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Never Redirect 404 Errors to Your Homepage Do This Instead)

Chris Grant (he/him) March 10, 2025 0 Comments
Why Your Website’s 404 Page Matters & Why You Shouldn’t Redirect to the Homepage Understanding the 404 Error A 404 error page is what visitors see when they try to access a webpage that doesn’t exist. This could be due to: A mistyped URL A deleted or moved page A broken link from another website A well-designed 404 page can be a small but powerful part of your website, helping to...
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QR Codes for Google Business Profile Review

New for 2025: QR Codes for Google Business Profile Review

Andrei Ghimpu March 05, 2025 0 Comments
Google has rolled out a new feature for Google Business Profiles that makes it easier to collect customer reviews. You can now generate custom QR codes that, when scanned, direct customers straight to your business’s review page. You can now create easy-to-scan QR codes that take customers directly to your GBP, encouraging them to leave more reviews. On your desktop, go to your Business...
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SearchGPT vs. Google: What Small Businesses Need to Know

Andrei Ghimpu March 01, 2025 0 Comments
As SearchGPT emerges as a new player in the search engine landscape, small businesses need to understand how it compares to the industry giant, Google. SearchGPT, developed by OpenAI, is designed to provide conversational, context-aware search experiences. It integrates real-time data with generative AI, offering a more interactive and dynamic search process. What is SearchGPT? SearchGPT is...
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Google Indexing Rates on the Rise – What It Means for Your Website’s SEO

Chris Grant (he/him) February 27, 2025 0 Comments
In the fast-paced world of SEO, Google’s indexing trends can make or break your content strategy. Recently, research by IndexCheckr highlighted a positive shift: Google’s indexing rates are improving. However, despite this progress, a significant number of pages still go unindexed or face deindexing over time, particularly affecting SEO-focused websites. What the Data Says The study reveals...
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Google Business Profile Reviews Outage: What It Means for Your Business and How to Respond

Chris Grant (he/him) February 11, 2025 0 Comments
In the digital age, customer reviews play a critical role in shaping a business’s reputation. Online reviews influence purchasing decisions, establish credibility, and contribute to a company’s overall online visibility. Recently, however, many businesses have found themselves facing an unexpected challenge—missing reviews on their Google Business Profiles. Google has confirmed that there...
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Important Changes to Google reCAPTCHA in 2025: What You Need to Know

Chris Grant (he/him) January 29, 2025 0 Comments
Google has announced a significant update to its reCAPTCHA service, which plays a crucial role in protecting websites from spam and bot attacks. By the end of 2025, all reCAPTCHA keys must be migrated to a Google Cloud project, and Google will introduce a new pricing structure. This change means website owners must take action to ensure their security measures continue functioning smoothly. What...
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Google: Alt Text Is More About Website Accessibility Than SEO

Chris Grant (he/him) January 28, 2025 0 Comments
Alt text, or alternative text, is a small but essential part of website design and management. It’s the text that describes the content of images on a webpage, ensuring that people with visual impairments or those using assistive technology, like screen readers, can still understand the visual elements of your site. While there’s often confusion about whether alt text is an SEO feature or an...
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SEO Tools Go Dark After Google’s January Updates – What Happened?

Chris Grant (he/him) January 18, 2025 0 Comments
On January 16 and 17, 2025, the SEO community experienced significant disruptions as numerous SEO tools reported outages and data inconsistencies. These issues were traced back to unexpected changes implemented by Google, which led to widespread challenges for digital marketers and SEO professionals. The Incident Unfolds During these two days, several popular SEO platforms, including rank and...
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Reflections on Google’s Activities during 20204: O’Brien Media’s Take

Andrei Ghimpu January 06, 2025 0 Comments
Over the last twelve months, Google has continued to reshape the digital landscape with updates to its search algorithms, advertising platforms, and analytics tools. Here at O’Brien Media, we’ve been closely monitoring these changes to ensure we keep delivering the best possible results for our clients. Below, we’ve pulled together our key observations and advice from our discussions about...
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Google’s JavaScript Warning: What It Means for the Future of AI Search

Chris Grant (he/him) January 03, 2025 0 Comments
In a recent update, Google has warned website owners about the importance of correct JavaScript (JS) implementation. Although similar cautions have appeared before, this carries renewed urgency in an age where artificial intelligence (AI) plays a growing role in search. AI-based search refers to search engine systems that use advanced machine learning algorithms to interpret user queries, analyse...
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