If there's one thing SEOs are familiar with, it's change. From BERT to the January 2020 Core Update to COVID-19, we're living in a constant state of flux. In this presentation, we discuss strategies for rolling with the punches and keeping pace in a constantly-changing environment.

1. Algo Updates,
Volatility, &
How to Roll With the
Punches in SEO

2. What We’ll Cover
● Data from the January 2020 Core
Update compiled from 280
websites in the publishing, e-
commerce, and digital
marketplace verticals.
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3. What We’ll Cover
● Data from the January 2020 Core
Update compiled from 280
websites in the publishing, e-
commerce, and digital
marketplace verticals.
● Tips and best practices for how
SEOs can manage the current
volatility caused by COVID-19.
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4. Presenters:
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Kameron Jenkins
Director of Content - Botify
Laura Giuliari
SEO Strategist - Botify

5. What We’ll Cover
● Data from the January 2020 Core
Update compiled from 280
websites in the publishing, e-
commerce, and digital
marketplace verticals.
● Tips and best practices for how
SEOs can manage the current
volatility caused by COVID-19.
● A panel with SEOs who work
with large enterprise brands,
featuring insight into how they’ve
been dealing with all these
recent changes. 5

6. Panelists:
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Shawn Huber
SEO Manager - T-Mobile
Tim Resnik
Head of SEO, Product
Walmart
Laura Giuliari
SEO Strategist - Botify

7. What We’ll Cover
Q&A at the end!
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8. January 2020
Core Update
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9. What effect did Google’s January 2020
Core Update have on enterprise websites?
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10. 10
We looked at classifieds, publishers, and e-
commerce websites of various sizes.

11. What did we see overall?
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12. There was a big shake-up in the SERPs.
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# of keywords that were
ranking in positions 4-10 but
now ranking in positions 1-4
# of keywords that are
ranking in positions 1-4 &
previously ranked position
10+
# of keywords ranking in
position 4-10 but used to be
ranking 1-4
# of keywords ranking in
position 10+ but previously
ranking 4-10
But overall, we saw more positive movement than negative.

13. 13
Poll: What impact did the last core
update have on the site you work on?
A)Ranking/traffic stayed the same
B) Negative impact
C) Positive impact
D)Not sure

14. What changes did we see by industry?
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15. How to Roll With the Punches in SEO | @Botify
Classifieds: Positive increases across the
board possibly due to algo impact
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16. How to Roll With the Punches in SEO | @Botify
Media: Positive increases in clicks and
impressions possibly due to world events
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17. How to Roll With the Punches in SEO | @Botify
E-comm: Drops in clicks and page one
real estate most likely due to seasonality
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18. How to Roll With the Punches in SEO | @Botify
Positive changes for classifieds sites.
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Number of keywords on page 1 ▲
Number of 1-2 word keywords on page 1 ▲
Number of 3-4 word keywords on page 1▲
Number of 5+ word keywords on page 1 ▲
5.3%
5.2%
2.4%
8.0%

19. How to Roll With the Punches in SEO | @Botify
Neutral results for media websites.
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Number of keywords on page 1 ▲
Number of 1-2 word keywords on page 1▼
Number of 3-4 word keywords on page 1 ▲
Number of 5+ word keywords on page 1 ▲
-2%
1.2%
2.4%
=0.4%

20. How to Roll With the Punches in SEO | @Botify
Negative changes for e-comm websites.
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Number of keywords on page 1▼
Number of 1-2 word keywords on page 1▼
Number of 3-4 word keywords on page 1▼
Number of 5+ word keywords on page 1▼
-5.5%
-6.8%
-5.6%
-2.7%

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Compare position, clicks, and
impressions YoY

22. How did the update affect sites of
different sizes?
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23. How to Roll With the Punches in SEO | @Botify 23
*Smaller websites were hit hardest by
the January 2020 Core Update
Total clicks ▼
Number keywords on page 1▼
Number of keywords that used to rank at the
top of page 1 and now rank at the bottom
18.8%
11.1%
*sites with <10k URLs
▼69.2%

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While the update seemed very positive
for *larger websites
Total clicks ▲
Average position ▲
Number of keywords ranking at the
top of page 1 that used to rank 10+
25.3%
4.4%
*sites with 100k-1m URLs
*sites with 1m-10m URLs
*sites with >10m URLs
▲49.4%

25. Tips for Making
Your Site Algo
Update-Proof
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26. Google’s 20
Questions
1. Does the content provide a substantial,
complete or comprehensive description of the
topic?
2. Does the headline and/or page title provide a
descriptive, helpful summary of the content?
topic?
3. Is this content written by an expert or
enthusiast who demonstrably knows the topic
well?
4. Is the content free from spelling or stylistic
issues?
5. Does the content have an excessive amount
of ads that distract from or interfere with the
main content?
6. Does content display well for mobile devices
when viewed on them?
+ More in our white paper!
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For ensuring future algo updates
help, not hurt, your site
How to Roll with the Punches in SEO | @Botify

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Use segments to diagnose algo impact
More info: botify.com/blog/tips-segmentation-botify

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Use keyword groups to diagnose algo impact
More info: botify.com/blog/keyword-groups

29. COVID-19 Tips
for SEOs
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30. 30
Poll: How is your SEO team responding
to COVID-19?
A)We’re pivoting strategy
B) Business as usual
C) Pivoting some things, continuing others
D)Resources were cut/scaled back

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Monitor your audience’s behavior in real time with
keyword trends.
Which keywords are
surging in impressions
and clicks for a
specified date range?

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See which queries are trending up or down.

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Track the evolution of individual keywords: hand
sanitizer

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Sanitizer scarcity? Aloe vera + rubbing alcohol trend up

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botify.com/blog/seo-questions-covid19

36. Panel
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Shawn Huber
SEO Manager - T-Mobile
Tim Resnik
Head of SEO, Product
Walmart
Laura Giuliari
SEO Strategist - Botify

37. 37
Poll: What topics would you like us to
address in future webinars?
A)Technical topics (JavaScript, schema, etc.)
B) Content topics (search intent, keyword research
etc.)
C) Operational topics (communicating SEO's value
etc.)
D)Reporting topics (KPIs, custom dashboards, etc.)

38. Audience Q&A
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39. Thank you!
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