Ian Ferguson
@ferguseo.com
SEO consultant and author of SEO TL;DR - a weekly fluff-free roundup with tips to help grow your traffic seotldr.substack.com
Dad, dog lover, sporadic explorer 🚶♂️➡️
Dad, dog lover, sporadic explorer 🚶♂️➡️
🎥 I’m going live this evening with @antonshulke.bsky.social for #SEOcharity, supporting Ukrainian animal shelters, and I’d love it if you came along 😻🐶
SEO for SEO’s Sake Doesn’t Work (Here’s What Does)
🕕 6pm UK / 10am PT
Register here: www.seocharity.com/upcoming-liv...
SEO for SEO’s Sake Doesn’t Work (Here’s What Does)
🕕 6pm UK / 10am PT
Register here: www.seocharity.com/upcoming-liv...
May 14, 2025 at 12:00 PM
🎥 I’m going live this evening with @antonshulke.bsky.social for #SEOcharity, supporting Ukrainian animal shelters, and I’d love it if you came along 😻🐶
SEO for SEO’s Sake Doesn’t Work (Here’s What Does)
🕕 6pm UK / 10am PT
Register here: www.seocharity.com/upcoming-liv...
SEO for SEO’s Sake Doesn’t Work (Here’s What Does)
🕕 6pm UK / 10am PT
Register here: www.seocharity.com/upcoming-liv...
📱 New research shows Gen Z uses short-form video like a search engine. If you’re not thinking about TikTok, Reels or short-form SEO content, you’re missing a big audience.
April 29, 2025 at 11:11 PM
📱 New research shows Gen Z uses short-form video like a search engine. If you’re not thinking about TikTok, Reels or short-form SEO content, you’re missing a big audience.
📑 Structured data won’t boost your rankings (confirmed again by @johnmu.com), but it does unlock rich results that can drive more clicks; e.g.
April 29, 2025 at 11:11 PM
📑 Structured data won’t boost your rankings (confirmed again by @johnmu.com), but it does unlock rich results that can drive more clicks; e.g.
🔎 SEO TL;DR 68 - I’m back after a week off for the easter break, which involved battling the various illnesses my 4-year-old likes to bring back from nursery. I didn’t miss much news-wise thankfully; more of what we kinda already knew... seotldr.substack.com/p/ai-overvie...
April 29, 2025 at 11:11 PM
🔎 SEO TL;DR 68 - I’m back after a week off for the easter break, which involved battling the various illnesses my 4-year-old likes to bring back from nursery. I didn’t miss much news-wise thankfully; more of what we kinda already knew... seotldr.substack.com/p/ai-overvie...
Imagine winning all of those awards and Google/Wikipedia decides to sum you up like this 😂 I feel your pain Stephen #tallmantroubles
February 21, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Imagine winning all of those awards and Google/Wikipedia decides to sum you up like this 😂 I feel your pain Stephen #tallmantroubles
On the back of every Gym Group cubicle door 😅
February 14, 2025 at 9:27 AM
On the back of every Gym Group cubicle door 😅
I'm a little embarrassed to admit, but in my 15 years of SEO, I've never attended #brightonSEO!
Partly because being from the North East, a train ticket and overnight stay costs more than a holiday. I'd love to meet up with some fellow marketers this year though, so let me know if you're going 😊
Partly because being from the North East, a train ticket and overnight stay costs more than a holiday. I'd love to meet up with some fellow marketers this year though, so let me know if you're going 😊
February 14, 2025 at 9:23 AM
I'm a little embarrassed to admit, but in my 15 years of SEO, I've never attended #brightonSEO!
Partly because being from the North East, a train ticket and overnight stay costs more than a holiday. I'd love to meet up with some fellow marketers this year though, so let me know if you're going 😊
Partly because being from the North East, a train ticket and overnight stay costs more than a holiday. I'd love to meet up with some fellow marketers this year though, so let me know if you're going 😊
6/ AI agents can now navigate the web! This isn't death for SEO but stresses the importance of optimising for bots with clear navigation and structure (while not forgetting us meat bags!) seotldr.substack.com/i/155822802/...
January 27, 2025 at 1:05 PM
6/ AI agents can now navigate the web! This isn't death for SEO but stresses the importance of optimising for bots with clear navigation and structure (while not forgetting us meat bags!) seotldr.substack.com/i/155822802/...
5/ Google dropped breadcrumbs on mobile. Don't obsess over your URLs; it won't help CTR on mobile.
January 27, 2025 at 1:05 PM
5/ Google dropped breadcrumbs on mobile. Don't obsess over your URLs; it won't help CTR on mobile.
3/ Google updated Quality Raters guidelines, focusing on spam. Review them & prioritise people-first content. seotldr.substack.com/i/155822802/...
January 27, 2025 at 1:05 PM
3/ Google updated Quality Raters guidelines, focusing on spam. Review them & prioritise people-first content. seotldr.substack.com/i/155822802/...
2/ Site reputation abuse penalties hit European coupon sites hard. Brands, make your own discount pages!
January 27, 2025 at 1:05 PM
2/ Site reputation abuse penalties hit European coupon sites hard. Brands, make your own discount pages!
Spell check people, spell check 😂
January 21, 2025 at 3:17 PM
Spell check people, spell check 😂
I can't remember that scene 😳
(these results have been cropped for comedic reasons)
(these results have been cropped for comedic reasons)
January 10, 2025 at 9:51 PM
I can't remember that scene 😳
(these results have been cropped for comedic reasons)
(these results have been cropped for comedic reasons)
2 new search features in the wild
1️⃣ ‘What people are saying'
shows what’s trending
2️⃣ ‘Things to know’ shows for generic informational intent keywords
They’re a great hint for what Google is looking for
Subscribe to SEO TL;DR for more weekly insights 🧠
seotldr.substack.com/i/154219263/...
1️⃣ ‘What people are saying'
shows what’s trending
2️⃣ ‘Things to know’ shows for generic informational intent keywords
They’re a great hint for what Google is looking for
Subscribe to SEO TL;DR for more weekly insights 🧠
seotldr.substack.com/i/154219263/...
January 9, 2025 at 9:12 PM
2 new search features in the wild
1️⃣ ‘What people are saying'
shows what’s trending
2️⃣ ‘Things to know’ shows for generic informational intent keywords
They’re a great hint for what Google is looking for
Subscribe to SEO TL;DR for more weekly insights 🧠
seotldr.substack.com/i/154219263/...
1️⃣ ‘What people are saying'
shows what’s trending
2️⃣ ‘Things to know’ shows for generic informational intent keywords
They’re a great hint for what Google is looking for
Subscribe to SEO TL;DR for more weekly insights 🧠
seotldr.substack.com/i/154219263/...
I bet the same is true for Bluesky posts #socialmedia
January 8, 2025 at 12:24 AM
I bet the same is true for Bluesky posts #socialmedia
5/ 🗣️ Two new search features with screenshots for "What people are saying" and "Things to know".
With a tip for any non-US folks to turn on your VPN!
seotldr.substack.com/i/154219263/...
With a tip for any non-US folks to turn on your VPN!
seotldr.substack.com/i/154219263/...
January 6, 2025 at 3:47 PM
5/ 🗣️ Two new search features with screenshots for "What people are saying" and "Things to know".
With a tip for any non-US folks to turn on your VPN!
seotldr.substack.com/i/154219263/...
With a tip for any non-US folks to turn on your VPN!
seotldr.substack.com/i/154219263/...
4/ 🖥️ How to see what Google sees when it renders your site and an example of how a seemingly innocent site redesign can be detrimental to your rankings.
January 6, 2025 at 3:47 PM
4/ 🖥️ How to see what Google sees when it renders your site and an example of how a seemingly innocent site redesign can be detrimental to your rankings.
2/ We had 2 major Google updates at the back end of the year, a core update and a spam update which both took a very short amount of time to roll out.
I suspect this will be the trend in 2025 - more updates, more frequently - as Google returns to its 'scrappy' roots.
I suspect this will be the trend in 2025 - more updates, more frequently - as Google returns to its 'scrappy' roots.
January 6, 2025 at 3:47 PM
2/ We had 2 major Google updates at the back end of the year, a core update and a spam update which both took a very short amount of time to roll out.
I suspect this will be the trend in 2025 - more updates, more frequently - as Google returns to its 'scrappy' roots.
I suspect this will be the trend in 2025 - more updates, more frequently - as Google returns to its 'scrappy' roots.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 🥳
That is all.
That is all.
December 20, 2024 at 4:19 PM
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year 🥳
That is all.
That is all.
"He optimised websites, she optimised his heart."
I asked GPT to create a Christmas movie poster based on everything it knows about me 😱
This is why you shouldn't play with AI at 1 o'clock in the morning.
I asked GPT to create a Christmas movie poster based on everything it knows about me 😱
This is why you shouldn't play with AI at 1 o'clock in the morning.
December 18, 2024 at 3:03 PM
"He optimised websites, she optimised his heart."
I asked GPT to create a Christmas movie poster based on everything it knows about me 😱
This is why you shouldn't play with AI at 1 o'clock in the morning.
I asked GPT to create a Christmas movie poster based on everything it knows about me 😱
This is why you shouldn't play with AI at 1 o'clock in the morning.
That is interesting 🤔 I get your Bluesky bio, but I figure Googlebot followed your domain and lifted the content from there. Strange they didn't decide to canonicalise your Bluesky, but I guess because the URLs are different. Who knows how Google works, seems to have sorted itself out 🙃
December 18, 2024 at 2:28 PM
That is interesting 🤔 I get your Bluesky bio, but I figure Googlebot followed your domain and lifted the content from there. Strange they didn't decide to canonicalise your Bluesky, but I guess because the URLs are different. Who knows how Google works, seems to have sorted itself out 🙃
6/ 150 new #Shopify updates that smooth out the rough edges in the Winter '25 edition
seotldr.substack.com/i/153179839/... #ecommerce
seotldr.substack.com/i/153179839/... #ecommerce
December 17, 2024 at 3:29 PM
6/ 150 new #Shopify updates that smooth out the rough edges in the Winter '25 edition
seotldr.substack.com/i/153179839/... #ecommerce
seotldr.substack.com/i/153179839/... #ecommerce
3/ Just as you thought we'd seen the last of the 2024 updates, Google sneaked in another with the news that we'd be seeing 'more updates, more often' 😱
seotldr.substack.com/i/153179839/...
seotldr.substack.com/i/153179839/...
December 17, 2024 at 3:29 PM
3/ Just as you thought we'd seen the last of the 2024 updates, Google sneaked in another with the news that we'd be seeing 'more updates, more often' 😱
seotldr.substack.com/i/153179839/...
seotldr.substack.com/i/153179839/...
Liz from Wiz & Liz - SEGA
December 17, 2024 at 2:24 PM
Liz from Wiz & Liz - SEGA