Search Engine Optimization

 Recently, we came across an interesting case in Google Indexing that highlights how small mistakes in Google Search Console can have a big impact on rankings and visibility. The Case: Page Missing from SERPs The page https://www.experience.com/reviews/joe-spisak-403982 was not showing up in Google Search Results (SERPs). When we inspected the URL in Google Search Console (GSC) , the tool clearly said: Crawled and Indexed – meaning Google had the page in its index. However, when we checked with the “site:” search operator ( site:experience.com/reviews/joe-spisak-403982 ), the page was not visible in the results. At the same time, repeated submissions for re-indexing were not helping. The Root Cause On deeper analysis, we discovered something unusual: The page was being crawled and indexed correctly. But it was not ranking or appearing in Google. Finally, we found the real issue — a removal request for this page had been mistakenly submitted in Google Sea...

I’d like to share one of the most complex SEO challenges I’ve encountered, triggered by a Google Core Update—and how we successfully recovered our organic traffic by identifying key issues and implementing critical fixes. The website in question is a professional listing platform built using React JS with dynamic rendering. It hosts over 5 million pages , making it a large-scale JavaScript-based site where SEO management is particularly nuanced. How I Analyzed the Drop in Organic Traffic Shortly after Google’s Core Update, which spanned August to September , we noticed a significant drop in both organic clicks and impressions . The aim was to determine whether this drop was caused by internal issues, external factors, or a mix of both. Key Observations: When the Drop Occurred: The decline started in the second week of September , closely following the Core Update's rollout completion.  August and September . Metrics Overview: Clicks: Dropped from 16K–18K to 12K–13K ...

 Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is a powerful tool for tracking user behavior, but sometimes its implementation nuances can be a little tricky. Recently, I encountered an interesting issue related to event naming conventions that I’d like to share, as it might help others in similar situations. The Scenario We created a click event in the Google Tag Manager (GTM) tool and named it: "can't_find_your_profile_click_signup_page." The event firing status was successful, and we could see the event name displayed under the "Event count by Event name" section in the Realtime Overview of the GA4 tool. Next, we enabled the event as a Key Event in GA4 to track its importance further. However, the event didn’t reflect in the Key Events section when the specific button was clicked. The Observation Although the event was firing correctly and appearing in the Event tab as expected, it wasn’t showing up under Key Events. Upon investigation, we referred to the Google Support Docu...

  What is Structured Data Markup? Structured data markup is a machine-readable code added to a website to help search engines like Google and Bing understand and process the content more effectively. It acts as a communication bridge between your content and search engines, enabling better indexing and categorization. How Does Structured Data Help? When structured data is added to a website's HTML, search engines can reliably interpret and categorize the content. This leads to enhanced visibility in search results, making your website more accessible to users searching for relevant information. What Are Rich Text and Rich Snippets? Rich Text Rich text refers to content on a page that can be styled with headers, lists, bold text, italics, and enriched with media like images or links. While rich text itself is not a direct ranking factor, its proper use significantly enhances the user experience. Search engines can better understand and index your content when it is well-structured, ...

In today’s digital landscape, crafting content for a company blog or SaaS page goes beyond just sounding impressive. While fancy marketing phrases may seem appealing, they often miss the mark with both users and search engines. Let’s explore how to create impactful content that balances clarity, value, and SEO optimization. What Happens When Content Lacks Clarity? Imagine explaining a concept with overly complex words that sound good but confuse the listener. That’s what happens when content uses “fancy marketing language” instead of clear, direct messaging. Consider these examples: "The boy looked at the ocean; it was blue and cold." "The boy looked at the cold blue ocean." Which version do you think ranks better for the keyword "cold blue ocean"? The second sentence is concise, descriptive, and search engine-friendly. It shows how clarity and keyword alignment matter. The Foundations of Great Content Effective content must meet these three criteria: Ser...

In the modern web ecosystem, rendering strategies play a crucial role in delivering optimal experiences for users while maintaining visibility on search engines. This blog explores two powerful rendering techniques— Dynamic Rendering and Conditional Rendering —their benefits, use cases, and potential pitfalls, complemented with real-time examples and screenshots. What is Dynamic Rendering? Dynamic rendering is a hybrid approach where the server detects whether a request is from a user or a bot (e.g., Googlebot) and serves content accordingly. It dynamically switches between client-side rendering (CSR) and server-side rendering (SSR) to cater to the needs of both. Implementation Details : Middleware intercepts requests and identifies user agents. Users receive CSR content for interactivity, while bots get pre-rendered HTML for faster indexing. Key Points to Note : Dynamic rendering is not cloaking as long as the content served to users and bots remains similar in spirit . Why Use Dy...

When analyzing the load performance of dynamic rendering sites, it’s essential to evaluate two key aspects: Client-Side Rendering (CSR) and Server-Side Rendering (SSR) . Each approach impacts performance and SEO differently. 1. Client-Side Rendering (CSR) Load Performance : Measured by Core Web Vitals . Impact : Indirect. While critical for user experience, CSR performance is not a major ranking factor in search engines. 2. Server-Side Rendering (SSR) Load Performance Issues : Often signaled by 5xx server errors , which occur when the server struggles to handle requests. Impact : Direct. Server errors can severely affect SEO by reducing Google’s crawl rate and causing indexing issues across the website. Understanding Core Web Vitals Google introduced Core Web Vitals in May 2020 to assess user experience. These metrics focus on three key aspects: Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) What it Measures : Visual stability. How it Works : Tracks how much a page’s layout shifts as it loads, ensuri...

Recently, I encountered my first-ever "Copyright Notice" via the Google Search Console. As a webmaster, receiving such a notice can be both alarming and a learning experience. Thankfully, our SEO and  Secops teams are actively addressing the issue by filing counter-notices where appropriate and ensuring that any infringing content is removed from our website. In this post, I’ll be sharing the detailed analysis of the copyright notices we received for our website www.experience.com . These notices are filed under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and can be viewed publicly on the Lumen Database . Overview of the DMCA Notices Received We’ve received a total of 15 DMCA notices related to content hosted on www.experience.com . I’ve categorized them into three distinct types based on the nature of the claims: Type 1: Multiple Websites Involved Several copyright notices we received target not only www.experience.com but also other major websites like: www.realtor.com ww...

 In the world of SEO, getting your web pages indexed by Google is crucial for visibility. I recently faced a challenge: a page was discovered by Google but wasn't showing up in searches. So, I decided to use a tool called the Google Search Console API along with Python, a programming language, to fix this issue. Understanding the Problem: Explaining the issue: Google knew about the page but wasn't showing it in search results. Why indexing matters: Having pages show up in search results is important for getting traffic to your website. Using the Google Search Console API: What the API does: It's a tool that helps us communicate with Google's systems. Making a Python script: I created a small program in Python to talk to the Google API. Finding the problem pages: The script helped me find the pages that Google knew about but wasn't showing in searches. Getting Instant Results: Running the Python script: I ran the program and saw immediate changes. Seeing the differen...

In my initial exploration of Python technology, I encountered a pivotal challenge: managing a website with over a million pages. Manual checks of the index status for hundreds of URLs were time-consuming, compounded by Google Search Console's daily quota limits. To overcome these hurdles, I developed a Python script that swiftly checks URL index statuses, saving time and navigating Google's limitations. However, frequent script runs risked access errors, requiring a 24-hour cooldown. Despite challenges, the script now allows for 80-100 URL checks daily, with results neatly organized in a spreadsheet . Python's efficiency has transformed our website management, empowering us to focus on strategic tasks and explore further innovations.

Recently, we encountered an XML sitemap error on our website, specifically related to an "Incorrect namespace" issue. The affected XML sitemap can be found at this link: https://www.experience.com/sitemap_results.xml Upon inspecting the Google Search Console tool, the following errors were identified: Sitemap index can be read, but has errors Incorrect Namespace Your sitemap or Sitemap index file doesn't properly declare the namespace. Examples "Line 1 Tag: Sitemapindex." To address this issue, I referred to the XML schema for the Sitemap protocol available at https://www.sitemaps.org/protocol.html . The correct declaration should be as follows: <sitemapindex xmlns="http://www.sitemaps.org/schemas/sitemap/0.9"> Upon closer examination, it was discovered that we had used "https" instead of "http" on line 1 in our XML sitemap. To rectify this issue, we uploaded the corrected XML sitemap on our site and subsequently re-submitted ...