The effects from a Technical SEO overhaul can feel intimidating. Done well, the change is good. 5 things to look for first in GSC (non-brand queries), then in GA4 (organic traffic): 1) Organic impressions decrease, then increase dramatically. You have just rewritten your structured data, casting a new, wider net within organic search. 2) Organic clicks also decrease, then increase, but less dramatically than imps. Your new exposure takes time to attract the new traffic it represents. 3) Average organic position falls, then builds back up. Search engines don't immediately reward new exposure (impressions) with high rankings. Core, high-intent queries stabilize first. 4) Organic CTR drops, then builds. As impressions outpace clicks, this math makes sense. It's a necessary reset. 5) Organic conversion rate and revenue (GA4, MoM and YoY) increase by Month 2. Higher average quality traffic pays off. Any "lost" (but non-converting traffic) can be categorized as dead weight, now shed. #SEOChat

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 38 Google Merchant Center Next is right around the corner. But wait, isn't that a Google Ads platform? Yes, and... It fuels your visual organic listings. From product cards, to shipping and returns snippets, to promo codes, GMC governs how you appear beyond Shopping ads. Use this mandatory transition to refresh copy, imagery, and product highlights. Try Product Studio's new suite of AI tools. Don't let Aug 19th merely come and go. #SEOChat

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 37 Few brands realize how many "artifacts" they create and leave behind. - A sale ends, and the corresponding collection is removed from the nav - An old product runs low on inventory and is removed from a collection - A test page is tested and the team merely moves on to another - A team creates a new page, replaces the old version and leaves it existing - A social lander runs its course and the team moves on Many of these still surface in organic results. Create sunsetting workflows to avoid "stray" pages that no longer reflect the brand or facilitate a positive UX. #SEOChat

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 36 Your social media presence matters for SEO. The goal is to command as much SERP real estate as you can. (This can reduce the need for branded search spend.) By default, Google & other search engines surface your primary profile links, no change. More recently, Google has been going one level deeper... When helpful, Google will surface recent posts from your brand, including X (Twitter), Tik Tok, Facebook, and YouTube (yes, that's social media, too). Some questions to ask: - Do you have dormant profiles? Can you invigorate them to include a bare minimum of viable activity? - Can you schedule evergreen posts to surface profiles that the team currently cannot actively manage? - Is your profile page info current (valid links, on-brand messaging, current visual treatment, robust build)? Leave no stone unturned. #SEOChat

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 35 Google Merchant Center no longer ONLY fuels Shopping + PMax campaigns. Today, they directly influence organic listings. Here are two ways (ex. Merrell running shoes): 1) Snippets Price ranges, delivery timelines, return policies, and even promo codes (not shown) appear below the text-based organic listing. 2) Product Grid In addition to the top-most, paid Shopping carousel, SERPs now feature an organic listings grid, mid-page. Clicks expand a details panel (desktop right-side, mobile full-screen), which initially keep users on the SERP. Full utilization of GMC represents a significant opportunity for brands today. #SEOChat

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 34 When developing content, it's easy, common even, to grow narrow-minded. "We describe ourselves as ___, and our product is ___ helping people to ___." That's a singular path. Find common synonyms for your descriptors, your product features and benefits, and your audience. Expand your content accordingly. Not only will content become more relatable, but you'll cast a wider net in terms of eligible search queries. Win win. #SEOChat

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 33 Rankings are important, but they risk being a vanity metric for many. They do not directly ladder up to revenue. (Rankings ≠ Revenue) Of course, they're directionally relevant. You must be *seen* to earn traffic. (Who visits Page 3 on Google?) Focus on the things you can control: Send clear signals to search engines Understand GSC + GA4 data Create quality content #SEOChat

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 32 Review your redirects list, at least quarterly. Many will find hidden surprises, either in what's included or not yet included. Chances are high you should leverage 301s *more* often, not less, to ensure you deliver a positive UX. #SEOChat

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 31 (they're back!) Why obsess over character in ad headlines, but not organic listings? Both are creative, both marketing. Consider headlines: Google Ads = 30 characters Meta Ads = 40 SEO Page Titles = 60 Apply the same creative rigor across all.

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 30 How should I retire product URLs? Option 1: Hand Holding Keep the PDP, albeit "sold out," as a destination for loyalists. Communicate what's happening. Provide an alternate product or path to purchasing from your brand. Option 2: Bandaid Rip Redirect to a Shop All or Homepage experience. Customers won't reach a "dead end" 404 page, but they won't have the smoothest experience either. Regardless, the message will be received. Determine the relationship customers have with the product. Act accordingly. #SEOChat

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 29 SEO software can be "duped." Of course, they hold incredibly valuable tools and data. They also present surface-level insights, and that's by design. Metadata exists ✅ Alt tags exist ✅ No missing headers ✅ JS & CSS intact ✅ Sitemap complete ✅ etc... Overall Score: 💯 (not your actual reality) You know your business and site design better than any tool. It's on YOU to dig deeper. Onions have layers. #SEOChat

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 28 Google Business Profiles (fka Google My Business) remain critical marketing tools for brands today. They're not a joke. They're not dead. They're just dramatically overlooked. Think about the last time you used Google Maps. The result you clicked likely contained info fueled by a Google Business Profile. If your business is physical (store locations) a GBP per location is mandatory. If you're a DTC brand, they still hold utility for communicating Updates, Offers, and core business info that people seek. Leave no stone unturned. #SEOChat

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 27 Website visual editors are amazing, but imperfect. That content block you just added, does it have a section header? Does it render as a H1? H2 or H3? H4? Add content with intention and insight into its hidden code. Revise the code when needed. Avoid sending mixed signals to search engines.

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 26 Did you know...? Google (search engines) can rewrite your organic Page Titles and Meta Descriptions. Here are 3 steps to mitigate against this: 1) Customize Page Titles + Meta Descriptions. Create the most compelling organic listing possible, centered on the most appropriate keyword phrase. Don't leave these blank, which gives search engines free rein to "craft" something from your page. 2) Ensure these are aligned with the H1. Deliver a clear signal to search engines of what a page is about. H1s might include (some) branded language, but they should remain aligned. The other elements should be functional first. 3) Avoid "stray" URL page paths. By default, these may draw from the CMS (internal) page title, the forward-facing page title, or the H1. Regardless, it should remain unified with the other elements and the central keyword phrase. Don't overlook auto-filled, default options. #SEOChat

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 25 Build meaningful visual real estate on SERPs. Include quality imagery (format + size), implement alt tags, and organize assets by priority. Play into the visual SERPs that exist today. Earn traffic (and revenue) from imagery, not merely links.

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 24 The average CMS will leverage page titles and page descriptions by default for organic listings. These "work" but they may not work very hard. Brand language often has limited organic utility. Overwrite defaults with query-optimized metadata.

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 23 Let's unpack image file formats. Vector files, like SVG, EPS, AI, and even PDF, scale in size forever without degrading. Great for logos and simpler illustrations. Rastor files, like PNG, JPG/JPEG, GIF, and TIFF, have fixed pixel values within a grid, so they blur the larger they are scaled. Typical for photos and complex graphics. The latter are most common, albeit not necessarily web-optimized. A lesser known format, WebP, offers better image compression than PNG or JPEG, and it's often a lower file weight (improved page load times). See if your CMS allows for WebP. Shopify does by default today. Update core pages first (by traffic/revenue), then scale outward.

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 22 Why do Page Titles (title tags) and Meta Descriptions matter? Think of them in a traditional headline + body copy context. Which of these would you prefer for your organic listing? Both are results for "barefoot running shoes" and have dramatically different placements on the SERP. One is from a polished brand. The other hosts research about the topic. Note the ellipses... These elements are controllable if you draft them well. If not, Google (and other search engines) may rewrite them for you, creating uncertainty. Own your SERP presence.

SEO Tips From Travis, No. 21 What is your "north star" SEO metric? Traffic? Rankings? Backlinks? None of these ladder up to what propels a business forward. If you can't draw a line between SEO efforts and real business revenue, the business is being hurt. Nothing else ultimately matters. Tie your activities to attributable organic revenue.