That's one of the best parts about our communities, if you ask me – it's easy to get a healthy sampling of opinions about any news story you've been following, and most of them will be from users with years of experience in the industry. So let's dig in!
July Sees a Wave of AdSense Account Closures
Beginning on the fourth and fifth of July, Google started closing thousands of AdSense accounts without warning. Some speculated that it could be a bug, but user cbpayne says that
“From what I can tell and observe is that almost all the cancellations appear to be either… inactive accounts, hardly used accounts, or low volume traffic accounts – i.e. accounts that are pretty much useless to the ecosystem.”
User netmeg later relayed confirmation from Google that the accounts were closed for a lack of activity. User trebuchet saw it as a good move, even if it was a confusing one at first:
“Adsense doesn't exist to pay for hosting for mediocre websites… From my perspective I'd be happy to see Google become a lot more selective about who it lets into Adsense.”
What do you think?
In a different AdSense thread, user martinibuster has opened up a discussion about the modern AdSense landscape. We all like to blame Google for, well, everything, but martinibuster writes that
“Blaming your inability to make money online on Google's preference for brands is worse than an excuse, it's a crutch. Stop leaning on your crutches and entertain the idea that maybe you don't know everything about SEO and marketing.”
This is a wakeup call of a thread about the need to change and adapt yourself to your surroundings! But, as user frankleeceo writes,
“The hardest part is figuring out what changes are real and what changes are fading fads. And especially who to listen to.”
Martinibuster replies that
“On the Internet everything is a fading fad… Don't let 'analysis paralysis' keep you from taking action on a current trend. Get on the trend and ride it for as long as it lasts.”
Give this thread a read!
Keyword Planner Now Shows Search Variants Instead of Individual Keyword Traffic
So, last week there was a bug where webmasters who tried to use Keyword Planner were told that they needed an active account to get access.
This bit of news from Threadwatch isn't a bug though – it's a feature. Keyword Planner has narrowed in scope, making it more of a tool specifically for use with AdWords than a general SEO help tool.
Some speculate that a version of what the old tool did could come to Search Console some day – and John Mueller seemed curious about the idea…but there's nothing in the works yet.
Sidebars are starting to disappear from websites. But why is that so, and are we losing anything in the process? Kim on Cre8asiteforums writes that,
“Left sidebar navigation is necessary for larger sites containing hubs. I've seen them replaced with mega menus though, so that the hub levels appear in the header mega menu… For linking and SEO, I wonder if removing sidebars has an impact?”
What follows is a deep exploration of some specific uses, pitfalls, and advantages of left hanging sidebars. What's your opinion?
Survey: Shoppers Prefer to Start Their Search With Amazon
When you're shopping online, where do you start? If it's with Google, then you're actually in the minority! Most shoppers go right to Amazon to search for prices and deals.
“Free shipping, good prices and deals, and product variety are what Amazon shoppers gave as their reason for starting there,” writes a Threadwatch user.
Check out the full study through a link and share your thoughts!
Facebook Changes its Algorithm to Put Friends Posts Above Publishers
We've got some more thoughts from this WebmasterWorld thread to share! The story is that Facebook created a “News Feed Values” update recently that will give more power to your friends and take power away from publishers to reach you on your news feed.
Publishers are being encouraged to create “more shareable” messages and content, because if something gets shared by your friends then it can reach you that way – as opposed to a publisher's post reaching you directly with no intermediary. User weeks writes
“If a web enterprise is counting on traffic from a third party – Facebook, Google, or a local directory even – then it needs to take a hard look at their business model… If you're a publisher and your audience is coming from a third party, then you're not a publisher. Real publishers own their audience.”
WebmasterWorld admin engine adds that users do have the option of giving select publishers more ability to reach them through their settings – which is interesting, because it reminds me a bit of how you can selectively unblock folks from your AdBlocker!
16 Companies Are Dominating SERPs
In the physical print world, umbrella companies have long dominated the printing scene. They lurk in the shadows as their many arms operate, outwardly, independently. As it turns out – and it may be no surprise – something similar seems to be happening on the web with online publications.
These umbrella companies use their tremendous networks to lift new projects off the ground and propel them up the SERPs – something that start-ups could only dream of. You can read an article all about it in this SEO Chat thread and then share your thoughts!
Is it just a wild conspiracy theory, or is there some substance to these claims?
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The post AdSense Isn't Dead, But it is Different: Weekly Forum Update appeared first on Internet Marketing Ninjas Blog.
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