Content Caffeine: a newsletter for the content-obsessed.

Hi everyone!

This edition is short because the whole family got sick, and I am playing catch up. Apologies.
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But also, I spent a lot of time thinking about the main takeaway discussed below.

News & Analysis

​SEO team writes on Google’s brand bias, community reacts​

• The SEO team at HouseFresh wrote an editorial on Google’s brand bias, claiming that it had become so one-sided that small publishers couldn’t compete.
• HouseFresh is a site focused on air quality. They test individual air quality products and make recommendations.
• They claim that large brands such as Forbes and CNET are not actually testing products but leveraging their domain authority to rank pages are good enough on the surface.
• And they provided a lot of compelling evidence. Enough to get the attention of the broader SEO community, including Danny Sullivan.
• But let’s dig deeper. Although the team at HouseFresh is doing a lot of work to create original, unique content. They have a much higher bar than, for instance, Real Simple. Why?
• The algorithm is programmed to mimic human judgments. Humans have a massive bias toward trusting a brand they’ve trusted in the past over a new brand that’s not yet earned their trust.
• The opposite is unfortunately also true. Once trust is earned, people are more likely to forgive you for mistakes. Not forever, but you have some leeway.
• Whereas, if you are a newcomer, you have little to no leeway at all.
• If all the content is mediocre, then Google will choose the brand, because the people on which the algorithm is based would choose the brand. Remember everything we learned about user interactions from the antitrust trials?
• Google doesn’t know if the people behind the content actually tested the air purifiers or not. And for the record, it looks like the job ads for DotDash that HouseFresh linked to in their article state that testing at home or in the lab is a requirement.
• So, is the HouseFresh content the best on the web? Several top SEOs weighed in on how it could improve. And I agree. The content is overall good. But here’s where I think the pet odor page falls short.
  • How many air purifiers were tested to arrive at the best picks is not immediately obvious. Beyond the chosen ones, it might be helpful to know how the ones that didn’t make the cut performed.
  • They include a methodology high up the article, which is good. But I wondered if this was the best way to test an air purifier for pet odors. There was no test placing a purifier near a cat box. No test of brushing a dog or cat near the purifier to determine how much was pulled into the unit versus left in the room or air. I also noticed that the best car purifier was tested the same way.
  • Finally, beyond a solid methodology, a reader generally wants to know why they should trust a particular tester or testing entity. What makes these folks qualified to run these tests and provide this advice? You don’t have to be a scientist, but I think it’s helpful to consult one and let readers know.
• It’s easy to get frustrated when you’re working hard and doing things right. But we need to remain objective and focus on the user.

​Other thoughts on this page from Danny Goodwin.

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Inspiration

​Info gain, experience among winners in Google correlation study​

• First-hand experience and evidence of information gain are key in this correlation study of recent updates. Many thanks to Cyrus Shepard for this work.

​Lily Ray’s annual winners and losers​

• Pay particular attention to the industries experiencing visibility changes.

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Upcoming PR & Seasonal Dates

March 17, 2024: St. Patrick’s Day
March 17, 2024: National Science and Engineering Week
March 18, 2024: Global Recycling Day
March 18, 2024: National Biodiesel Day
March 18, 2024: National Awkward Moments Day
March 18, 2024: National Introverts Week
March 19, 2024: March Madness begins
March 20, 2024: International Day of Happiness
March 20, 2024: National Macaron Day
March 21, 2024: World Poetry Day
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March 22, 2024: World Water Day
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March 25, 2024: Holi
March 27, 2024: World Theatre Day
March 28, 2024: MLB Baseball Opening Day
March 28, 2024: Respect Your Cat Day
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March is also:

National Reading Month
National Colon Cancer Awareness Month
Epilepsy Awareness Month
National Women's History Month
National Credit Education Month
Irish American History Month
National Nutrition Month
MS Awareness Month
National Peanut Month
National Caffeine Awareness Month

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