{"id":607127,"date":"2024-02-02T18:41:44","date_gmt":"2024-02-02T15:41:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/google-revamps-seo-starter-guide-to-focus-on-a-starter-audience\/"},"modified":"2024-02-02T18:41:44","modified_gmt":"2024-02-02T15:41:44","slug":"google-revamps-seo-starter-guide-to-focus-on-a-starter-audience","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/google-revamps-seo-starter-guide-to-focus-on-a-starter-audience\/","title":{"rendered":"#Google revamps SEO Starter Guide to focus on a starter audience"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a360d2149def\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a360d2149def\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/google-revamps-seo-starter-guide-to-focus-on-a-starter-audience\/#The_Google_SEO_starter_guide_also_has_been_significantly_cut_down_and_shortened_Heres_whats_changed_and_why\" >The Google SEO starter guide also has been significantly cut down and shortened. Here&#8217;s what&#8217;s changed and why.<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Google_SEO_starter_guide_also_has_been_significantly_cut_down_and_shortened_Heres_whats_changed_and_why\"><\/span>The Google SEO starter guide also has been significantly cut down and shortened. Here&#8217;s what&#8217;s changed and why.<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"bialty-container\">\nGoogle today released the third iteration of its SEO starter guide. This version is about half the size of the second version and is primarily written for people who are SEO newbies.<\/p>\n<p>Google\u2019s SEO Starter Guide was originally released in\u00a02008 as a PDF version. It was last updated in 2017.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/1038259\/SEL_Post-text --><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1693000027709-0\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"post-break\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>What changed. <\/strong>Google <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/blog\/2024\/02\/ssg-gets-a-makeover\">announced<\/a> that the new version is \u201cpocket-sized version of the SEO Starter Guide.\u201d Google also said this new version has \u201ca better focus on a starter audience and the topics we think a person who\u2019s just dipping their toes in SEO should focus on and\u00a0<em>why<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Google removed:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Glossary section<\/strong>: In its place, Google explained the individual terms in context on the page.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Structured data section<\/strong>: Google removed this section because it said this is \u201cmore of an advanced topic that starters don\u2019t have to think about.\u201d Plus Google said \u201cif someone is using a content management system (CMS) like Wix or Squarespace, they might try using a plugin and not have to worry about learning how to add code to their website.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Mobile-friendliness section<\/strong>: Google said, \u201cmost new sites and platforms are already mobile friendly,\u201d so Google decided this was not needed anymore.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Analyzing site performance section<\/strong>: Google removed this to keep the document focused on starter SEOs and said this would be a \u201cnext step\u201d SEO job and is \u201cmore of an advanced topic.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Google added:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Why do this. <\/strong>Google added sections that lacked an answer to \u201cwhy should I do this?\u201d and \u201cwhy is this thing not here?\u201d <\/li>\n<li><strong>What is. <\/strong>Google added to the\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/fundamentals\/seo-starter-guide#reduce-duplicate-content\">duplicate content section<\/a>, explaining what duplicate content is and how to fix it, and a new\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/fundamentals\/seo-starter-guide#videos\">short section for videos<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>SEO theories and ideas. <\/strong>Google added a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/fundamentals\/seo-starter-guide#focusing\">new section about common SEO theories and ideas<\/a>\u00a0about where Google thinks people shouldn\u2019t focus too much. Google also added a new section about\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/fundamentals\/seo-starter-guide#how-long-must-i-wait\">how long it can take to see impact<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Google compressed a lot of content including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>\u201cAre you on Google\u201d sections<\/strong>: Simplified to one section that focuses on a quick way to check if your site is on Google, and on the first steps a site owner should take if they don\u2019t see their site in Google Search results.<\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cDo I Need and SEO\u201d section<\/strong>: Google has a standalone document so Google compressed it into two sentences and linked out to the full guide.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Title links and snippets section<\/strong>: Google shortened this section considerably in favor of the more comprehensive standalone docs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Images section<\/strong>: For a starter audience, alt text is the more important guidance. <\/li>\n<li><strong>\u201cOpt out of Google Search\u201d section<\/strong>: Google said, \u201cwhile it\u2019s an important topic that should be mentioned, it\u2019s probably not why the reader is working their way through the guide.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Links section<\/strong>: Google compressed this section without changing the message about them, and highlighted their useful aspects and why linking is helpful for users and search engines.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Promoting a site<\/strong>: Google also compressed this section while linking out to\u00a0Google for Creators, as they have a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/creators.google\/en-us\/content-creation-guides\/audience-engagement\/\">more detailed guide on this topic<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Site structure section<\/strong>: This section was mostly kept unchanged, but Google removed these sections:\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Navigation section:<\/strong>\u00a0Instead, focused on linking important onsite URLs more aggressively.<\/li>\n<li><strong><code>404<\/code>\u00a0section<\/strong>: Google said, \u201cwe really don\u2019t care about\u00a0<code>404<\/code>\u00a0pages and site owners should just do whatever makes sense for their users.\u201d<\/li>\n<li><strong>Explicit setup for breadcrumbs<\/strong>: This is more of an advanced topic, so Google removed it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>More to come. <\/strong>Google added that it hopes to never change this starter guide but it will \u201ccontinue making our documentation clearer and easier to understand in the coming months.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why we care. <\/strong>The Google SEO starter guide is something many new and old SEOs have read at some point in their career. Now that it was updated, you all should probably take a quick look through it to see what changed.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to see the old version, here it is in the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20240116002541\/https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/fundamentals\/seo-starter-guide\">Wayback Machine<\/a> and you can compare it to the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/developers.google.com\/search\/docs\/fundamentals\/seo-starter-guide\">new live version<\/a>.\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"about-author\">\n    About the author<\/p>\n<div class=\"information\">\n<div class=\"author-module\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-3 text-center\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n                        <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" alt=\"Barry Schwartz\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/images\/authors\/BarrySchwartz-lg.jpg\"><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"img-fluid rounded-circle avatar-border\" src=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/images\/authors\/BarrySchwartz-lg.jpg\" alt=\"Barry Schwartz\" width=\"140\" height=\"140\"><\/noscript>\n                                            <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col-12 col-lg-9\">\n<div class=\"about\">\n<div class=\"name\">\n                            <strong>Barry Schwartz<\/strong>\n                        <\/div>\n<div class=\"row g-2 pt-2\">\n<div class=\"col-auto twitter\">\n                                    <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/follow?original_referer=https%3A%2F%2Fsearchengineland.com%2F&amp;region=follow_link&amp;screen_name=rustybrick&amp;tw_p=followbutton&amp;variant=2.0\" aria-label=\"opens in a new tab\"><i class=\"fab fa-x-twitter\"><\/i><\/a>\n                            <\/div>\n<div class=\"col-auto\">\n                                    <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/rustybrick\" aria-label=\"opens in a new tab\"><i class=\"fab fa-linkedin\"><\/i><\/a>\n                                <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>                        Barry Schwartz is a Contributing Editor to Search Engine Land and a member of the programming team for SMX events. He owns <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rustybrick.com\/\">RustyBrick<\/a>, a NY based web consulting firm. He also runs <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.seroundtable.com\/\">Search Engine Roundtable<\/a>, a popular search blog on very advanced SEM topics. Barry can be followed <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/rustybrick\/\">on Twitter here<\/a>.                  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology<\/a><\/span> category.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/google-revamped-its-seo-starter-guide-with-a-focus-on-a-starter-audience-437151\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Google SEO starter guide also has been significantly cut down and shortened. Here&#8217;s what&#8217;s changed and why. Google today released the third iteration of its SEO starter guide. This version is about half the size of the second version and is primarily written for people who are SEO newbies. Google\u2019s SEO Starter Guide was&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":607128,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/searchengineland.com\/wp-content\/seloads\/2024\/02\/google-robot-learning-books-1920.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[147868,78070],"class_list":["post-607127","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology","tag-google-seo","tag-seo"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607127","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=607127"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/607127\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/607128"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=607127"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=607127"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=607127"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}