DaVine ✍️ » Kafka
good point
Kafka » DaVine
Also remember, as an SEO, we are optimizing the search engine, not the website we are working on.
By adopting the perspective of the SE vs. the website owner, you can more easily see what is wrong or missing from a site vs. the tunnel vision I see many website owners get when they think they should be number one because of their years of experience and bubbly personalities.

DaVine ✍️ » Roy
when you say "you trying to cut corners", did you mean that to me directly or do you mean that to someone else that you feel may be cutting corners? 🤔
Roy » DaVine
I meant to the industry in general… I have no idea of your capabilities but over the past 8 years I've audited some sites that got hit like this and it's typically bc the site content is simply not good or even worthy of rankings… ALSO, I might add that drop can be temporary and in many cases, those who do Search Engine Optimization (SEO) right magically go back to the top… I have no idea where you fall but this same type of comment is all over my feed so I had to say something lol
DaVine ✍️ » Roy
oh ok. Just checking. Personally I'm just learning the process. However my biz is in the 3 pack for some keywords. I did it on my own before i even knew about this Group or that hacks her a thing. My reviews are real and any updates on their up to this point are my own with very little knowledge and still ranked somehow. I call it grace. But I'm here to learn as i do want improvement. But my biz is actually profitable as it sits with limited knowledge. But i asked the question bc i genuinely wanted to know the consensus.
I don't even know if mine has had a drop honestly. I didn't check. I just know there's some things I'm working on that i need to be more consistent at. And that things bring me more calls and more deals and revenue. I just keep learning and plugging personally.
Roy » DaVine
you won't get any real consensus here… only a few people in these groups are ever legit.. everyone else thinks Google owes them something or is out to get them… if you haven't yet, focus on citations and city/service pages on your site. Very basic strategy but it's part of the process… I was able to rank 40 businesses with my team in about 45-60 days earlier this year when we were helping my friends agency… they were having trouble ranking their clients… video testimonial is on my Instagram same name as on here (my name)… ads can help but it's a whole diff world than Organic and isn't always easy to dial in without some experience. Eventually you want to do both… it's a step by step process… focus on your Google Business Profile (GBP) and website first… get citations using a service that can do it for you… then once you start seeing results, send ad traffic to your website to double down on an already performing campaign 🙏🍾💰💯
DaVine ✍️ » Roy
makes sense. That's what I've learned in here in the short time. Alisha gave her resource so i had them start with the citation audit. Next the big citations and local citations I'm having them do. And the location pages i did recently but just learned about making the page title with a keyword in it yesterday. None of this stuff was done and I'm ranking so i know, in time, with these change i Can get better. I'm on the right track. Thanks 🙂
Roy » DaVine
and that ranking for those keywords may not be valuable… it depends on the intent of the keywords and key phrases… you might be ranking but no one is searching that phrase… either way, revert your attention to your website and make sure you are creating content and city/service pages. For Google Business Profile (GBP) you need to do research to figure out some common traits between the most successful GBPs in your industry… Emulation is where it all starts… emulate good traits then modify from there… hole that helps!!
DaVine ✍️ » Roy
naw I'm ranking and they are searching for the keywords I'm ranking for. My site is profitable and like 95% of my traffic comes from that Google My Biz (GMB) site so i know beyond shadow of doubt the GMB listing is ranked for certain keywords.
And i only recently learned some ways to emulate through research. Before i was just making it up as i went. Just worked in my favor (blessed). But now I'm researching other things sites and definitely modeling success (not copying).
Roy » DaVine
great start!! Key to local biz is consistency of your info… company name, address, etc needs to EXACT across all online entities (citations, website, social, etc)… citations mean nothing if they aren't exact… this is something we fixed for many companies which gave some quick results but was just the beginning… I would not think about a "keyword" too much… the reality is, it's bigger than that… details about any business should already include proper keywords naturally or else it wouldn't even make sense… details, details, details… I'm simplifying here but hope this makes sense for you!
Don't let research get in the way of the obvious… seems you're better off using common sense then trying to demystify keyword research… sounds like you are on the right path however DO NOT complicate it with too much advice from random people… common sense rules all in Search Engine Optimization (SEO)… just think, if you're a customer, what do you look up and what do you expect to see when you find it… easy.
DaVine ✍️ » Roy
yes it makes sense. My citations were definitely wrong and mixed up. I didn't know he relevance until joining this group. It'll take some time to clear them up. The company Alisha said she uses is doing mine. So like 5 weeks it'll take to clear up.. Then move on to adding to them for the ones i missed. I like that they will give you a print out so i can spot check also once it's done. But yes they are using the exact match Name, Address & Phone Number (NAP)
Roy » DaVine
it shouldn't take that long… we fixed, optimized and ranked businesses that had all types of craziness going on in that same time… we used BrightLocal I believe for ours and I believe it only took a week or less but I'll check in our case studies… I had my team managing the day to day so I wasn't a part of every move… I just come up with the larger plans and they handle the small details 😉
DaVine ✍️ » Roy
yes that's true. I do start with how I'd look something up, but then i look at some keyword tools to also help. I've used keyword tools before when ranking my YouTube channel so I'm familiar with a couple. Because i know i may be searching for something 1 way because i know all the terms but a customer may be searching with different words so it Helps. But so far the tips I've learned in here (the ones that stand out and i save in my folder), are pretty simple to implement. Maybe a couple I'm not sure of. But the ones on my checklist to do i understand them and they aren't difficult to implement for me. Not saying mine will be perfect, but it'll be better than what i have (which is nothing) 😂. I don't keyword stuff either. Learned that from my YouTube seo training.
Roy » DaVine
I sometimes like to avoid keyword tools unless I really need to use it… the way Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is working these days you have to cover all angles regardless of competition and volume… it's about sales not traffic, never forget that… you can get more sales from a low volume keyword with the proper intent than a keyword with high volume but no one is looking to buy (window shoppers or those at the top of funnel)… also, my main focus lately is building my email lists… also I use a service that will capture every email of every visitor even if they don't subscribe or buy… totally legal and totally works!!
DaVine ✍️ » Roy
yea it may be due to their work load. They say them do then manually. Since they came through Alisha recommendation, are super reasonable in price, then I'm fine with that TAT. And i don't personally know Alisha but i do pay for attention to what people say in their comments. Then i go fact check myself once i have the terms to see if it make sense or if seems out of left field. She seem like she actually know how to rank so that's the only reason I'm using her recommendation. Not saying other people don't, but it's only a few people that consistently help in this group in open public vs only wanting to give answers in the Direct Message (DM). So i messaged the company myself and asked them questions directly. I liked the communication and info material on their site as well. So it's worth a shot to try them out
Roy » DaVine
stick with what works, avoid flavor of the month Strategy… over 8 years I haven't changed much besides focusing on content clustering… other than that I use common sense and create valuable content with info that proves the businesses expertise and credibility… keep it simple as possible!
🤔
DaVine ✍️ » Roy
yes that's what another SEO dude told me on Fiverr actually. At first i was only looking at volume. Then he suggested looking at keywords with "near me".. Then i remembered i had read they somewhere on line too. I didn't pay it much attention until he said it again. So then i went to type in some keywords and paid attention attention to "Google suggest".. Then i saw it "near me". I hadn't noticed it until the Fiverr dude mentioned it. So i was like wow i didny think of that. So now incorporate that aspect into it now that I'm aware. In YouTube SEO we call it low hanging fruit. And yes good sales but not necessarily high volume. And honestly with ny business setup, the quality calls with even low volume are what is propelling me. I don't get tons of calls but i get quality ones that turn into profit. So imagine when i get some more quality calls… Doesn't take that many for me to hit a goal
Great advice! Because it's easy to get caught up into flavor of the month because it's so interesting 😂
Roy » DaVine
I just create content for all the "people also ask" questions on Google for my base search phrase (I never use single word searches, always 3-5 words) and then lately I've been using TikToks search engine to identify topics that get high engagement… takes very little time and has never failed me once… I literally wrote an article 6 days ago and it ranked in 3 days while most people will complain about not being indexed after months… quality is key, answering questions leveraging a provable, legitimate expert (author bio and page 😉) is by far the best strategy right now… legitimate experts is the key… my wife does Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for a huge site (Angi.com) and all they do is hire experts to use their credibility on a subject and rank… they have an entire department for it… it's called ERB's… Expert Review Boards… shhhh don't tell anyone 😉🤣
DaVine ✍️ » Roy
that's actually a greatest idea "creating content around the Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)". See what i had thought to do was create the content around the competitors FAQ. But your idea is better because Google already knows what people think asking which is why it's on the Google suggest and bottom of the Google page when you searching things. 🤔.. So I'll let Google guide me in my content creation. Very simple in deed!
Roy » DaVine
exactly… common sense, right? If Google says "people also ask" well you better believe people are asking it… duh! Lol
🤭
DaVine ✍️ » Roy
I'm not sure if my niche is on tik tok but it's worth a shot to see. I don't yet know how to see what's ranking high on tik tok though 🤔.. Nor what is meant by (authorities bio and page). But I'm sure as i research and in your group someone will mention it and go in detail enough for me to catch on and incorporate it 😂. This is alot to go on already though 🤔.
I'll have to research the experts review board too and see how to use that in my biz. I love creating content.. So having different areas to source that content is crucial for me. Make my life much easier🤔
Roy » DaVine
everyone is on TikTok… just go by how many views, likes and comments… if it's viral on TikTok it will work for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)… author bio means you need to get a credible person who has provable expertise to either review or write your articles and make them the author for everything… author bio page is a place to add more credible info about an author… things like links to a LinkedIn account, Press Reease (PR) articles with the person mentioned, etc… usually the business owner is an expert so you build up their online profiles and buy some PR… if not I usually go to Google Scholar (search engine for expert white papers) and email experts to see if they will join your "Expert Review Board" then leverage their profiles to boost your content bc Google wants legit info not "how to relieve back pain" from some guy sitting in India who has no idea about Physical Therapy but "looked up some info". Get it?
🤭
DaVine ✍️ » Roy
yes that super common sense 😂… But i ain't shame to say i ain't think of it yet so i appreciate it. Hopefully others are reading the thread and can learn from it. I'll definitely be using and educating others on this tip. Most people on my fb time line are biz owners to some degree. Not in my niche but others. N i enjoy enlightening others with things I learn just as you are enlightening me here publicly, that how i do. I don't always need a person to dm me to help them with something that i have knowledge of unless it's too long winded 😂
Roy » DaVine
you got this!!! Just let me know if you need anything else I have to run but happy to help anytime… I'm on Instagram more often than FB so find me there it's just my name as the username… good luck!!!
🤔
DaVine ✍️ » Roy
"from some guy sitting in India" 😂 😂 😂 😂 ok cool. I saving this thread because i know that task is above my pay grade at the moment. But I'll be able to circle back through as i get more informed and can really take full advantage of it. That tik tok part I'm going to take a swag at this week for potential content though if i can find my niche on there
Roy » DaVine
people say WebMD get favoritism… duh! Every article is "medically reviewed" by an expert… ding ding ding… it's not paid ads!!! It's legit info from a credible source bc people's lives depend on it… again… not some guy in a foreign country making it up based off competitor content… hope this clears it up!!!
DaVine ✍️ » Roy
ahh i see. So id have to find an expert in my niche, that wasn't a competitor, to write an article for me, then i paste that article on my website? 🤔.. Or my Google My Biz (GMB) posts?
Wait isn't that the same effect as doing a blog post and then linking out to somebody else's website that happens to have more authority on the subject than me? 🤔🤔
Roy » DaVine
nope it's not about linking for someone else's site authority… Google Scholars are academics, they teach at colleges and universities… they don't compete with you on any level, they want to educate… it's about aligning your info with legit experts in a field… usually a PHD or equivalent in experience… do some digging on WebMD and Angi and you'll see it everywhere you look…. This is not backlinks or anything like that. It's about "who wrote this or signed off on it"…
DaVine ✍️ » Roy
got it. I'll add that to my research list. Thanks a heap! 🙏
Roy
Think about it… if you're gonna hire a lawn care service, would you want info from an expert or someone writing 5k words a day in a sweat shop overseas who never even cut a lawn before or watered plants??? You create a "expert" profile page AKA author or ERB bio page which links to things that prove they are an expert! Could be LinkedIn, obviously their Google Scholar profile and any Public Relations (PR) online… making the connection for Google to be like "Oh, John Greenthumb who is world renowned lawn care guy reviewed this article and said it's factual and make sense… let's rank this first since it's credible"….
DaVine ✍️ » Roy
i need to really think about who the experts are in my niche 🤔.. Like web md is easy for those in medical field. But my car recycling niche only yields those who are competitors… I gotta think hard to open up my mind on it. I've been around mechanics so long that we only see other mechanics as experts vs anyone who writes things 😂. O got homework to do with this small niche
Roy » DaVine
they don't need to write that is only a plus… EXPERT REVIEW BOARD… means they review and sign off… also, in academics it all started at University… I don't care what subject, they got degrees for underwater basket weaving so I know there is a department focused on recycling, engineering, etc… look at trade schools… pay a instructor who has a profile on the school website and use them as a reviewer… boom, done…. I sort of have a mind for this type of thing but reality is it is simple if you think high level… I have a million ways to go about this strategy I only gave you the most basic example… you probably will not find this online I figured it out on my own with no help then when I told my wife she said her company (Angi.com which is like a billion dollar entity) has been using expert review board for a while and they dedicate an entire department to it… that is why they rank for everything… not paid ads or whatever excuse everyone here has lol
Nick » Roy
Nah Google messed this update up big time I have a competitor with a Domain Authority (DA) of 2 ahead of me now and I'm a 38 plus tons more backlinks. Also way out of market companies showing up randomly on page two
Roy » Nick
Domain Authority (DA) is not even a real metric tho?? That is made up by SEMrush and Ahrefs .. So the reality is there is no correlation to that score and what Google is looking for.
Google has specifically said DA is not a ranking metric.
I see lower DA pages ranking all the time. I don't even look at DA it's pointless.
Create valuable content. Plain and simple.
It's sounds simplified but I personally have never built a backlink but I'm making money from affiliate links on my website where I only do Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Nick » Roy
Ah well I'm a business owner in a highly competitive industry. I'm all ears lol
Roy » Nick
everyone's situation is unique so it's a matter of doing an audit to see what you need to do.
Too be honest, most sites I audit when this type of things happen don't really have valuable content and lack many basics.
I am not saying that is you however it has been a large majority.
Sometimes some content updates and on-page + technical fixes can go a long way.
Hard to tell for your situation.
Nick » Roy
I appreciate your feedback, my situation may be far different than most because of competition level. We are highly optimized
Roy » Nick
it could honestly be any number of things.
You will need to properly audit your site and figure out what is missing.
And again, not saying this is you but I've heard that 1,000x
When I go look, it's never what you think it is.
And that is not a knock.
It is why you get a second look, ya know?
We all prioritize diff optimizations and each of those carry a certain amount of weight.
So it's very possible you did many things very well but the most important things have not been done or done poorly.
That is just my experience.
Nick » Roy
Yep I hear you brother! We spend an assload of money on marketing in my industry
Roy » Nick
I'm always open to taking look I just don't sell people here. Just want to help where I can. If we can work together, great… if not and you can do it from what I say in the comments, that's fine too!
I have testimonials from people where all I did was tell someone what to do over a chat and it doubled their traffic from 50k a month to 100k.
I feel my super power is explaining strategies in a easy to follow way so people can get it done themselves. That saves me time, can in instances make me money and everyone is happy.
Keeping my free time is worth more than money.
Nick » Roy
Sent pm.