Thanks for being so patient over the last few weeks! I was wrapping up a live round of my SEO course & couldn’t quite keep up with these weekly updates. Sooo I’m hopping back on the horse this week & picking up with the latest news 🙂
Here were this week’s top stories:
Please note that this post contains clearly marked affiliate links. If you click these links and make a purchase, I will earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
#1 Ubersuggest is no longer free 🙁
{Okay, so this news is from last month, but I still think it’s important!}
This (formerly free) SEO tool from Neil Patel is now a paid tool. Such a bummer!
A few days after making it paid, Neil sent out an email explaining that Ubersuggest was costing nearly $250,000 per month to run and maintain, so they made the decision to convert it to a paid tool.
While I used to recommend Ubersuggest as a good free tool, I don’t recommend purchasing a paid plan. If you’re looking for a low-cost keyword research tool, I recommend KeySearch (affiliate link). Use the code KSDISC to save 20% and bring the price down to around $13/month.
Not sure what SEO or keyword research is? Check out my SEO Made Simple course and this podcast episode to learn more!
#2 Use Caution When Discussing Current Affairs
Be aware that Google, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit and other platforms are tightening up their dissemination of info from unvetted sources.
Amazon has also issued the following warning for all of their associates: “As a reminder, we ask all of our associates to exercise good judgment when covering COVID-19 and refer readers to the CDC website for accurate information. For more information, see the FTC’s guidance around Coronavirus claims. As a reminder, advertising with unsubstantiated claims is a violation of law and a violation of the Operating Agreement and may result in account closure, including withholding fees.”
YouTube announced that new videos may have lower reach or have a higher risk of getting taken down right now due to reduced availability of manual reviewers (and Facebook had a glitch related to their automatic spam filters this week too).
Use your best discretion when creating content right now <3
#3 Google My Business Disables Some Capabilities
Google My Business has disabled some functions, such as leaving and responding to reviews, until further notice.
#4 Facebook Is Rolling Out a Redesign
You can check out the changes (including a dark mode) here and here.
#5 Headspace Offers FREE Meditation for Healthcare Workers
Simply enter your email and NPI number to sign up for free <3 .
#6 Google Supports New Event Schema Properties
To help keep pace with current event changes, Google is now supporting new event schema properties that indicate whether an event is virtual, postponed, or canceled.
#7 WordPress 5.5 Will Allow Plugins Auto-Updates
When WordPress 5.5 rolls out, you will be able to set it to auto-update plugins and themes for you (previously you could only auto-update the WordPress core).
This could be great for people who have trouble remembering to regularly update their themes and plugins (which can pose a security risk). However, for people who keep on top of it, they may prefer to manually update to avoid unexpected bugs that sometimes come with new updates.
#8 Google Health Condition Cards Now Linked to “Specialists”
This is a really interesting update for health care providers who have local businesses.
Google is now linking knowledge graphs to different types of healthcare “specialists” (Rheumatologist, etc.) on mobile devices, and if someone clicks on that specialty, it will bring up rheumatologists near them!
How cool would that be for dietitians too?? No word yet whether dietitians will be included or whether this is just a beta-test, but it’s definitely something to keep your eye on.
To optimize for this, you should definitely have a Google My Business account set up (note: this is for local in-person businesses ONLY) & implement schema on your website. To learn more about all of this, definitely check out my SEO Made Simple course!
Hope you enjoyed this update!
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Erica Julson is a registered dietitian turned digital marketing pro. She has over 12 years of experience blogging and building online businesses and has taught over 900 wellness professionals inside her signature program, SEO Made Simple.
