Darth Autocrat, the seasoned Internet business consultant, unravels the enigma surrounding Google’s functionality, shedding light on the quirks and challenges faced by SEO enthusiasts and digital navigators.

In this digital age, A1 kickstarts the discussion, revealing the indispensable tools in the SEO arsenal. From Google Maps & Local Pack for the wandering souls to the collaborative power of Google Drive/Docs, the conversation reflects on how Google has become an inseparable companion in both personal and professional realms.

The discourse takes a humorous turn in A2, where the panel shares their wishlist for Google improvements. From optimizing SERP ad placements to refining local map information, the experts express their desire for a more user-centric and accurate Google experience.

However, as the conversation unfolds in A3, the imperfections of Google come to the forefront. From the challenges of automated processes to the ambiguity surrounding metrics changes, the panel highlights that even giants like Google have room for improvement. Marianne Sweeny sums it up succinctly: “Google isn’t perfect.”

A4 delves into the complexities of Google’s algorithms and its quest for relevance. The experts ponder on Google’s focus on 100 DA (Domain Authority) and its inclination towards featuring Wikipedia in SERP features, emphasizing the need for actual relevance over mere numerical metrics.

The mysteries of Google’s ranking features take center stage in A5. Joey Trend wishes to unravel the nuances of authority, suspecting manual interventions in search results. Taylor Murchison seeks insights into how a site’s entire corpus affects the ranking of individual pages.

A6 and A7 add a touch of levity to the discussion, with mentions of beards and the desire for diverse search results. Jess Joyce emphasizes the importance of the competence of the web page author, highlighting the human factor amidst the algorithms.

Darth Autocrat (Lyndon NA) is an Internet business consultant.
(SEM (SEO/PPC), CM, and SMM, together with UX, CRO, and ORM)
He also fixes things for other SEOs.

A1: I find Google Maps & Local Pack extremely useful, especially when wandering abroad

Olena Prokhoda 

Non-SEO focused … Google Drive/Docs. I honestly couldn’t function without the ability to produce text/sheets on demand, on the go, on any machine … … and working collaboratively (talking on Meet, whilst typing in a Doc etc.) is priceless!

Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat)

Let me ask you this. Can you imagine a life without Google?

Omi Sido

A2: Place more than one or two ads at the top of the SERPs. I wish they’d move the bulk of them back to the right side.

Boyd Norwood – nozzle.io

This is gonna sound funny but, they need to stop listing 24/7 restaurants that no longer exist. Their local map information is lacking hard! Nothing more frustrating than driving to 3 different McDonalds at 3AM that say they are open and aren’t. #serpstat_chat

Joey Trend

A2 Announce product updates without indicating how much of the end result is influenced by DeepRank.

Marianne Sweeny

A3: Paid Ads. They often look like organic search results for a common user #serpstat_chat

Olena Prokhoda

A3 #serpstat_chat I think the metrics change quite often and cause of the size of google that information doesn’t get updated to *everyone* cause information takes time to update and then there’s 4 more things to update by the time someone gets 1 of the 4 in their head.

Jess Joyce 

How automated everything is. I have a sneaky suspicion they have people that manually review search results and choose winners and losers based on their preference. A bold claim I know lol. #serpstat_chat

Joey Trend

A3. That they don’t track engagement metrics like CTR, dwell time, etc. They might be doing it in some other way than the normal human’s understanding, but I think they do.

Praveen Sharma

Making Wikipedia their favorite website to feature in SERP features. Wikipedia can be edited by anyone and everyone. They need to focus less on 100 DA and more on actual relevance. #serpstat_chat

Joey Trend

I saw once when looking for seo experts on Google, some of the knowns names appeared plus a guy that was around in 1654, maybe #seo was around back then when the web wasn’t around. The image is on my computer with the crashed motherboard so cannot prove it

Lui Slauco – SEO 

A4 #serpstat_chat Try to emulate some other platforms in a way that is starting to feel like Facebook’s approach to cool.

Myriam

Authority. Whenever I think I have it figured out they change something about it. Also, there are some cases where websites come out of nowhere and Google gives them a large amount of authority. This is why I think they have manual moderators of search results. #serpstat_chat

Joey Trend

A5: How a site’s entire corpus affects the ranking of individual pages. #serpstat_chat

Taylor Murchison

I want to know about “quality content”. Is it based on user actions, SERP behaviours, actual language/words/phrases etc.? Is it per-page, or across sections/the site? Do they look for specific “issues” that detract from a quality score?

Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat)

A6: #SERPStat_Chat – well *not* having a beard would be a fun one lol @TaylorMurchison

Jess Joyce

#serpstat_chat A6: Q6: level of competence of the author of web page

Infosolutions Goa

Accuracy. I know – it’s not applicable for all queries/content, and that in some cases, the “truth” may vary … … but seeing a Featured Snippet that says “copper is a ferrous metal” made me angry! There are some things that are “facts”, and should be used.

Lyndon NA (Darth Autocrat)

I would change how they weigh backlinks differently. Have you ever looked in your Google Console and seen what they count as a backlink? Reddit and Pinterest posts should not be a weighted backlink lol. Nor Mailchimp email capture pages. #serpstat_chat

Joey Trend

A7: I would LOVE if each time I searched, I could get different results in a different order! As an option only!

Sweepsify

A7: Agree with @myriamjessier here, backlinks. While PageRank is also a large part of why they won the war, it’s still way too game-able. #serpstat_chat

Taylor Murchison
THE ALGORITHM IS EVERYTHING.

Our discussion with the formidable voices of #Serpstat_Chat, led by the insightful Darth Autocrat (Lyndon NA), unveils a spectrum of perspectives and critiques. As we conclude this exploration, let’s recap the valuable insights shared by these SEO maestros.

Darth Autocrat’s Resonant Insights: Lyndon NA, also known as Darth Autocrat, stands as an Internet business consultant with prowess in SEM (SEO/PPC), CM, SMM, UX, CRO, and ORM. In this conversation, he emphasizes the indispensability of Google Maps and Local Pack, particularly when traversing unfamiliar territories.

A Journey Without Google: Our experts ponder a world without Google, revealing the integral role it plays in their daily lives. Google Drive/Docs emerges as a lifeline for Olena Prokhoda, showcasing its versatility and collaborative features.

Navigating Google Imperfections: The dialogue shifts to imperfections within Google, with A2 delving into the challenges of ad placements on SERPs and the need for accuracy in local map information. The experts reveal their frustrations with outdated listings and product updates lacking transparency.

Unmasking Google’s Secrets: A3 unravels the mysteries of Google, shedding light on the deceptive appearance of paid ads resembling organic results and the ever-changing metrics that challenge marketers. The conversation takes a turn as suspicions arise about manual interventions in search results.

Joey Trend’s Bold Claims: Joey Trend makes bold claims about Google’s lack of transparency and the potential manual review of search results based on personal preferences. The debate touches upon Google’s reliance on Wikipedia and its mission statement alterations.

Craving Insights into Authority: A5 explores the enigmatic realm of authority in SEO. Joey Trend expresses the perpetual challenge of understanding how Google assigns authority, suggesting a possible manual moderation system.

Yearnings for Algorithmic Insights: In A6, the experts humorously reflect on Google’s mysterious algorithms, with Darth Autocrat contemplating the impact of his beard on search results. The desire for algorithmic insights continues in A7, where the wish for diverse search results and a reevaluation of backlinks surfaces.

Closing Thoughts on Google’s Evolution: As we bid adieu to this intriguing #Serpstat_Chat, Lyndon NA emphasizes the need for Google to reevaluate how it weighs backlinks, suggesting a refinement in what constitutes a weighted backlink.

In conclusion, this insightful conversation leaves us with a nuanced understanding of the challenges, desires, and speculations surrounding Google’s

In case you missed the previous #serpstat_chat


Jeremy Rivera

Jeremy Rivera started in SEO in 2007, working at Advanced Access a hosting company for Realtors. He came up from the support department, where people kept asking "How do I rank in Google" and found in the process of answering that question an entire career. He became SEO product manager of Homes.com, went "in-house" at Raven Tools in Nashville in 2013. He then worked at several agencies like Caddis, 2 The Top Design as an SEO manager and then launched a 5 year freelance SEO career. During that time he consulted for large enterprise sites like Smile Direct Club, Dr. Axe, HCA, Logan's Roadhouse and Captain D's while also helping literally hundreds of small business owners get found in search results. He has authored blog posts at Authority Labs, Raven Tools, Wix, Search Engine Land. He has been a speaker at many SEO conferences like Craft Content and been interviewed in numerous SEO focused podcasts.