comment with your thoughts or concerns.

We’re here for you!

Did you know that over 70% of search engine users click on organic results within the first page? That means if your website isn’t ranking well, you’re missing out on a massive chunk of potential customers.

Unveiling the Power Beneath the Surface: Your Guide to Technical SEO

Technical SEO is the foundation upon which organic search success is built. It refers to the optimization of your website’s behind-the-scenes elements that search engines use to understand and rank your content. Think of it as the invisible architecture that allows search engine crawlers to navigate your website efficiently and effectively.

Here’s why conducting a technical SEO analysis is crucial for your website:

• Increased Visibility: A technically sound website is more easily crawled and indexed by search engines, leading to higher visibility in search results.
• Improved User Experience: Technical SEO factors like mobile-friendliness and fast loading speeds directly impact user experience, which is a key ranking factor for search engines. A happy user is more likely to stay engaged and explore your offerings.
• Enhanced Organic Traffic: By addressing technical SEO issues, you remove barriers that prevent search engines from fully understanding your website. This translates to attracting more organic traffic, the lifeblood of any successful online presence.

Investing time in a technical SEO analysis is an investment in your website’s long-term success. It’s the first step to ensuring your website is search engine friendly and primed to attract the qualified traffic you deserve.

Buy First, Why SEO?

As we’ve written about elsewhere on our blog, SEO is a form of evergreen marketing in many other places. That is when an SEO strategy is executed correctly, it has the potential to become a lead-generation powerhouse.

Once you make the initial investment into an SEO campaign, as long as some routine maintenance is performed, you’ll likely have an asset that keeps sending leads your way for many years.

This costs a fraction of the price compared to leads from PPC or social media advertising campaigns.

How Does Technical SEO Fit In?

Most people familiar with SEO seem to understand that content and backlinks are required to earn free traffic from Google. There are endless guides that focus on publishing more and more content or getting more and more backlinks.

Few, however, delve into the foundation of SEO — how well the underlying website functions for users and search engine crawlers alike. In the industry, this is known as technical SEO.

Technical SEO is a simple term, but it covers many topics. Ultimately, it comes down to a well-built website — how fast it loads, how clean the coding is, the internal linking structure, if any internal or external links are broken or run through complex redirect chains if images are broken, whether or not the design is responsive and loads in a user-friendly way when on a slow connection… really, the list could go on for days.

We haven’t discussed this much because Carrot members don’t have to worry about it. All Carrot sites have a search-engine-optimized tech stack baked in.

However, many people reading this article won’t be using this system, so I aim to help you by providing a technical SEO checklist and some pointers on the best tools to use in your analysis.

The Pillars of Technical SEO: Building a Strong Foundation

Technical SEO encompasses a variety of factors that work together to ensure search engines can easily access, understand, and present your website to users. Here are the four core pillars of technical SEO:

• Crawlability: Imagine search engines like giant spiders crawling through the web, discovering and indexing websites. Crawlability refers to how easily these search engine spiders can navigate your website. This includes having a well-structured sitemap, optimized robots.txt file, and internal linking that allows the spiders to find all your important pages. Good crawlability ensures your website’s content gets seen by search engines.
• Indexability: Once search engines crawl your website, they must understand your content to determine its relevance for search queries. Indexability refers to whether search engines can include your pages in their search results. Factors like proper use of meta tags, structured data markup, and fresh, high-quality content all contribute to good indexability. If a page isn’t properly indexed, it won’t appear in search results.
• Mobile-friendliness: In today’s mobile-first world, a website that isn’t optimized for smartphones and tablets is a major disadvantage. Mobile-friendliness ensures your website displays correctly and provides a seamless user experience on all devices. Search engines prioritize mobile-friendly websites in search results, giving you an edge over non-optimized competitors.
• Site Speed: Nobody likes a slow website! Site speed refers to how quickly your website loads for users. Search engines consider page load speed as a ranking factor, as slow loading times can lead to frustrated users and high bounce rates. Optimizing images, minimizing code, and using a reliable web host all contribute to a faster website, which benefits both search engine rankings and user experience.

By focusing on these core pillars, you create a solid technical foundation for your website. Search engines will be able to efficiently crawl and index your content, and users will have a positive experience when they visit your site. This combination is a recipe for organic search success.

Charting Your Course: The Technical SEO Analysis Checklist

A technical SEO analysis checklist is your roadmap to a healthy and search-engine friendly website. Just like any journey, it’s important to have a plan to ensure you’re covering all the important bases. Here are the key areas to evaluate during your technical SEO analysis, each playing a crucial role in search engine visibility:

• Crawlability:
  • Robots.txt: Is your robots.txt file configured correctly to allow search engine crawlers to access your important content?
  • Sitemap: Does your website have a well-structured sitemap that clearly communicates all your pages to search engines?
  • Internal Linking: Is your website’s internal linking structure optimized to allow search engine crawlers to navigate efficiently and discover all your content?
• Indexability:
  • Meta Tags: Are your title tags and meta descriptions optimized with relevant keywords and clear descriptions to help search engines understand your content?
  • Structured Data Markup: Have you implemented structured data markup to provide search engines with additional context about your content, potentially leading to richer search results?
  • Noindex Directives: Are there any pages on your website that you intentionally don’t want search engines to index? Are these pages properly marked with a noindex directive?
• Mobile-Friendliness:
  • Responsive Design: Does your website display correctly and provide a user-friendly experience on all devices, especially smartphones and tablets?
  • Mobile Speed: Does your website load quickly on mobile devices? Slow loading times can significantly hurt your mobile search ranking.
• Site Speed:
  • Page Load Time: Are your website’s pages loading fast enough for users? Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help you identify areas for improvement.
  • Image Optimization: Are your website’s images optimized for size and quality to ensure fast loading times without sacrificing visual appeal?
  • Caching: Is your website leveraging browser caching to improve repeat visitor experience and overall page load speed?

By systematically working through this checklist, you’ll gain valuable insights into your website’s technical SEO health. The next step is to leverage SEO tools to delve deeper into each area and identify any specific issues that need to be addressed.

Here’s an example of what your XML sitemap should look like:

If you’re a Carrot member, then this is handled for you. Carrot ensures your site is configured correctly and that Google can find and index all the pages on your site.

Unveiling the Landscape: Essential Tools for Technical SEO Analysis

While a technical SEO checklist provides a solid framework, SEO tools act like powerful magnifying glasses, allowing you to zoom in and identify specific technical issues impacting your website. A combination of free and paid tools can equip you to conduct a comprehensive technical SEO analysis.

Here are some essential tools to consider for your technical SEO toolbox:

Free Tools:

• Google Search Console (GSC): This free powerhouse from Google offers a wealth of insights into your website’s search engine performance, including crawl errors, mobile usability issues, and sitemap status. It’s a must-have for any technical SEO analysis.
• Google PageSpeed Insights: Focused specifically on website speed, this free tool analyzes your website and provides actionable recommendations for improvement. It’s a great way to identify areas where you can optimize page load times.
• Mobile-Friendly Test: Another free offering from Google, this tool allows you to quickly test how your website displays on mobile devices. It’s a simple yet effective way to ensure your website provides a seamless mobile experience.

Paid Tools:

• Screaming Frog SEO Spider: This desktop application acts like a virtual SEO spider, crawling your website and identifying technical issues like broken links, missing meta tags, and crawl errors. It’s a powerful tool for uncovering a wide range of technical SEO problems.
• SEMrush Site Audit: Part of the comprehensive SEMrush SEO suite, the Site Audit tool offers a deep dive into your website’s technical health. It provides detailed reports on crawl errors, mobile usability, and on-page SEO optimization, making it a valuable tool for identifying and prioritizing technical SEO issues.
• Ahrefs Site Audit: Similar to SEMrush, Ahrefs offers a Site Audit tool that crawls your website and generates reports on technical SEO issues. It provides insights into broken links, internal linking structure, and mobile responsiveness, helping you identify areas for improvement.

Remember, the best approach often involves a combination of free and paid tools. Free tools like Google Search Console and PageSpeed Insights offer a fantastic starting point, while paid tools can provide more in-depth analysis and reporting capabilities. Choose the tools that best suit your needs and budget to empower your technical SEO analysis.

Putting it into Action: Analyzing Your Website with the Checklist & Tools

Now that you’re armed with the technical SEO checklist and a toolbox of powerful tools, it’s time to delve into analyzing your website. Here’s a step-by-step walkthrough to guide you:

Step 1: Gather Your Tools

Start by having your chosen technical SEO checklist and tools readily available. This might include the free Google tools (Search Console, PageSpeed Insights, Mobile-Friendly Test), and potentially a paid SEO tool like Screaming Frog or SEMrush Site Audit.

Step 2: Work Through the Checklist

Use the technical SEO checklist as your roadmap. Go through each section (crawlability, indexability, mobile-friendliness, site speed) and assess your website’s health in those areas.

Step 3: Leverage the Tools

For each section of the checklist, utilize the relevant SEO tools to gain deeper insights. Here’s how some tools can be applied:

• Crawlability:
  • Google Search Console: Check the “Crawl Errors” report to identify any issues preventing search engines from accessing your pages.
  • Screaming Frog: Crawl your website using Screaming Frog to identify broken links and crawl errors.
• Indexability:
  • Google Search Console: Use the “Coverage” report to see if any important pages are blocked from indexing or have indexing issues.
• Mobile-Friendliness:
  • Google Mobile-Friendly Test: Enter your website URL and see how it renders on mobile devices.
  • Screaming Frog: Screaming Frog can also identify mobile-friendliness issues during its crawl.
• Site Speed:
  • Google PageSpeed Insights: Analyze your website with PageSpeed Insights to identify areas for improvement regarding loading speed.

Step 4: Interpreting the Results

Each tool will provide reports and data that pinpoint specific technical SEO issues. Here’s a general approach to interpreting the results:

• Free Tools:
  • Google Search Console: The reports will highlight issues with clear explanations and often suggest solutions.
  • Google PageSpeed Insights: The tool will provide a score and specific recommendations for improvement, like optimizing images or reducing page size.
• Paid Tools:
  • Screaming Frog: The software generates a comprehensive report detailing various technical SEO issues. You’ll need some familiarity with SEO best practices to interpret the findings.
  • SEMrush/Ahrefs Site Audit: These tools offer detailed reports with explanations and prioritization of technical SEO issues, making them easier to understand and address.

Step 5: Take Action!

Once you’ve identified technical SEO issues through the checklist and tools, it’s time to take action! Prioritize the most critical issues that are likely to have the biggest impact on your search engine ranking and user experience. Many SEO tools offer suggestions for fixing the identified problems.

Remember, a technical SEO analysis is an ongoing process. As you make changes and optimize your website, it’s important to revisit the checklist and tools periodically to monitor progress and identify any new issues that may arise.

Conquering the Challenges: Fixing Technical SEO Issues & Prioritization

The technical SEO analysis has unearthed valuable insights, but the real magic happens when you address the identified issues. Here’s where prioritization becomes crucial.

Not all technical SEO issues are created equal. Some can significantly hinder your search engine ranking and user experience, while others might have a lesser impact. Focusing on the most critical issues first will yield the biggest return on your investment.

Here’s how to approach fixing technical SEO issues with prioritization in mind:

• Severity: Start by addressing the most severe issues first. These might include crawl errors that prevent search engines from accessing your pages, missing or duplicate meta tags that confuse search engines, or critical mobile usability problems that frustrate users.
• Impact: Consider the potential impact of each issue. For example, a large number of broken links can significantly hurt your website’s ranking, while a single missing image alt tag might have a lesser effect.

Common Technical SEO Issues & Solutions:

Here are some frequent technical SEO culprits and how to tackle them:

Broken Links:

Identify broken links using SEO tools and replace them with working links or remove them entirely.

Slow Loading Pages:

Analyze your website with Google PageSpeed Insights and implement recommendations to improve page load speed. This could involve optimizing images, reducing page size, and enabling browser caching.

Crawl Errors: 

Use Google Search Console to identify crawl errors and fix any underlying issues preventing search engines from accessing your pages. This might involve fixing robots.txt configuration or resolving server-side errors.

Review Your Content:

Ensure all important pages have unique and relevant title tags and meta descriptions to help search engines understand your content.

Insecure Website (Missing SSL): Ensure your website uses HTTPS encryption by installing an SSL certificate. This improves your website’s security and gives you a slight ranking boost in search results.

Missing Localization Configuration:

If you target international audiences, verify your website’s hreflang tags are correctly configured. This helps search engines understand your website’s language variations and deliver the most relevant version to users in different regions.

Subpar Mobile Experience:

Even if your website uses a responsive design, conduct a mobile-specific SEO audit. This might reveal issues like slow mobile load times or usability problems on smaller screens. Prioritize fixing these issues to ensure a smooth mobile experience.

Poor Page Experience:

Page experience encompasses various factors that impact user experience, including mobile-friendliness, loading speed, and visual stability. Use Google Search Console’s “Core Web Vitals” report to identify areas for improvement in page experience. Optimizing these factors can significantly enhance user experience and potentially improve your search ranking.

Finding In-Depth Solutions:

These are just a few examples, and the solutions can vary depending on the specific issue. For more in-depth solutions and troubleshooting steps, leverage the resources available online. Many SEO tools offer detailed guides and explanations for fixing technical SEO problems. Additionally, reputable SEO websites and blogs often publish articles and tutorials on common technical SEO issues and solutions.

Remember, tackling technical SEO is a journey, not a destination. By prioritizing issues, implementing solutions, and monitoring progress, you can create a technically sound website that thrives in search engine results and provides a seamless user experience.

Technical SEO Best Practices

Performing a technical SEO audit may initially appear complex, but with a methodical approach and the correct toolkit, it transforms into a critical element of your online marketing plan.

Here are what I consider to be the best steps for conducting this in-house:

1. Select Your Tools: Not everyone has a big budget for software. High priced tools like Ahrefs and Semrush can make the process faster, but they aren’t mandatory. Please make use of whatever you can and simply get on with it. Action matters more than software.
2. Develop a Routine: Acknowledge that this isn’t a one-time fix, so frequency is key. Depending on your website’s size and intricacy, a schedule will help—be it monthly, quarterly, or semi-annually—to proactively manage potential issues. At Dialed Labs, we use weekly audits to maintain and monitor our client sites.
3. Prioritize Findings: Address issues based on their potential impact on your site’s effectiveness and user experience, and remember that not all discoveries demand immediate action. Implement the highest impact fixes first.
4. Detail Changes and Monitor: By keeping detailed logs of your fixes, you can evaluate what techniques are fruitful and discover any fixes that may not have gone to plan. We keep a detailed “Activity Log” for client projects to transparently showcase daily updates.
5. Stay on the Cutting Edge of SEO: Winners more or less take all in SEO, so being second best is hardly the right strategy. If you want to be at the top of the SERP, staying in the loop with the most recent official and community-driven guidelines and trends is essential.
6. Engage with External Experts: Sometimes, external insights can make a significant difference. Consider consulting with professionals for a more in-depth and comprehensive review.

Technical SEO Checklist

It’s easy to get lost in the weeds as you go through a process like this. Download and print out the following checklist. It will help you stay on track and not miss anything important.

The Road Ahead: Maintaining Your Technical SEO Advantage

Congratulations! By conducting a technical SEO analysis, you’ve taken a significant step toward improving your website’s search engine visibility and user experience. However, technical SEO is an ongoing process, not a one-time fix.

Search engine algorithms and user expectations constantly evolve, so it’s crucial to revisit your technical SEO health regularly. Scheduling periodic technical SEO audits (every 3-6 months) allows you to identify and address any new issues that may arise.

Remember, the technical SEO checklist and tools you explored earlier are valuable companions on this journey. Use them to monitor progress, stay up-to-date with technical SEO best practices, and ensure your website remains search engine-friendly over time.

Ready to Take Your Technical SEO to the Next Level?

If you’d like to delve deeper into technical SEO or need assistance implementing solutions, we’re here to help! We offer a variety of resources, including:

• In-depth guides on specific technical SEO topics
• SEO consultations tailored to your website’s needs
• Ongoing technical SEO monitoring and maintenance services

By investing in your website’s technical SEO health, you’re investing in its long-term success. Contact us today to explore how we can help you achieve your SEO goals!